The tears were unexpected, but understandable.
When former Bishop Loughlin High School standout Mike Boynton stepped to the podium on March 27 for his first press conference as the new head coach of the Oklahoma State University men’s basketball team, he had planned to calmly, clearly share his early ideas for the future of the Cowboys’ program, and answer questions.
But midway through his opening statement, Boynton choked up. The 35-year-old former Loughlin Lion, who still considers Brooklyn home, suddenly realized he was living his dream.
“I’m not really that an emotional person like that. I don’t know where that came from, to be honest,” Boynton said. “I’m just overwhelmed a little bit, but I think it is genuine. I’m a normal, genuine person who is authentic and cares about other people. And I think they thought this team, this program, needed that.”
Boynton — who served as an assistant with the Cowboys last season — replaces former head coach Brad Underwood, who left Oklahoma State for Illinois.
Boynton had tried not to get too optimistic during a series of interviews as Oklahoma State searched for Underwood’s successor; after all, just last season he missed out on being hired for the head coaching job at Stephen F. Austin. This time, however, Boynton got the offer, and said he was stepping into the top job with a definite plan.
“It’s about these guys,” he said. “This is not about X’s and O’s, what plays I know. I know people. It’s about me building me and making a difference, somehow, positively in that time.”
Boynton is anxious to start building a new staff, but is also determined to keep some of the coaches from last season’s squad as well. He promised that the focus would always be on the players, and putting together the best team possible.
“I have a head coaching title and I don’t want to say it doesn’t mean anything because it does,” he said. “It was a goal of mine, but that’s not what this is about. Our players are here to get better and grow and develop and mature.”
Boynton — who played his college ball at South Carolina and helped lead the Gamecocks to an NCAA appearance in 2004 — always knew he wanted to coach and while Oklahoma may be the opposite of Brooklyn, he’s always been aware of what the program had to offer. In fact, one of Boynton’s earliest basketball memories was sitting on his couch and hearing about Bryant “Big Country” Reeves — perhaps one of the most famous players ever to come out of Oklahoma State — shattering the backboard during the team’s Final Four practice in 1995.
He’s not hoping to recreate that moment exactly, but now that he’s achieved his dream of landing a head coaching job, Boynton is ready to chase another: bringing Oklahoma State back into the national spotlight.
“We had a good season [this past year]. I’m no fan of ‘good,’ ” Boynton said. “I’ve got no interest in it. I want to be playing this [Final Four] weekend. I want to be great. I want to be nationally relevant, because we can. We have and we can again and we will again.”
