SWAT Analysis: Evaluating the Oklahoma State Hoops Program

The offseason acquisition of Stephen F. Austin’s Brad Underwood has done wonders in injecting a new energy of excitement and enthusiasm around the Oklahoma State basketball season.

Under the new regime, Underwood brings a new philosophy of tough, man-to-man defense and ball movement on offense that Cowboy fans once dreamt of during the Travis Ford era.

With the season upon us, we’ve put together a S.W.A.T. analysis (SWAT in reference to an Anthony Allen blocked shot, not to be confused with a SWOT analysis), with some of the strengths, weaknesses, ambitions, and threats for this team. Let’s get to it.

Strengths — This team returns a lot of familiar faces who are expected to again be the main impact guys this season. Fortunately for Brad Underwood, having a group full of experienced players has helped the players adapt to his intense defensive pressure that he expects night in and night out.  In Oklahoma State’s exhibition win over Pitt State a week ago, the Pokes downed the fighting Harambe’s (shoutout to KP), by forcing turnovers and making life generally unpleasant for the Gorillas. The Cowboys took advantage by scoring an incredible 42 points off turnovers compared to Pitt State’s 7. The Big 12 is a totally different animal, however, so consistency in their defensive effort will be key to their success.

Weaknesses — Big man depth. Travis Ford was fortunate enough to bring in a graduate transfer last year in Chris Olivier to supplement some glaring issues down low for the Pokes. This year they will heavily rely on Mitchell Solomon in the post and will likely give first year center Lucas N’Guessan valuable minutes, too. The 7-footer has some promise, but he is incredibly raw and lanky. N’Guessan would likely benefit from a redshirt, but they’re too thin at the position to have the luxury to do so. He will get time as OSU tries to develop him quickly. In the meantime, however, expect the Cowboys to play a lot of small ball with Leyton Hammonds sliding over to play the five, a lineup that was used on several occasions in the exhibition.

Ambitions — For a team picked to finish in the bottom tier in the conference, expectations from my perspective are still conservative. But with Forte and Hammonds heading into their final years, there’s no doubt this time has the leadership and tenacity to make a run for the NCAA tournament. This is still a bit of a rebuild for first year coach Brad Underwood, and outside of his core, the team doesn’t have enough depth to truly be a conference contender. But Underwood has some incredible pieces to work around as a starting point, highlighted by HIS starting point: Jawun Evans.

Threats — As I mentioned earlier in this article, the big man depth is an issue. But it’s not the only position they will be thin at going into the year. Behind All-Big 12 performer Jawun Evans is true freshman Brandon Averette, and two other freshmen, Cam McGriff and Lindy Waters III, will play key roles on this team as well. Relying on true freshmen is always a risk, but the benefit is that there first coach at this level is Brad Underwood. They’re beginning their careers with a solid base and should only improve.

Summary

Oklahoma State finished 12-20 last year (3-15 in conference play), but with Phil Forte back and Jawun Evans’ shoulder back to 100%, the Cowboys can expect a solid improvement just based on their return. The Big 12, however, appears more stiff than ever, with bottom cellar TCU hiring Jamie Dixon who is already out-recruiting OSU, and Texas Tech adding Chris Beard who is an up-and-comer that should at least keep things on an upward trajectory after Tubby Smith bolted for Memphis.

Underwood will bring a totally rejuvenated mindset both on offense and defense, and I think that it will return moderate improvement. Travis Ford didn’t exactly leave the cupboard empty, but he wasn’t exactly fresh off a trip to Wal-Mart, either. He has the pieces to make a run in conference play, and I think the Pokes will slightly outperform their preseason projection of a seventh place finish. At the least they will be more entertaining this season, and their defense will keep them in a lot of games they may be outmatched in. It should be a lot of fun.