Short on Numbers, Not on Heart

Every season, every team that takes the court faces adversity in some way, shape or form. For the 2023-24 Oklahoma State women's basketball team, that hardship came courtesy of an injury-riddled roster.

At no point during the 2023-24 season have the Cowgirls had their full compliment of players. In fact, the injury bug bit OSU well before the start of the season as the Cowgirl roster began to dwindle prior to the team's tour of Italy and Greece in August.

Landry Williams and Praise Egharevba both sustained injuries leading up to the trip. Due to the severity of her injury, Williams has been unable to suit up at any point during the season, making her one of four Cowgirls to sustain a season-ending injury.

Ale'jah Douglas became the second Cowgirl to see her season cut short, seeing action in two games before suffering a season-ending injury of her own in early November.

Egharevba's injury carried into the regular season, causing her to miss three games before returning to action for the Cowgirls' two contests at the Baha Mar Classic in The Bahamas.

During that trip to Nassau, Chandler Prater sustained a season-ending injury during OSU's contest against Ohio State. With Prater's loss, the Cowgirls saw 91 games of Big 12 experience exit with her.

With Egharevba unavailable to begin the year, the Cowgirls were also without the services of the team's leading scorer, Hannah Gusters, who missed the first eight games of the season due to NCAA transfer guidelines and left the Cowgirls without a post player to start the season. She missed an additional game (at Iowa State) due to injury as well.

Rylee Langerman sustained an injury during OSU's contest at Iowa State, causing her to miss one game. Despite her setback, Langerman has returned to play in six games at less than full strength.

Big 12 veteran Emilee Ebert joined the squad after the holiday break in December to bolster the Cowgirl roster. A four-year standout at K-State, Ebert saw action in 10 games for OSU before rounding out the quartet of season-ending injuries in, of all places, Manhattan, Kan.

All told, the Cowgirls enter the postseason with 91 total games missed due to injury. Additionally, four different players have at least two games where they have not come off the floor, combining for 20 40-minute outings.

The continuous challenges presented by the Cowgirls' limited numbers have forced OSU head coach Jacie Hoyt to alter the squad's practice plans. In fact, OSU has only had five available players on multiple occasions during its league slate.

"Our players have stayed together and fought through so much adversity – things that people know about, things that people don't know about," Hoyt said.

Despite the challenges faced the Cowgirls have navigated a formidable schedule, picking up a pair of Top 25 wins and carrying a No. 58 NET ranking through 29 games. Overall, OSU has played nine games agains opponents currently ranked in the Top 25 and has 14 games against Quad 1 or 2 opponents to its credit.

"For them to show up and play regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the low roster numbers or the injuries that even some of them are playing with right now. This is the most resilient group of kids I have ever coached. They are the toughest team I have ever coached," Hoyt said.

"I believe we have the toughest team in the country,"

Players Mentioned

Ale’jah Douglas

Emilee Ebert

Praise Egharevba

Hannah Gusters

Rylee Langerman

Chandler Prater

Landry Williams

Oklahoma State University Athletics