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25-26 Basketball Roster

McPeachy said:
In other words, you are fine with UW being perpetually mediocre. Great.
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I thought you also said you didn’t and weren’t willing to spend your money on paying players, no?

You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be against paying players and at the same time expect to compete with the top teams in terms of athletic talent.
 
OrediggerPoke said:
I thought you also said you didn’t and weren’t willing to spend your money on paying players, no?

You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be against paying players and at the same time expect to compete with the top teams in terms of athletic talent.
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I did, and I won't - you are correct. I am on the same page with you - it appears our fan base has disconnected from what it looks like - and not just between us, this is affecting (us) all.

My comment "Great" is that it appears we are going to forever be stuck in the mud. A non-inspiring non-visionary AD will do that. And did.
 
McPeachy said:
In other words, you are fine with UW being perpetually mediocre. Great.
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Mediocre? LOL! We haven't made it to the quarterfinal round of the MW bb tournament in 4 years. And with the current football coach, 3-9 looks to be about our ceiling. We've got a long way to go to get to mediocre.
 
bladerunnr said:
Mediocre? LOL! We haven't made it to the quarterfinal round of the MW bb tournament in 4 years. And with the current football coach, 3-9 looks to be about our ceiling. We've got a long way to go to get to mediocre.
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The saddest of sad statements - but also the truest of the true.

We are getting what we are paying for. We just don't like it. I live in the past where Randy Welniak leads the comeback to lead us to a Top 10 ranking. I live in the past where Clauzell hits Eric with a bomb to hit the shot to beat the Sheep in Provo. I live in the past where Paul Roach steps forward and saves the day. I live in the past where we actually worried that someone might have interest enough to steal one of our coaches. But with our current leadership, our current fan base, and our current economic plight - those memories will never be visited on future generations.
 
LawPoke said:
The saddest of sad statements - but also the truest of the true.

We are getting what we are paying for. We just don't like it. I live in the past where Randy Welniak leads the comeback to lead us to a Top 10 ranking. I live in the past where Clauzell hits Eric with a bomb to hit the shot to beat the Sheep in Provo. I live in the past where Paul Roach steps forward and saves the day. I live in the past where we actually worried that someone might have interest enough to steal one of our coaches. But with our current leadership, our current fan base, and our current economic plight - those memories will never be visited on future generations.
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Do you believe our fanbase in the 80s would have supported paying players? Or utilizing state or student funds to pay players? While I was only a kid in the 80s, I sure don't know many from that generation in Wyoming who isn't typically a fiscal conservative.

Sure we had success in the 80s but I am even a bit doubtful Randy Welniak (Mr. Wyoming himself) doesn't transfer out of Wyoming back then for a bigger payday under the current landscape. I highly suspect that Fennis Dembo collects one really big check somewhere else in today's landscape (probably from the University of Alabama).
 
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OrediggerPoke said:
Do you believe our fanbase in the 80s would have supported paying players? Or utilizing state or student funds to pay players? While I was only a kid in the 80s, I sure don't know many from that generation in Wyoming who isn't typically a fiscal conservative.

Sure we had success in the 80s but I am even a bit doubtful Randy Welniak (Mr. Wyoming himself) doesn't transfer out of Wyoming back then for a bigger payday under the current landscape.
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No. No they wouldn't have supported any of that.

All I'm saying is that we don't have the vision, gumption, desire, or leadership to really even try anymore. UW is a place of half-measures (at best) and old thinking. Back in the 80s, we were in the mix. We were a going concern for others in our league and region. Today, we are apparently fine enough with being mediocre (and even terrible) that we won't even try to do anything about it. We complain (I do), we commiserate, we lament, we get mad, we cast blame (I do)...but then we shrug our shoulders and say - oh well.

There is little argument that we would have wanted to pay players back in the glory days (no one but SMU and the SWC teams did...). But you know what we did do? We created a booster club to seek donations to fund scholarships - the first of its kind in the league I believe (maybe even in our general region). Just like today, a lot of folks thought that contributing scholarship funds was a bridge too far...and the kids should just be happy to be able to play ball for us. But Wyoming - little old, backwater UW - and folks that wanted to compete and win had a vision, stepped up, opened their wallets, and built a pretty neat thing. And we reaped the benefit of that forethought for most of the 1980s while others tried to catch up - beating the tar out of a lot of really great schools and programs along the way.

My point is, if we all think we can't compete and don't really want to do what it takes to compete, why don't we just live in reality, drop to FCS, join the Big Sky, and stop wasting money, energy, time, and frustration on an FBS program. If that's the best we can ever hope for - given the political and social thinking about paying players and doing what it CLEARLY TAKES to compete today (whether you agree or disagree with that thinking is immaterial) - then let's just throw in the towel already. We used to fight. We used to take action. We used to lead. Now we just pout (me included) and grow bitter.
 
LawPoke said:
No. No they wouldn't have supported any of that.

All I'm saying is that we don't have the vision, gumption, desire, or leadership to really even try anymore. UW is a place of half-measures (at best) and old thinking. Back in the 80s, we were in the mix. We were a going concern for others in our league and region. Today, we are apparently fine enough with being mediocre (and even terrible) that we won't even try to do anything about it. We complain (I do), we commiserate, we lament, we get mad, we cast blame (I do)...but then we shrug our shoulders and say - oh well.

There is little argument that we would have wanted to pay players back in the glory days (no one but SMU and the SWC teams did...). But you know what we did do? We created a booster club to seek donations to fund scholarships - the first of its kind in the league I believe (maybe even in our general region). Just like today, a lot of folks thought that contributing scholarship funds was a bridge too far...and the kids should just be happy to be able to play ball for us. But Wyoming - little old, backwater UW - and folks that wanted to compete and win had a vision, stepped up, opened their wallets, and built a pretty neat thing. And we reaped the benefit of that forethought for most of the 1980s while others tried to catch up - beating the tar out of a lot of really great schools and programs along the way.

My point is, if we all think we can't compete and don't really want to do what it takes to compete, why don't we just live in reality, drop to FCS, join the Big Sky, and stop wasting money, energy, time, and frustration on an FBS program. If that's the best we can ever hope for - given the political and social thinking about paying players and doing what it CLEARLY TAKES to compete today (whether you agree or disagree with that thinking is immaterial) - then let's just throw in the towel already. We used to fight. We used to take action. We used to lead. Now we just pout (me included) and grow bitter.
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I agree. Let's throw in the towel of trying to compete with the likes of the BIG 10, SEC, BYU, etc...in their arms race to pay players sums of money that pretty much none of us have ever made ourselves in our professional careers.

Let's affiliate with like minded institutions who support actual 'amateur' athletics and let's play them and go from there. I believe the new MWC will largely cover similar institutions (outside of Grand Canyon) and I am hopeful there really is a split and the SEC/BIG 10 and a few other schools can be on their way and in their own league. In our new league and hopefully with the help of Congress, let's impose reasonable and lawful restrictions on compensation to players/transfer/etc...and then the joy can return to the AA. Let's continue to fund scholarships so that our 'amateur' athletes can actually achieve the real purpose of college...an education.
 
OrediggerPoke said:
I agree. Let's throw in the towel of trying to compete with the likes of the BIG 10, SEC, BYU, etc...in their arms race to pay players sums of money that pretty much none of us have ever made ourselves in our professional careers.

Let's affiliate with like minded institutions who support actual 'amateur' athletics and let's play them and go from there. I believe the new MWC will largely cover similar institutions (outside of Grand Canyon) and I am hopeful there really is a split and the SEC/BIG 10 and a few other schools can be on their way and in their own league. In our new league and hopefully with the help of Congress, let's impose reasonable and lawful restrictions on compensation to players/transfer/etc...and then the joy can return to the AA. Let's continue to fund scholarships so that our 'amateur' athletes can actually achieve the real purpose of college...an education.
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Very rational and very reasonable. I think this is where and who we are.
 
There was a window when the legislature basically approved anything and everything for UW -- swimming pools, stadium upgrades, budgets etc. Additionally, i don't agree that Wyoming doesn't or hasn't had big time donors -- McMurray, Jonah Field, Homer Scott, True Oil, Cercy, Sinclair, are a few names that come to mind. So the money has or was out there. UW failed to generate the enthusiasm among this crowd by winning. Don't think that all the buyouts and bad contracts (Edwards, Schroyer, Christensen, Glenn) that our AD engineered didn't help kill that as well. Several of those buyouts involved "private dollars" that donors had to pay for.

The inability to put this all together and make the athletic department successful and get NIL dollars with the support of the legislature is on the AD. Apparently, CSU, USU, Boise, SDSU and UNLV put that all together.
 
rocket city poke said:
There was a window when the legislature basically approved anything and everything for UW -- swimming pools, stadium upgrades, budgets etc. Additionally, i don't agree that Wyoming doesn't or hasn't had big time donors -- McMurray, Jonah Field, Homer Scott, True Oil, Cercy, Sinclair, are a few names that come to mind. So the money has or was out there. UW failed to generate the enthusiasm among this crowd by winning. Don't think that all the buyouts and bad contracts (Edwards, Schroyer, Christensen, Glenn) that our AD engineered didn't help kill that as well. Several of those buyouts involved "private dollars" that donors had to pay for.

The inability to put this all together and make the athletic department successful and get NIL dollars with the support of the legislature is on the AD. Apparently, CSU, USU, Boise, SDSU and UNLV put that all together.
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You are so correct. We used to be dripping in money. State and private. And we largely squandered it. The proof is that the only truly good, consistent program is women’s basketball. The rest are “meh” or worse - even terrible. All we have to show for it are some (admittedly nice) buildings, half-completed renovations, and more contract buyouts than points scored in most football games last year.

The really awesome news is that UW, CJC, and the BOT seem hell bent to irritate whatever remaining donors we have (small and large) and the legislature is almost universally hostile to our Alma mater. Perfect timing for the cash and enthusiasm wells to run dry. So great.
 
LanderPoke said:
Is he good?
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He was a 4* recruit last year. He chose Memphis over Arkansas, Auburn, Houston, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech (all tournament teams), and many other schools who didn't make the tournament this year.

The knock on him as a recruit is that he needs help getting to the right mentality to be successful, which Sunny is damn good at. If we can hold on to this dude for a couple years he's the type of player that can be all MW and significatly elevate the entire team.
 
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