Mike Boynton Addresses Being Aggressive and Going Deeper on Scouting Reports
STILLWATER – Mike Boynton sat in front of the media on Thursday, his regular day to meet with the media and he spoke of the Kansas loss again. He accepted a birthday wish from the front row. He acknowledged he is paying less and less attention to social media. Offering to describe it he called it as “getting extremely more extreme.” He’s right about that. February is his dicipline month where he disconencts more completely from social media and he doesn’t eat meat, he limits his diet to vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
“I still consider myself a fairly young coach. I’m not a young guy anymore and my birthdays seem to be coming faster and faster each year,” Boynton said after it was earlier pointed out he turned 42 on Wednesday. “At the same time as I get older I know there are more things that I can learn and as I continue to coach I will work my butt every day to learn as much as I can.”
Right now, Boynton badly wants to go to Manhattan, Kan. this weekend and coach his team to a win over Kansas State. Bryce Thompson had been at the podium before his coach and said simply, “if we get a win, I think we’ll feel better and be able to get several, start stacking them.”
One thing that has been visible is Oklahoma State has lost these Big 12 games, not necessarily because the stars like Baylor freshman standout Ja’Kobe Walter or Iowa State’s MIlan Momcilovic and even early on Tuesday KU seven-footer Hunter Dickinson have crushed the Pokes. More times than not, it has been players listed further down the scouting report that have done the initial and critical damage.
“I think it is a matter with these guys is getting them to understand it is not totally literal, the scouting report,” Boynton explained. “What I mean is we are focused on a Hunter Dickinson and we want to disrupt Dajuan Harris, but guys if we turn the ball over and let (Johnny) Furphy get two dunks to start the game then he is going to think it is going to be a pretty good night for him.”
Boynton said there are some things within his teams control that can slow the other players on the opposition down, but there are also things slighted that can cause a player not listed as the primary scorer on the scouting report to light it up. Some of that has been happening.
“We’ve done that with a few guys like (Chance) McMillan did that to us at (Texas) Tech,” Boynton said of allowing a bench player to get hot. “Pop (Isaacs) kicked our butt, but other than that we’ve been able to dial in on that (defending better players), but we have to expand.”
The other thing that has been obvious. three of the four conference games (losses) Boynton has opened up postgame press conferences with crediting the other team with playing more aggressive.
“As far as the consistency (aggression) I think that plays into both things. We have to get these guys to do it, but the hardest thing to do at this level with young guys is getting them to do it everyday,” Boynton said of the aggressive nature you have to maintain. “I talk to our freshmen all of the time and even our transfers. I even talk to Javon (Small) about this. Because at East Carolina he got up for Memphis and Houston, big games, locked in, everybody on edge. That is every game in this conference.”
Every game is Kansas State next. The Wildcats are coming off a serious overtime win at hom over Baylor. K-State is 13-4 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12. Aggressive, yes they are, so the Cowboys need to be more aggressive.
Maybe a late birthday present, and with a win get that man a cake before the diet or vegies, fruits, and nuts gets started!