Apr. 23—Oklahoma State men’s basketball had its fair share of attrition throughout the first six weeks of the current 60-day transfer portal window, losing five key contributors from the 2022-23 campaign.

But the Cowboys nabbed their first, crucial addition from the portal on Sunday afternoon, when former East Carolina guard Javon Small announced his commitment to Mike Boynton and Co. via social media.

Small, who will head to Stillwater with two years of eligibility remaining, chose OSU over one other finalist: Oklahoma.

After minimal minutes in 16 games as a freshman, Small broke out in his sophomore campaign by averaging 15.8 points 4.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He played in 18 contests this past season, in which the Pirates were 10-8, before missing the latter half with an injury.

In the days following OSU’s season-ending loss to North Texas in the NIT quarterfinals, Boynton said the program would be looking for guards with a positive assists-to-turnover ratio. And they found just that in Small, who tallied 100 assists last year — more than any Cowboy.

As of Small’s announcement, the Cowboys have filled 10 of 13 scholarships. And, as part of the lingering sanctions from the NCAA, they’ll have to slash one of them over the course of the next two years.

That decision, Boynton has previously said, will be made based on how he feels with the roster construction when the Cowboys get to 12. If he’s comfortable with where they stand, he said, they’ll cut it this year. If not, it’ll be next.

Small is now one of only four upperclassmen currently on OSU’s roster, with fellow guard John-Michael Wright already announcing a return for his final year of eligibility, and with seniors Bryce Thompson and Chris Harris Jr. having yet to announce their intentions.

Regardless of what happens moving forward, though, one thing became clear with Small’s pledge: The Cowboys have their ball-dominant point guard for the 2023-24 and beyond.