STILLWATER – To say Kalib Boone’s gotten off to a rather rough start to conference play wouldn’t be a stretch. Heck, even he said on Thursday he’s been struggling.
In the loss to West Virginia on Monday last week, Boone recorded just four points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of action before fouling out. In the win over Texas Tech, he posted just five points and six rebounds in 14 minutes of action before fouling out. He had just four points and two rebounds in 10 minutes in the loss to Texas and eight points and five rebounds in 19 minutes in the loss to TCU.
I think it’s safe to say the Cowboys’ success is somewhat reliant on the success of Kalib Boone in the paint and the 70-54 win over Kansas State on the road in Manhattan proved that. Boone finished with 14 points, two rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes of action.
"He responded like a champion,” head coach Mike Boynton said of Kalib Boone. “I love all these kids; there’s very few [players] that I’ve spent more time with throughout the recruiting process and since he’s been in our program than him and his brother. I know those guys in and out and I treat them like my own children, but he wasn’t performing at the level that our team needs to meet the expectations that we have for ourselves. We had an honest conversation, and he had a conversation with the man in the mirror and he did something about it. I’m proud of his response. The key is now, can he be consistent? Can he build off of [the Kansas State game] and continue to give that added element to our team, both offensively and defensively, that we definitely need it and that will help us get to a whole different level for our team’s chance of matching what our potential can be this season."
Something that really assisted Boone in scoring those points was staying out of foul trouble. In the four previous Big 12 games, he’s collected 13 personal fouls, which limited his time on the court. In the win over K-State, Boone had just one foul.
"It was a huge factor,” Boone said of staying out of foul trouble. “I didn't have to worry about if I could be aggressive or not, or anything like that. My mindset when I first got in the game, I was just like, 'Go be aggressive.' Be aggressive on the offensive end, but be smart on the defensive. We had a game plan and I was practicing that for the whole week, the whole few days that we had, I did that and the results played out great."
The Cowboys have a tall task ahead of them this coming Tuesday when the Kansas Jayhawks make their way down to Stillwater. KU’s 10-2 on the season and ranked No. 6 in the country. Ka. Boone’s bounce back performance against K-State I’m sure gave him a lot of confidence, but like he said in the postgame, he can’t rely on just that singular performance to carry him through the rest of the season.
"Yeah, if I keep doing the stuff that I did that led to this game, for sure I think this can be a turning point,” said Kalib Boone. “Like I said, just because I have one [good] game I can't be satisfied, I got to keep doing what I did, plus more so I can do my part for my team."
Tipoff for the Kansas game on Tuesday, Jan. 12 is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.
