Cowboys get new energy for days ahead
STILLWATER — The father of two young children, Mike Boynton figures he listened to the “Frozen” soundtrack in its entirety about 25 times in the days around Christmas.
As Oklahoma State’s basketball coach heard “Let It Go” on repeat, the holiday break offered his players a chance to let things go themselves after a victory over Central Arkansas freed them of a four-game losing streak. With a young team, one that ranks outside of the top 300 nationally in experience, Boynton was unsure of how to measure the value of such a reprieve ahead of Saturday’s game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. It will be the
Cowboys’ last nonconference game until Jan. 26, when they host South Carolina as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
“Usually, a team in our position schedules differently and we go home happy ‘cause we’re 10-1, and going home 5-6 doesn’t feel the same,” Boynton said. “To be around people who can pick ‘em up and encourage ‘em, especially going in with a win, helps that psyche a little bit.”
The holiday break gave several first-year Cowboys a chance to be home after being away for longer than they ever had been. On Christmas, freshman guard Isaac Likekele tweeted “don’t feel down” to those who woke up without presents, saying he used to be one of those kids himself.
“Growing up, we didn’t always have it the best in my house,” Likekele explained Thursday. “There were some Christmases where we had no tree, no presents, but it was nothing to me. Just being around my family and my cousins and everybody coming, that’s what it really was all about. Seeing everybody smile even through the hard times we was going through, it was nothing. We just kept working, and it got me here where I am today.”
That family time has seemingly provided a boost to many Cowboys. Boynton, who also spent the break dissecting OSU’s offensive play, has been pleased with the energy he’s seen since his players returned to practice Wednesday, though Mike Cunningham and Duncan Demuth missed practices because of weather-related travel issues.
Thursday was among the team’s best practices this season, Boynton said, and Wednesday featured a visit from Mitchell Solomon, the glue of last season’s team who stopped by to help work with freshman big men Yor Anei and Kentrevious Jones.
Boynton is hopeful that energy can carry over in the coming months as conference play ramps up.
“We’re about to play the hardest 18 games they’ve ever seen,” Boynton said.
“We’ve gotta be prepared, singularly, every night to have a different approach but the same focus, discipline, mindset in terms of what it takes to win.
“Knowing what we’ve got coming up, they need to be excited ‘cause there’s a lot of opportunities out there for us.”