Martavius Adams provided a strong physical presence inside for the Cowboys coming off the bench last season. With Adams transferring , Oklahoma State will look to new addition Malcoln Kirkland and holdovers Ibrahima Thomas, Anthony Brown and Marshall Moses.
In recent seasons, a lack of post depth has often plagued the Cowboys.
On Monday, that problem may have gotten worse.
New coach Travis Ford granted a release to transfer to Martavius Adams, a forward/center going into his sophomore season.
Adams was the second player to have a run-in with Ford. Six days after being announced as coach, Ford indefinitely suspended guard Terrel Harris on April 23 for violating team rules, but he recently told the Associated Press he expects Harris to be reinstated for his senior season.
Oklahoma State’s statement on Adams offered no details on what led to the split between Adams and the men’s basketball team, and Adams has yet to announce where he plans to transfer to.
“Martavius and I sat down last week and agreed that it would be mutually beneficial for both parties if we simply went our separate ways,” Ford said in the statement. “We appreciate his efforts at Oklahoma State and wish him nothing but the best of luck.
“Ultimately, we want him to be happy.”
Although it may not be clear what finally led Adams and OSU to the breaking point, there had been signs that the 6-foot-8 Adams wasn’t entirely happy.
Adams said on multiple occassions last year that he wished he could play closer to his home in Irwinton, Ga. He also had a couple of minor discipline issues with then-coach Sean Sutton.
Whatever the reaon, it seems Adams no longer wished to be on the team. If so, Ford made the only choice he could by granting him the release.
However, Adams’ decision to transfer leaves the Cowboys with an even bigger question mark at the post.
Adams’ numbers in his freshman season may look unimpressive, averaging 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds, but he showed improvement the season half of the season, particularly on defense.
With him gone, the Cowboys have one player taller than 6-foot-7, center Ibrahima Thomas (not counting walk-on Scott Warner).
Yet OSU is in a better situation this time than last year when center Kenny Cooper transferred just before the start of the season, leaving the Cowboys without a post player who had played Division I basketball.
With Adams deciding to transfer in the summer, Ford still had time to find a replacement, and he got his man in Malcoln Kirkland.
Kirkland will come to OSU after spending his freshman season at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, a junior college, making him eligible for the 2008-09 season.
On the surface, Kirkland may look like a last-minute desperation pickup, but he is as good as the Cowboys could have hoped to find this late.
At 6-foot-7, 245 pounds, Kirkland averaged 6.6 points and 4.7 rebounds for the Lions. Those numbers are a little misleading though, as he was sharing time on a talented UA-Fort Smith team that went 28-4 and advanced to the semifinals of the NJCAA Region II tournament.
Even with Kirkland coming in to provide another option, the Oklahoma State frontcourt is largely unproven.
Thomas, the starting center, was inconsistent as a freshman last year.
Forward Anthony Brown got off to a good start, but soon struggled and missed most of the season with a shoulder injury.
Marshall Moses, who will also be a sophomore, played sparingly.
The style of play Ford is bringing to the Cowboys may help absorb the impact of the lack of strong post depth.
Ford said when he arrived at OSU that he wants to implement an up-tempo, high-paced offense, with an emphass on running and making fast breaks. Such an offense might not be as reliant on big men, depending more on its guard play.
However, the Cowboys’ size could still be an issue on defense or when facing teams that force them to slow down to a half-court offense.
Without Adams, the pressure is on the thin corps of big men to improve their game if OSU is to be successful this year.
Adams’ departure may also put more pressure on Ford to sign a talented power forward or center next year in his first full recruiting class.
Ford has already gotten commitments from Trenton Marshall, a four-star small forward from Trenton County junior college, and Fred Gulley, a three-star point guard from Fayetteville High School in Arkansas.
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