Wichita State men’s basketball transfer Karon Boyd has a certain way of playing that stands out in the eyes of head coach Paul Mills.

Earlier in July, Boyd said during a podcast with the Roundhouse that he likes “taking the joy” from offenses that he goes up against. What makes that joy even more frightening for the opposition is that the senior forward can practically defend all players on the floor.

“His ability to guard the best on-ball guy or the other team’s point guard — that’s what makes him unique,” Mills said at a press conference Tuesday. “He doesn’t just go out there and defend a four. He can turn around and defend a perimeter player … Karon Boyd can guard his tail off.”

Boyd, a native of Concord, North Carolina, said a coach that he had when he was young helped to instill that defense-first mentality in him. Now that he’s grown with the game, it’s become part of his personality.

“You have to have a different mindset, especially on defense,” he said. “Because nobody really wants to play defense, it’s always scoring. So, taking that pride in yourself to be that defender and taking that pride out of somebody else and that joy of them not being able to score.”

Boyd transferred to Wichita State last April from East Tennessee State and was the 2024-25 Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. 

Last season for the Buccaneers, he led them in rebounds per game (7.2), was second on the team in blocks (28) and fourth in steals (28), all while averaging the second-most minutes on the team at 30.5 per contest. He was second on the roster in defensive win shares, a metric that estimates the number of wins based on a player’s defensive contributions, according to Sports Reference.

While he’s listed as a forward for the Shockers, Mills said Boyd’s been getting repetitions this summer at point guard, likening him to Sion James, who transferred to Duke from Tulane after Mills’ first season. Boyd and James are both listed at 6-foot-6 and 220 lbs or more, which is larger than the prototypical point guard.

“When you look at KB, you can see his base, and you realize just how physically strong he is,” Mills said. “And then the fact that he can move his feet.”

Just because he’s getting reps at point guard, that doesn’t mean he’ll always play there.

“I’m not telling you that he’s going to be a full-time PG,” Mills said. “But his ability to offensive rebound at that spot is different because a lot of teams don’t see point guards rebound offensively … (and) he’s a capable passer.

“We’ve looked at him more as an initiator rather than, you know, trying to be a playmaker.”

Mills said that aside from what Boyd can put up in the stat sheets, his presence on the court alone can help lift those around him.

“The key to good players is you can make others around you better, right?” Mills asked. “You know, a rising tide is going to raise all ships — and he does that.”

Senior guard Mike Gray Jr., another transfer this year, said that Boyd’s presence isn’t just felt on defense, but in other areas of the game, too. 

“Just him being an anchor,” Gray said. “His voice; he’s always talking. He’s always making sure people are in the right spots. But also on offense, he’s a strong driver, so … just because he’s a great defender doesn’t mean that he can’t excel on the offensive end as well.”

And when going up against him in one-on-ones, it‘s like iron sharpening iron.

“He always pushes you, so you have to be sharper every time he steps in front,” Gray said.