A clutch 3, a hustle steal and grit.
Those are just a few examples of what role players can bring to a team.
While star players normally take the spotlight, efforts from a role player could be the difference maker in a season.
Oklahoma State made headlines during the offseason by grabbing stars Audi Crooks and Liv McGill in the transfer portal.
Most outlets listed Crooks and McGill inside their top 10 for players available in the transfer portal and the two will likely join Stailee Heard in the Cowgirls starting lineup, but one of the six other players the Cowgirls brought in via the transfer portal could be the spark plug for OSU.
With Crooks, McGill and Heard projected to be in OSU’s starting lineup, that leaves two spots to fill and Jacie Hoyt will have plenty of options.
Hoyt’s options likely include Ellie Brueggemann, Talexa Weeter, Nene Ndiaye and Yuting Deng.
Brueggemann started every game of her three-season career at Lindenwood, Weeter started every game at Fort Hays State last season and Ndiaye was in the starting five in all but one game for Rutgers. Deng is the only of the group that didn’t start last season, but she made eight starts during her freshman season at Auburn.
All four could rotate between the starting five. They will all likely impact the Cowgirls this season.
In a 24-hour poll conducted on X, OSU fans were asked who of the four they thought would have the biggest impact.
Weeter received the majority of the votes at 45%, Ndiaye followed with 22% of the votes and Brueggemann and Deng each received 16.5% of the votes.
Advanced metrics would agree with the Cowgirl fans that Weeter is the most valuable.
During this past season, Weeter had a player efficiency rating of 37.6. For reference, Crooks’ efficiency rating was 41.8.
Based off win shares, an analytical stat that measures the approximate number of wins a player produced, Weeter was more valuable than Crooks. Weeter produced 6.7 wins for her team, while Crooks produced 5.8.
“Talexa is a versatile player that was one of the country’s most efficient scorers last year,” Hoyt said in a press release. “She can stretch the floor and shoot, but also loves physicality around the rim. She will create mismatches for opponents and brings a competitiveness that our fans will love!”
Although Weeter’s value compares to Crooks, she is transitioning from the Division II level to the Power Five level, so the level of competition could play an effect.
The metrics argue that Brueggemann is comparable to McGill.
Their efficiency ratings are nearly identical. Brueggemann had a rating of 26.2 and McGill’s was 26.3. Their win shares were even close, Brueggemann’s was 3.8 whereas McGill’s was 4.
Brueggemann did outrank McGill in individual offensive rating, a metric that measures how many points a player creates per 100 possessions. Brueggemann’s rating was 119.4 and McGill’s was 100.1.
Brueggemann’s efficiency field goal percentage was 63.2%, the ninth-highest in college basketball. Offensively, she ranked inside the top-100 on eight different stats.
“She is one of the best 3-point shooters in the country and has great size and versatility and a hunger and gratitude for the opportunity on this stage in her home state,” Hoyt said in a press release.
As for Ndiaye and Deng, they are both taller than 6-foot and share similar characteristics. Both are exceptional 3-point shooters. With the Scarlet Knights, Ndiaye shot 41.6% from the arc, whereas Deng shot 37% from 3.
They were both close in win shares as well. Ndiaye produced 1.8 win shares, and Deng had 1.5.
However, Ndiaye’s player efficiency rating was significantly higher. She had an efficiency rating of 21.4, higher than Heard (19.4) and four of OSU’s starters from last season.
“Nene is a huge piece to our puzzle of assembling an elite roster. She is what I would describe as a Swiss Army Knife. She brings a little bit of everything to the table with her game,” Hoyt said in a press release. “She can shoot, drive, post up, rebound, defend and is a tremendous athlete with great length.”
Deng’s player efficacy rating was 15.7, but her biggest impact came on the offensive end. She had an individual offensive rating of 104.5.
“She can score with the ball in her hand and is exceptional as a catch-and-shoot shooter as well,” Hoyt said in a press release. “Her ability to space the floor makes our team more lethal offensively. She has something very few players have, the clutch gene, with her ability to make big shots in big moments in big games.”