NCAAB

Oklahoma State hires Steve Lutz as head coach

For a power conference program, this is a risky hire, as Lutz doesn’t have much head coaching experience, but there’s really nowhere to go but up for the Cowboys. Despite his lack of years spent as a head man, Lutz has plenty of promise, and has a decent chance to get Oklahoma State back on track.

Grade: C

Drake hires Ben McCollum as head coach

McCollum comes from Northwest Missouri State, a Division II power. There’s a fairly strong record across college football and basketball of programs hiring successful coaches from the lower ranks and it leading to positive results, so this hire has plenty of promise. Even better, McCollum has deep ties to the state of Iowa, so he’s a regional fit for this job as well.

Grade: A-

Youngstown State promotes Ethan Faulkner to head coach

There’s no way around it — losing Jerrod Calhoun to Utah State was a big blow to Youngstown State — but the Penguins are making the right call by staying in-house for his replacement. Calhoun took the Youngstown State program to heights never reached by it previously, and Faulkner is the right choice to take over the ascending operation.

Grade: B