Cowboy Quotables: Boynton, Dow and Keller

The Big 12 Conference Tournament is on the horizon, but first a visit to No. 20 BYU on Saturday. At Oklahoma State's weekly men's basketball press conference, head coach Mike Boynton Jr. and freshmen guards Connor Dow and Jamyron Keller discussed the team's growth and their mindset heading into Provo, Kansas City and beyond.

Head coach Mike Boynton Jr. on…

… Finishing strong:
"Sports is kind of a microcosm of life, in many ways. That kind of gets lost, right? Because competition is real. There are a lot of emotions. There are people invested in cheering for a team and financial commitment to support the university or teams or athletes or whatever. But there is still an element of real life and helping these young people be prepared for what's coming next. For some of them, it seems like a long time from now, but I've been there; it happens faster than they think. It's always great to learn how to be a strong finisher, no matter what you're doing in life. This team's going to have an opportunity to do that Saturday, for the regular season, and then next week in the conference tournament. We're still going to preach positivity. We're still going to try to prepare to win as many games as we're capable of playing. Obviously, we know we have a tall task, if we want to continue beyond next week. But, crazier things have happened. And that's the way I've always approached everything that I've done. Just focus on the next task, and if you're able to have a say in how you finish, then take as much control as you possibly can."

… Dealing with adversity:
"We came into the season, eyes wide open about the challenges that we would have. We certainly didn't think 12 wins would be where we were here. That wasn't part of the conversation. But we knew it wouldn't be easy. When you look at the landscape of college athletics, particularly basketball, and knowing that we would have to play some of these young guys, probably before they were really ready to know how to win at this level. But, it's also, in some ways, good for them. Not right now, but as they move on in their careers, they'll be better prepared earlier than maybe some freshmen who will be coming into next year, having not had to play and being asked to make big jumps and be in games that they haven't been in before on the road, at home and on a neutral court. I'm proud of all these kids. I'm disappointed in the results that we've produced so far, and certainly will take every opportunity that I can to make it better moving forward. But I really want to focus on giving these kids, particularly our seniors, who don't get another chance."

… How his own experience as a college basketball senior have shaped his worldview:
"The last game I played as a college player, it took me probably five or six hours to take off my uniform, knowing that I wouldn't put it on again. So, I know the reality that's about the hit those guys. And so I want to try to make sure that it's enjoyable, too. I don't want them to leave. It's why I was so disappointed the other day, because they won't get that opportunity to play in (Gallagher-Iba Arena) ever again. That's how it's going to end. I want to try to make as many positive memories for them as possible as they wind down their college careers."

… Keiton Page's first year as an assistant coach:
"Keiton's probably been better -- and I thought he'd be good -- probably better than I even thought he would. But I'm not surprised having been around him now for eight years… Keiton Page can't become the player he was, or the coach he is, if he doesn't have the work ethic that he has.
He probably was doubted. I didn't know him growing up, but I'm sure people looked at him all the time. Like, 'OK, I hear you.' But, there are a lot of Keiton Pages out there, which is probably why not a whole lot of people get where he's gotten from a playing standpoint, and now as a coach. But his work ethic is something that we've always been pretty in sync on. He understands it. Because I wasn't that talented, he probably, even as small as he is, was more talented naturally. I never could shoot as well as he could. But I've always respected his work ethic and his determination to overcome any doubt about his ability to have success in anything he wants to do. So I'm very pleased with him. I think his growth is going to continue. And obviously, he's going to, I think, eventually be a really good head coach."

… Jamyron Keller's maturity:
"As long as I've known him, which hasn't been as long as some of the other guys I've recruited [he's been mature.] We got to know him [during recruiting], and he spoke to sort of being the man of the house. In some ways, with just a single mom raising him, he probably had to grow up a little faster, even as a young kid… We forget, he was injured to start the season and why he was able to kind of come on. He's been able to be out there and practicing consistently, he's been learning from Javon, competing against John-Michael, listening to the cues from the staff, watching more film and just being more engaged. His growth has been evident by everybody who's watched us and it's certainly something that I'm hopeful will continue as we move into the offseason."

… Signs from a young player that things have "clicked":
"It's mostly body language and response to the actual failure, whatever it is, picking up a couple of hours early, being in a shooting slump, having a game where you got high turnovers. Showing up the next day, with the right frame of mind, not carrying the burden of yesterday's game, good or bad [is big]. That happens as well; it happens when they play well, and it's hard to coach them in practice the next day, because they think they got it all the way figured out. It's very rare that it happens early."

Freshman guard Connor Dow on…

… Saturday's rematch with BYU:
"We beat them last time. This being their last regular season game and also being their senior night you know they're going to have much more of an edge than probably they did the first time. We'll just have to stick to the same things we did the first time and just prepare in a way to finish strong."

… Life lessons in basketball:
"There are definitely life lessons for sure. In basketball, discipline and all that. But this has really taught me you can't get too high, you can't get too low. Coach Mike says that all the time. So it's just riding the roller coaster, riding the ups, riding the downs and staying even keel through it all and just getting better each day."

… Staying disciplined on a day-to-day basis:
"It's definitely tough. I mean, there are days whenever you wake up and you just don't want to do it. You don't want to do anything. But it's just that discipline that keeps you going, that gets you up, that makes you keep working and keep grinding at it."

… John-Michael Wright's leadership:
"He's probably been one of our most vocal guys this year in letting us know the things we've done right and also things we've done wrong… It's not only helped me, but I know he's helped Keller a lot too in figuring things out this year and navigating us through it."

Freshman guard Jamyron Keller on…

… Finishing strong:
"That's a big emphasis in the locker room. The importance of it is extreme. You know, we listen to what (Coach Boynton) says, and the other night was not what we wanted to see. Moving forward, it's about finishing strong."

… Being forged in fire this year:
"It's taken a lot of maturity to have a season like this and come back and still give effort and do the right things. But I think it's a blessing in disguise moving forward."

… Giving maximum effort:
"You just have to wake up with a mindset. Guys are still pushing forward because there's still a chance we can make a Big 12 run. We talk about it all the time. Just having that mindset is big. There's still some light in the darkness."

… The source of his maturity:
"Growing up with a single mother, you know, she taught me to kind of grow up a little faster… just to be more responsible early. Hanging out with older guys throughout high school, I didn't have time to be childish. I had to grow up a little bit faster."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Connor Dow

Jamyron Keller

John-Michael Wright

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