Five Takeaways from Oklahoma State’s Three Games in Puerto Rico

After the Auburn exhibition got everyone a little overhyped last year, I’m trying my best to not get too over my skis based on three July basketball games in Puerto Rico, but I will say I had a great time watching Steve Lutz’s third team this week.

Oklahoma State won all three of its games during its preseason trip to the Caribbean, and despite the unknown level of competition, the Cowboys did a lot to excite.

Having compiled the box scores from the three games, here are five takeaways I have from OSU’s Puerto Rico trip.

GAME 1 THOUGHTS | GAME 2 THOUGHTS | GAME 3 THOUGHTS

1. Burks Was Good and Efficient

Without even looking at stats, you could tell UCF transfer Jordan Burks was one of the more impactful players on the floor this week, but he was also uber efficient while making that impact.

Burks, listed at 6-foot-9, was the Cowboys’ leading scorer, averaging 14.3 points in about 16 minutes on the floor each game. To score close to a point a minute, you have to be efficient. He went 14-for-18 (78%) from the field, 6-for-9 (67%) from 3 and 9-for-9 (100%) from the foul line.

On top of all the scoring Burks did, he also joined Ben Ahmed as the only guys with multiple blocks across the two games, and his 1.7 steals a game also tied the team lead with Ryan Crotty.

It’s three games in July in Puerto Rico, but Burks is the current favorite to be considered the best player on the team.

Showtime! 🪄 pic.twitter.com/EBadpmbuWO

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) July 29, 2026

2. Felesi and Natt Are Stat-Sheet Stuffers

I’m trying to not have this mirror my five thoughts from the final game, but we’re sort of on track to do that.

OSU’s two leading rebounders this week were guards.

Freshman Anthony Felesi, at 6-foot-5, averaged a team-best six boards a game, grabbing five in the first, six in the second and seven in the finale. He also averaged 6.7 points and 1.3 steals a contest.

That’s so A.I. 🤨@AnthonyFelesi4 pic.twitter.com/pJWiWHGo3M

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) July 28, 2026

Sam Houston transfer Kashie Natt, at 6-foot-3, came second on the team in rebounds, averaging five a game. He also averaged 6.7 points to go with 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals and went 3-for-4 from deep this week.

KASHIE NATT! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/rzykluNcUN

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) July 27, 2026

Those two could be a wing tandem Sam Presti would be proud of, two guys who are tenacious defenders and all-out hustlers.

3. Luka Bogavac Can Do A Lot Offensively

They don’t often let bad basketball players play at North Carolina, so Luka Bogavac was one of the guys I was most excited about seeing this week. Although he didn’t necessarily have a breakout game in Puerto Rico, it’s evident he can play.

Bogavac didn’t have his best shooting week, going 7-for-25 (28%) from the floor and 4-for-17 (24%) from 3, but in watching how smooth his jumper was, you can tell those numbers won’t last.

What was more impressive looking back at his numbers was how he facilitated. Listed at 6-foot-6, Bogavac led the Cowboys with 3.7 assists a game, and that came despite the fact that I don’t remember many instances when he was being used as the primary ball-handler.

He totaled 11 assists and just one turnover. Of the five Cowboys who averaged at least two assists a game this week, Bogavac was the only one to average fewer than 1.7 turnovers a game. (Turnovers were an issue for the Cowboys in Puerto Rico. For now, I give it a pass considering it’s July.)

Luka’s feelin’ it 🔥

End of 3rd | OK State 69, Fuerza 63 pic.twitter.com/LavFsJEfx0

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) July 27, 2026

4. Mekhi Ragland Took A Big Step Forward

Entering his sophomore season, I think Mekhi Ragland will probably be third on the Cowboys’ center depth chart this season, but that doesn’t change the fact that he took a big step forward this offseason.

Ahead of the trip, Steve Lutz told reporters that Ragland went to Arizona to get his body right this summer.

“I give Mekhi a lot of credit — he went in the month of May and part of June to Phoenix to, I don’t know the word to use, maybe get healthy and to really learn the nutritional aspect of how he needs to function,” Lutz said. “He dropped some weight, and he came back and he looked slimmer and trimmer than he has. So, I’m really proud of him.”

Ragland has always had a soft touch, especially for a man of his size, but he was notably trimmer and ran the floor much better in Puerto Rico than he did in his freshman season.

There was one point in Wednesday’s game where he came up to provide some help defense on a ball screen and opened his hips and kept a guard in front of him for enough time for his help to get back into position. I don’t know that he would’ve done that so smoothly last season.

On top of that increased mobility, Ragland’s soft touch in the post was on display in Puerto Rico. He averaged 9.3 points across the three games, going 13-for-19 (68%) from the field.

With Benjamin Ahmed and Julius Halaifanua also on the roster, I’m not sure what Ragland’s role will be for this particular team, but there is no doubt he is getting better.

5. 3-Point Shooting Can Come From Many Places

There were two guys who had rough shooting weeks in the Caribbean, but outside of that, that, the Cowboys appear to have a lot of options to hurt opposing teams from the outside.

Bogavac went 4-for-17 from deep and Jalen Montonati went 0-for-7. Scoring is what both of those guys do, so I’m not super worried about it. But outside of those two, the rest of the 14 Cowboys combined to go 28-for-68 (41%) from deep. That’ll certainly play.

Here are all the guys who shot better than 35% from 3 this week:

Jordan Burks — 6-for-9 (67%)
Ryan Crotty — 5-for-14 (36%)
Parker Robinson — 5-for-8 (63%)
Jacob Walker — 4-for-10 (40%)
Andrija Grbovic — 4-for-9 (44%)
Kashie Natt — 3-for-4 (75%)

Again, the competition is the competition, but that’s a lot of dudes that defenses have to be mindful of on the perimeter.

Final Stats