The Reasons Steve Lutz, Oklahoma State’s New Basketball Coach, Fits the Criteria

In Steve Lutz, Oklahoma State is appointing a basketball coach who meets the necessary criteria. A finalized agreement between Lutz, the former Western Kentucky coach, and OSU is anticipated to be completed on Monday.

Regional connections are in place: Confirmed. Lutz hails from San Antonio, played college basketball in nearby Seguin, and began his coaching career as an assistant at Incarnate Word in San Antonio. He also served as a recruiting coordinator at Stephen F. Austin and SMU, and held the head coaching position at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Recruitment capabilities are affirmed: Confirmed. Given the emphasis on recruiting talent from Texas, Lutz’s regional affiliations are advantageous. During his tenure as an assistant at Purdue, he played a pivotal role in recruiting star Canadian center Zach Edey.

Lutz ranked eighth on my list of potential candidates initially, but the more I delve into his career, the more I appreciate the decision to hire him. Despite Oklahoma State’s prolonged search, the outcome is a logical one. Credit goes to athletic director Chad Weiberg for avoiding impulsive choices like Doug Gottlieb or controversial ones like Will Wade.

It’s doubtful that Lutz was the university’s primary target. It’s likely that inquiries were made regarding Danny Sprinkle, Dusty May, Darian DeVries, and others. However, competing with programs like Michigan for May or Washington for Sprinkle, given his regional connections, was improbable. Although OSU and West Virginia are comparable, DeVries chose the Mountaineers.

While parting ways with Mike Boynton was ultimately the right move, Oklahoma State found themselves trailing in a fiercely competitive hiring market. Jobs like Louisville and Michigan are highly coveted, and schools like Washington, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Stanford secured coaches before OSU. As of Monday, OSU and SMU, positioned to join the ACC, were the sole high-major openings.

The basketball program at OSU has experienced a decline in status. Although Steve Lutz may not be the flashiest choice, success isn’t solely determined by a coach’s name recognition.

The Corpus Christi team went on to secure the Southland Conference championship. As a No. 16 seed, they triumphed over Southeast Missouri State in the First Four before succumbing to No. 1 seed Alabama in the opening round.

Following stints as an assistant coach at various institutions including Incarnate Word, Garden City Community College, Stephen F. Austin, SMU, Creighton, and Purdue, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was the first to entrust Lutz with a head coaching role.

During his two seasons at Corpus Christi, Lutz guided the team to consecutive NCAA Tournaments, marking the second and third appearances in school history. Prior to Lutz’s arrival in 2021, the Islanders hadn’t reached the tournament since 2007.

Last March, Western Kentucky recruited Lutz from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In his lone season at WKU, Lutz steered the Hilltoppers to the NCAA Tournament. Despite being a No. 15 seed and participating in their first NCAA Tournament game in 11 years, Western Kentucky fell to No. 2 seed Marquette.

Although Lutz, aged 51, lacks an extensive head coaching record, he boasts a perfect record of three NCAA Tournament appearances.

It remains to be seen how quickly and consistently Lutz can replicate that success at OSU.