After an extremely successful three-year stint at Stephen F. Austin, Brad Underwood looks to revitalize the Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball program.
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
Last Season: 9th, 3-15 in Big 12, 12-20 overall
Predicted Big 12 Finish: 9th
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Mitchell Solomon (Jr)/Lucas N’Guessan (Fr)
F: Leyton Hammonds (Sr)/Tavarius Shine (Jr)/Cameron McGriff (Fr)
G/F: Jeffrey Carroll (Jr)/Davon Dillard (So)/Lindy Waters III (Fr)
G: Phil Forte (Sr)/Thomas Dziagwa (Fr)
PG: Juwan Evans (So)/Brandon Averette (Fr)
Gone: G-Jeff Newberry, PF-Chris Olivier, C-Anthony Allen, G/F-Joe Burton (transfer-Valparaiso), G-Tyree Griffin (transfer-Southern Miss)
Strengths:
Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Juwan Evans heads up a high powered starting backcourt along with senior shooting guard, Phil Forte. Evans is one of the top point guards in the conference, perhaps the country. Forte missed all but three games last season due to an elbow injury and ultimately ended up redshirting. He is a sniper from the outside and his return is very much needed for a team that shot less than 33% from three-point range in 2015-16.
Question Marks:
OK State doesn’t have much size on their roster. Mitchell Solomon and Leyton Hammonds figure to start up-front but there is only one other player on the roster taller than 6-7 and that is seven-foot freshman, Lucas N’Guessan who is a project big man. This Cowboy team could end up getting beat up on the boards this season.
Player to Watch:
Evans is absolutely the catalyst of this team. He put together a terrific all-around freshman campaign despite missing nine games due to injury. Underwood will ride his star player as far as he can take him. If Evans has a truly breakout sophomore season, he could end up leaving for the NBA after the season.
X-Factor:
Hammonds made a significant jump between his sophomore and junior seasons as his averages drastically improved from 2.3 points and a rebound per game to 10.6 points and 5.1 boards. His versatility will be needed on both ends of the floor.
Looking Ahead to 2017-18:
Underwood has landed one commitment for the 2017 class in top 100 point guard, Zach Dawson. If Evans leaves school early, it will be a huge blow and elongate the rebuilding effort in Stillwater.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/21 vs. UConn (Maui Invitational)
11/22 vs. North Carolina/Chaminade (Maui Invitational)
11/23 vs. Wisconsin/Tennessee/Oregon/Georgetown (Maui Invitational)
12/3 at Maryland
12/10 at Tulsa
12/17 at Wichita State
1/28 vs. Arkansas (SEC/Big 12 Challenge)
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.