How OSU Basketball Could Recruit To Fit a Brad Underwood Offense

One of the first things I noticed about watching Steven F. Austin against West Virginia and Notre Dame in the 2016 NCAA Tournament was their disciplined spacing to open up driving lanes against bigger, more athletic teams.

The Lumberjacks were obviously lead by standout senior G/F Thomas Walkup, but as the Mountaineers found out the hard way, every major contributor on that Steven F. Austin team knew their role and had a specific set of skills — unselfishness, high basketball IQ, and an ability and desire to take the ball to the hoop.

The spread motion offense that Brad Underwood will bring with him both requires and thrives on the three characteristics outlined above. Notice that size is not one of these.  Let’s take a look at the major contributors (over 15 min. a game) from Underwood’s most recent model, the 2015-2016 Lumberjack Squad, with a focus on unselfishness (assists/game), FG%, and size.

A few things stand out to me at first glance. The tallest player on his squad was 6’7 with only one other at least 6’5. Among his major contributors, they shoot a combined 47.3 percent from the floor. So a small team that doesn’t shoot the three particularly well (105th in the NCAA, with a .363 percent clip, per Sports Reference) shoots almost 50 percent from the floor. How?

Ball movement, spacing, and slashing. To see this in action, check out an excellent article here from Cowboys Ride For Free.

So what does this mean for the Cowboys going forward? It means retaining Jawun Evans is priority No. 1 for Brad Underwood and his new staff. Evans’ unique ability to get into the lane and either finish or kick out for a three is exactly what the spread motion offense is based on.

Thomas Dziagwa and Lindy Waters III are also arriving just in time. Waters brings a size (6’6 SG) and ability to get to the bucket that will compliment Evans (should he return) nicely, with a sweet stroke from three to boot. Dziagwa is a combo guard that both handles the ball well and can light it up from three with a quick release. Dziagwa ironically considered SFA before choosing OSU, so Underwood had him in his sights already anyways.

Looking to the class of 2017, there are several Cowboy targets that stand out as clear fits for the spread motion offense we will see going forward.

PG Elijah Landrum, 5’11 PG (Tulsa, OK)

Landrum is an in-state talent that boasts many of the same capabilities and similarities of Jawun Evans — small, quick off the dribble, and gets after it on the defensive end, not to mention an ability to find the open man. The 3-star PG would fit Underwood’s style well and is worth keeping an eye on.

Trae Young, 6’1 PG (Norman, OK)

Wow. If you haven’t heard of Trae Young, get used to hearing his name. Boasting offers from Baylor, OU, UConn, Duke, Kansas, K-State, Kentucky, Michigan, OU, and OSU, his suitors are lined up around the block to get a crack at him. Ranked by Rivals as the No. 13 player in the 2017 class, Young is a program-changing talent with superior quickness, athleticism, and the ability to shoot from long range (his pull-up three is already drawing Steph Curry comparisons). Unfair, but take a look for yourself.

This would be the biggest name Underwood could conceivably haul in for 2017, if he can lure him away from traditional powers and that other school in his backyard.

R.J. Nembhard, 6’4 SG (Keller, TX)

Nembhard is a shooting guard that can defend multiple positions and get to the bucket with ease when he wants to. While showing inconsistency from three, his impressive frame and defensive stature play very well to a spread motion offense- — comparable to Clide Geffrard Jr. on this past season’s Stephen F. Austin squad.

Marco Anthony, 6’6 SF (San Antinio, TX)

Anthony is another combo SG/SF, with a bit more size than Nembhard. The 3-star can shoot it well for his size, and provides a great deal of value on the defensive end with the ability to defend several positions and rebounds well for his size. Anthony had an offer from SFA, and expect his interest in OSU to heat up with the arrival of Underwood in Stillwater.

Jared Vanderbilt, 6’8 PF from Houston, Texas

This 5-star stud has a long list of suitors like Trae Young, and for good reason. Vanderbilt has a motor that just won’t quit and hits the glass hard for his size, with impressive athleticism and strength. Vanderbilt would give the Cowboys an element that they don’t currently have on the roster with his rebounding ability and strength as a post passer. His jump shot needs work, but the tools are there for Vanderbilt to be a star at this level and the next.

Expect Underwood to dip into the pool of transfers in addition to scouring the high school ranks, but the list above shows a couple of potential fits for his style. His offense isn’t for everyone, and it remains to be seen how the new head coach can recruit in the Big 12 (at Kansas State, the star recruiter on the staff was Dalonte Hill and his questionable legal record/connections to the northeast). However, as we saw at Stephen F. Austin, Underwood will get the most out of his team, regardless of their stars.