So Far Team USA Trip to Hungary has been Slam Dunk for Dailey and Boynton
STILLWATER – Cowboys fans can only hope that the good results for Team USA in the FIBA U19 World Cup will follow Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton and his freshman for next season in ESPN Top 30 forward Eric Dailey Jr. On Saturday Team USA dismantled Madagascar136-69 and then survived a hard fought battle with Slovenia 77-72 on Sunday. Boynton is an assistant to Colorado head coach Tad Boyle for Team USA and Dailey, one of the Cowboys in this highly touted 2023 recruiting class are having a good time.
“This is a pretty cool town,” Boynton said. “People are really nice here. It is sort of Amercanized and a lot of people speak English. The ice cream is really good here. Two scoops with evey meal, don’t tell my wife and I don’t think she’s watching this.”
So good to know Hungary is not confused at all with hungry. He better hope his wife didn’t hear or read about the two scoops or that diet will get really strict during the training camp coming up in July.
“I have to say the food here has been pretty good,” said Dailey Jr. “it’s not like back home, but it is really good.”
Good ice cream, good food, everybody is happy, and at 2-0 on their way with a final seeding or pool game Tuesday (June 27) morning with Lebanon. It will tip at 8 a.m. (central) and can be watched at Courtside1891 Youtube.com/FIBA. The round of 16 games leading to the finals run from Wednesday right to Sunday, July 2 and the championship. Thursday is a day off for all teams.
Boynton will have the bonus of practicing with his OSU team in late July and taking them to Spain for an exhibition tour in August. Dailey is the highest-rated signee in the recruiting class, but Boynton likes to point out that he knew Dailey Jr. when he was a twinkle in his parents eyes.
Dailey Jr’s mother Shell was a former player that was assisting with the South Carolina women’s team when Boynton came to school and her son was born shortly after Boynton came to South Carolina as a student. Eric Dailey Sr. was still playing pro basketball overseas and would come back in the summer and play pick up ball with Gamecock alumni and other pros back in Columbia, SC. Little did Boynton know he would be coaching and recruit that baby.
“I knew Eric and I’ve told him several times, I knew him before he knew himself,” Boynton explained. “He has a sense of maturity about himself that will give him a chance to have n impact in our program, on and off the court, from day one. Winning is important to him.”
Dailey Jr. will tell you all of that weaves into his decision to come to Stillwater and play for the Pokes.
“He’s told me things he knows about me that I didn’t know myself while we’ve been here,” Dailey added. “He’s helped me with things I can work on leadership standpoint. I picked Oklahoma State because of coach. I saw what he did with other guys. He has things I need. The month in Stillwater really helped me. I’m young but I have so much to learn. I’m fortunate to have a coach like that.”
Back at you young Mr. Dailey, who came to Stillwater in May to move in and speak with the staff including the strength coach just so he would have his bearings down and be ready to get right back into Cowboy basketball when he and Boynton arrived back from Hungary. Boynton believes in playing for country and it tells him something over the years about Dailey, who could play inisde, on the wing, or even some on the perimeter for the Cowboys.
“This is my fourth USA team,” Dailey Jr. added as he has scored 23 points combined in the two Team USA wins. “It is my second time with Coach (Mike) Boynton as the assistant coach and we are really enjoying the time together and getting to know each other, having fun with new players, playing with the best of the best and playing against the best of the best. It’s been a fun ride so far and we’ve won two games. We have a long road to go to get to the gold medal.”
“It’s such an honor to represent our country,” Boynton said. “It is special and we got off to a good start on Saturday and then yesterday played a game that was a lot closer than we wanted it to be, but we found a way to win. This is the best competition at the junior international level. It gives us a chance to see how much better we can get over the time.”
The next step is with Lebanon on Tuesday and then working toward the Gold starting Wednesday,