Oklahoma State hires assistant Mike Boynton as new basketball coach

Oklahoma State has hired assistant Mike Boynton as its new basketball coach. The school made the announcement Friday.

Boynton served with former coach Brad Underwood with both the Cowboys last season and at Stephen F. Austin, where Underwood was for three seasons before being hired in 2016. Underwood left after one season to take the coaching job at Illinois.

“At the end of the day, we view coaching from the same perspective,” Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder said in a statement. “All of the qualities that I value resonate in him. He said one thing that really stuck with me, that coaching is about leadership and family, and I agree with that wholeheartedly. I know I’m proud to have him as the leader of our basketball program, and think once people get to know him they’ll feel the same way.”

Boynton, a former player at South Carolina, was an assistant with the Gamecocks along with Underwood before the two left when Underwood was hired at Stephen F. Austin in 2013.

“One of the strengths I’ve developed over my 13 years in the business is that I’ve always been able to relate to players, and that’s been no different here," Boynton said in a statement. "I have a fantastic relationship with our entire locker room, and I look forward to building those relationships in this new role.”