Oklahoma State basketball: Mike Boynton’s Best Media Day Remarks

Oklahoma State basketball head coach Mike Boynton spoke at Big 12 Media Days this week in Kansas City, Mo. to express his optimism about the upcoming 2021-2022 basketball season.

The Cowboys, who lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last spring, received votes but were not ranked in the recently released AP Top 25 preseason poll.  Big 12 coaches tabbed the Cowboys as the fifth-best team in the conference in a tie with West Virginia behind Texas Tech, Baylor, Texas, and Kansas.

Oklahoma State basketball coach Mike Boynton addressed OSU’s chance for success this year, Isaac Likekele’s leadership growth, and Bryce Thompson’s fit.

Here are some of the most notable answers or statements that Boynton gave to Big 12 media members from Oct. 20:

On OSU’s success this season

"“We feel like our roster is really, really healthy [and] is going to be one of the more competitive teams that has been at Oklahoma State in a long time.”"

The Cowboys, who finished at No. 11 in the final AP poll from last spring, have not reached the Sweet 16 since 2005.

OSU made some notable additions this past offseason, including adding two former five-star recruits in Memphis’ Moussa Cisse and Kansas’ Bryce Thompson in addition to Syracuse’s Woody Newton. With greater depth than last season’s team, this year’s OSU squad hopes to build on the momentum built from last spring.

On Isaac Likekele’s growth:

"He’s taken on some different roles for us. He was a two-year starting point guard for us, then last year we brought the No. 1 player in the country that played the same position, so he took a different role. I was proud of the way he handled that.Now we need to him to step up . . . not just go out there and play well, put up great numbers, but have a pulse of what winning looks like and making sure that’s happening every day."

Isaac Likekele‘s role as a senior leader will be crucial for the Cowboys this season after the departure of No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Cade Cunningham. Boynton points out that a true leader has to do more than just make plays on the court.

There are countless intangibles to true floor general. Likekele’s will be responsible for things like responding to a bad call, taking care of little details, and embodying a winning culture on a daily basis.

The Arlington, Tex. native averaged 9.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game last year for the Cowboys. He also represented Team USA’s U-19 squad two years ago in Greece.

On OSU players meshing with Bryce Thompson as a new addition: 

"But those guys, to their credit, they just guys to be all in. Bryce has been all in since he’s been back. He’s a really good scorer, but more importantly he’s a great kid who works really hard and cares about winning."

Bryce Thompson was the most publicized addition to the Cowboys’ roster from this past offseason. He was well known in Oklahoma and nationwide as a high school phenom from Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, and he initially chose to play at Kansas his freshman year.

That’s in the past now, and Thompson will continue having the chance to prove his commitment to his teammates and to his coaches this season. He started his final three games with the Jayhawks, reaching double-digits in scoring each time.