STILLWATER — As momentum waned through the media’s question-and-answer session on the finish of Steve Lutz’s introductory press convention as the brand new Oklahoma State males’s basketball coach Thursday at Gallagher-Iba Area, one other hand popped up.
It was that of John-Michael Wright, who’s neither a member of the media, nor a present member of the OSU basketball group, having accomplished his eligibility final month.
But Wright is all the time a contemplative thoughts, and he had a query for the brand new coach of his previous teammates.
“This should be actual good,” Lutz stated as Wright waited for the microphone to be delivered. “I informed him he may come again and work out. He stated he’d present up day by day aside from defensive days.”
Wright’s query, nevertheless, was a severe and considerate one concerning the gamers from final yr’s group who’ve eligibility left, and their potential to stay with the group. 4 such gamers — Bryce Thompson, Jamryon Keller, Connor Dow and Justin McBride — have been within the entrance row at Lutz’s press convention
“For these guys who’re open to returning,” Wright stated, “in the event that they do resolve to remain and also you guys get into the exercises and also you see they don’t type of suit your play type or their recreation doesn’t match the kind of teaching type you wish to play, will you be sincere with them and inform them, ‘Hey, I don’t suppose that is the place that you must be?’ Or will you simply let it slide by way of after which the season come and so they simply sit the bench.”
Lutz’s fast response was to name it “one of the best query we’ve had all day,” and he was proper.
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And along with his reply, he shed some mild on conversations he’s already begun having with gamers.
“Justin, I’m gonna put you on the spot just a little bit,” Lutz stated, pointing to McBride, a 6-foot-8 wing who performed restricted minutes as a freshman this previous season. “Justin and I talked, really this morning. Am I sincere? Yeah, I’m virtually sincere to a fault, guys, if there’s ever a fault for being too sincere.
“To reply your query, sure, as I stated a minute in the past, this isn’t all the time a match for everyone. I’ve a sure imaginative and prescient for the way in which we wish to play, and as a participant, you might have a imaginative and prescient for the way in which you wish to play. If these visions don’t align, then it’s by no means gonna work out. … Nevertheless the earlier teaching employees performed them, that’s completely different, possibly, from the way in which I’m gonna play them. We worth various things.”
Lutz added that he’s “not a used-car salesman,” and that he treats his gamers with a direct strategy whatever the state of affairs.
“Somebody might be a reserve on one other group and are available to our group and so they might be a star,” he stated. “However, the flip of that might occur as properly. We’ll have very open and sincere conversations. I worth historical past, and what I imply by that’s taking pictures numbers and percentages and assist-to-turnover ratios and rebounding numbers. As a result of one of the best predictor of the long run, clearly, is the previous.
“However with that stated, we additionally talked concerning the growth piece earlier, and that’s what my employees and I are tasked with doing, helps guys get higher.”
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This text initially appeared on Oklahoman: How new OSU coach Steve Lutz answered a query from a previous participant
