Cowboy Basketball
Lutz, Steve
Steve Lutz
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- (405) 744-5845
Steve Lutz Introductory Press Conference: Video | Quotes
Steve Lutz was named Oklahoma State’s 21st head men’s basketball coach on Apr. 1, 2024 and formally introduced three days later.
A rising star who has worked under Creighton’s Greg McDermott and Purdue’s Matt Painter (making him a member of both Eddie Sutton and Henry Iba’s legendary coaching tree), Lutz has gotten his own head coaching career off to a successful start with NCAA tournament appearances in each of his first three seasons.
In rapid rebuilds at Western Kentucky (2023-24) and Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2021-23), the 51-year-old has posted a combined 69-35 record, including a perfect 8-0 mark in conference tournament play.
“Coach Lutz is known as one of the hardest-working coaches in the business,” OSU Director of Athletics Chad Weiberg said. “He has worked at all levels of college basketball and has deep ties to this part of the country, especially Texas. The work he has put into his career has resulted in success as a head coach and why I believe he is the right person to be the leader of Cowboy Basketball.”
Lutz said:
“I'd like to thank Chad Weiberg and Dr. Shrum for entrusting me with one of college basketball's most storied programs. It's a responsibility that I don't take lightly. Cowboy Nation -- I look forward to meeting you all soon and hitting the ground running. Know that my staff and I will work diligently to recruit and retain hardworking kids who will represent you well, on and off the court, and consistently compete for Big 12 championships.”
Lutz-led squads are known for playing hard and fast. WKU led the nation in adjusted tempo (75.1 possessions) in 2023-24 while topping the Conference USA leaderboard in both points (80.6) and effective field goal percentage (54.6%). The Hilltoppers finished 22-13 and punched their first NCAA tournament ticket since 2013 after winning their first ever CUSA tournament title.
Leading scorer Don McHenry (15.1 ppg) earned First Team All-CUSA status and conference sixth-man of the year Rodney Howard was one of four other Hilltoppers to earn honorable mention.
A class act, on and off the court, Lutz was also a finalist for the second straight year for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award, given to the head coach who achieves success while displaying strong moral character.
Lutz worked similar magic in Corpus Christi with back-to-back bids, ending what had been a 15-year March Madness drought and a run of four straight losing seasons.
The Islanders were one of the nation’s most-improved teams in 2021-22, jumping from 5-19 to 23-12 with help from a dozen new transfers and an aggressive, opportunistic defense that ranked among the NCAA leaders in steals (8.5) and forced turnovers (14th, 16.5). Lutz was on the shortlist of candidates for the 2022 Joe B. Hall Award (given to the nation’s top first-year head coach) after guiding his team to the Southland Conference tournament title as a No. 4 seed.
A&M-Corpus Christi took another step forward in 2022-23, finishing 24-11 (14-4) while pacing the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Lutz was a slam dunk choice for conference coach of the year after winning the school’s first SLC regular season title since 2007. The Islanders successfully defended their SLC tournament crown, then downed Southeast Missouri State in the First Four for the program’s first-ever win at the Big Dance.
Senior point guard Terrion Murdix – the SLC’s 2023 Defensive Player of the Year – averaged 15.7 points and led league in assists (5.4), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.47) and steals (2.3). He was joined on the All-SLC first team by 6-5 forward Isaac Mushila (14.5 ppg, league-best 9.9 rpg).
Including his time as an assistant at Creighton (2010-17) and Purdue (2017-21), Lutz has coached in seven straight NCAA tournaments, highlighted by Sweet 16 and Elite Eight runs with Boilermakers in 2018 and 2019. He helped Creighton to four trips in seven seasons during a successful transition from the Missouri Valley Conference to the BIG EAST.
Along the way, Lutz had a hand in the development of two national players of the year in Creighton’s Doug McDermott (2014) and Purdue’s Zach Edey (2023), whom he helped recruit to West Lafeyette prior to his final season.
As an Assistant Coach:
Lutz was named head coach at A&M-Corpus Christi in April, 2021. Prior to that, he spent 26 years climbing the coaching ladder.
In four seasons in West Lafayette, Ind., Lutz helped Purdue to a 90-42 record, as well as a 53-24 mark in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers made three NCAA tournament appearances in that span (COVID-19 canceled the 2020 event), winning 30 games enroute to the 2018 Sweet 16. A year later they captured a share of the Big Ten regular season title and advanced to the Elite Eight.
Lutz served as Matt Painter’s “defensive coordinator” helping the Boilermakers to four consecutive top-35 finishes in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rankings, highlighted by an 11th place showing in 2020.
Lutz also spearheaded the recruitment of one of the college basketball’s most-dominant big men, 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, and was instrumental in the development of Purdue’s guards, including two-time All-American and Jerry West Award winner, Carsen Edwards, and Jaden Ivy, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Prior to Purdue, Lutz helped Creighton make a successful leap from the Missouri Valley Conference to the BIG EAST with six 20-win seasons and five postseason appearances over a seven-year span. The Bluejays won two conference tournaments and one regular season title while compiling a 166-82 record.
Led by 3,000-point scorer and NBA lottery pick Doug McDermott, Creighton posted three consecutive AP top-25 finishes from 2012-14 and won at least one game in three straight NCAA tournaments. The 2014 team led the nation in three-point percentage.
Following a rebuilding year, Creighton reached the 2016 NIT quarterfinals before returning to the NCAA tournament a year later with 25 victories. The 2016-17 squad set a school record for total points and spent 16 weeks in the polls, climbing as high as No. 7.
From 2006-10, Lutz served as Matt Doherty’s recruiting coordinator at SMU, reeling in a pair of top-35 recruiting classes, per Hoop Scoop.
Lutz got his coaching start under Danny Kaspar at Incarnate Word, first serving as a graduate assistant before making the leap to full-time status. He helped the Cardinals – an NAIA program at the time – to three Heart of America regular season titles (1996, 1998, 1999) and three national tournament appearances, highlighted by a quarterfinal run in 1998.
After a year on staff at Garden City (Kan.) Community College, Lutz reunited with Kaspar at Stephen F. Austin for a six-year run at assistant coach/recruiting coordinator and helped guide the Lumberbacks to a pair of 20-win seasons in the Southland Conference.
Playing Career:
Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Lutz played basketball for one season at Ranger Junior College and for three at Texas Lutheran, serving as team captain during his senior year.
He earned his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology with a minor in Secondary Education/Business Administration from TLU in 1995 and his M.Ed. with a Concentration in Physical Education, at Incarnate Word in 1997.
Personal:
Lutz and his wife, Shannon, have three children: Caroline, McKenna and Jackson.
The Steve Lutz File:
Coaching Resume:
2024-Pr. – Oklahoma State – Head Coach
2023-24 – Western Kentucky – Head Coach
2021-23 – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – Head Coach
2017-21 – Purdue – Assistant Coach (Matt Painter)
2010-17 – Creighton – Assistant Coach (Greg McDermott)
2006-10 – SMU – Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator (Matt Doherty)
2000-06 – Stephen F. Austin – Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator (Danny Kaspar)
1999-00 – Garden City (Kan.) CC – Assistant Coach (Jeremy Cox)
1995-99 – Incarnate Word – Assistant Coach (Danny Kaspar)
By the Numbers:
.663 – Winning Percentage (69-35)
3 – NCAA Tournament Appearances (2022, 2023, 2024)
3 -- Conference Tournament Championships (2022 SLC, 2023 SLC, 2024 CUSA)
1 -- Conference Regular Season Title (2023 SLC)
9 – All-Conference Selections
Awards:
2x Skip Prosser Man of the Year Finalist (2023, 2024)
Southland Coach of the Year (2023)
NABC District 22 Coach of the Year (2023)
Joe B. Hall Award Finalist (2022)
Coaching Lineage:
Henry Iba (2x NCAA champion) à Eddie Sutton (3x National COY) à Gene Keady (6x National COY) à Matt Painter (2019 National COY) à Steve Lutz
Personal:
Born: October 25, 1972 (51 years old)
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
College: Texas Lutheran ‘95; Incarnate Word ‘97
Wife: Shannon, Children: Caroline, McKenna, Jackson
What Others are Saying:
“I’m thrilled for Coach Lutz and his family. He was instrumental in developing our program at Creighton during our first seven years in Omaha. The job he has done in both of his head coaching stops has been nothing short of incredible. He is truly a program builder. Cowboy basketball is in great hands!”
-Greg McDermott, Creighton Head Coach
“A tenacious recruiter, relationship-builder, in-game tactician and developer of talent, Steve has demonstrated all of the qualities of a successful head coach and – to top it off – has been at his best when it matters most, going 8-0 in conference tournament games with a bid on the line. Oklahoma State found a special coach and human. Go Pokes!”
-Trent Redden, Los Angeles Clippers General Manager (Former SMU Guard)
“Steve Lutz has had success everywhere he has been and will do the same at Oklahoma State. He is a relentless recruiter and tactician, is driven to succeed and gets the most out of his players. The relationships he cultivates with his players are outstanding, and he will thrive in Stillwater.”
-Matt Painter, Purdue Head Coach
“Coach Lutz will bring toughness and dedication to the OSU men’s basketball program and push his players and staff to be the best versions of themselves every day. He’s a process-minded teacher who is focused on doing things with detail and intention and, over time, the building of those habits allow his teams to execute and perform at a high level. His approach to coaching and the play style he’s established at previous stops will represent OSU well and provide a quality brand of basketball that the fan base will be proud of.”
--Grant Gibbs, Oklahoma City Thunder Assistant Coach (Former Creighton Guard)
Steve Lutz was named Oklahoma State’s 21st head men’s basketball coach on Apr. 1, 2024 and formally introduced three days later.
A rising star who has worked under Creighton’s Greg McDermott and Purdue’s Matt Painter (making him a member of both Eddie Sutton and Henry Iba’s legendary coaching tree), Lutz has gotten his own head coaching career off to a successful start with NCAA tournament appearances in each of his first three seasons.
In rapid rebuilds at Western Kentucky (2023-24) and Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2021-23), the 51-year-old has posted a combined 69-35 record, including a perfect 8-0 mark in conference tournament play.
“Coach Lutz is known as one of the hardest-working coaches in the business,” OSU Director of Athletics Chad Weiberg said. “He has worked at all levels of college basketball and has deep ties to this part of the country, especially Texas. The work he has put into his career has resulted in success as a head coach and why I believe he is the right person to be the leader of Cowboy Basketball.”
Lutz said:
“I'd like to thank Chad Weiberg and Dr. Shrum for entrusting me with one of college basketball's most storied programs. It's a responsibility that I don't take lightly. Cowboy Nation -- I look forward to meeting you all soon and hitting the ground running. Know that my staff and I will work diligently to recruit and retain hardworking kids who will represent you well, on and off the court, and consistently compete for Big 12 championships.”
Lutz-led squads are known for playing hard and fast. WKU led the nation in adjusted tempo (75.1 possessions) in 2023-24 while topping the Conference USA leaderboard in both points (80.6) and effective field goal percentage (54.6%). The Hilltoppers finished 22-13 and punched their first NCAA tournament ticket since 2013 after winning their first ever CUSA tournament title.
Leading scorer Don McHenry (15.1 ppg) earned First Team All-CUSA status and conference sixth-man of the year Rodney Howard was one of four other Hilltoppers to earn honorable mention.
A class act, on and off the court, Lutz was also a finalist for the second straight year for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award, given to the head coach who achieves success while displaying strong moral character.
Lutz worked similar magic in Corpus Christi with back-to-back bids, ending what had been a 15-year March Madness drought and a run of four straight losing seasons.
The Islanders were one of the nation’s most-improved teams in 2021-22, jumping from 5-19 to 23-12 with help from a dozen new transfers and an aggressive, opportunistic defense that ranked among the NCAA leaders in steals (8.5) and forced turnovers (14th, 16.5). Lutz was on the shortlist of candidates for the 2022 Joe B. Hall Award (given to the nation’s top first-year head coach) after guiding his team to the Southland Conference tournament title as a No. 4 seed.
A&M-Corpus Christi took another step forward in 2022-23, finishing 24-11 (14-4) while pacing the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Lutz was a slam dunk choice for conference coach of the year after winning the school’s first SLC regular season title since 2007. The Islanders successfully defended their SLC tournament crown, then downed Southeast Missouri State in the First Four for the program’s first-ever win at the Big Dance.
Senior point guard Terrion Murdix – the SLC’s 2023 Defensive Player of the Year – averaged 15.7 points and led league in assists (5.4), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.47) and steals (2.3). He was joined on the All-SLC first team by 6-5 forward Isaac Mushila (14.5 ppg, league-best 9.9 rpg).
Including his time as an assistant at Creighton (2010-17) and Purdue (2017-21), Lutz has coached in seven straight NCAA tournaments, highlighted by Sweet 16 and Elite Eight runs with Boilermakers in 2018 and 2019. He helped Creighton to four trips in seven seasons during a successful transition from the Missouri Valley Conference to the BIG EAST.
Along the way, Lutz had a hand in the development of two national players of the year in Creighton’s Doug McDermott (2014) and Purdue’s Zach Edey (2023), whom he helped recruit to West Lafeyette prior to his final season.
As an Assistant Coach:
Lutz was named head coach at A&M-Corpus Christi in April, 2021. Prior to that, he spent 26 years climbing the coaching ladder.
In four seasons in West Lafayette, Ind., Lutz helped Purdue to a 90-42 record, as well as a 53-24 mark in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers made three NCAA tournament appearances in that span (COVID-19 canceled the 2020 event), winning 30 games enroute to the 2018 Sweet 16. A year later they captured a share of the Big Ten regular season title and advanced to the Elite Eight.
Lutz served as Matt Painter’s “defensive coordinator” helping the Boilermakers to four consecutive top-35 finishes in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rankings, highlighted by an 11th place showing in 2020.
Lutz also spearheaded the recruitment of one of the college basketball’s most-dominant big men, 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, and was instrumental in the development of Purdue’s guards, including two-time All-American and Jerry West Award winner, Carsen Edwards, and Jaden Ivy, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Prior to Purdue, Lutz helped Creighton make a successful leap from the Missouri Valley Conference to the BIG EAST with six 20-win seasons and five postseason appearances over a seven-year span. The Bluejays won two conference tournaments and one regular season title while compiling a 166-82 record.
Led by 3,000-point scorer and NBA lottery pick Doug McDermott, Creighton posted three consecutive AP top-25 finishes from 2012-14 and won at least one game in three straight NCAA tournaments. The 2014 team led the nation in three-point percentage.
Following a rebuilding year, Creighton reached the 2016 NIT quarterfinals before returning to the NCAA tournament a year later with 25 victories. The 2016-17 squad set a school record for total points and spent 16 weeks in the polls, climbing as high as No. 7.
From 2006-10, Lutz served as Matt Doherty’s recruiting coordinator at SMU, reeling in a pair of top-35 recruiting classes, per Hoop Scoop.
Lutz got his coaching start under Danny Kaspar at Incarnate Word, first serving as a graduate assistant before making the leap to full-time status. He helped the Cardinals – an NAIA program at the time – to three Heart of America regular season titles (1996, 1998, 1999) and three national tournament appearances, highlighted by a quarterfinal run in 1998.
After a year on staff at Garden City (Kan.) Community College, Lutz reunited with Kaspar at Stephen F. Austin for a six-year run at assistant coach/recruiting coordinator and helped guide the Lumberbacks to a pair of 20-win seasons in the Southland Conference.
Playing Career:
Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Lutz played basketball for one season at Ranger Junior College and for three at Texas Lutheran, serving as team captain during his senior year.
He earned his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology with a minor in Secondary Education/Business Administration from TLU in 1995 and his M.Ed. with a Concentration in Physical Education, at Incarnate Word in 1997.
Personal:
Lutz and his wife, Shannon, have three children: Caroline, McKenna and Jackson.
The Steve Lutz File:
Coaching Resume:
2024-Pr. – Oklahoma State – Head Coach
2023-24 – Western Kentucky – Head Coach
2021-23 – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – Head Coach
2017-21 – Purdue – Assistant Coach (Matt Painter)
2010-17 – Creighton – Assistant Coach (Greg McDermott)
2006-10 – SMU – Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator (Matt Doherty)
2000-06 – Stephen F. Austin – Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator (Danny Kaspar)
1999-00 – Garden City (Kan.) CC – Assistant Coach (Jeremy Cox)
1995-99 – Incarnate Word – Assistant Coach (Danny Kaspar)
By the Numbers:
.663 – Winning Percentage (69-35)
3 – NCAA Tournament Appearances (2022, 2023, 2024)
3 -- Conference Tournament Championships (2022 SLC, 2023 SLC, 2024 CUSA)
1 -- Conference Regular Season Title (2023 SLC)
9 – All-Conference Selections
Awards:
2x Skip Prosser Man of the Year Finalist (2023, 2024)
Southland Coach of the Year (2023)
NABC District 22 Coach of the Year (2023)
Joe B. Hall Award Finalist (2022)
Coaching Lineage:
Henry Iba (2x NCAA champion) à Eddie Sutton (3x National COY) à Gene Keady (6x National COY) à Matt Painter (2019 National COY) à Steve Lutz
Personal:
Born: October 25, 1972 (51 years old)
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
College: Texas Lutheran ‘95; Incarnate Word ‘97
Wife: Shannon, Children: Caroline, McKenna, Jackson
What Others are Saying:
“I’m thrilled for Coach Lutz and his family. He was instrumental in developing our program at Creighton during our first seven years in Omaha. The job he has done in both of his head coaching stops has been nothing short of incredible. He is truly a program builder. Cowboy basketball is in great hands!”
-Greg McDermott, Creighton Head Coach
“A tenacious recruiter, relationship-builder, in-game tactician and developer of talent, Steve has demonstrated all of the qualities of a successful head coach and – to top it off – has been at his best when it matters most, going 8-0 in conference tournament games with a bid on the line. Oklahoma State found a special coach and human. Go Pokes!”
-Trent Redden, Los Angeles Clippers General Manager (Former SMU Guard)
“Steve Lutz has had success everywhere he has been and will do the same at Oklahoma State. He is a relentless recruiter and tactician, is driven to succeed and gets the most out of his players. The relationships he cultivates with his players are outstanding, and he will thrive in Stillwater.”
-Matt Painter, Purdue Head Coach
“Coach Lutz will bring toughness and dedication to the OSU men’s basketball program and push his players and staff to be the best versions of themselves every day. He’s a process-minded teacher who is focused on doing things with detail and intention and, over time, the building of those habits allow his teams to execute and perform at a high level. His approach to coaching and the play style he’s established at previous stops will represent OSU well and provide a quality brand of basketball that the fan base will be proud of.”
--Grant Gibbs, Oklahoma City Thunder Assistant Coach (Former Creighton Guard)
