Jacie Hoyt Making Strong Case for Big 12 Coach of the Year
Oklahoma State has been a surprise team in the Big 12, and its coach deserves some credit.
Since taking over as OSU’s head coach in 2022-23, Jacie Hoyt has led a successful turnaround of the Cowgirls’ program. In her first season, she led the Cowgirls to the NCAA Tournament. While injuries derailed her second season, 2024-25 has been her best work yet.
Going into the final game of the regular season, OSU is 23-5 and sitting at third in the Big 12 with a 13-4 mark in conference play. The Cowgirls won only 14 total games last season and could hit that mark in Big 12 play alone if they can get a win at Kansas in the regular season finale.
The Cowgirls’ success this season has been a product of Hoyt’s coaching and her impressive ability to get the most out of her stars. Of course, that isn’t the only key part of college basketball today. Getting those stars to come to Stillwater and believe in the program is massive to finding that success on the court during the season.
While bringing back veteran leader Anna Gret Asi and young star Stailee Heard was massive, Hoyt helped bring in some of OSU’s most important players through the transfer portal, including Micah Gray, Alexia Smith and Tenin Magassa.
Another part of Hoyt’s candidacy for Big 12 Coach of the Year is how much OSU has exceeded expectations this season. Coming into the season, the Cowgirls were picked to finish 11th in the conference and had no players on the preseason All-Big 12 team.
Considering the Cowgirls didn’t have any big expectations beyond wanting to return the NCAA Tournament, being a mainstay in the top 25 for most of Big 12 play has only helped Hoyt’s case. This season, OSU also has its best conference record since the Big 12 formed.
Last season, Oklahoma’s Jennie Baranczyk won the award after leading the Sooners to a 15-3 conference record and winning the Big 12 regular season title. While OSU won’t be Big 12 champions, it is a win away from finishing in the top 3 and should be well-represented in the postseason awards.
