‘I’m a dog’: New recruit Karon Boyd wants to bring defense to Wichita State basketball
When it comes to defense, Karon Boyd only has one preference: the hardest challenge.
Whether it’s battling inside with a physical power forward or sliding his feet to shut down a shifty point guard, the 6-foot-5, 218-pound senior has the desire, versatility and athleticism to be an elite defender.
“I’m just a dog, it doesn’t matter who I’m guarding, I just want the challenge,” Boyd said. “I want to guard the best player and shut them down. I feel like I can do it all, getting on-ball steals, stopping a scorer, chase-down blocks, whatever you need.”
That’s what made Boyd, the reigning Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year during his time at East Tennessee State, a priority in the transfer portal for Wichita State men’s basketball head coach Paul Mills.
After struggling with perimeter defense this past season, help is on the way for the Shockers after Boyd committed to WSU on Wednesday following an official visit the previous weekend. He is the first of what will be several additions from the transfer portal this spring to fill out the roster for the 2025-26 season.
“Defense has always been something I’ve taken pride in,” Boyd said. “I always liked doing things that no one else does because that was a way for me to get on the floor. Those are the things I really strive to do and succeed in.”
Boyd comes to Wichita after playing the past two seasons at ETSU, where he averaged 8.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks while shooting 43.5% from the field, 24.1% on 3-pointers and 62.6% on free throws this past season.
After entering the portal, Boyd was impressed by how Mills spearheaded the recruitment for WSU. That’s why WSU earned the first and only visit for Boyd, who said he didn’t consider any other team during his short recruitment.
“He was the one reaching out personally and calling me every day to show interest,” Boyd said. “You don’t always see that with a head coach as the one reaching out. It’s usually assistant coaches.”
During his official visit with the Shockers, Boyd said that Mills had a “visual” presentation prepared for him. Not only did he dissect game film from Boyd’s time at ETSU, showing the different ways he could translate into the offense at WSU, but Mills also had NBA clips prepared to show what vision he had for Boyd in his offense.
Because Boyd is not much of an outside shooter — he only has 21 made 3s on 19.1% accuracy in his career — he has to find other ways to be effective on offense. That means crashing the glass and cutting, which are two areas where Mills found success with other players that opponents deemed as non-shooters this past season.
Boyd scored 1.14 points per possession and ranked in the 40th percentile nationally in cutting this past season at ETSU, per Synergy’s tracking data. That’s a solid foundation, but it’s clear that Mills has plans of improving that efficiency this upcoming season. It’s easy to imagine Boyd camping out in the corner, much like Ronnie DeGray III, and timing cuts to the basket to help the offense.
“We talked a lot about maximizing my strengths,” Boyd said. “I’m a decent cutter right now, but he wants to make me an even better cutter. I think that will help me get more opportunities on offense and really open up the floor. And then he talked about helping me get my shot right and become more of a consistent shooter. So really just maximizing my strengths and then trying to strengthen up my weaknesses.”
With approximately six roster spots still waiting to be filled, it’s too early to predict where Boyd might fit in WSU’s lineup. He’s a natural small forward, but with his defensive chops, Boyd could play power forward at times for the Shockers.
To Boyd, it didn’t matter that he was the first transfer to commit to WSU. After visiting with the coaches this past weekend, he knew he had found his final stop in his college basketball career.
“I really liked how it was a family-type atmosphere and vibe with the coaching staff,” Boyd said. “I just felt like Wichita State was the best fit for me and the best opportunity. I loved how everybody treated one another and how they cared about me. I felt like this was the place where I should call home.”
This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 12:46 PM.
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