PorkerPoke
Well-known member
First of all – I know this is not likely to be received well with many UW followers. Larry Shyatt is deemed by some to be a basketball god. I have a difference of opinion that has been bothering me for a while now and I have to vent. I hope I am completely wrong with my assessment, but I have seen similar trends unfold both at Clemson and here at UW ever since seeing Shyatt for the first time at UW in 1997-98.
There is no doubt that Larry Shyatt runs a clean program. That is very important. It is a breath of fresh air to see the program staying away from trouble as occurred at the end of McClain and during the Schroyer eras. What is also important is winning in conference play. A winning MWC record is something that has only occurred once in the past 12 years. It occurred for the first time since 2003 in 2015 under Shyatt. His best MWC finish with a #1 NBA draft pick and another player that could be a potential NBA draft pick in 2016 was a tie for 4th place.
Shyatt seems to get a pass on production based on the miracle season of 1997-98 when he took over from Joby Wright and produced a 19-9 (9-5) team in the last year of the WAC. There is no doubt from that one year stint as UW head coach came some good recruits which Steve McClain inherited. But – those recruits alone did not produce MWC championships. Steve McClain complimented the Shyatt recruiting class with additional players that could produce at the D1 level.
The current Shyatt era has seen recruitment of a 2015 NBA draft pick and a potential 2016 NBA draft pick. What has not happened is a compliment of additional recruiting. It does not matter to this UW fan if the recruitment comes from the high school ranks or the JC ranks where needs exist, but it does matter when needs exist that the player recruited has at least average D1 ability. That does not mean having to be even an honorable mention MWC player. It just means you can have an impact in your assigned role on a consistent basis.
There have been quite a number of recruits that never played and left the program. Of those who stayed or are in the program here are some examples of players who did not or have not demonstrated they are average D1 players:
Sellers – UW needed an inside presence. Shyatt recruits a guy that did not play in high school and played one year at a relatively weak Wyoming junior college. For 3 years UW suffered from a much needed addition at the post. D1 grade - F.
Halderson – UW needed a forward. Shyatt recruits a player that appeared to have potential. Other D1 programs did not see much potential. Leaves UW for Fort Lewis College. He was able to secure 10 starts before being relegated to a role of bench player. Got the last laugh in coming back to UW with Fort Lewis and winning an exhibition game. D1 grade – F.
Barnes – UW needed size because Herndon is redshirting since he is a marginal D1 player. Shyatt appears to grab a 3 star recruit which once again shows how insignificant recruiting stars can be. So far he has played in 28 games with 12 starts averaging a whopping 2 pts and 1.4 rebounds mostly because he has to be pulled from the game to give UW a chance to win. So far the D1 grade is: F.
Washington – UW needed a point to backup/replace Grabau. Due to a redshirt Washington is listed as a SO. The third year player is adding 3 pts and 1 rb with his game. So far the D1 grade is: F.
Lieberman – UW needed a point to backup/replace Grabau. This has worked out so far to 1.6 points and less than 1 rebound per game in once again limited playing time due to the greater liability play time brings to the outcome of the game. So far the D1 grade is: F.
Aka Gorski – UW also needed a bigger shooting guard. This 3 point specialist has developed so far into a 3 point and less than 1 rebound per game addition to the roster. He also has to be limited in game time and ball touches so that UW has a chance to win. So far the D1 grade is: F.
Morris Marshall – As UW keeps looking for the shooting guard help, this recruit came with JC experience. He played 9 minutes scoring 7 points and grabbing 3 rebounds in the Fort Lewis exhibition (compared to McNanamen with 26 minutes scoring 5 and grabbing 4 rebounds). But for some mysterious reason he hurt his foot and subsequently his role is to put on a uniform and keep a seat on the bench warm. In 16 minutes of play over 4 games he has scored 5 points and grabbed 2 rebounds. Since Shyatt is the basketball guru that is leading UW we must abide by his stellar talent judgment which means Morris cannot and will not play thereby leading me to conclude he has to have a D1 grade of: F.
UW fans are reasonable and acknowledge that this year’s team is young. If anything happens to prevent Adams from playing, this team might not even win another game once he is not playing. Adams is the ONLY reason why this team so far has won 5 of 13 division 1 games. No Adams and the only win this year might have been versus non-D1 Bristol. Sorry to the McNanamen fans, but the 4th year player from Torrington is NOT going to do anything special without feeding off of Adams. It is obvious that Adams is frustrated that the surrounding roster does not provide a lot of help. The whole point in listing the above players of which 5 are currently playing is to show that in key areas there is a consistent recruiting of weak links. We will not know if the recruits who never played would have “developed” under Shyatt.
The future success of UW basketball absolutely depends on the latest group of freshmen and the continued development of all other players on the roster. Justin James has demonstrated that he so far is the best recruit since Adams with obvious D1 ability. One ready to play player every 3-4 years will not produce conference championships. The remainder of the roster is considered “development” projects. I most sincerely hope that this roster is developing right now and since the majority of it tentatively should be intact for the next 2-3 seasons the program should get back into the upper level of the MWC within 2 years let alone next year with a boatload of juniors and 2 seniors. Which players remain in the program and what quality is recruited for those that leave the program whether via eligibility or personal reasons will determine the future.
This is the track record for Shyatt which concerns this fan that a MWC championship run may not be in the cards: A 20-60 (.250) conference record in a tough conference at Clemson. As of Jan 2, 2016, Shyatt has a MWC record of 30-38 (.441) in a much weaker MWC with a proven NBA player and a potential one currently playing. Shyatt had a D1 OOC of 51-24 at Clemson. During the MWC Shyatt UW version the D1 OOC is 52-21. Simply put Shyatt has averaged as a D1 head coach a 7th place conference finish while winning 5 of every 7 OOC games but only 5 of every 15 conference games (50-98 in conference career record). Shyatt is only 2-5 against an AFA program that is 24-43 in MWC play during the current tenure. Up until the early 2000’s, AFA rarely won a game against Wyoming. When you cannot win against poor performers you cannot take the top spot.
The question this UW fan must ask is what level of competitiveness is considered acceptable? One bowl game for Joe Glenn and an average of 6th place finishes cost him his job. Two bowl games and a 5th place average finish cost Dave Christensen his job. How many seasons without a winning record in the MWC will keep Larry Shyatt at the helm? I really do not care as much about OOC because only really pathetic teams finish sub .500 in OOC. It is the conference that ultimately defines the success of the program.
A trend this season disturbing to this UW fan is that in post game interviews Coach Shyatt seems to be in an agitated mode towards anyone who may have criticism of what he is doing. Does he read message boards? Does he hear criticism on talk radio? Who tweets negatively? I certainly do not see anything tough in the CST or WTE. It is also disturbing to hear Larry and see tweets from Jeremy about how Poke fans should be in awe of how stout the Omaha team is who UW beat in Laramie 76-75. Sure Omaha is now 10-6 and poised for success in the Summit League, but I never thought I would read a Jeremy twitter line echoing “Papa Shyatt” that “Cowboy fans u have no idea how big that win was. Omaha was the best team we have played thus far.” Omaha no matter what, is the kind of team on the OOC home schedule I expect to beat even in a down year. I find it unacceptable to have it implied that Cowboy fans are clueless morons that cannot see the results of marginal recruiting.
Coach Shyatt – as far as I am concerned you wasted what Nance and Adams brought to the program with too many marginal recruits you are “developing”. This current group of freshmen will have to be surrounded with better recruiting in the future because any additional recruits needing a redshirt year and 2 years of playing time to average 3 or less points per game just will not do much for MWC success. The entire sophomore class looks more like a combo of players for a bad team from the Southland Conference.
Thanks for the MWC Tourney win. It provided the opportunity to see the program in NCAA play but was a reminder how non-competitive UW remains on the national level. Coach Shyatt – the beat down by Northern Iowa was exactly like the beat down by Gonzaga when you quit UW the first time. Don’t rest on last year as a huge accomplishment that will last in the minds of Cowboy fans. Consistency is a key. Success points to consistency that coaches like Ben Jacobson and Bryce Drew provide to their fan bases in locations not otherwise considered prime basketball destinations. The winds of impatience and disappointment continue to blow every winter at Wyoming in each of the major sports. It really does gnaw at enthusiasm levels. It seems like one just has to accept it as a Wyoming thing and continue to wait and wait and wait for some momentary glory before they die.
There is no doubt that Larry Shyatt runs a clean program. That is very important. It is a breath of fresh air to see the program staying away from trouble as occurred at the end of McClain and during the Schroyer eras. What is also important is winning in conference play. A winning MWC record is something that has only occurred once in the past 12 years. It occurred for the first time since 2003 in 2015 under Shyatt. His best MWC finish with a #1 NBA draft pick and another player that could be a potential NBA draft pick in 2016 was a tie for 4th place.
Shyatt seems to get a pass on production based on the miracle season of 1997-98 when he took over from Joby Wright and produced a 19-9 (9-5) team in the last year of the WAC. There is no doubt from that one year stint as UW head coach came some good recruits which Steve McClain inherited. But – those recruits alone did not produce MWC championships. Steve McClain complimented the Shyatt recruiting class with additional players that could produce at the D1 level.
The current Shyatt era has seen recruitment of a 2015 NBA draft pick and a potential 2016 NBA draft pick. What has not happened is a compliment of additional recruiting. It does not matter to this UW fan if the recruitment comes from the high school ranks or the JC ranks where needs exist, but it does matter when needs exist that the player recruited has at least average D1 ability. That does not mean having to be even an honorable mention MWC player. It just means you can have an impact in your assigned role on a consistent basis.
There have been quite a number of recruits that never played and left the program. Of those who stayed or are in the program here are some examples of players who did not or have not demonstrated they are average D1 players:
Sellers – UW needed an inside presence. Shyatt recruits a guy that did not play in high school and played one year at a relatively weak Wyoming junior college. For 3 years UW suffered from a much needed addition at the post. D1 grade - F.
Halderson – UW needed a forward. Shyatt recruits a player that appeared to have potential. Other D1 programs did not see much potential. Leaves UW for Fort Lewis College. He was able to secure 10 starts before being relegated to a role of bench player. Got the last laugh in coming back to UW with Fort Lewis and winning an exhibition game. D1 grade – F.
Barnes – UW needed size because Herndon is redshirting since he is a marginal D1 player. Shyatt appears to grab a 3 star recruit which once again shows how insignificant recruiting stars can be. So far he has played in 28 games with 12 starts averaging a whopping 2 pts and 1.4 rebounds mostly because he has to be pulled from the game to give UW a chance to win. So far the D1 grade is: F.
Washington – UW needed a point to backup/replace Grabau. Due to a redshirt Washington is listed as a SO. The third year player is adding 3 pts and 1 rb with his game. So far the D1 grade is: F.
Lieberman – UW needed a point to backup/replace Grabau. This has worked out so far to 1.6 points and less than 1 rebound per game in once again limited playing time due to the greater liability play time brings to the outcome of the game. So far the D1 grade is: F.
Aka Gorski – UW also needed a bigger shooting guard. This 3 point specialist has developed so far into a 3 point and less than 1 rebound per game addition to the roster. He also has to be limited in game time and ball touches so that UW has a chance to win. So far the D1 grade is: F.
Morris Marshall – As UW keeps looking for the shooting guard help, this recruit came with JC experience. He played 9 minutes scoring 7 points and grabbing 3 rebounds in the Fort Lewis exhibition (compared to McNanamen with 26 minutes scoring 5 and grabbing 4 rebounds). But for some mysterious reason he hurt his foot and subsequently his role is to put on a uniform and keep a seat on the bench warm. In 16 minutes of play over 4 games he has scored 5 points and grabbed 2 rebounds. Since Shyatt is the basketball guru that is leading UW we must abide by his stellar talent judgment which means Morris cannot and will not play thereby leading me to conclude he has to have a D1 grade of: F.
UW fans are reasonable and acknowledge that this year’s team is young. If anything happens to prevent Adams from playing, this team might not even win another game once he is not playing. Adams is the ONLY reason why this team so far has won 5 of 13 division 1 games. No Adams and the only win this year might have been versus non-D1 Bristol. Sorry to the McNanamen fans, but the 4th year player from Torrington is NOT going to do anything special without feeding off of Adams. It is obvious that Adams is frustrated that the surrounding roster does not provide a lot of help. The whole point in listing the above players of which 5 are currently playing is to show that in key areas there is a consistent recruiting of weak links. We will not know if the recruits who never played would have “developed” under Shyatt.
The future success of UW basketball absolutely depends on the latest group of freshmen and the continued development of all other players on the roster. Justin James has demonstrated that he so far is the best recruit since Adams with obvious D1 ability. One ready to play player every 3-4 years will not produce conference championships. The remainder of the roster is considered “development” projects. I most sincerely hope that this roster is developing right now and since the majority of it tentatively should be intact for the next 2-3 seasons the program should get back into the upper level of the MWC within 2 years let alone next year with a boatload of juniors and 2 seniors. Which players remain in the program and what quality is recruited for those that leave the program whether via eligibility or personal reasons will determine the future.
This is the track record for Shyatt which concerns this fan that a MWC championship run may not be in the cards: A 20-60 (.250) conference record in a tough conference at Clemson. As of Jan 2, 2016, Shyatt has a MWC record of 30-38 (.441) in a much weaker MWC with a proven NBA player and a potential one currently playing. Shyatt had a D1 OOC of 51-24 at Clemson. During the MWC Shyatt UW version the D1 OOC is 52-21. Simply put Shyatt has averaged as a D1 head coach a 7th place conference finish while winning 5 of every 7 OOC games but only 5 of every 15 conference games (50-98 in conference career record). Shyatt is only 2-5 against an AFA program that is 24-43 in MWC play during the current tenure. Up until the early 2000’s, AFA rarely won a game against Wyoming. When you cannot win against poor performers you cannot take the top spot.
The question this UW fan must ask is what level of competitiveness is considered acceptable? One bowl game for Joe Glenn and an average of 6th place finishes cost him his job. Two bowl games and a 5th place average finish cost Dave Christensen his job. How many seasons without a winning record in the MWC will keep Larry Shyatt at the helm? I really do not care as much about OOC because only really pathetic teams finish sub .500 in OOC. It is the conference that ultimately defines the success of the program.
A trend this season disturbing to this UW fan is that in post game interviews Coach Shyatt seems to be in an agitated mode towards anyone who may have criticism of what he is doing. Does he read message boards? Does he hear criticism on talk radio? Who tweets negatively? I certainly do not see anything tough in the CST or WTE. It is also disturbing to hear Larry and see tweets from Jeremy about how Poke fans should be in awe of how stout the Omaha team is who UW beat in Laramie 76-75. Sure Omaha is now 10-6 and poised for success in the Summit League, but I never thought I would read a Jeremy twitter line echoing “Papa Shyatt” that “Cowboy fans u have no idea how big that win was. Omaha was the best team we have played thus far.” Omaha no matter what, is the kind of team on the OOC home schedule I expect to beat even in a down year. I find it unacceptable to have it implied that Cowboy fans are clueless morons that cannot see the results of marginal recruiting.
Coach Shyatt – as far as I am concerned you wasted what Nance and Adams brought to the program with too many marginal recruits you are “developing”. This current group of freshmen will have to be surrounded with better recruiting in the future because any additional recruits needing a redshirt year and 2 years of playing time to average 3 or less points per game just will not do much for MWC success. The entire sophomore class looks more like a combo of players for a bad team from the Southland Conference.
Thanks for the MWC Tourney win. It provided the opportunity to see the program in NCAA play but was a reminder how non-competitive UW remains on the national level. Coach Shyatt – the beat down by Northern Iowa was exactly like the beat down by Gonzaga when you quit UW the first time. Don’t rest on last year as a huge accomplishment that will last in the minds of Cowboy fans. Consistency is a key. Success points to consistency that coaches like Ben Jacobson and Bryce Drew provide to their fan bases in locations not otherwise considered prime basketball destinations. The winds of impatience and disappointment continue to blow every winter at Wyoming in each of the major sports. It really does gnaw at enthusiasm levels. It seems like one just has to accept it as a Wyoming thing and continue to wait and wait and wait for some momentary glory before they die.
