How Julius Halaifonua Can Impact Cowboys Basketball in Paint Next Season

The Oklahoma State Cowboys’ latest transfer portal gives them a player that can help them compete inside in the Big 12.

Georgetown Hoyas center Julius Halaifonua (left) | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma State Cowboys needed some size inside and they landed it with the reported commitment of former Georgetown center Julius Halaifonua.

His commitment was reported by several outlets, including Draft Express. The Cowboys have not formally announced his signing. He played two years at Georgetown and should have at least two years of eligibility remaining.

At 7-feet tall, he gives the Cowboys the potential to be competitive inside with the rest of the Big 12 in the 2026-27 season.

How Julius Halaifonua Can Impact OSU

Georgetown Hoyas center Julius Halaifonua dribbles the basketball. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New Zealand native made a big jump from his freshman year to his sophomore year. He only played in six games in 2024-25 as he averaged three points and two rebounds. His playing time surged last year, as he logged nearly 20 minutes per game in 32 contests. He averaged 9.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

He really showed his potential in his next-to-last game of the season, as he scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 30 minutes against Villanova in a quarterfinal game of the Big 12 Tournament.

Halaifonua figures to get consistent playing time in a rotation that should include freshman Benjamin Ahmed, who played in 21 games and started in seven as he averaged 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game; and freshman Mekhi Ragland, a 6-foot-11 forward who played nearly five minutes per game in 14 contests and averaged less than two points per game.

He has the inside track to be the starter. He was part of the Hoyas’ starting five in 28 games and shot 60.8% from the floor. He was also a 74.7% shooter from the free throw line and made 71 of 95 attempts.

The other four transfers that OSU has secured includes former North Carolina guard Luka Bogavac, former Arizona State forward Andrija Grbović and two former Sam Houston players — guard Kashie Natt and guard Jacob Walker.

They join a highly regarded recruiting class that Lutz and his staff added to last week with guard Anthony Felisi, the program’s second pull from Utah Prep Academy in Orem, Utah, this cycle. The Top 40 player led the Nike EYBL Scholastic League with 21.6 points per game. Recent college stars that led the EYBL in scoring include Gradey Dick (2022), VJ Edgecombe (2023) and Darius Acuff (2024, 2025).

The other members of the recruiting class include forward Latrell Allmond (Southern Pines, N.C./Petersburg (VA) HS), guard Parker Robinson (Orem, Utah/Utah Prep) and forward Jalen Montonati (Owasso, Okla./Owasso HS). All three are considered four-star players.

Holdover Cowboys include junior guard Kanye Clary, freshman forward Mekhi Ragland, freshman center Benjamin Ahmed and freshman guard Ryan Crotty.

Oklahoma State honored four seniors at their final home game — guard Brandon Roy, forward Robert Jennings II, forward Parsa Fallah and guard Christian Coleman. Roy has declared for the NBA Draft and is in the transfer portal, Jennings had eligibility left and has already transferred to Maryland. Fallah and Coleman are out of eligibility.

Five other Cowboys are in the transfer portal, but only forward Andrija Vukovic has found a home so far — Georgetown. The other OSU transfers looking for a landing spot are guard Jaylen Curry, guard Isaiah Coleman, guard Daniel Guetta and guard Vyctorius Miller.