Jacie Hoyt Isn’t Hiding From Expectations: ‘The Best Team That’s Ever Played at Oklahoma State’

Apparently, Jacie Hoyt isn't interested in lowering expectations for her new-look Oklahoma State team. Quite the opposite.

As the Cowgirls returned for their first team meeting of the semester, Hoyt stood in front of a roster loaded with new faces and delivered a pretty remarkable message.

She believes she's looking at future Hall of Famers. And she believes this group has an opportunity to become something Oklahoma State women's basketball has never seen before.

“I do believe we have the team and the talent to be the best team that's ever played at Oklahoma State.”

Well then No pressure. But you have to love the confidence.

There's coach speak. Then there's this.

Hoyt told her players how much she loves coaching them, pushing them and watching them accomplish things others didn't believe were possible.

Then she raised the stakes. “I believe that I'm looking at future Hall of Famers. I believe that wholeheartedly.”

Hoyt clarified that she wasn't necessarily saying every player in the room would eventually end up in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Although, for some of them? She isn't ruling that out either.

“For some of you, I want to be clear, like I have aspirations for you to do that. I have aspirations for me to do that.”

That's quite a message to deliver during your first team meeting of the semester. But it also tells you exactly where Hoyt believes this program can go.

If you're going to make statements like that, you better have some serious talent sitting in the room. Oklahoma State does.

Audi Crooks arrives after becoming one of the biggest stars in women's college basketball at Iowa State.

Liv McGill comes to Stillwater after establishing herself as one of the country's most dynamic guards at Florida.

There are players such as Stailee Heard, Talexa Weeter, LA Sneed and the rest of an almost completely rebuilt roster.

We've talked all offseason about how much talent Hoyt and her staff assembled. Apparently, Hoyt sees exactly what everyone else sees. Maybe even more.

Remember where this program was when Hoyt arrived. Oklahoma State had gone 9-20 the season before she took over.

Since then, she's rebuilt the Cowgirls into an NCAA Tournament program. But simply getting there isn't enough anymore.

That's the biggest takeaway I had from this message. Hoyt isn't talking like a coach whose goal is to sneak into March Madness.

She's talking about championships. She's talking about Oklahoma State history. She's talking about Hall of Famers.

Whether this team actually reaches those heights remains to be seen. But the expectations inside the building clearly aren't being kept quiet.

Here's the other side. This roster is almost entirely new.

Talent doesn't automatically create chemistry. Big names don't automatically create championships.

Hoyt has to figure out rotations. Crooks and McGill have to learn how to maximize each other's strengths.

Everybody has to understand their roles. Oklahoma State has to do all of that while playing in one of the strongest women's basketball conferences in America.

Calling yourselves potentially the greatest team in program history in August is one thing.

Becoming it in March is something entirely different. Hoyt knows that.

That's why another part of her message mattered just as much: “I love working hard and seeing the results that come eventually.”

The talent creates the ceiling. The work determines whether they reach it.

Jacie Hoyt could've entered this season trying to temper expectations.

New roster. New stars. Give everyone time to gel. Don't get ahead of ourselves.

Instead, she essentially did the opposite. Future Hall of Famers. The talent to become the best Oklahoma State team ever.

Aspirations for everyone in that room to someday be remembered for what they accomplished in Stillwater.

Those are bold words. But with the roster Oklahoma State assembled this offseason? You have to love that Hoyt isn't afraid to say them.

Now comes the fun part. Can this team actually make her believe-it-before-you-see-it message a reality?