Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s First Game in Puerto Rico

Basketball in July? Yes, please.

Oklahoma State opened its Puerto Rico trip with a 94-88 victory on Sunday night. Here are five thoughts from this group’s first (unofficial) game.

1. The First Starting Lineup

This is obviously subject to change given this team just got together, but the first starting lineup of Lutz’s third team was:

Kanye Clary
Kashie Natt (Sam Houston transfer)
Luka Bogavac (North Carolina transfer)
Jordan Burks (UCF transfer)
Julius Halaifonua (Georgetown transfer)

That, for what it’s worth, is about as experienced as Lutz’s roster can get, with Halaifonua being the only non-senior. And he’s a junior.

Things that stand out about that group:

It features an elite perimeter defender in Natt (who we’ll talk a lot more about in just a sec) and a long, versatile post/wing defender in Jordan Burks. Off those two alone, you’re in a pretty good spot defensively.

Clary is the group’s point guard, but Bogavac is a more-than-capable playmaker. And Natt averaged 2.4 assists a game last season, which would’ve ranked third at OSU. So, a lot of people could get things moving.

The group also provided this early highlight:

¿Cómo se dice “𝘓𝘰𝘣 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺” en español? pic.twitter.com/AU2cFIRgki

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

2. Kashie Natt Is A Lot of Fun

Please don’t let this be the latest example of the NCAA not allowing OSU basketball to have any fun.

Kashie Natt was everywhere, finishing with 11 points, six rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist in 23 minutes.

He was an NAIA All-American, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Natt was a dawg despite the fact that this game was being played in Puerto Rico and didn’t even count for anything.

This biggest example I can think of for Natt’s tenacity came in the first half when he started clapping as he was waiting for one of the opposing players to dribble the ball up for floor. It was the type of clap that might as well have been him slapping the hardwood to get in his defensive stance. Not long after those claps echoed through the building, Natt was stuffing a shot off the backboard at the rim to disrupt a breakaway.

He also dove for a loose ball in the first half that he had no business getting to, and he did. In fact, he thought he knocked it out of bounds off the opposition, but it was ruled to go the other way.

A few minutes after that, he soared over (nearly landing on) a Puerto Rican player’s head for a ball on the sideline, and Natt was heads-up enough to throw the ball down off the opposing player, giving possession to the Cowboys.

Oh, and then he did this in the second half.

KASHIE NATT! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/rzykluNcUN

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

3. Jordan Burks Took Over Late

The Puerto Rican team clawed back into things in the second half until Jordan Burks slammed the door shut.

The 6-foot-9 UCF transfer poured in a pair of 3s late to put the game to rest, finishing with a team-high 16 points.

Burks is a guy with NBA upside. The Athletic listed Burks as a Top 100 NBA Draft prospect for this most recent draft, as he spent some time early this offseason testing NBA waters.

Burks appears agile enough to defend wings on the perimeter, but he’s long enough that his ranginess could also give some centers some trouble. On top of that, he stretches the floor on the other end. Just an all-around player, and he should be one of OSU’s biggest pieces this season.

4. All-Marshall Team Selection Anthony Felesi

If you listen to The Reload or are in The Chamber (25% off), you’d know I had the opportunity to watch about 15 minutes of a practice last week and that my biggest takeaway was that I liked what I saw with freshman Anthony Felesi.

I, again, liked what I saw from Anthony Felesi.

A 6-foot-5 freshman, Felesi finished with four points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists in 15 minutes, doing most of his work in the first half.

Not long after checking in, Felesi had a steal and slam, a put-back layup, an offensive rebound that led to a Ryan Crotty 3, and he forced an illegal screen.

Defense ➡️ Offense@AnthonyFelesi4 pic.twitter.com/mhBXnoxvUk

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

Like Natt, he was all over the place.

The All-Marshall designation is something I started handing out in The Chamber. It amounts mostly to types of guys who excel in their roles and has previously included players like Thomas Dzaigwa (3-point shooting), Isaac Likekele (being a jack-of-all-trades) and more recently Ben Ahmed (a hustling big man).

5. This Team Is Long

Steve Lutz wasn’t lying when he told us this last week:

“I like our size,” he said. “Let’s just say that you started either Jacob (Walker) or Kanye. Jacob’s probably 6-(foot)-1, and Kanye, he tells me he’s 6-feet all the time. After that, though, you literally could start 6-5, 6-8, 6-10, 7-foot. Your size is so much different.”

Lutz rotated lineups hot and heavy early. One of those was:

Jacob Walker (6-foot-1)
Anthony Felesi (6-foot-5 with almost a 7-foot wingspan)
Andrija Grbovic (6-foot-11)
Latrell Allmond (6-foot-8)
Julius Halaifonua (7-feet)

Then he momentarily switched to a lineup that was:

Parker Robinson (6-foot-4)
Jalen Montonati (6-foot-7)
Andrija Grbovic (6-foot-11)
Latrell Allmond (6-foot-8)/subbed to Jordan Burks (6-foot-9)
Julius Halaifonua (7-feet)

This is one game in July in Puerto Rico, but it appears as if a different level of athlete will be on the floor in orange and black this winter.

The hottest take I’m willing to offer given the circumstance of the game is that I’m unsure what this group’s ceiling is, but I believe it’s floor is much higher that Lutz’s previous teams’.