We are keeping our fingers crossed in the hope that we can return to a “normal” version of college basketball this fall: fans in the stands, announcers without masks, etc. Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen but we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. We continue our coverage with Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Boynton about making the NCAA tourney last March and his expectations for this season.
You grew up as a PG in Brooklyn: what made you choose South Carolina for college? Just the relationship I had with Eddie Fogler and his coaching staff. I felt that I could have success there both on and off the court.
How good a player were you back in the day, and how did you 1st get into coaching? How low can the rating go?! I was a decent player but am just thankful that Coach Fogler saw something in me. I was a hard worker and had some decent leadership qualities/ball handling skills. I got into coaching on the advice of Fogler as well as Coach Dave Odom, who both encouraged me to get into the profession. I give a lot of credit to those 2 men, but also to my high school coaches.
In the 2017 NCAA tourney as an assistant at Oklahoma State you had a 1-PT loss to Michigan: was it just 1 of those situations where every shot the Wolverines (who made 16 3PM) put up went in because their entire team was “in the zone”? That Michigan squad was a team of destiny after surviving a plane crash on the way to the Big 10 tourney…which they ended up winning. It was a great game even though there was not a lot of defense played by either team.
You and Brad Underwood were fellow assistant coaches to Darrin Horn at your alma mater, then you became Brad’s assistant at Stephen F. Austin/Oklahoma State before replacing him as head coach: how close did you come to following him to Illinois? Brad never worked for Darrin: instead he replaced Darrin on the staff under Coach Frank Martin. I considered following him to Illinois but I turned my attention to getting the job here.
Last February/March you beat 6 ranked teams in a 19-day stretch: how was your team able to stay focused for 3 weeks in a row? I give a lot of credit to my staff and the players for having some resiliency. Going through the Big 12 is a true gauntlet every night so we just tried to be the best team that we could be.
Your former player Cade Cunningham (the 1st AP 1st-Team All-American in school history) was drafted 1st overall by Detroit last summer: what makes him such a great player, and how do you think he is going to do in the NBA? A lot of things! The measurables speak for themselves, as does his basketball IQ. 2 big things are that he really cares about winning and is a tremendous teammate even though he is a superstar himself.
In the 2021 NCAA tourney your team beat Liberty before losing to Oregon State: what did your team learn from that run that will help them this year? We had not been in the NCAA tourney very consistently during the past decade so it was good to get back there and learn what it takes to advance. Playing multiple weekends is the ultimate goal.
Last year you set a school record with 5 Academic All-Big 12 selections (Avery Anderson III/Kalib Boone/Keylan Boone/Isaac Likekele/Dee Mitchell): how much importance do you place on academics? It is the most important thing that we do here: we want our players to understand the value of an education even if they just want to become a professional athlete. It is imperative that our staff understands that mission.
Your brutal non-conference schedule includes games against NC State/Wichita State/Xavier/Houston/USC/Florida: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? The toughest game I am thinking about right now is our regular season opener against UT-Arlington. We have a bunch of new guys this year so we are not caught up in worrying about any other teams right now: we have 6 weeks to get prepared.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? My only goal is that this team becomes the best it can possibly be, whatever that is. I want our guys to enjoy the opportunity to be on this stage and compete, but also focus on the process of improving.