:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55585823/591caed25fec3.image.0.jpg)
Oklahoma State Basketball head coach Mike Boynton officially reached his 100th day on the job earlier this week.
It’s been an interesting start to his time as the man in charge. When the school announced that Boynton would take over the program after Brad Underwood’s surprising exit, most fans simply said, “who?”
Now 100 days later, Boynton has worked hard to build a team, a coaching staff, and confidence in OSU faithful. He’s worked so hard in fact, that according to an interview with the Tulsa World’s Bill Haisten, he has yet to take a single day off.
“I don’t want a day off because there’s so much work to do,” Boynton explained. “Now is the time to capitalize — to encourage fans to stay with us and to develop our players. We got a taste of the NCAA Tournament. Now, it’s time to work even harder.
That’s exactly the kind of hard working coach Oklahoma State fans and players deserve.
And the hard work is paying off, at least for fans. In a poll we ran earlier this week, 55% of those who voted said they are now more confident in the hiring of Boynton than they were the day he was named head coach.
With what new #okstate basketball coach Mike Boynton has done in his first 100 days on the job, how are you feeling about the hire now?
— CRFF (@CowboysRFF) July 3, 2017
More than half of the 577 who voted feel better and for good reason.
Since he was named head coach, Boynton has locked down the commitment of OSU’s most important 2017 recruit Zach Dawson, added a veteran graduate transfer point guard in Kendall Smith, and brought in another talented transfer in Michael Weathers from Miami of Ohio who will help out next year.
He also completed his coaching staff retaining ace recruiter Lamont Evans, bringing in someone with head coaching experience in John Cooper and grabbing an up-and-coming assistant in David Kontaxis with connections to AAU basketball.
I can even understand those that feel the same or are undecided. All the work done so far is nice, but the biggest question about his is still, can he be a head coach both in general and in a league as difficult top-to-bottom as the Big 12.
As for those who feel worse, I don’t get it. To each his own, but he’s made nothing but solid moves thus far and is working the recruiting trail hard to try and bring some talent to Stillwater.
While we still have a few more months before the start of the season, it seems the majority of Oklahoma State fans can agree, the first 100 days of the Mike Boynton era have been a success.