Why Four-Star Guard is Worth Oklahoma State Basketball’s Recruiting Time

The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball coaching staff won’t be on the recruiting trail for rest of July. They’ll be in Puerto Rico.

The Cowboys are getting ready for a foreign trip, one that will allow them to play several professional teams as they bond and keep working toward next season. NCAA teams are allowed to take a foreign trip every three years.

So, before coach Steve Lutz and his staff got on the plane to leave the mainland, they spent one last weekend on the recruiting trail making sure they paid attention to one of their four-star targets.

Per 247Sports (subscription required), Lutz was at the UAA Finals in Louisville to watch Dynamic Prep (Dallas, Texas) guard Payton Jones in person.

Payton Jones’ Importance to Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State head basketball coach Steve Lutz watches a drill from the sideline during a workout — Oklahoma State head basketball coach Steve Lutz. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Jones was playing for the Gulf Coast Blue Chips during the tournament. The 6-2 rising senior is the No. 49 overall player in the Class of 2027 per 247Sports. He and Pogi would make a dynamic combination long-term.

Jones scored 23 points in the game 247 Sports covered.

As a player, he’s a good fit for the Cowboys. But as a recruit, this is one of those battles Oklahoma State must win. Why? Much of the Big 12 Conference is on him, too. The Cowboys have offered him, but so has Cincinnati, Baylor, Houston, Kansas State and TCU. They’re among 16 high-major programs that have made him a scholarship offer.

It would be one thing to lose him to a non-Big 12 school. But to lose him to a school like Houston, which has one of the best programs in the country? That means Lutz and the Cowboys would have to face him once a year for the foreseeable future.

The Cowboys have one recruit locked down for 2027. Guard Tyson Pogi, a 5-11 guard from Southmoore High School in Moore, Okla., committed earlier this year. Per 247Sports he is the state of Oklahoma’s No. 1 player, and he was recently elevated to four-star status by the site. He’s a Cowboys legacy. He is the son of former Oklahoma State quarterback Aso Pogi.

He can’t sign with the Cowboys until the early signing period in November. Same goes for Jones — if OSU can land him.

The Cowboys had one of the best recruiting classes in the country for the Class of 2026, which was topped by McDonald’s All-American forward Latrell Allmond of Petersburg High School in Virginia. The rest of the class included forward Jalen Montonati of Owasso, Okla.; guard Anthony Felisi of Utah Prep in Orem, Utah; and guard Parker Robinson, who played his prep ball with Overtime Elite in Atlanta.

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