Oklahoma State men’s basketball coach Steve Lutz calls Bryce Thompson ‘fantastic’
Oklahoma State men’s basketball coach Steve Lutz calls Bryce Thompson ‘fantastic’
The Steve Lutz era of Oklahoma State men’s basketball is about to begin.
The former Western Kentucky and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach, and longtime Purdue assistant, was hired by OSU in March following the dismissal of Mike Boynton.
Expectations are low for Lutz and the Cowboys entering Year 1 of a new regime. OSU was picked in the preseason Big 12 poll to finish 14th in the 16-team league.
OSU opens its season at 8 p.m. Monday in Stillwater against Green Bay — a team coached by former Cowboy Doug Gottleib.
Here’s a breakdown of OSU’s 2024-25 men’s basketball roster:
Marchelus Avery, F, Sr., 6-8, Richmond, Virginia (UCF)
OSU is Avery’s fourth school in five years. He began his career at Northwest Florida State College, where he played under former OSU assistant Butch Pierre. Avery played his first two NCAA seasons at New Mexico State before transferring to UCF. Avery averaged 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the Knights.
Jaxton Bobik, F, RFr., 6-7, Queen Creek, Arizona
The son of Daniel Bobik, a starter on OSU’s 2004 Final Four team, Jaxton joined the Cowboys last spring as a practice player. This will be his first full season as an OSU walk-on.
Khalil Brantley, G, Sr., 6-1, Bronx, New York (La Salle)
Brantley was the leading scorer in two of his three seasons at La Salle. He averaged 15 points last season on 39% shooting. He added 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He ranked fifth in the Atlantic 10 in in assists and steals last season.
Tyler Caron, F, Sr., 6-8, Longview, Texas (St. Mary’s-San Antonio)
A graduate transfer walk-on who was a 1,000-point scorer at Division-II St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. A stretch big, Caron shot 44% from 3-point range last season.
Kirk Cole, G, Jr., 6-1, Yukon (Troy)
Cole, a graduate of Southwest Covenant in Yukon, was a walk-on at Troy for two seasons. He appeared in nine games. Cole transferred to his home state, where he’ll be a walk-on for the Cowboys.
Davonte Davis, G, Sr., 6-4, Jacksonville, Arkansas (Arkansas)
Davis transferred to OSU after four seasons at Arkansas. In 132 career games (85 starts), Davis averaged 8.5 points and 2.4 assists per game. Davis is one of only two players in Arkansas history to compile at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. He was on the SEC’s All-Defensive team in 2023.
Arturo Dean, G, Jr., 5-11, Miami, Florida (Florida International)
Dean, a Florida International transfer, was named Freshman of the Year in Conference USA for the 2022-23 season. Dean led FIU in points, rebounds, assists and steals last season. His 104 steals last season set a school record. Dean’s older brother, Turo, played on Langston’s NAIA national runner-up team last season.
Connor Dow, G, So., 6-6, Broken Arrow
Dow played in 27 games and logged seven starts as a freshman. He struggled with his shot, shooting 28% from the field, including 24% from 3-point range. Dow was named to The Oklahoman’s Super 5 team as a senior.
Robert Jennings II, F, Jr., 6-7, Desoto, Texas (Texas Tech)
Like Suemnick, Jennings is no stranger to Big 12 competition. A Texas Tech transfer, Jennings played in 61 games over the last two seasons. He started 10 games last season for the Red Raiders. He shot 53% from the field.
Jamyron Keller, G, So., 6-3, St. Matthews, South Carolina (Ellison, Texas, HS)
Keller, along with Thompson and Dow, is one of three returning scholarship players for the Cowboys. Keller averaged 6.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 25 games as a freshman. He shot 68% from inside the arc.
Mikey Kelvin II, F, Sr., 6-6, Ottawa, Canada (Queens University)
Kelvin played three years at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. He shot 40% from 3-point range last season. Kelvin is making a huge leap from Canadian university basketball to the Big 12.
Brandon Newman, G, Sr., 6-5, Valparaiso, Indiana (Western Kentucky)
Newman played at Purdue when Lutz was a Boilermakers assistant. When Lutz got the Western Kentucky job in 2023, Newman reunited with his old coach. Newman followed Lutz again by transferring to OSU, where Newman will be spending his sixth year.
Abou Ousmane, F, Sr., 6-10, Brooklyn, New York (Xavier)
Ousmane played three seasons at North Texas and one at Xavier before transferring to OSU. At North Texas, Ousmane was on the team that upset Purdue in the 2021 NCAA Tournament while Lutz was a Purdue assistant. Ousmane has been a full-time starter in each of his last three seasons. He averaged 6.7 points and 6.4 rebounds last season at Xavier.
C.J. Smith, F, So., 6-7, Oklahoma City (Coffeyville Community College)
One of four walk-ons, Smith transferred to OSU after playing one season at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. Smith was a high school standout at Heritage Hall and Putnam City North.
Patrick Suemnick, F, Sr., 6-8, Green Bay, Wisconsin (West Virginia)
A former junior college All-American, Suemnick knows what Big 12 ball is like. He played in 69 games, making six starts, for West Virginia over the last two seasons. Suemnick started his college career at Robert Morris. He transferred to West Virginia with one year of junior college in between.
Bryce Thompson, G, Sr., 6-6, Tulsa (Kansas)
The former Tulsa Booker T. Washington standout was a five-star prospect, The Oklahoman’s 2020 Super 5 Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American. Thompson transferred to OSU after one season at Kansas. He’s entering his fourth season with the Cowboys, making him OSU’s longest-tenured player. Thompson is healthy after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in January. He’s averaged 10 points and 2.2 rebounds in his career.
Andrija Vukovic, F, Fr., 6-10, Belgrade, Serbia
Vukovic played professional basketball in Serbia while still maintaining his amateur status. He was teammates with Thunder first-round draft pick Nikola Topic. Vukovic is the only true freshman on OSU’s roster. Vukovic originally signed with Wisconsin, but a reported paperwork issue made Vukovic look elsewhere.
—Joe Mussatto, Staff writer
