Oklahoma State University Athletics
"Let's Work" More Than Just A Slogan For Boynton
August 11, 2017 | Cowboy Basketball
STILLWATER – "Let's work."
This is more than a slogan for Mike Boynton, the new Oklahoma State basketball coach. "Let's work," is what Boynton is all about, and his OSU team has become a reflection of it.
Amidst the chaos of his first few months as coach, Boynton has managed to fit in several cross-country recruiting trips, nearly 30 public speaking events and the team's grueling summer workout schedule.
"It's a challenge," Boynton said. "But I'm just trying to continue to build on our fan base."
Boynton traveled thousands of miles in July in search of Cowboy prospects, but he still found time to be with the team during its eight-week summer workout period. With the new season rapidly approaching, Boynton is continuing to prep his team for the grind of another season in Big 12 play.
Boynton's knowledge of the rigors of college basketball can be traced back to his playing days at South Carolina. And after making several NCAA Tournament appearances as both a player and coach, Boynton has learned that much of the success a team experiences is rooted in the work put in by both players and coaches during the offseason.
"It's one of the things we talk about every day," Boynton said. "We want to be the hardest playing team every night we take the court. It's something you have to work toward and build habits about in June and July."
Since taking control of the program, the OSU head coach is using those lessons from his past and has already begun to leave his mark on the current crop of Cowboys. Among the group he has impacted is senior Mitchell Solomon.
Last season, Solomon improved his scoring from 3.7 points per game to an average of 5.5 per contest during his first season working with Boynton. He also showed a prowess for the boards, increasing his rebounding from 3.9 rebounds per game to 5.3. He's also only the fourth Cowboy in the program's history to grab 100+ offensive rebounds in a season, joining Ivan McFarlin, Byron Houston and Bryant Reeves.
"He's very real," Solomon said. "He says the things that might get under your skin, but he does because he's trying to help make you a better player."
Throughout the summer, Boynton has highlighted three things as being necessary to establishing a winning program - fundamentals, defense and intensity. Boynton's passion for the defensive side of the game has also helped impact his players, as Solomon used this summer to work on his lateral quickness so that he can better cover other positions on switches.
Along with his defensive intensity, Boynton's passion for the Oklahoma State community is even more prevalent. During his short time as the program's leader, Boynton has made several public appearances across the Stillwater community, which includes making his public debut as head coach during the OSU softball team's 1-0 victory over Texas on March 24.
"The community of Stillwater is a unique one," Boynton said. "We're really excited to represent them and give them a lot to be excited about for the next several years."
Boynton will make his official head coaching debut this fall when the Cowboys square off against Pepperdine inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Nov. 10.
This is more than a slogan for Mike Boynton, the new Oklahoma State basketball coach. "Let's work," is what Boynton is all about, and his OSU team has become a reflection of it.
Amidst the chaos of his first few months as coach, Boynton has managed to fit in several cross-country recruiting trips, nearly 30 public speaking events and the team's grueling summer workout schedule.
"It's a challenge," Boynton said. "But I'm just trying to continue to build on our fan base."
Boynton traveled thousands of miles in July in search of Cowboy prospects, but he still found time to be with the team during its eight-week summer workout period. With the new season rapidly approaching, Boynton is continuing to prep his team for the grind of another season in Big 12 play.
Boynton's knowledge of the rigors of college basketball can be traced back to his playing days at South Carolina. And after making several NCAA Tournament appearances as both a player and coach, Boynton has learned that much of the success a team experiences is rooted in the work put in by both players and coaches during the offseason.
"It's one of the things we talk about every day," Boynton said. "We want to be the hardest playing team every night we take the court. It's something you have to work toward and build habits about in June and July."
Since taking control of the program, the OSU head coach is using those lessons from his past and has already begun to leave his mark on the current crop of Cowboys. Among the group he has impacted is senior Mitchell Solomon.
Last season, Solomon improved his scoring from 3.7 points per game to an average of 5.5 per contest during his first season working with Boynton. He also showed a prowess for the boards, increasing his rebounding from 3.9 rebounds per game to 5.3. He's also only the fourth Cowboy in the program's history to grab 100+ offensive rebounds in a season, joining Ivan McFarlin, Byron Houston and Bryant Reeves.
"He's very real," Solomon said. "He says the things that might get under your skin, but he does because he's trying to help make you a better player."
Throughout the summer, Boynton has highlighted three things as being necessary to establishing a winning program - fundamentals, defense and intensity. Boynton's passion for the defensive side of the game has also helped impact his players, as Solomon used this summer to work on his lateral quickness so that he can better cover other positions on switches.
Along with his defensive intensity, Boynton's passion for the Oklahoma State community is even more prevalent. During his short time as the program's leader, Boynton has made several public appearances across the Stillwater community, which includes making his public debut as head coach during the OSU softball team's 1-0 victory over Texas on March 24.
"The community of Stillwater is a unique one," Boynton said. "We're really excited to represent them and give them a lot to be excited about for the next several years."
Boynton will make his official head coaching debut this fall when the Cowboys square off against Pepperdine inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Nov. 10.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Cowboy BasketballTuesday, July 07
Tuesday, July 07
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
