OSU Basketball: How an Up-and-Down Seven Seasons Led to Mike Boynton's Firing
Mike Boynton’s tenure at Oklahoma State ended roughly, but years of issues led to his firing.
With a 12-20 record this season, Boynton finished with only four winning records in seven tries. OSU’s 4-14 Big 12 record was its worst under Boynton, who led his team to a winning conference record only once.
The Cowboys’ one winning conference record came in 2020-21 when Cade Cunningham led them to their only NCAA Tournament appearance under Boynton. Although Cunningham temporarily covered the Cowboys’ faults under Boynton, it was too much to overcome.
Boynton was a great recruiter, but getting the most out of his players on the floor was not his strong suit. In five seasons, OSU finished in the bottom half of the Big 12 in offense.
The Cowboys also struggled to have sustained success under Boynton, posting losing streaks of at least five games in four seasons. Although Boynton had plenty of shortcomings on the court, some factors contributing to OSU’s issues were beyond his control.
As part of the NCAA’s investigation into former OSU coach Lamont Evans, the team faced a postseason ban in 2022. After Cunningham’s one-and-done season helped OSU to the big dance, the NCAA’s punishment did not allow the program to carry momentum.
Including the NCAA infractions that Boynton could not control, he may have had one of the unluckiest seven-year stretches of any coach in the country.
In his first campaign, 2017-18, the Cowboys narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament despite four top-10 victories, including a regular-season sweep of Kansas. The next season, Boynton had to kick multiple players off the team for off-court issues, leading to tryouts to fill out the roster midseason.
OSU’s lack of depth destroyed any hopes of a successful season. In 2019-20, Isaac Likekele’s month-long absence after a 7-0 start killed OSU’s momentum before the pandemic ultimately cut any potential Big 12 Tournament run short.
Although results on the floor improved in 2021, a socially distanced Gallagher-Iba Arena ensured Boynton never saw the full arena he deserved. After the postseason ban in 2022, OSU never recovered.
Despite Boynton’s successes at OSU, something always seemed to get in the way. However, as the product on the floor deteriorated over the final few seasons, a coaching change seems to be the right move for all parties.
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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.