Mike Boynton Facing His Toughest Challenge Yet This Season
While he has faced many challenges at Oklahoma State, this season may be Mike Boynton’s most challenging.
In many ways, this has been a nightmare season for OSU. With a losing record through 17 games and an 0-4 start in Big 12 play, OSU’s head coach has an uphill battle to save this season and, perhaps, his job.
Although there has been no indication that OSU is ready to move on from its head coach of seven seasons, Boynton’s struggles as a head coach are piling up as 2024 begins. The Brooklyn native took the job after spending one season at OSU as an assistant under Brad Underwood, who left for Illinois.
While Underwood made the NCAA Tournament in his only year in Stillwater, Boynton has only one appearance. That came in 2021 with the eventual No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, Cade Cunningham.
However, reaching the NCAA Tournament has been difficult for reasons beyond Boynton’s control for several seasons. In his first season, the Cowboys narrowly missed the tournament and made a deep run in the NIT.
The Cowboys struggled to find that success in 2019 after the roster was gutted midway through the season. Despite there being no tournament in 2020, the Cowboys were unlikely to make it after Isaac Likelele missed a month with an illness following a 7-0 start.
OSU never found its rhythm again that season, but the future was bright with Cunningham’s arrival. After winning one tournament game with one of the best players in the country, OSU faced a postseason ban in 2022.
Still, Boynton preached optimism and that OSU was on the right track. However, after a disappointing finish in 2023, OSU has yet to look capable of competing in the Big 12 this season.
Despite Boynton leading the Cowboys through adversity for nearly a decade, his time to turn things around may be running out.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.