Oklahoma State University Athletics
Pokes Pod: Mike Boynton Jr.
October 17, 2023 | Cowboy Basketball
Basketball season is almost upon us. Head coach Mike Boynton Jr. sat down with Meghan Robinson for a preview of the 2023-24 Cowboys on this week's Pokes Podcast.
Read excerpts below and listen to the rest on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or watch the interview with video via OSU MAX.
How does it feel to be back with your team for another year?
"It feels really good. I've been fortunate that we've had a little bit more time with this particular team than we normally have because we took a foreign tour this summer (to Spain), and that gave us an opportunity to, not just do our normal summer entry program, but really get to the meat of practices 10 times before we went on that trip. And then the trip, itself, was a pretty unique experience."
What was your favorite part of that trip that did not include basketball?
"Just watching guys who I thought would get along, get along and find ways to connect with one another. But also seeing guys who experienced things that they had never experienced before. And do it with a bunch of guys who are fairly new to them. Mike Marsh probably stands out the most, in the sense that he had never really flown before and, obviously, took a fairly long flight this time. But he also had never swam. We're out on that cruise, and everyone's jumping in the water and enjoying themselves. Mike's kind of hanging in the back corner of the boat, and his teammates start to slowly encourage him to get in the water. It took some prodding and poaching and pushing and encouragement, but he ultimately got in and kind of conquered a fear or maybe did something that he maybe thought he couldn't do. At the same time, it was unique to see our guys rally around each other and be able to support one another and encourage their teammate to trust them."
The 2023-24 season tips off in less than a month. How are you feeling?
"There's a little anxiety, always. We feel good about the roster we've been able to put together. It's a different time in recruiting, no doubt, with the transfer portal and the influence of NIL in the decisions that young people make. But we feel like we put together a roster that can be really, really competitive in what's going to be -- again -- the best basketball conference in America... The competition in our league creates an expectation of 'You better be on your A game.' And so I'm excited to see how these guys, from now to the end of the season, improve and gel to be able to meet those matches."
Only a few weeks into practice, I realize there is a still a lot of room to grow and learn, but so far, based on what you've seen from your team, where do you think they've improved the most from last year to this year?
"Well, I think the team is just so different. Our skill set, as a group. Our team last year was much more athletically dominant. We had a defensive presence that we I don't know if I've been around as much in my basketball life, with a tremendous shot-blocker and two guys who could really really guard the basketball. This year's team, while we're still good defensively, we're not dominant defensively. But we're much better on the offensive end, in all honesty. We shoot the ball better, we pass the ball better, our bigs are more skilled, in terms of their ability to step out and make plays without just running and dunking. And so that's what I'm looking forward to the most, is trying to put those skill pieces together. Figuring out, can we get a Bryce Thompson and a Quion Williams to gel with a guy like Eric Dailey, who's new but can play multiple positions, anywhere from one to four. Can we get a guy like Connor Dow, who can shoot the ball as well as anybody I've coached so far, to find a fit with a guy like Mike Marsh or Isaiah Miranda, who he hasn't played with before. So those are the things that I'm looking forward to as a coach. You're kind of putting the pieces together."
How important is 'Let's Work' to your coaching mentality and style?
"Truly, 'Let's Work' is everything about my life. It's a it's a life identity point for me, because it signifies two things: First, is the work, right? Work is the foundation of everything I've been about my whole life. It's given me a chance to be successful to whatever degree I've been successful, at this point, because I'm not that talented. I'm just an average person who just has found a way to work as hard as he possibly can in everything he did. So that's the foundation of it. But the "Let's" part is equally important. Because the word, itself -- L-E-T-apostrophe-S -- is inclusive of everybody, not just our players, but our staff, our fans, our former players. So it's about everybody within a program or connected to the program doing their part. For fans, it's showing up to the games. For our season ticket holders, it's making sure that, if they can't come, that someone's able to sit in that seat. For our students, it's making sure that they can feel a part of our program. And obviously, for our players, it's doing everything they can to honor that commitment from our fans, to play the right way, to give our team the best chance to win every game and to play unselfishly. So 'Let us ALL work' is what that really means. Let us all do all the things that may be uncomfortable but that give us the best chance to have success, because when we win on the court, everybody has a chance to enjoy the part of that process.
Read excerpts below and listen to the rest on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or watch the interview with video via OSU MAX.
How does it feel to be back with your team for another year?
"It feels really good. I've been fortunate that we've had a little bit more time with this particular team than we normally have because we took a foreign tour this summer (to Spain), and that gave us an opportunity to, not just do our normal summer entry program, but really get to the meat of practices 10 times before we went on that trip. And then the trip, itself, was a pretty unique experience."
What was your favorite part of that trip that did not include basketball?
"Just watching guys who I thought would get along, get along and find ways to connect with one another. But also seeing guys who experienced things that they had never experienced before. And do it with a bunch of guys who are fairly new to them. Mike Marsh probably stands out the most, in the sense that he had never really flown before and, obviously, took a fairly long flight this time. But he also had never swam. We're out on that cruise, and everyone's jumping in the water and enjoying themselves. Mike's kind of hanging in the back corner of the boat, and his teammates start to slowly encourage him to get in the water. It took some prodding and poaching and pushing and encouragement, but he ultimately got in and kind of conquered a fear or maybe did something that he maybe thought he couldn't do. At the same time, it was unique to see our guys rally around each other and be able to support one another and encourage their teammate to trust them."
The 2023-24 season tips off in less than a month. How are you feeling?
"There's a little anxiety, always. We feel good about the roster we've been able to put together. It's a different time in recruiting, no doubt, with the transfer portal and the influence of NIL in the decisions that young people make. But we feel like we put together a roster that can be really, really competitive in what's going to be -- again -- the best basketball conference in America... The competition in our league creates an expectation of 'You better be on your A game.' And so I'm excited to see how these guys, from now to the end of the season, improve and gel to be able to meet those matches."
Only a few weeks into practice, I realize there is a still a lot of room to grow and learn, but so far, based on what you've seen from your team, where do you think they've improved the most from last year to this year?
"Well, I think the team is just so different. Our skill set, as a group. Our team last year was much more athletically dominant. We had a defensive presence that we I don't know if I've been around as much in my basketball life, with a tremendous shot-blocker and two guys who could really really guard the basketball. This year's team, while we're still good defensively, we're not dominant defensively. But we're much better on the offensive end, in all honesty. We shoot the ball better, we pass the ball better, our bigs are more skilled, in terms of their ability to step out and make plays without just running and dunking. And so that's what I'm looking forward to the most, is trying to put those skill pieces together. Figuring out, can we get a Bryce Thompson and a Quion Williams to gel with a guy like Eric Dailey, who's new but can play multiple positions, anywhere from one to four. Can we get a guy like Connor Dow, who can shoot the ball as well as anybody I've coached so far, to find a fit with a guy like Mike Marsh or Isaiah Miranda, who he hasn't played with before. So those are the things that I'm looking forward to as a coach. You're kind of putting the pieces together."
How important is 'Let's Work' to your coaching mentality and style?
"Truly, 'Let's Work' is everything about my life. It's a it's a life identity point for me, because it signifies two things: First, is the work, right? Work is the foundation of everything I've been about my whole life. It's given me a chance to be successful to whatever degree I've been successful, at this point, because I'm not that talented. I'm just an average person who just has found a way to work as hard as he possibly can in everything he did. So that's the foundation of it. But the "Let's" part is equally important. Because the word, itself -- L-E-T-apostrophe-S -- is inclusive of everybody, not just our players, but our staff, our fans, our former players. So it's about everybody within a program or connected to the program doing their part. For fans, it's showing up to the games. For our season ticket holders, it's making sure that, if they can't come, that someone's able to sit in that seat. For our students, it's making sure that they can feel a part of our program. And obviously, for our players, it's doing everything they can to honor that commitment from our fans, to play the right way, to give our team the best chance to win every game and to play unselfishly. So 'Let us ALL work' is what that really means. Let us all do all the things that may be uncomfortable but that give us the best chance to have success, because when we win on the court, everybody has a chance to enjoy the part of that process.
Check out @thacoachmike on this weeks Pokes Pod!
— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) October 17, 2023
Watch the full episode on https://t.co/zJuRC6qHXh or stream it on Apple Music & Spotify at the links below ??
Apple —> https://t.co/eCDzb5KTeO
Spotify —> https://t.co/bBtcv2gmld pic.twitter.com/Y3JvYhIcjS
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