2022-23 Basketball Season Analysis

[OSU_Sports_Nut]

02/04/23 TCU Game

We play well when we're taking good shots, passing the ball into the post, and playing good defense. When TCU made their run in the second half, we were playing hero ball and jacking up contested threes early in the shot clock. Eventually, we started passing the ball into Boone. However, this only happened once we lost the lead.

Why does it take so long for the coaching staff to figure this out? If the coaching staff was telling the players to pass the ball into the post and they were ignoring those instructions, those players should be held accountable and relegated to the bench. Boone has always been our best post player, but he doesn't get enough opportunities when the guards are playing hero ball (i.e. jacking up contested threes from way behind the arc to be on SportsCenter).

 

[OSU_Sports_Nut]

We are a much better team and much better offense when we are focused on getting the ball into the post on every possession. Otherwise our offense consists of a ball screen, then a screen and roll.

One of the main reasons our team 3pt shooting percentage is not great is because Boynton allows way too many contested 3pt shots with more than 10 seconds on the shot click without any consequences.

Every possession should have at least one or two touches by a post player in the post, especially when you have Boone on the team. He has shown to be the most gifted post player over 6'8" since Big Country.

 

[OSU_Sports_Nut]

Boone has always been foul prone. Nobody understands why he reaches and does some head scratching things on the perimeter as a defender. Another way to fix this issue would be for Boynton to tell the guards to fight over the top of ALL screens and not switch anything unless it is guard to guard. Eddie Sutton never allowed any switching (even guard to guard).

Our defense always gets out of position when we have a big man on the perimeter against a guard. Usually this ends up with the guard blowing by our big man or the big man fouling the guard on the perimeter. Neither of these outcomes is a good solution. This minor defensive adjustment would go a long way towards keeping Boone in the game and not in foul trouble.

 

[OSU_Sports_Nut]

02/25/23 KSU game (4th straight loss)

Just returned home from the KSU game. It was a very winnable game. The frustrating thing is we are a more talented team, but the difference was coaching. Multiple times today, we had a chance to win this game IF this oSu team had been better coached. For example, Boone hits two free throws with 1:09 remaining putting us down by 3 (69 to 66). We had 2 timeouts remaining and we could have called a timeout to setup a full court high pressure press, coach up the players (i.e. like who to foul), and put in our defensive team with fouls to give. Instead we elected to do nothing and KSU went down and ran down the clock to 43 seconds and Bryce Thompson ended up fouling Markquis Nowell (an 89.1% free throw shooter who ended up making both free throws). We could have at least tried to foul someone like Cam Carter who for the season is a 73.1% free throw shooter (but was only 4-6 for the game).

Additionally, by pressing KSU we could have possibly stolen the ball or fouled someone with less than 5 seconds running off the clock. This is what good coaches do to extend the game and give their team a better chance to win. Instead, Boynton looked lost sitting quietly on the bench like he didn't know what to do or defense to call.

Other examples of poor coaching in this game include Boynton's inability to hold players accountable for poor shots and/or poor decision making (stupid turnovers). IF Boynton had been sitting players on the bench who jack up contested 3 pointers when there is more than 10 seconds on the shot clock (and they haven't even tried to pass the ball into the post), our offense would look much better. Additionally, taking better shots helps our defense get setup after a made bucket. When we jack up and miss 3 point shots or have a careless turnover the opposing team typically gets an easy basket or open shot in transition going the other way.

Boynton allows WAAAAAY to many poor shots (which makes our 3 point shooting look horrendous no matter who is on this team). Today against KSU, there were multiple 3 point shots where someone took a contested shot or a contested shot way behind the 3 point line with lot's of time left on the shot clock. We could have taken the time to get a better shot and not settled for this type of bad shot. I call this playing HERO BALL and so many players are trying to be the next Stephen Curry.

Additionally, our team 3 point shooting is poor because Boynton allows players like Chris Harris Jr. 25.9%, Quion Williams 20.7%, Tyreek Smith 20.0%, Avery Anderson III 18.0%, and Kalib Boone 14.3% the ability to shot 3 pointers. I would restrict ALL of these players from taking ANY 3 point shots except for Anderson. For someone like Anderson, I would teach him in film study the difference between a good shot and bad shot. Then I would tell him IF he misses a good shot he won't come out of the game, but IF he takes a bad shot he will immediately come out of the game.

Today against KSU we shot 5-23 from 3. We should ONLY be taking good 3 point shots and therefore only be taking 10-12 per game. IF this were enforced by the coaching staff we would have won today's game along with multiple other games this year.

 

[OSU_Sports_Nut]

Baylor Game 02/27/23

We all know we are not a great three-point shooting team. So why do we shoot so many three-pointers? As a team, we should only be shooting 10 to 12 open threes per game from 3 or 4 individuals (Thompson, Wright, Asberry, Newton). If we're bad at something, why do we continue to try to make a round peg fit a square hole? This all falls back on coaching and holding players accountable.

3PT SHOOTING (5 LOSSES)
KU 8/17 = 47.1%
TCU 10/30 = 33.3%
WVU 2/19 = 10.5%
KSU 5/23 = 21.7%
BU 9/32 = 28.1%

Regarding the KU game having a higher percentage, the majority of that can be attributed to one player (Wright).

Wright: 6-10 (60%)
Rest of Team: 2-7 (28.5%)

I know some will argue that analytics say that you need to shoot more three pointers, but that only works if your team can average more than 34%. For example:

Player A = shoots ten 2pts and makes 50% scoring 10pts

Player B = shots ten 3pts and makes 30% scoring 9pts

Against Kansas State we lost by 5 points. Now imagine if we only took twelve open 3-pointers and made 34%, giving us 12 points instead of 15 points, but also giving us an additional 11 shot opportunities. Imagine if we made 50% of those 2 point shots giving us 10 additional points. Instead of losing by 5 points, we would have won that game by 2 points.

The same logic could be applied to the Baylor game where we lost by 6 points. Now imagine if we only took twelve open 3-pointers and made 34%, giving us 12 points instead of 27 points, but also giving us an additional 20 shot opportunities. Imagine if we made 55% of those 2 point shots giving us 22 additional points. Instead of losing by 6 points, we would have won that game by 1 point.

Additionally, what isn't taken into consideration in the above scenario is how taking fewer three-point shots would help our defense. For example, when a 3-point shot is taken and missed it typically creates a fast break opportunity going the other way. This means we give up more easy transition points on defense. However, if we're making more baskets and the opposing team has to take the ball out of bounds there are less easy scoring opportunities for the other team.

 

[OSU_Sports_Nut]

03/04/23 Texas Tech

After a 5 game losing streak, we finally got a win on the road in Lubbock Texas. Here are some observations from the game.

Boone needs to stop flexing after made buckets or pouting after missed shots and get back on defense. Other teams know this and exploit his defensive matchup going the other way by making his man take off in transition.

However, Boone is still our best low post scorer and our offense looks best when he touches the ball at least once per possession. The only other "offense" we have is when Bryce Thompson takes his man off the dribble to create his own shot or to force a double team so he can pass to a wide open teammate.

Still wish we had a real offense like the one Underwood installed or Kelvin Sampson's offense with cross screens in the post.

 

[OSU_Sports_Nut]

03/09/23 Texas (Big 12 Tournament)

How is it after 6 years Boynton is still learning how to coach? This is so frustrating to watch as a fan. I would not be surprised if Boone or Anderson transfer to ORU or Houston where they would get legit coaching. If they decide to transfer, I'd love to see them stay in state and watch them do something magical together at ORU. Cisse and Thompson already transferred, so unless they can graduate early I expect them to be back next year.

Not playing Boone the majority of the first half helped seal the outcome of this game against Texas. By the time he got significant minutes in this game we were down by too much. Our offense looks much better when he's in the game and being fed the ball.

Additionally, when Boone is in the game other players tend to get more open shots and thereby make more baskets which keeps us out of transition defense (where we struggle) and helps to keep us from going long stretches with no scoring. Plus he is one of the best rebounders per minute on the team, which helps to limit second chance opportunities for the opposing team.

Instead, Boone only played 6 minutes in the first half and had 3 rebounds. He couldn't get into any flow because he was only put in for 3 minutes before being yanked and was later put in for another 3 minutes before being yanked again. It was after his second yanking that he pouted. I agree he shouldn't have been pouting after he was taken out, but like any competitor he probably felt he could have been helping the team.

Also, too often when Boone is in the game he is setting a ball screen. This is not his game, but it's in the Boynton offense. Cisse is great at the screen and roll (mostly because that's his only offense), but Boone should be in the low post and our guards should be getting him the ball.

In Boone's first game against Texas he scored 16 and had 10 rebounds in 34 minutes and in his second game he scored 18 points and had 4 rebounds in 25 minutes. In the second half he ended up scoring 11 points and ended the game with 11 rebounds in 15 minutes (he played a total of 21 minutes in the entire game). It was in the second half when he was playing when we made the comeback and made the game interesting (oSu 67 and Texas 75 with 5 minutes remaining).

Additionally, there were far too many times last night where we were jacking up contested 3pt shots instead of getting Boone the ball (where he could score or pass to an open teammate). Like most games, I'm sitting there scratching my head. It's something we see every game.

BOONE vs TEXAS
Game 1 = 6/9 (67%) for 16 points
Game 2 = 8/9 (89%) for 18 points
Game 3 = 4/8 (50%) for 11 points

REST OF TEAM vs TEXAS
Game 1 = 8/37 (22%)
Game 2 = 18/52 (35%)
Game 3 = 10/44 (23%)

In the 3rd Texas game when the entire team is struggling and Boone is the ONLY PLAYER shooting at least 50%, who do you want shooting more shots? Boone's previous game efficiency was off the charts and should not be expected to be duplicated. However, shooting at least 50% against Texas was good and warranted more shot opportunities. Additionally, when Boone gets the ball in the post and teams double him, other players on this team get wide open shots (thereby increasing the efficiency of our entire offense).

Unfortunately, until we have a head coach who is going to hold his players accountable (for taking poor shots) we are going to see this type of offense continue year after year. The outcome for Boynton coaches teams will continue to be these Jekyll and Hyde teams where we can beat anyone when the conteated shots are falling or have opportunities to win because we're athletic enough to play good defense (to keep games close).

 

[OSU_Sports_Nut]

Here's a summary of the last 6 years of oSu basketball under Boynton.

Mismanagement = overall roster
Mismanagement = player development
Mismanagement = playing time
Mismanagement = assistant coaches
Mismanagement = in game strategy
Mismanagement = final minutes of games

 

[OSU_Sports_Nut]

Once again we see multiple players leaving the program. If this consistent turnover isn't a HUGE RED FLAG, I don't know what it is. Boynton struggles with coaching and winning games, so I don't blame the players for leaving. This program is being run into the ground. I really wish Boynton would do you what is BEST for the players and university and try to negotiate a reasonable buyout, then be on his way. Here are all the 5 players who have left the program at the end of this season as of April 20, 2023.

Moussa Cisse
Kalib Boone
Avery Anderson
Woody Newton
Tyreek Smith

 

[OSU_Sports_Nut]

Boynton wants to blame roster turnover on NIL, but that is not the truth.

Mike Boynton Discusses OSU Basketball’s Struggles in the NIL Landscape, Stresses Need to Play Better

Boynton provides context on NIL limitations while maintaining his team needs to perform better.

pistolsfiringblog.com

Below is a link to an article from last year where he wanted more playmakers. Last year (just like every other year) he blamed the shortcomings of the team on the roster and NOT his coaching abilities. Other years he blamed it on having poor 3-point shooters and poor free-throw shooters. Nobody seems to point out that every year during his tenure he's had MASSIVE ROSTER and assistant coaching TURNOVER. For example, we only returned 3 scholarship players from last year's team.

Additionally, I bet the majority of the players who left felt like they needed better coaching. I wish someone would interview these former players, I'd love to hear what they have to say about Mike Boyton and their reasons for leaving.

'There's going to be a lot of fluidity': Boynton examining transfer portal, anticipating roster turnover

After their season ended with a 65-59 loss to North Texas in the NIT, Cowboy basketball players met individually with coach Mike Boynton.

www.ocolly.com