Oklahoma State head basketball coach Mike Boynton has announced the hiring of Scott Sutton, the winningest coach in Oral Roberts history and a former Cowboy, as an assistant on his staff.
A veteran of 18 seasons as a head coach and 328 career victories, Sutton guided the Golden Eagles to eight postseason appearances, including three NCAA Tournament bids. The three-time Summit League Coach of the Year produced four Associated Press All-Americans and four conference players of the year at ORU.
“I’m thrilled to have a man of Scott Sutton’s pedigree joining our coaching staff,” Boynton said. “The Sutton name certainly means a great deal to our program and the Oklahoma State family, but it’s just as respected nationally. Scott’s name is all over the program’s record books from his playing days, and he’s proved himself in the coaching arena as well. I’m excited to welcome Scott and his family back to Stillwater to help us continue this program’s march to excellence.”
Sutton played for the Cowboys from 1992-94 under his father, the legendary Eddie Sutton. He saw action in 63 career games and is arguably the most efficient guard in program history. Sutton still holds the single season and career records for assist-to-turnover ratio thanks to a senior season that featured 119 assists and just 21 turnovers (5.67 a/to). For his career, Sutton had 181 assists to just 49 giveaways for a ratio of 3.69.
After graduating from OSU in 1995, Sutton made the short trip to Oral Roberts to serve on Bill Self’s coaching staff. After one season he was elevated from an administrative assistant role to assistant coach, where he helped the Golden Eagles pile up 57 wins over the next three seasons.
He was announced as the head coach at ORU on April 30, 1999 and wasted little time in returning the program to prominence. Sutton and the Golden Eagles fired off 14 consecutive winning seasons starting in 2001-02, which included seven 20-win campaigns and eight postseason bids.
“I’m beyond excited to join coach Boynton’s coaching staff at Oklahoma State,” Sutton said. “OSU is a special place for my family, and we are thrilled to come home to Stillwater. I look forward to helping coach Boynton and the Cowboys continue to have great success.”
After finishing second in 2003-04, Sutton led the Golden Eagles to the first of four conference championships. ORU won at least 21 games per year from 2005 to 2008, including a 25-win campaign in 2005.
Sutton’s teams left a wake of big wins over notable programs, including victories over the likes of Arkansas, Georgetown, Missouri, Nebraska, Stanford, and even Oklahoma State and Kansas.
A 78-71 win in Allen Fieldhouse against the No. 3 Jayhawks on Nov. 15, 2006 put the basketball world on notice – ORU had arrived. The Golden Eagles would go on to win 21 games that year, capture the Summit League regular season and tournament crowns and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
They would return to the Big Dance the following two seasons, which marked the first back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in school history. Sutton and the Golden Eagles would return to postseason play in 2011 (CIT), 2012 (NIT) and 2013 (CIT), as well as 2015 (CBI).
Known for his player development, Sutton coached Caleb Green to three All-America seasons and Summit League Player of the Year awards and helped Dominique Morrison earn All-America honors and Summit League Player of the Year in 2012. He also coached five Freshman All-Americans, four conference Newcomers of the Year, two league Defensive Players of the Year and three Sixth Men of the Year.
Those accolades would lead to plenty of recognition for Sutton as well. He was named the Summit League Coach of the Year in 2002, 2008 and 2012, the NABC District 12 Co-Coach of the Year in 2005 (shared the award with his father, Eddie Sutton) and was the Clair Bee National Coach of the Year finalist in 2007.
Sutton is the all-time leader in Summit League conference victories with 173, and his 66.5 win percentage in Summit League games rank third all time.
