Lutz comes to Stillwater from Western Kentucky, who he led to an NCAA Tournament appearance this season
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Steve Lutz is introduced as OSU's next head basketball coach by university President Dr. Kayse Shrum and athletic director Chad Weiberg. Courtesy of OSU athletics.
Oklahoma State basketball’s nearly three-week long head coaching search came to end Monday as Western Kentucky’s Steve Lutz was named the Cowboys’ next head man.
Cowboys’ fans waited nervously for 20 days for an announcement to come out of Stillwater, and were even hesitant to believe the news when it was finally released on April Fools Day.
Fortunately for the OSU faithful, the hiring was not a prank and was instead the result of an extensive process that included many of the top available college basketball coaches in the country.
In Lutz’ introductory press conference at Gallagher-Iba Area Thursday afternoon, OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg detailed the factors that went into the decision to hire the former Western Kentucky coach.
“It wasn’t just his experience as an assistant coach or his success as a head coach,” Weiberg said. “But the kind of person he is; genuine and straightforward.”
Weiberg also described his conversations with Lutz regarding his philosophies both on and off the court, citing it as the reason he knows that OSU found their guy.
“It was all of these things together that convinced me that we had found the right guy for the job. The next coach of Cowboy basketball.”
Steve Lutz, 51, spent last season as head coach at Western Kentucky, where he led the Hilltoppers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013 after posting a record of 22-12. WKU also won the Conference USA tournament championship for the first time since 2013.
Before that, Lutz spent two years at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, where he turned the program around by winning 23 games in his first season. He has also spent time as an assistant coach under some of the top college coaches in the country, including Creighton’s Greg McDermott and Purdue’s Matt Painter.
“I’m extremely honored to be here today and I’m extremely honored to be the basketball coach here at Oklahoma State University,” Lutz opened his introductory conference. “There are certain things in life that fit, and when you arrive, you know that you’ve arrived at home.”
OSU let go of head coach of seven years, Mike Boynton, following the Cowboys’ 12-20 record in the 2023-2024 season. The program appeared in just one NCAA Tournament during Boynton’s tenure and never finished better than fifth-place in the Big 12.
Lutz assured Cowboys’ fans of his goal to turn the program around and bring it back to the level of success it enjoyed under legendary coaches like Henry Iba and Eddie Sutton. His final message of his introduction was directed at the OSU faithful, whom he urged to pack Gallagher-Iba Arena and get behind his team before ending with a patented ‘Go Pokes.’
“The time is now. It’s time to win, guys.”