What Makes Gallagher-Iba Arena Special: Mike Boynton

This is the final of eight stories in our summer series featuring the stories that make Gallagher-Iba Arena special. Stories from fans, staff and former players have been shared with the final word coming from Oklahoma State men's basketball head coach Mike Boynton.

Our other stories include:

Brad Stone
Keiton Page
Breanna Yeargin
Ryan Hill
Dave Hunziker
Larry Reece
The Sparks

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Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Oklahoma State men's basketball head coach Mike Boynton never imagined that he'd be spending his days in college basketball's most historical venue.

Never did he think he'd be at the helm, upholding Mr. Iba and Eddie Sutton's historical legacies, while forging his own legacy in the rich history of the Cowboy basketball program.

But he wouldn't have it any other way.

Boynton first joined the Cowboys prior to the 2016-17 season as an assistant coach on Brad Underwood's staff following three years as an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin and four years at South Carolina in the same role.

Following that first season in Stillwater, he was named the new head coach of the men's basketball program on March 24, 2017.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Boynton's first home game in charge was against Pepperdine on Nov. 10, 2017, that resulted in a commanding 78-47 win for the Cowboys. The new man in charge was 1-0 in his career.

"I don't know if I had time to really to digest everything that had gone into me being head coach here until that moment," Boynton said. "Never was I more anxious than I was at that moment, understanding the gravity of the position I held at the moment, knowing that Mr. Iba and Coach Sutton had graced those same sidelines, being in charge of the men's basketball program here. It was certainly a feeling of nervousness and anxiousness, but also a great appreciation for what had gone on into building such a great venue."

Since taking charge, Boynton has racked up 87 wins, reaching the NCAA tournament during his tenure and the NIT quarterfinals in his first year as head coach. He's coached nine All-Big 12 Conference selections and has added three five-star recruits, including Cade Cunningham, the number one draft pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

One staple of coach Boynton's era so far is the phrase, 'Let's Work.' He's coined this term as the backbone for all his teams, using it as motivation that talent never beats hard work. It's not just a phrase, it can be seen across the court as his players out-hustle and out-work most opponents.

But what exactly does 'Let's Work' mean to him?

"There's a totality in that that I think sometimes gets lost, and people fix their attention on the 'work' part," Boynton said. "That's certainly a big part of it because I believe that hard work gives you a chance in most situations. However, the 'let's' is just as important, because it's about everyone doing their part, our players, our coaches, our support staff, our administration, our students, our fans, our alumni, and so the 'let's' is let us all do this work together, and that's ultimately what 'Let's Work' is about."

The iconic phrase not only represents his motto on the court, but also off the court. Academics is at the front of everything Boynton teaches, always imploring his student-athletes to embrace the 'student' first, and athletics second.

After all, he has 15 Academic All-Big 12 selections in his five years as head coach.

"Access to education is the gateway to really changing your life, and that goes for everybody, it was certainly true for me," Boynton said. "This is my classroom, similar to the way it was for Mr. Iba and Coach Sutton, that this is our opportunity to teach. We're not just teaching pick and rolls, we're not just teaching defensive rotations but we're teaching teamwork, we're teaching that sometimes you have to hold your head high sometimes in disappointing moments.

"We're teaching life lessons that maybe these young people can carry on as they matriculate out of here, hopefully with a degree in hand from a great institution and that they could become successful adults."

One of his favorite parts of his 'classroom' is the original, white maple court that's been in Gallagher-Iba Arena since 1938. It's a staple of the arena, having been protected and preserved for more than 80 years.

To him, it's part of what makes GIA so special.

"The fact that this building has withstood itself, there are a lot of fans that come in here and appreciate the white maple here," Boynton said. "There are a lot of opponents that come here and are terrified of it because of the so many great moments that our fans have impacted the outcome of a game. I remember the first time really watching a game on TV of this place and it was the Kevin Durant triple overtime game and thinking man, that is a cool place that I wish I had a chance to play in, never imagining that I would actually be here basically every day and that this would be such a big part of my life. The history of the floor, the history of the bricks, the sound and everything that goes into making a venue great is held in this place."

But of course, it's not just the court that makes GIA special, though. It's the 13,611 loyal and true that make this place what it is. Without the fans, there would be no crazy, historical moments that the original white maple court has seen.

"When I watch a basketball game here as a fan or coach a basketball game, or I would imagine as a player, understanding that the fans here know what's going on, they understand basketball," Boynton said. "They know what hustle means, they understand defensive rotations, blocking shots, rebounding. Obviously, they appreciate slam dunks and three-pointers, but they really appreciate the game being played the right way, and I think that's what separates a place like this from probably 99 percent of the arenas around college basketball and even basketball in general."

Not only is it the fans and proud alumni who return to the place they love so dearly, but also, it's the students who play such a vital role in GIA. They bring the rowdy, filling up the new and improved student section behind the scorer's table.

It can be seen time and time again how big of an impact the students play in making GIA one of the best college basketball arenas in the country.

"They bring the character; they bring this place to life," Boynton proudly exclaimed. "We have a tremendous fan base in general, but our student's passion for each other, the way they've embraced me, and our staff is second to none. Again, I remember watching on television and seeing the engagement of the fans was something that makes this place one of the all-time great venues around the country."

Heading into his sixth season at the helm, Boynton understands the expectations that were set from Mr. Iba and Coach Sutton on the exact same court as now. However, it's not pressure he feels, it's appreciation.

"I don't really think about pressure, I don't really like to use that word often, but what I think of is responsibility," Boynton said. "Mr. Iba started this program, and he really is the god father of coaching in general, a lot of roots of started by him on this very floor. Then Coach Sutton came back here, after playing, as a coach and re-invigorated the passion of our fans for what Mr. Iba did while he played for him. So, I feel a great responsibility to carry on that legacy, but I also feel a great appreciation of having the opportunity to do so, understanding that very few people have done this, very fewer people have done this successfully and I hope that I can leave a mark here and feel like I did my part in upholding the standard of Oklahoma State Basketball."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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