What Arturo Dean's Move to UCF Means for Oklahoma State
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One of OSU’s top players from last season is heading to a Big 12 foe.
Recently, former OSU guard Arturo Dean made his way to UCF, gearing up to play for the Knights in the 2025-26 season. The veteran guard played just one season in Stillwater, but his impact could be missed by the Cowboys.
Last season, Dean averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 assists and a Big 12-leading 2.5 steals while starting 21 of his 34 appearances. His defensive abilities were certainly impressive, which was no surprise for Lutz and company, given that he was coming off a 2023-24 season that he led the nation in steals at 3.4 a game.
Proving he could step up and play at the Big 12 level, it’s not surprising that UCF would be interested in landing the defensive stud. Assuming he can build on his first season in the Big 12 and continue to be a menace on the defensive end, Dean could easily be a factor in how the Big 12 shapes out next year.
Dean’s departure was one of many for the Cowboys over the offseason, but it shouldn’t hurt the Pokes too much in Lutz’s second season. OSU has set itself up for success in the long term, and losing talented players is simply a part of the game in this era.
Over the next few seasons, Lutz will be looking to help OSU basketball return to the stage it was once on. Of course, finding the same success as Eddie Sutton could be nearly impossible at OSU in this era for any coach.
However, Lutz has set a solid foundation. While Mike Boynton had to constantly deal with some form of chaos throughout his tenure in Stillwater, Lutz has inherited a generally stable situation, and that could turn into big results in the near future.
Dean’s departure was nothing more than a product of the state of college basketball today. His short time in Stillwater at least helped set a foundation for the winning ways that Lutz and company want to see at the highest level in the not-so-distant future.
However, the other side of that is the fact that players like Dean can also suddenly be fighting against the Cowboys, as he will at UCF next season. There probably won’t be much of a revenge factor on either side in that contest, but OSU’s battles against the Knights should have at least a little extra juice than they otherwise would have.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.