Fleming’s Five Offseason Storylines for OSU Basketball

Oklahoma State had what many would consider a successful season under first-year head coach Mike Boynton, and although many of the biggest questions from last offseason have been answered, they have been replaced with new ones for this offseason. Here are the five biggest storylines for Boynton and the Cowboys in preparation for next year.

1. Point Guard Vacancy

Following the departure of sophomore Brandon Averette, the Cowboys have no current point guards with experience playing in an OSU uniform. Miami of Ohio transfer Michael Weathers, who will be eligible for the 2018-2019 season, will be the favorite to nab the starting spot, and it’s also very possible that Boynton & Co. will find a backup option from the current recruiting pool. Kendall Smith was a major question mark headed into the season but finished the year as one of the Cowboys’ most important players. Weathers was the Mid American Conference Freshman of the Year and averaged almost 17 points per game with the Redhawks, and it’s very possible that he could adequately fulfill the role Smith is leaving behind. But we won’t know for sure until we see him in real action.

2. High School Recruitment

The Cowboys now have four of the 13 scholarship spots open and will likely add two Cowboys before the start of the season next year. Mike Boynton has done an excellent job bringing in transfers but is yet to get his signature commit out of high school. He has proven he’s the guy for OSU and a successful future, leading an issue-ridden squad to a successful season and reinvigorating enthusiasm into a previously dormant program. Getting a star recruit in this offseason would be the cherry on top of year one for Boynton.

3. Transfer U

The Cowboys have found tremendous success out of transfers in the past couple of years, and they have two more who could make an immediate impact this season. But there are also plenty of other transfers, including graduate transfers, who are looking for a new home in 2018. Old Dominion’s Trey Porter and Texas A&M Corpus Christi’s Ehab Amin are two guys that come to mind, although there will be plenty of others available this offseason. Boynton and his staff have gone that route before, so no one would be surprised if they do it again.

4. Filling the Shoes of Carroll & Co.

The Cowboys are losing their three most valuable players in Mitchell Solomon, Jeffrey Carroll and Kendall Smith. OSU will have to have a couple of guys step up and replace the production that came from the trio. Will it be Lindy Waters, who scored in double figures 15 times last season, and has shown the ability to be a premiere scorer. Cameron McGriff is another Cowboy who dramatically increased his offensive production as a sophomore and seemed to be the most dangerous in big games, including an 18-point performance against Oklahoma in Stillwater and two 20-point games against Kansas and West Virginia. Losing five of your top seven scorers hurts, but OSU has guys on the roster who can step up and take that role; it’s just a matter of who does it.

5. Fan Interest

OSU was seventh in the Big 12 in average attendance and crowd sizes wildly varied from some almost empty games, even in conference play, to an almost packed house against Western Kentucky in the NIT. It will be interesting to see if season ticket prices change at all headed into next season, maybe decreasing to keep the fan momentum moving or not moving at all.

Additionally, will the amount of season ticket subscribers increase now that Mike Boynton has shown he can build a formidable program? And has this season been enough to bring back the fans who lost interest following Brad Underwood’s departure? The difference probably won’t be too drastic, but after this past season, we got a small glimpse of what GIA could become when it’s at its rowdiest and fans are running out of excuses to not support the team.