Kellan Boylan’s rebounding prowess might confuse the naked eye.

A 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward for Air Force, Boylan doesn’t have the size of most big men who play at the Division I level. But his effectiveness has been right up there with the best to begin the 2023-24 season.

Boylan, a sophomore and firstyear starter, leads the Falcons with seven rebounds per game. That currently places him seventh among players in the Mountain West.

“I try to be strong and focus on that,” Boylan said.

Lessons learned throughout life have allowed Boylan to develop into the player he is today.

From a young age, he had a basketball in his hands. Both of Boylan’s parents, Nathan and Rachel, played college basketball at Oklahoma Baptist University.

In addition to teaching Boylan about the sport’s fundamentals, his parents taught him about the mental side of the game.

“The biggest thing my dad always harped on was to compete,” Boylan said. “If you compete, you can help the team win.”

Boylan also learned much from his previous role.

As a freshman last year he appeared in only six games for a total of eight minutes. The only stats he recorded were two personal fouls.

Watching the Falcons’ veteran players and playing alongside them sharpened Boylan’s game in various ways.

“There was a good senior group last year that definitely taught us a lot about what’s important and that winning at basketball is going and grabbing the ball,” Boylan said. “You can’t win without that factor.”

Air Force coach Joe Scott added, “From the time he got here last year, he had a great attitude the whole time. He’s been sort of able to make himself grow. He doesn’t get in his own way in that regard.”

The latest lesson came early in the season while Boylan adjusted to becoming a starter.

Multiple times, Boylan had an open look from deep, but he hesitated and the shot was no longer open. Each of those times, Scott either threw up his hands or shouted in disappointment.

But as the year has progressed, Boylan has become more comfortable with his shot and taking advantage of open looks.

And that’s thanks to his teammates’ and coaches’ belief in him.

“Knowing that my teammates want me to shoot the ball in situations like that really encourages me,” Boylan said.

The result of all these lessons? Boylan is one of the scrappiest players on any court he steps on.

He doesn’t have the size or stockiness of other posts he faces, but Boylan excels at a certain important part of rebounding: Finding the ball.

“It’s something that I’ve kind of tried to do a good job of, going after the ball, watching when it comes off and grabbing it with two hands,” Boylan said.

Boylan is more than just an efficient rebounder, though.

He is second on the team with 15 steals. He is averaging eight points per game on a 46.7% field-goal percentage, the third-best clip on the team.

“He makes winning plays,” Scott said. “He’s been doing that, and he’s been doing it well. He’s starting to sort of gain some confidence in other ways, which will go a long way.”

Boylan’s contributions have been helpful to Air Force’s winning brand of basketball in the first month of the season.

The Falcons are 7-2 and have won six games in a row after a 1-2 start. They were ranked No. 118 in the first NET rankings of the 2023-24 season.

Boylan knows that his production can go a long way in helping Air Force keep its streak alive — but he knows he can get even better, thus, making the Falcons even better.

“The biggest thing coach harps on is not being happy with success,” Boylan said. “The best teams don’t take their foot off the gas.”