Mike Boynton Deserves Another Chance. I'm Still Not Convinced It Will Work at Michigan

Mike Boynton is getting another opportunity to lead a college basketball program and it's difficult to imagine a bigger opportunity.

Michigan officially named the former Oklahoma State coach its next men's basketball head coach, agreeing to a two-year contract after Boynton initially took over on an interim basis following Dusty May's departure for the Dallas Mavericks. The Wolverines are coming off a national championship, and Michigan cited Boynton's leadership and stability after two seasons on May's staff when announcing the promotion.

Plenty of Oklahoma State fans are rooting for him.

I understand why.

By nearly every account, Boynton is a genuinely good person.

Players respect him.

He connects with people.

I'll give him plenty of credit for one of his biggest strengths.

Mike Boynton can recruit.

Cade Cunningham came to Stillwater and eventually became the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Boynton consistently showed an ability to build relationships with players and attract talent to Oklahoma State.

That strength may also be a major reason Michigan believes he's the right coach for this particular moment.

The Wolverines aren't making a normal coaching hire.

They're coming off a national championship.

May left for the NBA late in the offseason.

Players received an opportunity to reconsider their futures following the coaching change, creating the possibility that a championship roster could quickly begin to fall apart.

Boynton offered continuity.

Players already knew him.

He helped coach them.

He helped build relationships inside the program.

Several key pieces have already reaffirmed their commitments to Michigan since May's departure.

If Michigan's immediate goal was to keep the roster intact, promoting Boynton makes plenty of sense.

I understand the move.

I'm still not convinced it will work.

To be fair to Boynton, his Oklahoma State tenure deserves more context than simply looking at his final record.

He didn't inherit the program under normal circumstances.

Boynton was promoted after Brad Underwood abruptly left Oklahoma State for Illinois following just one season in Stillwater. The Cowboys stayed in-house and elevated Boynton from assistant coach to head coach.

Then came the NCAA situation.

Oklahoma State was hit with significant penalties connected to former assistant Lamont Evans. Boynton was not charged in the case, yet his program still had to deal with the consequences, including a postseason ban.

Those circumstances matter.

Boynton was put in difficult situations that weren't entirely of his own making but seven seasons also provide a large enough sample size to evaluate a head coach.

Boynton finished 119-109 at Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys made the NCAA Tournament once.

That appearance came in 2021 with Cunningham leading Oklahoma State to a No. 4 seed and the second round. Boynton's teams also made two NIT quarterfinal appearances, but OSU never returned to the NCAA Tournament during his tenure.

Take away the Cunningham season and the postseason résumé becomes difficult to defend.

That's where my concerns with Boynton begin.

My concern has never been whether players want to play for Mike Boynton.

My concern is what happens once he has them.

Can he consistently win at the highest level?

Can he maximize a talented roster?

Can he make the necessary adjustments throughout a season?

Can he sustain success once the players May helped bring to Michigan eventually leave?

Oklahoma State fans already watched Boynton try to answer similar questions.

The results weren't convincing.

The Cowboys finished 12-20 in Boynton's final season and he left Stillwater with one NCAA Tournament appearance in seven years.

That doesn't mean Boynton hasn't changed.

In fact, two years working alongside May may have been exactly what he needed.

Boynton helped coordinate a Michigan defense that became one of the best in college basketball, and he was part of a staff that ultimately won a national championship.

Coaches evolve.

They learn.

Sometimes stepping away from the head chair gives them a completely different perspective when another opportunity arrives.

Maybe that's what happened with Boynton.

Michigan isn't asking him to rebuild a struggling basketball program.

He's inheriting the national champion.

That's why I believe this hire is such a fascinating gamble.

Boynton may be the perfect coach to keep a championship roster together.

That doesn't necessarily make him the right coach to sustain a championship program.

Those are two completely different challenges.

In the short term, I understand Michigan's decision.

Keep the roster intact.

Maintain continuity.

Promote someone the players already trust.

Avoid turning a late coaching departure into a complete roster rebuild.

Boynton checks every one of those boxes but eventually, this will have to become his program.

His recruits.

His roster.

His decisions.

His results.

That's when we'll find out whether two years away from being a head coach changed him.

I hope Boynton succeeds.

The circumstances surrounding his Oklahoma State tenure weren't always fair, and the sanctions that impacted his program weren't his fault.

He's a great recruiter.

He's someone players clearly believe in.

He's incredibly easy to root for, but Oklahoma State fans also watched seven years of Mike Boynton as a head coach.

Keeping Michigan's championship roster together may be the right move today.

I'm just not convinced Boynton is the coach who keeps Michigan at that level tomorrow.