BIG 12 CONFERENCE BIG 12 MEN'S BASKETBALL TIPOFF MEDIA DAY

October 20, 2021

Mike Boynton

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Media Day Press Conference

MIKE BOYNTON: I don't know if we're quite back to where we were in 1920, but we're certainly far away from where we were a year ago heading into last season.

I like our group. They work hard. They're good kids. I look forward to getting back to work here so we can get ready for what is going to be a challenging season.

Q. You added size and depth to a team that already had a lot of size and depth. When you look at the talent atop this conference, what are the factors that give you confidence you can compete up there?

MIKE BOYNTON: Thanks for the question.

I feel like our program has taken baby steps in the right direction each year, and revamped our roster in four years to where we feel we can be really competitive on a nightly basis.

Part of our issue we felt last year was we didn't have enough interior depth. We had a lot of perimeter depth. But we also played Cade and Ice inside a lot, posted them. We didn't have a ton of depth in terms of rim protection. It was an area of concern as we went into the off-season recruiting.

We added some depth and size that we think will be able to negate some of the issues we had. The kid Moussa Cisse was the American Freshman of the Year, with a seven-six wingspan. Tyreek Smith, who was a big physical body as well. We thought we needed to address perimeter shooting as well, which was an issue for us at times last year. And we think we did that in Bryce Thompson and Woody Newton.

When we looked at checklist going into the off-season, we feel like we really got the job done in a recruiting sense.

We also have a lot of guys returning from last year's team that had success that we need to continue to be better and step up their games as well.

Q. Isaac is a local guy for us. How have you seen his growth? He improved in three-point shooting last year from a percentage standpoint. What do you expect from him in his senior season?

MIKE BOYNTON: Thanks a lot.

I think the most important thing that I've talked to Ice about really since the end of last season is owning this team and taking the ownership mentality.

I remember still going into the 2003/2004 season as a senior myself at the University of South Carolina, the sense of urgency I had knowing that was going to be it. What I wanted my legacy as a team player to be.

I wasn't a great talent, but I was the leader of the team that I played on. I knew how our team performed was going to be directly related to how much ownership I took and how we prepared, how much I tried to carry out coach Odom at the time, his mission for our team.

That's what I've challenged Ice with. He has to be our leader. He's been through the most, he's had success, he's had some struggles. He's taken on different roles for us. He was a two-year starting point guard for us, then last year we brought the No. 1 player in the country that played the same position, so he took a different role. I was proud of the way he handled that.

Now we need him to step up and be that guy who passes along our message from our staff to our players every day in the locker room, not just go out there and play well, put up great numbers, but have a pulse of what winning looks like and making sure that's happening every day whether practicing or whether the guys are going to class, the way our locker room looks, all those type of things that really matter but go unnoticed sometimes.

Q. You've been a part of the OU-OSU rivalry for a few years. What do you think it will be like with the change of head coach and some changes down the road?

MIKE BOYNTON: Obviously I think Porter is one of the more elite coaches in the country. The success that he was able to have at Loyola obviously speaks for itself. I've gotten to know him on a personal level. He's a good friend, have a lot of respect for him. I think he's going to do a really good job. He's going to recruit well. He can coach. Obviously they've had success from a basketball program standpoint.

I expect them to continue to be good. As far as it relates to the league, no one really cares what I think about that (smiling). I don't really give it much thought. I've got a job to do to make sure Oklahoma State is as good as we can be. I don't know if anybody is going to ask if I want to play them moving forward. If we do, we will. If they say no...

Those decisions are going to be made way above me, I'll do what the people in charge of the athletic department as a whole, Chad Weiberg, our president, Dr. Shrum, we'll follow their orders and do what they think is best.

Q. There was a really big player in Cade Cunningham. He's left. That was just one player. You have a huge group of players you can choose from. Do you mind expanding on that just a little bit?

MIKE BOYNTON: From a roster standpoint?

Q. Yes.

MIKE BOYNTON: Thanks for the question.

I mean, again, a lot was made of Cade, as it should have been. In our opinion, he was the best player in the country. He was a big part of the success we were able to have. But we also had a lot of other players who contributed in different ways to us. Finishing 11th in the AP Poll last year, having the third best record in what we thought was the best league in the country, playing in this building on the last Saturday of Big 12 competition.

I think some of those experiences are things we'll be able to lean on with the guys that went through it to know what's possible. So when you talk about people like Ice, who is a senior, but not only him, Avery Anderson, what we thought was the most improved player in the Big 12, maybe in the country, had a lot of success late in the year for us, we're going to need him to continue to improve.

Rondel Walker, who is here today, is a kid who showed some flashes. Just wasn't as consistent throughout the season. Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, another guy who was a freshman last year. Then the guys we talked about adding.

We feel like our roster is really, really healthy, is going to be one of the more competitive teams that has been at Oklahoma State in a long time.

I don't know if we'll be better than last year's team if you just look at the talent because we do not have the No. 1 pick on our team anymore, but we have some other guys that will have another chance to maybe make it at that level of basketball. When you have multiple guys like that, you get your guys to buy into each other, it gives you a chance. That's all we're looking for is to go out and give our best every day we can for our fans.

Q. One of the guys you added this year, Bryce Thompson, played against him in a few minutes in league play. What do you like about his game and what is he going to provide for you this season?

MIKE BOYNTON: You may know this but I've known Bryce, he's from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I've known him since he was a freshman in high school. Had a really strong relationship with him throughout his high school time. Recruited him for a long time.

I think when things didn't work out for him at KU for whatever reason, the relationship that we had was something that he wanted to maybe try to explore again, see if it was a fit.

I think some of his reluctance was whether he would be accepted because we recruited him so hard with the current players on our team, with a lot of them coming back, knowing him. But those guys, to their credit, they just want guys to be all in. Bryce has been all in since he's been back. He's a really good scorer, but more importantly he's a great kid who works really hard and cares about winning.

I look forward to the opportunity to see what he can do in terms of helping us offensively in terms of shooting, but also he's going to make some improvements from a defensive standpoint as well.