Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Quotables: Big 12 Ramp Up Begins
December 29, 2023 | Cowboy Basketball
Semester break is here, but inside Gallagher-Iba Arena class is very much in session. At his weekly media gathering, Oklahoma State men's basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr. detailed some of the bonus work his team has put in over the past few days and what he'd like to see from them over the final week of non-conference play. Read on for some of the highlights:
OSU head coach Mike Boynton Jr. on…
… the OSU football team's Dec. 27 Texas Bowl victory over Texas A&M:
"I thought it was just a tremendous example of a team having the ability to stay locked in through the noise. It's hard. We've talked about it before; when things don't go well, the reaction extremes can sometimes be hard for young folks. That his staff -- and him as the leader -- were able to keep that thing together and figure out a way to finish with a phenomenal season -- hats off to him.... He's, obviously, a phenomenal coach, a tremendous leader, and I'm really happy for him and even happier to hear that some of his really, really key players will be returning next year. Makes everybody excited. I look forward to seeing how they build off this momentum they've gotten."
… getting back on the court Sunday after an 11-day gap between games:
"I'm glad to be back. You know, we had five days away from these guys. It gave my staff and me some time to digest the first 11 games, in terms of where we feel we are, how we've improved and what are the things we still need to get better at.
… reasons for optimism going forward:
"We feel like a lot of the things that we struggle with are fixable. And, obviously, that's important, because this isn't the NBA where there's a trade deadline sometime in the next month or so where you can go get a different body. We like the pieces. Our margin of error is clearly not as great as maybe some other teams out there, with as many young guys as we're playing, but I think we can get them to understand that sense of urgency over the next week before we start conference play."
… how the guys have responded coming back from the break:
"They've been good. We told them what to expect before they left. We wanted them to truly get away and kind of disconnect. Certainly, from a mental standpoint, it's been a grind for a lot of these guys when you add the fact that we went on to summer trip. Since June we've been going at it, so this was the first time in a while that they've been able to have three or four days of not hearing my voice. So I wanted them to enjoy that, but I also told them, 'When we get back, it's gonna be go time.
… not waiting until next week to flip the switch:
"We're approaching this next week as if it IS conference play. It's not necessarily going to show up in a standings that way, but the way we prepare, you're probably going to start seeing us shrink down the rotation a little bit. So we're approaching this like we're getting ready for conference play and the guys are responding in kind."
… the last two non-conference opponents:
"South Carolina State will give us a test in some different ways then we've seen, especially in the last couple of weeks, (after) dealing with so many really good shooting teams. They're not that. They attack in a different way. I haven't really watched Chicago State yet, other than knowing that they won at Northwestern earlier in the month. So, obviously, they're a capable team, as well. So we've got two tough games before conference play."
… how these two first-time opponents help round out the non-conference schedule:
"The timing of conference play is a little bit off this year. I don't know if we've ever had two games between the Christmas break ending and conference play. A couple of these years, we played a conference game first at this point. Just trying to find a balance of what our team needs and what we haven't seen. These were the last two games that we actually filled our schedule with. So, kind of looking at the early part of schedule and saying, 'What haven't we seen and what are we going to see.'
… Sunday's opponent, South Carolina State:
"(SCSU head coach) Erik Martin played for (Bob Huggins) at Cincinnati, and then was an assistant for him at West Virginia, so their style of play is similar to what we're going to see at West Virginia. We hadn't seen a team that presses, that's going to be super-aggressive, trying to play for steals, gonna drive you more. They're not trying to beat you from the three-point line."
… Wednesday's non-conference finale against Chicago State:
"Chicago State's got probably two of the best ISO players, in terms of the few times that I've watched them play, that we've guarded this year. So, different in terms of systems and styles. That will be good for us going into conference play, because we've got a pretty good feel for most of the conference teams and how they like to play, but surely, there are going to be some things that maybe we see for the first time with the new teams that we haven't played yet."
… what he'd like to see from his team group over these two games:
"A couple of things that just jump off the page: I think the intentionality we've had about shooting and ball handling. I don't want to say we've got it figured out, because obviously you can go into a shooting slump pretty quickly... We need to keep building there (and) keep being a team that gets great shots. Javon (Small) is going to continue to be our primary playmaker. We need to build off what we've seen from Bryce Thompson the last week. He seems to be getting back into a rhythm. We need him and Javon to drive the train for us on the offensive end. We've got to continue to develop Brandon Garrison. We like the progress he's made in the first month of the season. We also need to probably get a little bit more teeth to our defense. Like I've said, this team is different (from 2022-23). But we went from a team that could shut you out to a team that really kind of 'bends-but-don't-break'. We've got to force some more turnovers. We don't force a ton of turnovers, so we don't get as many easy baskets."
… offensive rebounding – nature vs. nurture:
"Rebounding on both ends is really a product of intent and commitment. There is a strategy... but it's more of a pursuit, like having a mentality. I've seen 6-4 guys who are phenomenal rebounders. I've seen 7-foot guys who aren't really good rebounders. A lot of it is the feel for where the ball bounces, anticipating when the shot's going up, where to go... It's really just identifying the guys who can be good at it, and then putting them out there with some of the guys who maybe can give us something different."
… the learning curve his team faces when it comes to offensive rebounding:
"They don't have the mindset yet, and we haven't done a good enough job of just drilling that into their heads that 'Your responsibility as a guy who doesn't shoot is not to assume it's gonna go in'. I get to do that, but I can't go get the rebound. I want Connor and Jarius to make every three they shoot, but if Eric or Q or BG are on the court at the time, we can't be giving the 3 symbol and trotting back. You've got a job to do at that moment, then we can celebrate at the next break. Again, just reps and drilling in practice, and then having a consequence when it doesn't happen. "
… teaching defense to freshmen:
"First is just the concepts, themselves, right? ANY concepts for some of them, right? ANYTHING on defense. I say it jokingly: 'When your man doesn't have the ball and we don't have it, you're still on defense. Some of the guys don't think they're on defense if they're not guarding the guy that has the ball. (For them) it's like: 'He's on defense, and I'll be on defense when my man gets it.' That's not really how it works, but for many freshmen, they haven't had to be held accountable to it. I'm sure all their coaches talked about defense. I'm not getting on any of these guys' high school coaches. They were good coaches. But it's also a thing when a guy can get 40 (points) for you, you may kind of look the other way when he isn't in a great position on defense or doesn't drop down to block out, because you need have his gravity on the other end. Once that happens, it's just getting comfortable, because basketball is not that complicated. We see a lot of the same stuff. So them being able to anticipate a little bit what's coming, and them reacting to what actually happens."
… contrasting this year' defense to last:
"We had so many guys who had played in the system and knew it without us really having to work on it a ton. And we had defensive-minded guys, like Musa and Avery, who really took pride in that part of the game. We'll develop those guys. (Jamyron) Keller's got a great body and ability to become a really good defender. Connor (Dow), because of his length and intelligence, can become a really good defender. Eric Dailey can be a better defender than he even gives himself credit for. So, it's just a matter of now getting them enough reps, and the beauty of this time of year is we're not restricted by hours. We spend a lot of time really watching film and breaking those things down.
… getting quality minutes from the freshman trio of Dailey, Garrison and Keller:
"I've seen them embrace the coaching, embrace the challenges of getting better, embrace their teammates getting on them, which is new for all those guys. They WERE the leader. I went and watched Jamyron Keller run a high school practice at 6:30 one morning. So now, listening to Bryce Thompson, listening to Javon Small. You can kind of have some resistance to that early if you don't have the right level of humility. But they're all coachable. They're all pretty disciplined guys.
… challenging Dailey to go from good to great:
"I've challenged him to do even more. Not necessarily scoring but being more impactful, rebounding better, having more of a voice out there. The guy's playing 25 minutes a game as a freshman; that means we think he's good enough to help us. So, don't think like a freshman. Put yourself out there, but then be open to the criticism when you do make mistakes."
… mentally preparing players for roles:
I've always operated from a place of transparency, even with those guys. We talk about it in the recruiting process. I don't want them to always like what I hear, because that's not my job. My job is to be honest with them, tell them where they stand, and tell them what the opportunities are. We're probably not playing 12 guys in conference games. Realistically, we're probably playing seven, eight, maybe nine, depending on foul trouble and situation of the game. So those guys that are maybe just on the outside have to be prepared when their time comes. And the guys that are on the inside, that may be just on the other side of the line -- 6-7-8 -- can't get comfortable, because the game is fluid. We don't get to lose because we're committed to you playing, right? You've got to play well in your opportunity. And when you aren't in that role, you've got to be ready. You're not necessarily wishing for somebody to get hurt or sick or not play well, but you're staying sharp with your scouting report studying, you're staying sharp on your skill work before and after practice, and you're staying ready to do what it is that we need to do if you have to go into the game. So they're not comfortable conversations, but they're necessary and that's part of being a head coach.
OSU head coach Mike Boynton Jr. on…
… the OSU football team's Dec. 27 Texas Bowl victory over Texas A&M:
"I thought it was just a tremendous example of a team having the ability to stay locked in through the noise. It's hard. We've talked about it before; when things don't go well, the reaction extremes can sometimes be hard for young folks. That his staff -- and him as the leader -- were able to keep that thing together and figure out a way to finish with a phenomenal season -- hats off to him.... He's, obviously, a phenomenal coach, a tremendous leader, and I'm really happy for him and even happier to hear that some of his really, really key players will be returning next year. Makes everybody excited. I look forward to seeing how they build off this momentum they've gotten."
… getting back on the court Sunday after an 11-day gap between games:
"I'm glad to be back. You know, we had five days away from these guys. It gave my staff and me some time to digest the first 11 games, in terms of where we feel we are, how we've improved and what are the things we still need to get better at.
… reasons for optimism going forward:
"We feel like a lot of the things that we struggle with are fixable. And, obviously, that's important, because this isn't the NBA where there's a trade deadline sometime in the next month or so where you can go get a different body. We like the pieces. Our margin of error is clearly not as great as maybe some other teams out there, with as many young guys as we're playing, but I think we can get them to understand that sense of urgency over the next week before we start conference play."
… how the guys have responded coming back from the break:
"They've been good. We told them what to expect before they left. We wanted them to truly get away and kind of disconnect. Certainly, from a mental standpoint, it's been a grind for a lot of these guys when you add the fact that we went on to summer trip. Since June we've been going at it, so this was the first time in a while that they've been able to have three or four days of not hearing my voice. So I wanted them to enjoy that, but I also told them, 'When we get back, it's gonna be go time.
… not waiting until next week to flip the switch:
"We're approaching this next week as if it IS conference play. It's not necessarily going to show up in a standings that way, but the way we prepare, you're probably going to start seeing us shrink down the rotation a little bit. So we're approaching this like we're getting ready for conference play and the guys are responding in kind."
… the last two non-conference opponents:
"South Carolina State will give us a test in some different ways then we've seen, especially in the last couple of weeks, (after) dealing with so many really good shooting teams. They're not that. They attack in a different way. I haven't really watched Chicago State yet, other than knowing that they won at Northwestern earlier in the month. So, obviously, they're a capable team, as well. So we've got two tough games before conference play."
… how these two first-time opponents help round out the non-conference schedule:
"The timing of conference play is a little bit off this year. I don't know if we've ever had two games between the Christmas break ending and conference play. A couple of these years, we played a conference game first at this point. Just trying to find a balance of what our team needs and what we haven't seen. These were the last two games that we actually filled our schedule with. So, kind of looking at the early part of schedule and saying, 'What haven't we seen and what are we going to see.'
… Sunday's opponent, South Carolina State:
"(SCSU head coach) Erik Martin played for (Bob Huggins) at Cincinnati, and then was an assistant for him at West Virginia, so their style of play is similar to what we're going to see at West Virginia. We hadn't seen a team that presses, that's going to be super-aggressive, trying to play for steals, gonna drive you more. They're not trying to beat you from the three-point line."
… Wednesday's non-conference finale against Chicago State:
"Chicago State's got probably two of the best ISO players, in terms of the few times that I've watched them play, that we've guarded this year. So, different in terms of systems and styles. That will be good for us going into conference play, because we've got a pretty good feel for most of the conference teams and how they like to play, but surely, there are going to be some things that maybe we see for the first time with the new teams that we haven't played yet."
… what he'd like to see from his team group over these two games:
"A couple of things that just jump off the page: I think the intentionality we've had about shooting and ball handling. I don't want to say we've got it figured out, because obviously you can go into a shooting slump pretty quickly... We need to keep building there (and) keep being a team that gets great shots. Javon (Small) is going to continue to be our primary playmaker. We need to build off what we've seen from Bryce Thompson the last week. He seems to be getting back into a rhythm. We need him and Javon to drive the train for us on the offensive end. We've got to continue to develop Brandon Garrison. We like the progress he's made in the first month of the season. We also need to probably get a little bit more teeth to our defense. Like I've said, this team is different (from 2022-23). But we went from a team that could shut you out to a team that really kind of 'bends-but-don't-break'. We've got to force some more turnovers. We don't force a ton of turnovers, so we don't get as many easy baskets."
… offensive rebounding – nature vs. nurture:
"Rebounding on both ends is really a product of intent and commitment. There is a strategy... but it's more of a pursuit, like having a mentality. I've seen 6-4 guys who are phenomenal rebounders. I've seen 7-foot guys who aren't really good rebounders. A lot of it is the feel for where the ball bounces, anticipating when the shot's going up, where to go... It's really just identifying the guys who can be good at it, and then putting them out there with some of the guys who maybe can give us something different."
… the learning curve his team faces when it comes to offensive rebounding:
"They don't have the mindset yet, and we haven't done a good enough job of just drilling that into their heads that 'Your responsibility as a guy who doesn't shoot is not to assume it's gonna go in'. I get to do that, but I can't go get the rebound. I want Connor and Jarius to make every three they shoot, but if Eric or Q or BG are on the court at the time, we can't be giving the 3 symbol and trotting back. You've got a job to do at that moment, then we can celebrate at the next break. Again, just reps and drilling in practice, and then having a consequence when it doesn't happen. "
… teaching defense to freshmen:
"First is just the concepts, themselves, right? ANY concepts for some of them, right? ANYTHING on defense. I say it jokingly: 'When your man doesn't have the ball and we don't have it, you're still on defense. Some of the guys don't think they're on defense if they're not guarding the guy that has the ball. (For them) it's like: 'He's on defense, and I'll be on defense when my man gets it.' That's not really how it works, but for many freshmen, they haven't had to be held accountable to it. I'm sure all their coaches talked about defense. I'm not getting on any of these guys' high school coaches. They were good coaches. But it's also a thing when a guy can get 40 (points) for you, you may kind of look the other way when he isn't in a great position on defense or doesn't drop down to block out, because you need have his gravity on the other end. Once that happens, it's just getting comfortable, because basketball is not that complicated. We see a lot of the same stuff. So them being able to anticipate a little bit what's coming, and them reacting to what actually happens."
… contrasting this year' defense to last:
"We had so many guys who had played in the system and knew it without us really having to work on it a ton. And we had defensive-minded guys, like Musa and Avery, who really took pride in that part of the game. We'll develop those guys. (Jamyron) Keller's got a great body and ability to become a really good defender. Connor (Dow), because of his length and intelligence, can become a really good defender. Eric Dailey can be a better defender than he even gives himself credit for. So, it's just a matter of now getting them enough reps, and the beauty of this time of year is we're not restricted by hours. We spend a lot of time really watching film and breaking those things down.
… getting quality minutes from the freshman trio of Dailey, Garrison and Keller:
"I've seen them embrace the coaching, embrace the challenges of getting better, embrace their teammates getting on them, which is new for all those guys. They WERE the leader. I went and watched Jamyron Keller run a high school practice at 6:30 one morning. So now, listening to Bryce Thompson, listening to Javon Small. You can kind of have some resistance to that early if you don't have the right level of humility. But they're all coachable. They're all pretty disciplined guys.
… challenging Dailey to go from good to great:
"I've challenged him to do even more. Not necessarily scoring but being more impactful, rebounding better, having more of a voice out there. The guy's playing 25 minutes a game as a freshman; that means we think he's good enough to help us. So, don't think like a freshman. Put yourself out there, but then be open to the criticism when you do make mistakes."
… mentally preparing players for roles:
I've always operated from a place of transparency, even with those guys. We talk about it in the recruiting process. I don't want them to always like what I hear, because that's not my job. My job is to be honest with them, tell them where they stand, and tell them what the opportunities are. We're probably not playing 12 guys in conference games. Realistically, we're probably playing seven, eight, maybe nine, depending on foul trouble and situation of the game. So those guys that are maybe just on the outside have to be prepared when their time comes. And the guys that are on the inside, that may be just on the other side of the line -- 6-7-8 -- can't get comfortable, because the game is fluid. We don't get to lose because we're committed to you playing, right? You've got to play well in your opportunity. And when you aren't in that role, you've got to be ready. You're not necessarily wishing for somebody to get hurt or sick or not play well, but you're staying sharp with your scouting report studying, you're staying sharp on your skill work before and after practice, and you're staying ready to do what it is that we need to do if you have to go into the game. So they're not comfortable conversations, but they're necessary and that's part of being a head coach.
Players Mentioned
C
/ Cowboy Basketball
G
/ Cowboy Basketball
G
/ Cowboy Basketball
G
/ Cowboy BasketballTuesday, July 07
Tuesday, July 07
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
