So, Burman hired Shyatt. It's clear to me now that one of two things happened. Shyatt was either the lead candidate all along, or we got informally ("no formal offers were made") turned down by the rest of the field - Dunlap and Dooley probably wanted more money than TB felt comfortable with, and I doubt Kent or Taylor were ever serious about the job.
I'm not completely sold on the hire, and I'm not sure if it means Burman took a step outside of the box, or simply went with the easy choice. What I do know is this... I was a freshman in 1997 when Shyatt started in Laramie. I wasn't a huge basketball fan in high school, and I don't know that I would have attended every game as a freshman. But I did attend every game. Why? Because Coach Shyatt knocked on my dorm room door and personally invited myself and my roommate to the games. Because the players made an effort to meet other students and get involved in the University community - we felt like we knew them. Because Coach Shyatt offered up his own money for the best sign in the stands (some of the greatest signs i've ever seen were at those games). Because I felt like the team wanted me there, no needed me there, to make sure that the AA was rocking and not a fun place to be for an opposing team. That was all because of Coach Shyatt.
So I went to the games. Wouldn't have been much fun though without wins. But they came too. I was in the stands when the boys stomped Southern Utah and Northeastern Illinois. I was there when we squeaked by Utah State and Montana State. I was yelling with the rest when we beat New Mexico and UNLV. And yes, I was there for the "Valentine's Day Massacre" of BYU and when we beat the eventual NCAA runner-up Utah. It was great times, and I fell in love with Cowboy Basketball. I rarely missed a home game in my 7 years at UW, and attend/watch/listen to every game I can now. That was all because of Coach Shyatt. He got us to the games, but his coaching and the wins caused us all to want to come back. And kept some of us coming back even when things got bad in the last few years.
And then he left. I remember after the NIT win him grabbing the PA mike and saying something to the effect of "I'll be back and so will they (the players). See you back here next year." Then he wasn't. I was pissed, and so were a lot of my friends. It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But he left things pretty damn good for McClain, and I was still hooked on Cowboy Basketball. I don't hold his leaving against him any more - how can you blame a guy for seeking a better job, his "dream job?" No, I'm over it now, and I think most people who are being honest with themselves are over it too.
Thinking about those things, I get excited about bringing Shyatt back to Laramie. Can he do it again? I really don't know. I hope like hell that he can. He's got a fairly good group of players that only need some good coaching. We know he can provide that. Exciting the fan base will be more difficult after four years of HS and McClain's last two years. But if he can do for current students what he did for me and my friends, Cowboy Basketball will be all right. I'm willing to give him a shot, and am cautiously hopeful for next season.
Welcome back to Laramie Coach Shyatt. Here's to bringing back some pride to Cowboy Basketball.
GO POKES!
Shyatt...
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NowherePoke
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Great post.
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MrTitleist
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Agreed. Good post.
Great Post -- I bolded the part I liked the best! You were obviously on the same plan I was....wellpoke wrote:
So I went to the games. Wouldn't have been much fun though without wins. But they came too. I was in the stands when the boys stomped Southern Utah and Northeastern Illinois. I was there when we squeaked by Utah State and Montana State. I was yelling with the rest when we beat New Mexico and UNLV. And yes, I was there for the "Valentine's Day Massacre" of BYU and when we beat the eventual NCAA runner-up Utah. It was great times, and I fell in love with Cowboy Basketball. I rarely missed a home game in my 7 years at UW, and attend/watch/listen to every game I can now. That was all because of Coach Shyatt. He got us to the games, but his coaching and the wins caused us all to want to come back. And kept some of us coming back even when things got bad in the last few years.
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MrTitleist
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Van Wilder?
In my defense, I did earn a bachelor's and master's degree in those 7 years. Time well spent imo.-
NowherePoke
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I definitely had similar experiences (I was a freshman that year at UW as well). Main difference is that I was already a big UW hoops fan before I came to campus (pretty much grew up with it, many nights spent cheering on the Pokes while listening to the game on the radio in my bedroom and then going out to play hoops in the driveway the next day and knock over my little brother while pretending I was Reggie Slater), so Shyatt didn't have to win me over, I was going to be there anyway.wellpoke wrote:Thanks all. Anybody else have similar experiences or feel the same way?
Having said that, it is amazing what he did in that one year. I am still somewhat cautious about the hire. The disappointing record at Clemson (and it is very disappointing, don't let it get white washed. Worst record for a Clemson coach in 30+ years) bothers me as does his age. I am not sure how possible it is to recreate success the second time around.
Coach Shyatt has my full support though. I am more excited about the Men's team at UW than I have been in many years. Here's to good times ahead.
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gopokes1399
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I hope he does the same sort of stuff with the sign and with the knocking on the dorm room doors. I think we will start seeing a big change in the basketball program very soon. I just hope we can get a recruit or two
