What Steve Lutz needs to do for Oklahoma State basketball to contend again in Big 12

Steve Lutz was named OSU’s new men’s basketball coach on Monday, and in the coming days he’ll hold an introductory press conference inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.

This is Lutz’s honeymoon phase.

OSU fans, from what I can tell, are supportive of the hire, and why wouldn’t they be? Lutz has been to the NCAA Tournament three times in his three years as head coach. He was 2 for 2 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and 1 for 1 at Western Kentucky.

I assume Lutz will make a good first impression when introduced, but then the real work begins.

Presidents are judged by their first 100 days in office. Basketball coaches are judged by what they do in March.

“Know that my staff and I will work diligently to recruit and retain hard working kids who will represent you well, on and off the court, and consistently compete for Big 12 championships,” Lutz said in a press release announcing his hiring.

Canned as it might be, that’s a big statement.

The Cowboys haven’t consistently competed for Big 12 championships since the Eddie Sutton days more than two decades ago. And the already rugged Big 12 is about to get even tougher with Arizona entering the fray.

Getting OSU back to Big 12 title contention is easier said than done. Here are five things Lutz needs to do to win at OSU:

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1. Recruit, recruit, recruit. Portal, portal portal.

Are we at the point in college sports where we can use “portal” as a verb? Getting players out of the portal is a necessary action. For Lutz and every other college coach. That’s what makes it tough.

OSU isn’t going to battle bluebloods in the portal wars, but Lutz should prioritize players that fit his system. He can’t win at OSU with the level of players he coached at Western Kentucky and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but he can win with similar types of players, albeit more talented ones, which are more gettable at OSU than WKU.

Recruiting transfers should take precedence over recruiting high schoolers. You can’t expect to recruit a raw freshman and develop them for a year or two before they crack the rotation. Players don’t have that kind of patience anymore. They’ll just transfer to a lower level where minutes are ensured.

With portal players you know what you’re getting, at least for the most part. And in college basketball, experience matters. Old teams are better than young teams, and young teams rarely grow old together.

My advice for Lutz when recruiting high schoolers: Take a narrow view. Own Oklahoma and take your shots in Texas.

Lutz is from San Antonio and was an assistant at Incarnate Word, Stephen F. Austin and SMU before getting the head job at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Lutz’s Lonestar State connections are valuable.

This is not a novel idea, but staying within the confines of Oklahoma and Texas to recruit high schoolers has multiple benefits. It limits recruiting costs. That’s a big one. It also reduces the flight risk of a player transferring. You at least rule out a player wanting to go back home if they’re already home or close to it.

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2. Get backing of boosters for NIL deals

You better believe Lutz is aware of his predecessor’s comments regarding a lack of funding for name, image and likeness (NIL) initiatives.

Mike Boynton was transparent about OSU’s second-class status behind college basketball’s biggest beneficiaries. This often gets misconstrued as an OSU problem, but NIL money has to be generated from outside of the athletic department.

Boynton also recognized the chicken-or-the-egg element.

Does winning lead to more support or does more support lead to winning?

It sure seems like the former. You can’t expect donors to pour into a program until they’re confident in the direction of it, even if they like the guy who’s leading it.

A good start would do wonders for Lutz.

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3. Pack Gallagher-Iba Arena

One of college basketball’s most glorious gyms has gone dormant. Give Lutz a lifetime contract (half-kidding) if he can get it to erupt again.

Filling Gallagher-Iba and securing more NIL funding go hand in hand. Winning will lead to more support both in checks written and seats filled.

OSU’s decline in attendance isn’t just an OSU issue, by the way. Just about every team at every level of sports is trying to boost their attendance.

You would think Lutz would have a one-year grace period. The excitement and hope of a first-year coach should be enough to get people in the building.

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4. Play fun basketball

Here’s what I like the most about the Lutz hire: Under him, Western Kentucky was No. 1 in the nation in adjusted tempo. That’s No. 1 out of 362! I’m going to reference that number a lot.

Everyone who watches OSU basketball should rejoice if Lutz’s Cowboys play as fast as the Hilltoppers did.

Recruit guards who can fly up and down the court and shooters who can space the floor. Don’t give into the temptation of playing a plodding big man.

Playing fast isn’t the only way to win. The likes of Houston and Texas Tech want to shrink the court into a cage fight. It works for them, but it’s a total slog to watch.

In hiring Lutz, OSU is right to try something different. Bring fun basketball to Stillwater, and people will fall back in love with the Cowboys.

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5. Keep an OSU alum on staff

Lutz would be wise to retain one or both of Scott Sutton or Keiton Page — two OSU alums who would be holdovers from Boynton’s staff.

It’s important for a program, especially a once-proud program like OSU’s, to have connective tissues tying the past and present.

OSU is a unique job and Stillwater isn’t for everybody. Someone, especially with the last name Sutton, could guide Lutz along the way.

While Lutz isn’t a direct descendant on the Eddie Sutton coaching tree, he’s among the newest branches.

Lutz was an assistant at Purdue under Matt Painter, who was an assistant under legendary Purdue coach Gene Keady, who was an assistant at Arkansas under Sutton.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Oklahoma State basketball coach Steve Lutz can rebuild Cowboys