Oklahoma State basketball hires WKU coach Steve Lutz to replace Mike Boynton
After more than two weeks of uncertainty, Oklahoma State’s men’s basketball coaching search is done.
OSU hired Steve Lutz on Monday to follow Mike Boynton as the head coach of Cowboy basketball, the school announced.
Terms of Lutz's deal were not immediately known.
Lutz, 51, spent the past season as Western Kentucky’s head coach after leading Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s men’s basketball program for two seasons.
"I'd like to thank Chad Weiberg and Dr. (Kayse) Shrum for entrusting me with one of college basketball's most storied programs. It's a responsibility that I don't take lightly," Lutz said in a release, crediting OSU's athletic director and university president. "Cowboy Nation — I look forward to meeting you all soon and hitting the ground running. Know that my staff and I will work diligently to recruit and retain hardworking kids who will represent you well, on and off the court, and consistently compete for Big 12 championships."
After OSU fired Boynton on March 14, a variety of names emerged as his potential successors. Many accepted other jobs as the coaching search dragged on, but the Cowboys landed on a candidate who has shown he can turn around a program and recruit from the transfer portal.
More: Who is Steve Lutz? Get to know Oklahoma State basketball coaching search candidate
Lutz needed only one season to end Western Kentucky’s 11-year NCAA Tournament drought. He guided the Hilltoppers to a 22-12 record, concluding the season with a first-round tournament loss to second-seeded Marquette.
Previously, when Lutz arrived at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Islanders were reeling from four straight losing seasons. Lutz rebuilt the program with 10 new transfers. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi went 23-12 in his first season and 24-11 in his second season, making the NCAA Tournament each year.
Lutz also has assistant coaching experience at Purdue and Creighton, and he has served as recruiting coordinator at Stephen F. Austin and SMU. Hailing from San Antonio, he played college basketball at Texas Lutheran.
Next, Lutz strives to reenergize an OSU program that went 12-20 overall and 4-14 in conference play during Boynton’s last season.
"Coach Lutz is known as one of the hardest-working coaches in the business," Weiberg said in the release. "He has worked at all levels of college basketball and has deep ties to this part of the country, especially Texas. The work he has put into his career has resulted in success as a head coach and why I believe he is the right person to be the leader of Cowboy Basketball."
Lutz's buyout with WKU is $2 million and is to be paid back in the next 12 months, according to a report from the Lexington Herald-Leader.
More: Mussatto: Why new Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz checks the right boxes for Cowboys
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball hires WKU's Steve Lutz to replace Boynton
