New Michigan basketball coach was in Grand Rapids and no one recognized him

New University of Michigan men’s basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr. watches his son play at the Bank Hoops Underclassman All-State Camp on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Mike Boynton Jr. sat in the bleachers wearing a black t-shirt and grey sweatpants. 

Not a single person in the gym recognized him.

Which is pretty amazing considering he’s the new head basketball coach at the University of Michigan.

Boynton, who was an assistant coach at U-M last season when the Wolverines won the Division I National Championship, was hired as head coach on July 10. 

“It’s a great challenge to takeover when I did,” Boynton said. “But what an unbelievable opportunity. To have a chance to lead a program as prestigious and historic like the University of Michigan … I’ve really enjoyed the last month.”
He was in Grand Rapids on Sunday, August. 9, to watch his son play at the Bank Hoops Underclassman All-State Camp at MSA Woodland. It is an elite high school camp run by Steve Bell. 

Boynton wasn’t wearing an U-M gear and blended in just like all the other parents watching their kids compete. 

That will change once the season starts.

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Has Boynton ever been to Grand Rapids before?

"I’ve been to Grand Rapids several times,” he said. “My wife (Jenny) is from Holland. We fly into Grand Rapids to see her parents.”

He’ll also be back in Grand Rapids on Oct. 25 when Michigan plays an exhibition game against the University of Houston at Van Andel Arena.

"We know we have fans across the state,” Boynton said. “We don’t have a lot of opportunities to get on this side of the state. So it was a no-brainer for us. So the great Michigan fans on the west coast side of Michigan can come support us against a really, really good Houston team, coached by Kelvin Sampson.”

New University of Michigan men’s basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr., center, with son Ace, left, at the Bank Hoops Underclassman All-State Camp on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

Boynton has been busy so far this summer getting his bearings as the new coach. 

“We’re in the middle of our summer player develop program, which is about eight weeks long,” Boynton said. “We’re going to extend that to a trip to Europe next week for about 10 days. It’s been a pretty good summer in the gym. I’m very please with how it’s going so far.”

He’s also happy to have two key players from their National Championship team returning.

“Having Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney back (is huge). Two guards who had meaningful contributions in our run to the National Championship last year. Elliot Cadeau was the most outstanding player in the Final Four and Trey McKenney - which people around here know very well - had a shot that will live in infamy in the history of Michigan forever as a freshman. So to start the season with both of those guys gives you a lot of confidence heading into the season.”

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Boynton watches intently when his son Ace Boynton checks into the game. He’s going to be an eighth grader in the Saline school district.

“Its just kinda started for him,” Boynton said. “I do a lot of training with him. I haven’t really put him out there yet. With his age, it’s still about learning how to play the game the right way.” 

Boynton spots a 6-foot-10 kid on the court and asks who he is.

“Evan Shapter, a freshman from DeWitt,” he’s told.

It’s hard to turn off coaching mode. 

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What will be his biggest challenge at Michigan?

“When you’re a head coach in the best basketball conference in the country … there’s some elite programs and coaches at other universities, including in our state with a hall of fame coach and a rival (Michigan State’s Tom Izzo). We’ve got a team that went to the Final Four last year in Illinois. Iowa was in the Elite Eight and Nebraska was in the Sweet 16. So the conference is very, very healthy from a basketball standpoint. That’s the biggest challenge, navigating that. But we’ll have a good non-conference schedule to prepare for that.”

Boyton, 44, played basketball at South Carolina and was the head coach at Oklahoma State for seven years.