Steve Lutz Has a New Formula for Oklahoma State Basketball

Steve Lutz believes he has found the formula to end Oklahoma State's five-year NCAA Tournament drought, and it goes beyond points per game or recruiting rankings.

In an interview with Hoops HQ, the Cowboys head coach revealed that he and his staff utilized Profile, a behavioral assessment tool that was used by Illinois in building a roster that eventually reached the Final Four. Lutz said the system helped shape Oklahoma State's roster makeover and has him optimistic about Year Three in Stillwater.

“This year’s team seems to be much more focused on the processes of winning and those sorts of things,” Lutz told Hoops HQ. “And focused on teamwork. You can already tell the way they’re wired based on our research.”

That focus on chemistry and balance comes after a second season that featured both progress and frustration.

Despite five players graduating and five others transferring, Oklahoma State still managed a 20-win season and an NIT appearance. The offense improved dramatically with the addition of Anthony Roy, averaging nearly 84 points per game. But the Cowboys struggled defensively, allowing more than 85 points per contest and often finding themselves needing to win shootouts in the nation's toughest basketball conference.

Lutz believes he learned from that experience.

“Year One to Year Two was a little bit too reactive,” Lutz said. “With this third recruiting class, I just feel like we have a better balance of both.”

That balance can be seen throughout the roster.

Kanye Clary returns after averaging 10 points and four assists per game last season, while the Cowboys also bring in highly touted freshmen Latrell Allmond, Jalen Montonati and Parker Robinson. Allmond is especially notable, becoming the highest-rated recruit to commit to Oklahoma State since Cade Cunningham in 2020.

The transfer portal additions also reflect the new approach. Jordan Burks arrives from UCF after helping the Knights reach the NCAA Tournament, while international additions Luka Bogavac and Andrija Grbovic bring professional experience from SC Derby, the same club that helped develop Illinois standout Tomislav Ivisic and his brother, Zvonimir.

More than anything, Lutz believes the Profile system helped identify players who value teamwork and winning, traits that can sometimes be difficult to find in an era where roster turnover has become commonplace.

“I’m hoping that we have a better result because we spent a lot of time trying to cover all the bases, that being one of the major ones,” Lutz told Hoops HQ.

Lutz's track record suggests he knows how to build winning programs. Before arriving in Stillwater, he led Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to two NCAA Tournament appearances and guided Western Kentucky to another. Even in his first two years at Oklahoma State, he improved the program despite arriving late in the portal cycle and working with a limited NIL budget.

Perhaps the biggest sign of progress has come from the fan base.

“At one point in the nonconference, our students were darn near outnumbering the regular ticket holders,” Lutz said. “It just shows that there’s starting to be some buy-in from the community and from the university, and they’re starting to get behind your program. So now the next thing is, we just have to continue to win.”

June workouts are right around the corner, and the countdown to November has already begun.

Bedlam against Oklahoma is set for Dec. 12 in Oklahoma City. The rest of the nonconference schedule is still to come.

Now comes the hard part.

Winning.

And if Lutz's new formula works, the Cowboys may finally find themselves back where they believe they belong: the NCAA Tournament.