Bad News

[Itsux2beaewe]

I wish I could be as optimistic as most of you about what the future holds for the program under Linder. In the next 30 days we will be down to five, maybe six players on scholarship for next year. That leaves a lot of recruiting to be done and more than likely without your best recruiter. Bringing in new coach that can recruit and trying to find 6-8 new players will not be easy. I hope that I am wrong, but I can't see how next year gets better.

I missed the announcement. Which coach is leaving the program?

 

[OrediggerPoke]

I wish I could be as optimistic as most of you about what the future holds for the program under Linder. In the next 30 days we will be down to five, maybe six players on scholarship for next year. That leaves a lot of recruiting to be done and more than likely without your best recruiter. Bringing in new coach that can recruit and trying to find 6-8 new players will not be easy. I hope that I am wrong, but I can't see how next year gets better.

I missed the announcement. Which coach is leaving the program?

Yes...very curious. I've heard nothing about losing a coach. Has to be referencing Marc Rodgers who is from the LA area, recruited and had a relationship with the transfer players. He was there last night though.

https://gowyo.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/marc-rodgers/2733

 

[LanderPoke]

I wish I could be as optimistic as most of you about what the future holds for the program under Linder. In the next 30 days we will be down to five, maybe six players on scholarship for next year. That leaves a lot of recruiting to be done and more than likely without your best recruiter. Bringing in new coach that can recruit and trying to find 6-8 new players will not be easy. I hope that I am wrong, but I can't see how next year gets better.

What other players do see leaving? Spill the beans. It's the second time you've said this

 

[OrediggerPoke]

I wish I could be as optimistic as most of you about what the future holds for the program under Linder. In the next 30 days we will be down to five, maybe six players on scholarship for next year. That leaves a lot of recruiting to be done and more than likely without your best recruiter. Bringing in new coach that can recruit and trying to find 6-8 new players will not be easy. I hope that I am wrong, but I can't see how next year gets better.

What other players do see leaving? Spill the beans. It's the second time you've said this

Well Thompson, Foster and Maldo will be gone for sure.

Schollies: Barnhart, DuSell, Wenzel, Oden, Powell, Reynolds (I suspect all of these guys are back personally...especially with Reynolds concussion issues that would limit transfer portal interest).

Unknown: Ike

 

[McPeachy]

I wish I could be as optimistic as most of you about what the future holds for the program under Linder. In the next 30 days we will be down to five, maybe six players on scholarship for next year. That leaves a lot of recruiting to be done and more than likely without your best recruiter. Bringing in new coach that can recruit and trying to find 6-8 new players will not be easy. I hope that I am wrong, but I can't see how next year gets better.

Marc Rogers leaving, huh? He was tied to the Cali guys, right? I trust everyone will come up with their own conclusions... rly:

 

[ragtimejoe1]

Worst program collapse ever at WYO?

Wow, what a disappointment. I thought Linder was going to tear it up over the next few years. Maybe he will, but what a rotten season from a lot of different angles. I'll bet this is and will be the biggest test of Linder's career.

 

[bladerunnr]

I sure hope Powell returns. I see a lot of potential there. It will be interesting to see how Linder responds to a season that can only be described as a catastrophe. I have to admit my confidence in Linder is shaken by all the swings and misses on this year's roster. Plus, the lack of improvement in Oden, Dusell, and Wenzel has been a major disappointment.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

Worst program collapse ever at WYO?

Wow, what a disappointment. I thought Linder was going to tear it up over the next few years. Maybe he will, but what a rotten season from a lot of different angles. I'll bet this is and will be the biggest test of Linder's career.

No. I think this year is an aberration brought on by injuries and the big whiff on the transfer portal guys. That isn't a program collapse (yet at least).

Vic Koenning and Allan Edwards come to mind to me for program collapses.

 

[Bryoming]

What other players do see leaving? Spill the beans. It's the second time you've said this

Well Thompson, Foster and Maldo will be gone for sure.

Schollies: Barnhart, DuSell, Wenzel, Oden, Powell, Reynolds (I suspect all of these guys are back personally...especially with Reynolds concussion issues that would limit transfer portal interest).

Unknown: Ike

I have seen nothing to indicate that Ike is not going to be back next year. Sure, you could try to read between the lines in his vague statement about returning to the court, but often there's nothing between the lines. I'll assume he's coming back to Laramie until he says otherwise.

 

[Poke in Billings]

Worst program collapse ever at WYO?

Wow, what a disappointment. I thought Linder was going to tear it up over the next few years. Maybe he will, but what a rotten season from a lot of different angles. I'll bet this is and will be the biggest test of Linder's career.

No. I think this year is an aberration brought on by injuries and the big whiff on the transfer portal guys. That isn't a program collapse (yet at least).

Vic Koenning and Allan Edwards come to mind to me for program collapses.

I agree with this. Still of the opinion Linder is a top notch coach.

Don't think the transfers not working out will hurt recruiting at all. It just helps send the message that adopting the rest of the team's work ethic and gelling as one close knit team is a requirement.

 

[McPeachy]

Interesting tidbit...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/former-usc-players-dismissed-from-wyoming-basketball-program/ar-AA17iufD?cvid=22d73788267e426381c4d8ba9a5bb576

 

[ragtimejoe1]

No. I think this year is an aberration brought on by injuries and the big whiff on the transfer portal guys. That isn't a program collapse (yet at least).

Vic Koenning and Allan Edwards come to mind to me for program collapses.

I agree with this. Still of the opinion Linder is a top notch coach.

Don't think the transfers not working out will hurt recruiting at all. It just helps send the message that adopting the rest of the team's work ethic and gelling as one close knit team is a requirement.

I guess program collapse was probably a poor choice of words. Highest expectations to biggest let down? Has to be up there.

I'm not bashing Linder. Lots of crap happened this year. Really strange season.

 

[wyosports]

I found this quote from one of the people who run AAU (summer) basketball in Southern California. The quote was him talking about the three former players. I am amazed by all the different stories being told. I do believe our lone commit has ties to this guy, so not sure what that means. I will say the people who I talk to all believe Graham will be back at UW next year.
·

I’m heavily involved with the youth in Los Angeles. People in the city already know. So, this news right here is really weak to me. But check this out! Going forward and this for ALL SCHOOLS, if I hear about you doing any of our players wrong, NO MORE WILL GO TO YOUR SCHOOL!

 

[Wyovanian]

I found this quote from one of the people who run AAU (summer) basketball in Southern California. The quote was him talking about the three former players. I am amazed by all the different stories being told. I do believe our lone commit has ties to this guy, so not sure what that means. I will say the people who I talk to all believe Graham will be back at UW next year.
·

I’m heavily involved with the youth in Los Angeles. People in the city already know. So, this news right here is really weak to me. But check this out! Going forward and this for ALL SCHOOLS, if I hear about you doing any of our players wrong, NO MORE WILL GO TO YOUR SCHOOL!

I hope he's not basing such a conclusion on one-sided accounts (from the players). If so, it wouldn't be too long before he ran out of D1 schools to send them to.

 

[WestWYOPoke]

Interesting tidbit...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/former-usc-players-dismissed-from-wyoming-basketball-program/ar-AA17iufD?cvid=22d73788267e426381c4d8ba9a5bb576

Linder doesn't strike me as an idiot, so I have to believe dismissing players before the end of the season isn't simply a case of "they weren't working out". He knows a move like that could wait a few more weeks until the season is over unless it is especially egregious. My guess is there were multiple discipline issues (maybe not legal issues, just team discipline) over the course of the season that led to this.

On the plus side, more scholarships to hopefully get some impact players. On the down side, news like this doesn't help with attracting recruits.

 

[307bball]

I found this quote from one of the people who run AAU (summer) basketball in Southern California. The quote was him talking about the three former players. I am amazed by all the different stories being told. I do believe our lone commit has ties to this guy, so not sure what that means. I will say the people who I talk to all believe Graham will be back at UW next year.
·

I’m heavily involved with the youth in Los Angeles. People in the city already know. So, this news right here is really weak to me. But check this out! Going forward and this for ALL SCHOOLS, if I hear about you doing any of our players wrong, NO MORE WILL GO TO YOUR SCHOOL!

I hope he's not basing such a conclusion on one-sided accounts (from the players). If so, it wouldn't be too long before he ran out of D1 schools to send them to.

That one sided account is exactly what this will be judged on.... unfortunately... That is the reality. It's not right or wrong.... It just is. Reputations ride on this stuff.

 

[LanderPoke]

I found this quote from one of the people who run AAU (summer) basketball in Southern California. The quote was him talking about the three former players. I am amazed by all the different stories being told. I do believe our lone commit has ties to this guy, so not sure what that means. I will say the people who I talk to all believe Graham will be back at UW next year.
·

I’m heavily involved with the youth in Los Angeles. People in the city already know. So, this news right here is really weak to me. But check this out! Going forward and this for ALL SCHOOLS, if I hear about you doing any of our players wrong, NO MORE WILL GO TO YOUR SCHOOL!

How many of our players come from CA. Not many

 

[Wyovanian]

I hope he's not basing such a conclusion on one-sided accounts (from the players). If so, it wouldn't be too long before he ran out of D1 schools to send them to.

That one sided account is exactly what this will be judged on.... unfortunately... That is the reality. It's not right or wrong.... It just is. Reputations ride on this stuff.

The upshot of what I was saying is basically, "Who really gives a f-ck?". Some SoCal AAU "facilitator who's probably taking money left and right from agents is going to stop sending "his" players to schools because they, ostensibly, didn't like the experience is going to run short of "clients" in short order in the age of the portal. Much ado about little d-ck discoveries...

 

[Poke in New England]

The PR arm of UW and the Athletic Department had better get on the stick. The players' parents are burning it down on the way out - even asserting that they had to basically evacuate their kids because they were receiving death threats. True or not - this sort of garbage could devastate recruiting and our rebuild. A mamby-pamby, bland press release won't cut it.

BTW - I call BS on the death threats. That is wholly unbelievable. No one cared enough about any of the three to threaten them. They were invisible here, therefore no one would possibly feel strong enough about them to care that much

Death threats to 3 bench players on a 7-16 basketball team gotta be some of the biggest bullsh*t ive ever heard.

 

[Itsux2beaewe]

For what it’s worth, my opinion. Not that anyone cares.

After reading the tidbit from McPeachy, I think Linder is moving on from this year, getting rid of the deadweight and preparing for next year. If Ike stays, and I’m not sure there is reason to believe he won’t anymore than he will, we’ll be dam good.

People questioning Linder need to look no farther than last year. Most were pleasantly surprised. I didn’t expect them to do as well as they did. I don’t think coach K could have done much with what Linder confronted this year. We lost Jeffries from last year as far as significant impact. The injuries killed us. I think Linder can build on the remaining players, and he will recruit some nice additions.

My bet is, this time next year we’ll be discussing how we keep Linder. I’m willing to bet a Pokes cap (I want to support the Brown and Gold should I lose) we’ll be much improved and in the top 3 in the conference at seasons end 23-24. Anyone willing has to accept my bet by the end of this MBB season.

In Linder I trust - for mens bb.