This is what I’d like to see from Chad Weiberg: During a news conference, Oklahoma State’s athletic director leans into the microphone and says, “Our basketball program isn’t good enough. It has become stale. We’ve got to do better. We want our fans and donors to be happy. We want respectable attendance, and here’s how we’re going to do it . . . “
After a dramatic pause, Weiberg presents his plan for changing Oklahoma State basketball and getting winning results during this NIL-portal era of college athletics.
What that plan might be — I have no idea.
Not yet, anyway.
Whether it involves a coaching change and a $6.7 million buyout of Mike Boynton’s contract, or keeping Boynton for an eighth season while making substantial other changes in the program, or a bolder approach on NIL for basketball athletes, or maybe a commitment to building a cool new practice facility like the one at Oral Roberts University – Weiberg’s plan should be unveiled within a few days.
The one thing Weiberg cannot do is to stand pat.
The one thing he absolutely cannot do is nothing at all.
Doing nothing at all would be an acceptance of mediocrity.
The status quo isn’t very impressive, and OSU’s status quo has a lot of mileage on it: In 18 full seasons since the end of the Eddie Sutton era, the Cowboys are 136-168 in Big 12 play. In the NCAA Tournament, the Cowboys since 2006 are 2-7.
Of course, there won’t be an NCAA Tournament appearance this season. In six of Boynton’s seven seasons, Oklahoma State was eligible for postseason play but didn’t score a spot on the NCAA bracket.
Beaten 77-62 by UCF in a Big 12 Tournament first-round game, the OSU basketball season ended with a sixth consecutive loss and an overall record of 12-20. In the conference standings, there was a last-place tie with West Virginia.
“Next year will be a lot different,” Cowboy guard Javon Small predicted after totaling 21 points on Tuesday.
I don’t doubt that a bit, but the daily quest for insight continues to come up dry. For a major-conference postseason tournament game in KC’s T-Mobile Center, there were fewer than 300 spectators. Weiberg is said to have been one of those spectators.
University sources who typically have a strong feel for what to expect when there is a situation like this – they don’t seem to know any more than you or I or anyone else.
Weiberg seems intensely guarded as he considers what he can do to restore Oklahoma State basketball, but there can’t be eventual action. He has to make a move because of this: In the 14-team Big 12 Conference this season, Oklahoma State was 12th in home-game attendance.
Gallagher-Iba Arena has 13,611 seats. For home basketball games this season, OSU’s attendance average was 6,603 – below 50% of capacity. There was a classically big, engaged, noisy crowd for Bedlam on Feb. 24, but OU connected on a walk-off shot to win 84-82.
That outcome seemed to break the Cowboys’ hearts, and they never won again. It was the first of the six losses to end the 2023-24 season.
In 78 seasons since the end of World War II, only four OSU basketball teams closed a season with a losing streak of as long as six games.
In 1960, a Mr. Iba-coached squad arrived at the finish line with seven consecutive losses.
Paul Hansen’s Cowboys ended the 1984-85 season with six setbacks.
On March 9, 2016, Kansas State eliminated OSU from the Big 12 Tournament. Two days later, a university press release indicated that coach Travis Ford and OSU “mutually agreed” to “part ways.”
After Ford’s final Cowboy squad was 3-15 in the conference and 12-20 overall, he received $3.9 million as Oklahoma State executed a buyout of his contract. Four seasons remain on Boynton’s contract.
Weiberg, as the athletic director for his alma mater, now has a heavy basketball problem and decisions to make. OSU since the mid-2000s has become a football school, not only because of performance on the field but because of the flow of resources into Mike Gundy’s program.
It’s time to take steps in support of fixing Oklahoma State basketball, and resources are required. Coaching changes are expensive. Losing is costly. Winning is expensive, and especially now that NIL is such a driving force in the decision-making of athletes who have the transfer portal as an easy escape mechanism.
The Cade Cunningham Cowboys of 2021 were the only Boynton-coached squad to have been an NCAA Tournament participant and to have achieved a national ranking during the regular season.
I know there are OSU people who get tired of the Eddie Sutton references, but Sutton set the standard. He proved that Oklahoma State could be a consistent winner in basketball.
Granted, Sutton was great at OSU long before the advent of NIL and the portal, but here’s a fun fact: In 257 games, Eddie Sutton-coached Oklahoma State teams had a national ranking in the AP poll.
Tulsa World
12 March 2024
After a dramatic pause, Weiberg presents his plan for changing Oklahoma State basketball and getting winning results during this NIL-portal era of college athletics.
What that plan might be — I have no idea.
Not yet, anyway.
Whether it involves a coaching change and a $6.7 million buyout of Mike Boynton’s contract, or keeping Boynton for an eighth season while making substantial other changes in the program, or a bolder approach on NIL for basketball athletes, or maybe a commitment to building a cool new practice facility like the one at Oral Roberts University – Weiberg’s plan should be unveiled within a few days.
The one thing Weiberg cannot do is to stand pat.
The one thing he absolutely cannot do is nothing at all.
Doing nothing at all would be an acceptance of mediocrity.
The status quo isn’t very impressive, and OSU’s status quo has a lot of mileage on it: In 18 full seasons since the end of the Eddie Sutton era, the Cowboys are 136-168 in Big 12 play. In the NCAA Tournament, the Cowboys since 2006 are 2-7.
Of course, there won’t be an NCAA Tournament appearance this season. In six of Boynton’s seven seasons, Oklahoma State was eligible for postseason play but didn’t score a spot on the NCAA bracket.
Beaten 77-62 by UCF in a Big 12 Tournament first-round game, the OSU basketball season ended with a sixth consecutive loss and an overall record of 12-20. In the conference standings, there was a last-place tie with West Virginia.
“Next year will be a lot different,” Cowboy guard Javon Small predicted after totaling 21 points on Tuesday.
I don’t doubt that a bit, but the daily quest for insight continues to come up dry. For a major-conference postseason tournament game in KC’s T-Mobile Center, there were fewer than 300 spectators. Weiberg is said to have been one of those spectators.
University sources who typically have a strong feel for what to expect when there is a situation like this – they don’t seem to know any more than you or I or anyone else.
Weiberg seems intensely guarded as he considers what he can do to restore Oklahoma State basketball, but there can’t be eventual action. He has to make a move because of this: In the 14-team Big 12 Conference this season, Oklahoma State was 12th in home-game attendance.
Gallagher-Iba Arena has 13,611 seats. For home basketball games this season, OSU’s attendance average was 6,603 – below 50% of capacity. There was a classically big, engaged, noisy crowd for Bedlam on Feb. 24, but OU connected on a walk-off shot to win 84-82.
That outcome seemed to break the Cowboys’ hearts, and they never won again. It was the first of the six losses to end the 2023-24 season.
In 78 seasons since the end of World War II, only four OSU basketball teams closed a season with a losing streak of as long as six games.
In 1960, a Mr. Iba-coached squad arrived at the finish line with seven consecutive losses.
Paul Hansen’s Cowboys ended the 1984-85 season with six setbacks.
On March 9, 2016, Kansas State eliminated OSU from the Big 12 Tournament. Two days later, a university press release indicated that coach Travis Ford and OSU “mutually agreed” to “part ways.”
After Ford’s final Cowboy squad was 3-15 in the conference and 12-20 overall, he received $3.9 million as Oklahoma State executed a buyout of his contract. Four seasons remain on Boynton’s contract.
Weiberg, as the athletic director for his alma mater, now has a heavy basketball problem and decisions to make. OSU since the mid-2000s has become a football school, not only because of performance on the field but because of the flow of resources into Mike Gundy’s program.
It’s time to take steps in support of fixing Oklahoma State basketball, and resources are required. Coaching changes are expensive. Losing is costly. Winning is expensive, and especially now that NIL is such a driving force in the decision-making of athletes who have the transfer portal as an easy escape mechanism.
The Cade Cunningham Cowboys of 2021 were the only Boynton-coached squad to have been an NCAA Tournament participant and to have achieved a national ranking during the regular season.
I know there are OSU people who get tired of the Eddie Sutton references, but Sutton set the standard. He proved that Oklahoma State could be a consistent winner in basketball.
Granted, Sutton was great at OSU long before the advent of NIL and the portal, but here’s a fun fact: In 257 games, Eddie Sutton-coached Oklahoma State teams had a national ranking in the AP poll.
Tulsa World
12 March 2024
