Q&A with Scott Duncan

[MrTitleist]

http://www.wyodaily.com/sports.htm
Question and answer with UW basketball recruiter Scott Duncan

By Bob Hammond
WyoSports

LARAMIE – Scott Duncan has seen it all during his 33 years as a major-college basketball assistant coach and recruiter.

He recently returned to the University of Wyoming with long-time friend Larry Shyatt, who was named the Cowboys’ 21st head coach last week.

Shyatt and Duncan were at UW in the same capacities 13 years ago before moving on to Clemson after one season.

Over his long career, Duncan has had coaching stops at UCLA (2007-11), Oregon (2000-07), Washington State (1995-97), Northern Illinois (1991-95), Fresno State (1991), New Mexico (1980-90) and Cleveland State (1978-80) as well as UW (1997-98) and Clemson (1998-2000),

He also has been honored many times as one of the top assistants and recruiters in the country.

He was recently named the eighth-best assistant in the nation by Hoop Scoop and one of the top 25 recruiters by Rivals.com.

Over the past week, Duncan and Shyatt have been on the phone and on the road, seeking to replenish a UW program that has been depleted with the loss of graduating senior Djibril Thiam and by the exits of sophomores Desmar Jackson, Amath M’Baye and Daylen Harrison.

Spring signing is today through May 18.

Following is a question-and-answer session with Duncan (answers have been edited for space considerations):

Q: It has been said that you can never go back. So why Wyoming at this point in your career?

“Two reasons: 1 – Larry Shyatt and 2 – Tom Burman.

“Larry is my best friend in the world and not very many times at the tail end of your career are you able to make one last journey and one last challenge with your best friend.

“The last time that we were here, (Burman) was the assistant athletic director (at UW), and he was our best friend here. We all stayed in contact the last 13 years.

“So when this thing came about, it all goes back to the relationship Larry and I have with Tom and the relation Tom has with Larry and I. The trust level and the communication level is something that is very undervalued in that friendship. That’s tough to have in this line of work.”

Q: Is this perhaps your biggest challenge in your long coaching career?

“I don’t know if it’s the biggest challenge. For example, the challenge at UCLA is to win a national championship. That’s the only thing that counts there, so that’s a huge burden and a huge challenge.

“If you look at each school Larry and I have been at, whether it’s together or separately, there’s always been some challenges. That’s what drives you as a coach.

“So I wouldn’t say that this is our biggest challenge, but it’s a challenge that we embrace.

“We left here probably more popular than we deserved because we got very lucky the last time. We uncovered Gregg Sawyer and Jeron Roberts, and we won a bunch of close games. We got people back in the Arena-Auditorium. It was a good time, a fun time, but there was some luck involved in that.

“We got lucky on Josh Davis and we got lucky on Ugo Udezue. Nobody knew how good they were going to be, including us. Anthony Blakes … we got lucky in recruiting.

“Luck comes with hard work and preparation, and we are going to apply that same hard work and preparation as we did 13 years ago in trying to get this thing turned around. Hopefully, Shyatt has some of that luck left in his wand.

“The one thing we will definitely do is reconnect with the fans. They will love the energy, the discipline and the unselfishness that we will play with. They’ll love it.”