Oklahoma State basketball is headed toward a new era. After seven years under head coach Mike Boynton's leadership, the program is seeing a substantial change. On Thursday, after a multitude of reports came out, Oklahoma State announced that it has parted ways with Boynton.
Boynton finished his career as the Cowboys head coach with a 119-109 record and a 51-75 Big 12 record after his 12-20 (4-14) finish this past season. Now, the Cowboys will look to secure a good hire to bring the program back.
The Cowboys basketball program's needs are simple. It needs a spark of life to energize the fanbase while bringing an experienced winner to ensure consistency back to what was a perennial NCAA Tournament program.
Oklahoma State is a very solid job that could potentially pose a big opportunity for a head coach. The facilities are nice, the history is there and the potential to have plenty of NIL money to work with could happen.
Here is a few potential head coaches that could make sense for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Danny Sprinkle, Utah State
Sprinkle would be an incredible fit in Stillwater. The reigning Mountain West coach of the year is leading Utah State to a regular season championship and a 26-5 record so far this year. In his first year with the head coaching job, he's proving his ability to win after a successful four-year stint at Montana State. He's got a 107-48 record as a head coach.
Doug Gottlieb
While the Cowboys could benefit from an experienced coach who has proven to be a winner, Gottlieb isn't quite that. Still, the interest from the fan base is there and he could provide a spark for the program. He's been serving in a consulting role and could potentially be interested in taking the program over. He loves the program and was a candidate the last time the program was underway with a coaching search.
Dusty May, Florida Atlantic
A season ago, May led FAU to a 35-4 and Final Four appearance. This year, his program is 24-7 and likely to make the NCAA Tournament once again. He's 125-67 in his career with the Owls and would thrive in a bigger job like Oklahoma State, though his new 10-year extension could cause some issue with that.
Brian Montonati
For a few reasons, this could be huge for the program. First off, Montonati played his collegiate basketball with the Cowboys. He's also a local high school head coach, recently leading the Owasso Rams to a State Championship in Oklahoma. Even more important is his son, Jalen Montonati (2026), who is a top-ten recruit in that cycle. He doesn't have the desired college head coaching experience, but securing him and his son would be a great program hire.
Darian DeVries, Drake
DeVries is another candidate who is a proven winner. He took over at Drake in 2018, having since posted a 150-54 record. In doing so, he's seen three NCAA Tournament appearances, doing so twice in the past few seasons. On top of being a proven winner, DeVries has crucial assistant coaching experience under some incredible head coaches. Joining Oklahoma State gives DeVries the opportunity to coach in one of the premier conferences while proving to be a winner in a power conference.
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