Oklahoma

Focus is bigger than basketball for Oklahoma State’s Mike Boynton in Remember the Ten game

Published

3 months ago

January 27, 2024

Focus is bigger than basketball for Oklahoma State’s Mike Boynton in Remember the Ten game

STILLWATER — Most of the current Oklahoma State men’s basketball players weren’t yet born on Jan. 27, 2001, when the plane carrying 10 members of the program crashed in a field in Colorado.

And many of the current players are in their first year as Cowboys, so they’ve never had the chance to experience a Remember the Ten game.

That’s why coach Mike Boynton made sure to spend some time this week — just like he does every year before the Remember the Ten game — educating his players on the added meaning of Saturday’s 1 p.m. matchup against West Virginia inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.

“It’s always, in my mind, the most important day on the calendar,” said Boynton, now in his eighth season at OSU, seventh as head coach. “I really don’t care what anybody thinks about that. We played in the Big 12 Conference Tournament championship game. That year, the Remember the Ten game was the most important game we played, because it honors a commitment to real human life.

“Winning the game is important, but when I think about seeing those families here all the time, and their continued support of the program — in a way, they could be pretty bitter about this place … but those people continue to show up and support this program.”

More: Oklahoma State basketball falls short vs. TCU, drops to 0-6 in Big 12 play

Eight players on the roster are in their first year as Cowboys. And while some, like Brandon Garrison of Del City or Connor Dow of Broken Arrow, grew up in Oklahoma and likely have some awareness of the plane crash, others have only begun to learn about it.

“Just hearing about it and learning about it, you come back to the realization that it’s just a game that we’re playing,” said Jarius Hicklen, a super-senior transfer from North Florida. “It’s something much bigger out there for us. It’s just a humbling experience.”

Veteran Cowboys have an even deeper understanding of the Remember the Ten game and the added emotion tied to it.

“It means a lot to me, because I’ve been here and I understand what happened to those families and everything,” said senior Bryce Thompson, a Tulsa native. “Whenever that game comes, there’s a little bit more energy from us as a team, as a staff, everything, because we know we’re playing for something bigger than ourselves.

“It was a tragic event and we know we’re blessed to get to do this.”

More: ‘He’s special’: Oklahoma State basketball’s Brandon Garrison starting to show potential

With the kneeling cowboy statue as the centerpiece of the memorial on the south side of Gallagher-Iba Arena, the event is constantly present for the players, but Boynton works to make sure the meaning isn’t minimized.

“Quite easily, this thing can become a thing in the building that sits over there,” Boynton said. “They walk past it every day, because they go in that academic center. To have a moment to reflect on what happened, how it happened, why it happened, why we’re fortunate that we travel a little bit differently now than they did, in part, because of them.

“We take more precautions, so to be thankful and appreciative of that aspect is really important.”

This Cowboy season has had its share of bumps in the road, with the team currently mired in a six-game losing streak and chasing its first Big 12 victory Saturday.

Boynton and the players know the importance to the season that a win would provide. But the coach won’t let this game simply be about winning and losing.

“We’ll make sure we play with a little more of an edge,” Boynton said, “understanding it’s bigger than just a game against West Virginia on Saturday.”

Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

More: Big 12 basketball power rankings: Iowa State making case for top spot in loaded conference

OSU vs. West Virginia

TIPOFF: 1 p.m. Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater (ESPN+)

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Oklahoma

Thomas Gilman & Jimmy Kennedy Join Taylor At Oklahoma State – FloWrestling

Published

6 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Press Room

Thomas Gilman & Jimmy Kennedy Join Taylor At Oklahoma State – FloWrestling

David Taylor will add two more Happy Valley residents to his Oklahoma State coaching staff. OSU announced today that Thomas Gilman and Jimmy Kennedy will head to Stillwater to become Cowboy assistant coaches.

Another Olympian joins the staff.
Welcome to Stillwater, Thomas Gilman!
📰: https://t.co/q0C9gKQ5re#GoPokes l @thomasgilmanusa pic.twitter.com/PEoQmICkac
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) May 9, 2024
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DT got his guy.
Welcome to Stillwater, Jimmy Kennedy!
📰: https://t.co/q0C9gKQ5re#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/CBtmNolSJg
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) May 9, 2024

This is a press conference scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday, May 9, where David Taylor will be formally introduced as the new head coach of the Cowboys.

Originally from Council Bluffs, Iowa, Thomas Gilman was a three-time NCAA All-American at Iowa before winning a bronze medal at 57kg at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Additionally, Gilman won a gold medal at the 2021 World Championships and two silvers at the 2017 and 2022 Worlds.

In the spring of 2020, Gilman moved from Iowa City, where he had been training since college, to State College, Pennsylvania, joining the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. He had been competing as recently as last April when he lost in the finals of the Olympic Team Trials.

Jimmy Kennedy, the new Associate Head Coach, was also a three-time All-American at Illinois, his home state. After graduating in 2011 he immediately began competing in freestyle on the senior circuit, earning medals at several prestigious competitions and making the 2014 World Team.

Kennedy joined the coaching staff of the Northwestern Wildcats 2018 followed by a move to the Penn State staff in 2022, where he was set to start his third season in State College before David Taylor’s seismic hiring at Oklahoma State redirected his destiny to Stillwater.

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Oklahoma Department of Corrections halts funding request for prison rodeo

Published

13 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma Department of Corrections halts funding request for prison rodeo

Efforts to reestablish a prison rodeo appear to be stalled.

Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Steven Harpe on Tuesday told a legislative panel his agency was no longer pursuing an $8.3 million appropriation this session to restart the prison rodeo at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

Instead, the agency wants the Legislature to authorize an interim study on the issue so certain questions can be answered, Harpe said.

The last rodeo was held in 2009, according to the agency.

In 2010, state budget cuts, low attendance and crumbling facilities contributed to the rodeo closing.

At least two measures moving through the legislative process supported recreating the rodeo.

Critics, however, expressed concerns about the safety of participants, the welfare of the animals and other pressing issues facing the agency, such as staffing and infrastructure needs.

Harpe said although he is confident the rodeo would generate revenue, the agency could not restart it without additional dollars.

“At this point, we are looking at pulling back and going to the interim session during the summer so that we can bring in people like the PBR (Professional Bull Riders), IFR (International Finals Rodeo), other concert promoters that want to use the facilities so we can show the Legislature the fully thought through plan on how we would generate the revenue,” Harpe said.

He said the issue could be brought back next session.

“We are fully committed to getting this done,” Harpe said.

Sen. Blake Stephens, R-Tahlequah, said he supported reestablishing the rodeo and was excited about the interim study.

“It’s going to be great for the state of Oklahoma,” he said.

Harpe said the rodeo will not just benefit McAlester, but will generate revenue for the state.

“Inmates want this,” Harpe said. “They want the ability to do this.”

Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, said he hoped the interim study would include all the costs associated with operating it.

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence.

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3 thoughts before the Dallas Mavericks face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder

Published

20 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Press Room

3 thoughts before the Dallas Mavericks face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder

The Dallas Mavericks will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals Thursday night at Paycom Center. The Mavericks will be looking to even the series after losing Game 1. They’ll need to win a game in Oklahoma City to win the series, so it might as well be Game 2.

Dallas looked a little off as Game 1 went on Tuesday night. It was easy to tell the Thunder had been sitting around waiting for their next opponent, developing some rust. The Mavericks, meanwhile, showed some carry-over rhythm from their series against the Los Angeles Clippers. But eventually the Thunder found their footing and showed why they’re the number one seed. The Mavericks will have to play a solid 48 minutes in order to escape down I-35 with a victory Thursday night.

Here are three things to think about before the game:

Rebound, just a little, please

The Mavericks were out-rebounded by the Thunder 52-39, and 16-11 on the offensive glass. That led to a 25-15 OKC advantage on second-chance points. That just can’t happen against Oklahoma City. The Thunder finished the regular season 29th in defensive rebounding rate. They tightened things up after the all-star break, finishing 12th in that span. But the Mavericks are bigger and longer, and have more experience. They should be winning the rebounding battle, or at the very least, be even with the Thunder. Giving a team like Oklahoma City more possessions is dangerous, considering their shooting ability.

Doncic and Irving must be better

Your instinct might be to defend the Mavericks’ star backcourt duo. “They carry this team night after night, why can’t someone else step up when they have an off game?”

But that’s not how the Mavericks are built. Dallas can get away with offensively limited but defensively oriented role players like P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., and Dereck Lively II because Doncic and Irving can more than carry the load on offense. The Mavericks don’t need their role players to get buckets—the two superstars take care of that. But if they don’t, Dallas just doesn’t have another option to create offense. Doncic and Irving combining for less than forty points, like they did in Game 1, is just a recipe for disaster.

Make free throws, I’m begging you

The Mavericks went 17-of-25 from the charity stripe in Game 1, 68 percent. That didn’t matter for the final score, but this series won’t be a parade of blowouts. There will be close games. Dallas can’t take the risk of coming a free throw or two short against a team as talented as the Thunder. For whatever reason, free throw shooting has been an issue for the Mavericks for the last few years. They’ve got to get that figured out, before it costs them a close game at the absolute worst time.