MONSTER ENERGY BIG 12 MEN'S BASKETBALL MEDIA DAYS

October 21, 2026

Steve Lutz

Jordan Burkes

Kanye Clary

Parsa Fallah

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Media Day Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by the Oklahoma State men.

Coach, because it is season three, you have a couple under your belt, you had a nice growth and build from year one to year two. Where do you see your team progressing from year two to year three?

STEVE LUTZ: Yeah, I mean, anytime you're able to win 20 games, get to the post-season back-to-back years, I think you're making progress with what you're doing.

I was hired in April two years ago to take us to the NCAA tournament. We hadn't been there since 2021. That's got to be the goal. That's always been the goal.

Now it's time to realize that goal. I think that we've got a team that can certainly do that.

THE MODERATOR: With the expanded field going from 68 to 76, what type of effort or a maybe additional improvement do you feel like it's going to take to not just knock on the door, but get into the tournament?

STEVE LUTZ: Yeah, I mean, had we expanded the field last year, we would have been in the NCAA tournament.

I look at this as we needed to schedule and we need to win as if there is no tournament expansion. I think that our non-conference schedule will allow us to do that, as long as we're able to win those games.

Ultimately when you get into the Big 12, because the league is so strong, you've got to win games within the Big 12. That's where we've fallen short. That's where we've got to make sure we make a strong push.

THE MODERATOR: Parsa, one of the more beautiful images that went viral last year was you're embracing of the Oklahoma State community, college basketball. First and foremost, how are you feeling as you get back to another year and you push for the NCAA tournament?

PARSA FALLAH: It's amazing, yeah, to just have the opportunity to come back at Oklahoma State, the college that I love and also play the sport that I love. I'm really grateful for it.

Yeah, it's been tough last maybe six, seven months for me because of my knee, mentally, physically, to be able to get back to how I was, or maybe even more as a more complete player. It's a process you have to embrace and work on it every day.

THE MODERATOR: How close to 100% do you feel right now?

PARSA FALLAH: I would say I'm making better progress that my doctor thought. I'm pretty close (smiling). Coach, you looking at me like what?

STEVE LUTZ: Does that mean you're going to start running sprints with us (smiling)? He kind of picks and chooses when he comes in and out of practice, to be very honest.

PARSA FALLAH: I'm on a protocol. I got my surgeon telling me what to do, but he doesn't really like it.

STEVE LUTZ: No, I love it. We've got great doctors. He has great care. He's worked his tail off. He's going to be fine.

I like to give him a hard time.

PARSA FALLAH: Yeah, he does (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Talking about the juice that's in Stillwater right now. How would you explain that those that are not at Stillwater on a day to day basis what it feels like around the athletics department and basketball?

KANYE CLARY: Right now it's been a lot of hype coming into this year with going into Coach Lutz's third year. Everybody is excited.

I'd say on a day-to-day basis, every Stillwater fan that resides in the area is excited for us. I go to get food from nearby restaurants, people are saying, I can't wait for the first game of the season; I already got tickets.

Everywhere you look, people are motivated and they want us to do well out there on the floor.

THE MODERATOR: Jordan, NCAA tournament last year. What do you feel like you can do for this program to help them knock down that door?

JORDAN BURKS: Honestly, just showing up every day, being the best person I can be, being the best teammate I can be. Being an energy giver, uplifting my teammates. Doing whatever coach need me to do.

THE MODERATOR: How has a guy like Jordan helped your culture?

STEVE LUTZ: He's done what he just said. He walks in the door, he's got a smile on his face, infectious personality. He brings energy. If you didn't know any better, you'd think he drinks two to three Monsters before he walks in the door. He doesn't even do it.

No, he's been a good teammate. We have to continue to get him healthy and get him to the floor here. He missed the last exhibition game. He's a little nicked up now. He's got an opportunity to do big things.

THE MODERATOR: Kanye, you're good at sharing the basketball. You'll certainly do that with Parsa and Jordan. We know that's a strength of your game. What else have you been working on specifically to take your own individual skill set up a notch?

KANYE CLARY: I would say my catch and shoot. Last year I made a lot of my jumpers, shots away from the paint, off the dribble. Coach told me this year with the new talent and pieces he brought in, I don't need to score as much as I did last year. Last year I had late shot clocks, bail-out shots I had to take. I made some of them. You don't want your offense dictating upon that.

Just my catch and shoot and spacing the floor for the guys that came in to get space for them as well have been the main points of my game outside of running the show.

THE MODERATOR: Picked to finish 11th out of 16 in arguably the toughest conference in America. On the surface a lot of people might be like, I don't like that. When it is so tough, how do you manage those expectations in the pre-season?

STEVE LUTZ: Well, I mean, largely you're going to dictate your seeding in the NCAA tournament with your non-conference schedule.

I mean, we approach every game the same way. I mean, where we've fallen short, as I said earlier, is just winning games in the Big 12. We were even 12-1, 13-1 in the non-conference. We have to have the same mindset this year with the non-conference, albeit we have a much tougher non-conference schedule this year. That was by design because we felt like we'd have a better roster.

Again, we need to schedule to have a good seed in the NCAA tournament. You have to approach both of it with the same mindset, try to win every game F you're not trying to win every game, something's wrong with you anyway.

THE MODERATOR: Parsa, at one point you'll be running those sprints.

PARSA FALLAH: For sure.

THE MODERATOR: When you are full speed again, how do you feel Oklahoma State is better suited to handle the Big 12 gauntlet again?

PARSA FALLAH: What was the question?

THE MODERATOR: Where do you feel Oklahoma State is a better fit for the toughness of the Big 12?

PARSA FALLAH: Yeah, I think we got a really, really talented and good team. I think we have a better chemistry, too. The obviously thing we can do is just take one day at a time. We know what we can do in Big 12.

As you said, Big 12 is the toughest league in America by far to me because every night you go compete against maybe a top 10 team in the country, top-10 players in the country.

Also at the same time we really believe in each other and us as a team. We know we are what we are capable of doing, so...

THE MODERATOR: Coach, at the end of the season what are you hoping the identity is of your team?

STEVE LUTZ: An NCAA tournament participant. At the end of the day it's year three; that's what we've got to finish with. We've got to finish on a high note. We have to get to the tournament and make a run.

In terms of just identity, we have to embrace the defensive end of the floor. I think we've got enough talent on the offensive end, and it fits well with the way that we play, but it's got to be on both ends of the floor. That's where we fell short last year.

If we can do that, we'll have a smile on our face come Selection Sunday.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. What does having a personality like Burke on the roster do for the team chemistry?

PARSA FALLAH: I think J.B. as Coach said, he's an energy guy. Every day in practice he come, you as a human being, some days you have a bad day and I think having someone like J.B. -- we call him J.B. -- on the team that always smile and give you good energy, good vibe, it just makes things easier.

It's easier to just keep going and push through on those days that maybe you're not feeling 100%.

KANYE CLARY: To chime in on what Parsa said, J.B. brings infectious energy day in, day out. It's contagious. He puts a smile on everybody's faces around, no matter if we're having a practice or shootaround, watching a game or something. He's a bright spot in the room.

I think that's his biggest asset he brings outside of his skill on the floor.

Q. Coach, you probably have the most depth you've had in your time. Was that a focal point in high school and transfer portal recruiting for the physical gauntlet of the Big 12?

STEVE LUTZ: Yeah, our philosophy has always been to recruit the best amount of talent that you can, right? Largely sometimes that is dictated by the resources that you have. Therefore, we had more resources this year and we were able to acquire more talent.

Those two things go hand-in-hand.

But obviously, I hate to bring it up, but you see last year Parsa goes down, and Ben and Mekhi both stepped up and did really well. You always have to prepare with what if.

What's even more different with this time and period that we're in is you have guys that you've taken that are maybe involved in a court case, and they have a temporary restraining order, et cetera.

You've got to build that depth as much as you can because there's a lot of variables nationally and especially within the Big 12 with our rosters.

THE MODERATOR: That will wrap-up our time. Thank you.