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Oklahoma State hires Mike Boynton as head basketball coach

By Jack Crosby

Dec 30, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys mascot Pistol Pete motions to the crowd during the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Gallagher-Iba Arena. WVU won 92-75. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys mascot Pistol Pete motions to the crowd during the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Gallagher-Iba Arena. WVU won 92-75. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma State has found their next head basketball coach, promoting within by handing the job to Mike Boynton

The Oklahoma State Cowboys were somewhat surprisingly in search of the new head basketball coach this past week, and they’ve found one. The Cowboys administration was able to find one on their own bench, as a matter of fact, as they announced on Friday they’ve decided to promote assistant coach Mike Boynton to the position.

This hire of Boynton comes on the heels of former head coach Brad Underwood bolting the program after just one season at the helm. Underwood brought Boynton with him to Stillwater, as the two worked together on the Stephen F. Austin staff for a few seasons. Oklahoma State even made the NCAA Tournament with their help this past season, however they were bounced in the First Round last weekend by a surging Michigan team. Not long after, Underwood dropped a bomb on everyone by taking the job as the new head coach at Illinois.

A couple names here and there were thrown out for the Oklahoma State job, including none other than Doug Gottlieb, who interviewed for the job on Thursday. It’s safe to say following this announcement on Friday, though, that Boynton was not one of the names on people’s short lists, as there’s a bit of shock out there over the news.

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But, in the end, it does have the potential to be a solid move. Keeping Boynton on the bench with him being very familiar with the offensive system of Underwood that worked rather well this past season could keep this program on the right track. If anything, Boynton will mainly be criticized for his lack of head coaching experience, but he can quickly erase those doubts by building off of how this team performed this past season in earning an NCAA Tournament berth.

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Previously, Boynton has spent assistant coaching time at Coastal Carolina, Wofford and his alma mater of South Carolina.