BREAKING: Davon Dillard and Zack Dawson No Longer on Team

**Update 12:50 p.m.

Boynton met with both players and their parents late Wednesday night, where the decision was made, according to a story by Mark Cooper of the Tulsa World.

“This is probably the worst, if there’s a worst part of the job, is that these things happen,” Boynton said. “But my first and foremost responsibility is to the program. And I can’t make compromises in our core values when it comes to individual players. Neither one of those kids is a bad kid and that’s what makes it really, really hard. But they need this, and our program needs to move forward at this point. Certainly not an easy decision, but it’s one that’s necessary.”

“I’m a parent as well, so I certainly understand that people make mistakes,” Boynton said. “But we can’t ever compromise our core values. There are things we talk about daily in this program. Discipline is one of them and we will never compromise that for the sake of our program being as stable as possible, and unfortunately those kids haven’t met that expectation.”

*End of update

Breaking news out of Stillwater today as Mike Boynton announced in a release that junior Davon Dillard and freshman Zack Dawson have both been cut from the team.

The pair had been previously suspended in November this season for violating team rules.

Here is part of Boynton’s statement from a release:

"Being a part of Cowboy basketball has always and will always be an honor and a privilege. With the privilege comes great responsibilities and standards. Davon and Zach have failed to meet those standards, and at this time, it is necessary to move in a different direction."

Dillard averaged 4.3 points per game to go along with 1.3 rebounds per game. Dawson, a former four-star recruit, averaged 4.4 ppg and 1.6 assists per game.

The announcement comes as a shock two days before the Cowboys will take on the No. 19 Florida State Seminoles in the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Florida.

Boynton is left with 12 players for the game, but will get a welcome boost. Junior transfer Yankuba Sima is now eligible for the Cowboys. The 6’11 forward from St. John’s was a mid-year transfer and had to sit out. Getting him back should help Boynton as the team transitions to life without Dillard and Dawson.

The exact reason that Boynton made the decision is not known. We will update the story as more information becomes available.