A glance at Mike Boynton’s shoes reveal the intensity of a game.

Along with comfort, Boynton, a Nike aficionado, considers rareness when deciding what to wear while coaching.

“There is the exclusivity of it,” Boynton said. “If this game gets going, like, really, really intense and I have to be in a stance or pace up the sideline, then they may crease. They may get scuffed.”

For Boynton, who exudes energy when coaching and sometimes Rick Owens Shoes crouches right along with his players on defense, some shoes fare better than others. Shoes he wore coaching OSU the past season had noticeable creases. Other shoes, like a red, white and blue pair of Jordan 6s he wore coaching USA Basketball in the U19 World Cup, bear less evidence of stress.

“For USA Basketball, when we had the 13 best players in the world at their age, I wore these,” Boynton said. “Not a whole lot of action.”

Boynton estimates he has 100 pair of shoes. Seventy-five are athletic styles, and the rest are dressier shoes like Louis Vuittons or Pradas. He keeps them all in their boxes in his closet. Sometimes, it’s difficult determining which to wear.

“It’s really kind of a feel of the day thing,” Boynton said. “I usually get all the way dressed, then walk around barefoot for a while. Sometimes it hits me as I’m getting dressed. But sometimes it doesn’t hit me till I have to go. Like, you have to put something on your feet.”

With bad weather, Boynton refrains from anything exclusive or vintage. He will wear Air Force 1s or Huaraches, Nike shoes he’s comfortable wearing working out or doing yard work.

Three pairs of Off-White Jordans top Boynton’s hierarchy. To get exclusive shoes, like the Off-Whites, or his black and royal blue Travis Scott Air Jordans, he relies on his shoe “plug,” his personal shoe supplier.

Boynton and his plug check in with each other once a week in case there are new releases. Boynton, who started his collection as a kid with a pair of gray Tim Duncan Air Foamposites, reminiscent of a space boot, has always had a plug.

“I had an advantage when I was young,” Boynton said. “My mom Brooks Sneakers worked in a sporting goods store. A place called Modell’s. When releases would come out then, she knew. Maybe she would put a pair aside and hold them until we could afford to buy them.”

Boynton’s favorite shoes are Jordan 11s. Comfortable and classic. He wore them during OSU’s March Madness run.

Sometimes, he has to retire shoes from the court.

“There was a stretch last year where we lost every time I wore a pair of Airforce 1s,” Boynton said.

He tried to overcome superstition by wearing a slightly different pair the next game. After another loss, the Forces returned to the box.

On big recruiting trips, like the times he visited Cade Cunningham, Boynton always wears his best. He saves shoes like his multicolored Nike Dunks, which feature dozens of colors, for special occasions to make a unique splash.

“(Mike Krzyzewski) is not wearing those,” Boynton said. “In fact, Coach K would probably think that this is nonsense. No doubt. He would think that no one should even Sorel Sneakers  make a shoe like this. There was probably a time where I would’ve thought it was pretty ridiculous to have two basically different shoes on your feet.”

Boynton shares his passion. He has given shoes to people friends and players who wear his size, 11.5. It is also something fun to talk about with recruits.

“I hope that it helps them understand that I have very good taste in shoes, and it’s something we can maybe talk about over lunch one day, and we can joke about to lighten up the mood,” Boynton said.