Cowboy Basketball: Transfer Portal Interests
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State men’s basketball is still in a holding pattern regarding the 2023-24 roster as there are multiple players yet to announce a decision on whether or not they’re returning.
The Cowboys are set to lose Caleb Asberry and Bernard Kouma as both have exhausted their NCAA eligibility. As it stands, every other scholarship player currently on the roster has at least one year of eligibility remaining. With the four incoming freshmen already signed, and a fifth set to sign in April, combined with all the current scholarship players, it would put Boynton and Co. at 14 total scholarships.
However, when you look at past few years, it would seem likely that at least a few players might enter into the transfer portal and/or try their hand at playing professional basketball.
“I’m more committed now than I’ve ever been,” Boynton said on Monday. “I feel really good about where we’re going. There’s going to be a lot of fluidity, just honestly, in the roster. I don’t have a whole lot of answers for you on that. I’m sure that’s a lot of the questions that are coming. But I have had individual meetings with every player. Each situation is a little different in regards to whether they are either capable of being back or whether it’s in their best interest or the interest of the program to be back next season. And not all of those decisions are necessarily mine or theirs. Some of them are combined.”
So, with all that going on, let’s take a look at the handful of players in the portal Boynton and Co. have reached out to.
St. John’s transfer AJ Storr: 6-6, 200-pound guard
Storr is among the several Red Storm hoopers to enter into the portal following a coaching change at the end of the 2022-23 season. This past season, he averaged 8.8 points on 43.4% shooting from the field, 40% from 3-point range, and 1.9 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game as a freshman.
He was a four-star prospect in the 2022 class and listed as the No. 84 overall prospect in the ESPN Top 100. Boynton has mentioned a need for guards who can shoot it well and consistently. Storr would fit that mold. He is, however, hearing from more than a dozen programs.
Kansas transfer MJ Rice: 6-5, 215-pound guard
Oklahoma State was one of the final schools on the board for the former five-star prospect in the 2022 class. Rice did not have the freshman season he hoped for as he played in just 23 of KU’s 36 games this past season, averaging just 2.2 points in just 7.6 minutes per game. He did, however, shoot 40% from the field.
He also spent a good portion of the season fighting with injuries and ailments, such as arriving on campus last summer with an ankle injury, a bout with COVID-19, kidney stones and back spasms.
Arizona State transfer DJ Horne: 6-1, 175-pound guard
Horne has spent the past two seasons at Arizona State after spending two seasons at Illinois State. This past season, Horne was very solid from the floor as he averaged 12.5 points and 2.4 assists a game. He’s also shot nearly 39% from 3-point range throughout his career. So, he’d bring both experience and sharpshooting from outside.
Oregon transfer Kel’el Ware: 7-0, 210-pound center
Ware was a top-10, five-star prospect out of North Little Rock (AR) HS in the 2022 class, and is currently considered one of the top transfers in the portal. He played in 34 games this past season for the Ducks, averaging 6.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He also recorded 43 blocks. Geographically, Stillwater is close to home for Ware, but Arkansas is also in the mix and has recruited in-state prospects very well. Former OSU commit Davonte Davis is a great example.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi transfer Trevian Tennyson: 6-4, 180-pounds
Tennyson was an All-Southland Conference selection this past season as he averaged 15.7 points a game on 44% shooting from the field. He also shot an impressive 40% from 3-point range, making 100 of 249 shots from outside. He was a grad transfer for A&M C.C. this past season having played both Ranger College and Central Connecticut State as well. Boynton and Co. have first-hand experience with Tennyson as he scored 10 points against the Cowboys in the 81-58 loss to OSU in Stillwater back in December.
Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle: 6-7, 220-pound wing
Battle quickly developed into one of the best wings in college basketball over the past few seasons as he averaged 12.5 points a game on 38% shooting from the field this past season as a junior. He also shot 32% from 3-point range and brought down nearly four rebounds per game.
As a sophomore, Battle averaged 17.5 points on 45% shooting from the floor and 37% from 3-point range. He also brought down 6.3 boards a game. The Cowboys not only need some size, but some size that can consistently score in double figures night in and night out.