Wyoming Cowboys men's basketball

Infobox CBB Team
name = Wyoming Cowboys

logo_size = 150px
university = University of Wyoming
conference = Mountain West Conference
conference_short = MWC
division =
city = Laramie
stateabb = WY
state = Wyoming
coach = Heath Schroyer
tenure = 1st
arena = Arena-Auditorium
capacity = 15,028
nickname = Cowboys
color1 = Brown
color2 = Gold
fontcolor = DDCCA5
hex1 = 593D2B
hex2 = DDCCA5
h_body=593D2B
h_pattern_b=_thinsidesonwhite
h_shorts=593D2B
h_pattern_s=_blanksides
a_body=593D2B
a_pattern_b=_thinyellowsides
a_shorts=593D2B
a_pattern_s=_yellowsides
NCAAchampion = 1943
NCAAfinalfour = 1943
NCAAeliteeight = 1952
NCAAsweetsixteen = 1987
NITRunnerup= 1986
conference_tournament = 1987, 1988
conference_season = 1932, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1958, 1967, 1969, 1981, 1982, 1986, 2001, 2002
NCAAtournament
NITtournament= 1968,1969,1986,1991,1998,1999,2001,2003

The University of Wyoming men's basketball program, which currently competes in the Mountain West Conference, has a lengthy tradition dating back to 1905. Cowboys fans can claim something that few other teams' fans can: an NCAA Championship, won in 1943 under Hall of Fame coach Everett Shelton and behind star guard Ken Sailors, who pioneered the jump shot that is now the standard in basketball. Wyoming has made a total of 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, though the closest it has come to the lofty heights of the 1943 team was a Sweet 16 appearance in 1987. Since the Mountain West was formed in 1999, Wyoming has won two conference titles, including an outright championship in 2002. Prior to that, Wyoming won five championships in the Western Athletic Conference, eight championships in the Skyline Conference, and one championship in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

History

The Wyoming basketball program began in 1904 when a group known as the "Laramie Town Team" challenged a team from the university to a basketball game; Wyoming won that game by a score of 17-5.Source: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/wyo/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/06-07MediaGuideWyoWay.pdf] The team became a powerhouse in the 1930s under coach Willard "Dutch" Witte, who led the 1934 Cowboy team to a 26-3 record. In those days before the NCAA Tournament had begun, college basketball's national champion was determined by a set of poll voters for the Helms Foundation, which selected Wyoming as its national champion. Witte coached a total of nine seasons in Laramie and compiled a 134-51 record.

After Witte stepped down in 1939, Everett Shelton took over the team and went on to become the winningest coach in Wyoming history in his 19 years in Laramie. Although Shelton went just 6-10 in his first season, his teams would win 20 or more games seven times during his career. In 1943, the Cowboys went 31-2 and won the NCAA Tournament. That team was led by Ken Sailors, who scored 16 points in the championship game victory over Georgetown on his way to being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. In addition, Sailors was named college basketball's Player of the Year in 1943 and again in 1946 after returning from fighting in World War II. In all, the Cowboys made eight NCAA tournament appearances under Shelton, though they only won one game aside from the three-game run in 1943.

After Shelton retired in 1959, Wyoming basketball lay dormant for some time. Including Shelton's last four campaigns as head coach, the Cowboys endured nine consecutive losing seasons from 1956 to 1964. Coach Bill Strannigan, who succeeded Shelton, had just six winning seasons in fourteen years as head coach and made one NCAA Tournament appearance in 1967 in which the Cowboys were handed a lopsided loss at the hands of eventual national champion UCLA. Again from 1971 through 1978, the Cowboys had just one winning season, a 17-10 campaign under Don DeVoe in 1976-77.

In 1978, Jim Brandenburg became the Cowboys' head coach and the program experienced a resurgence. In his nine seasons, Wyoming did not have a single losing season and made four NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1981, the Cowboys were 24-6 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to being the Cowboys' first tournament appearance since 1967, it was their first 20-win season since 1953 and first NCAA Tournament victory since 1952. After guiding the Cowboys to the Sweet 16 in 1987, however, Brandenburg left the Cowboys to become the coach at conference rival San Diego State.Source: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0DE1539F936A15750C0A961948260] He was replaced by Benny Dees, who went 26-6 in his first year with the Cowboys but could not return them to the NCAA Tournament after that.

Larry Shyatt went 19-9 in 1997-98, his only season in Laramie before becoming the head coach at Clemson University. After his departure, Steve McClain took over the head coaching job and had three consecutive 20-win seasons from 2001-03, including conference titles in 2001 and 2002 and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002. Despite his success, McClain's contract was not extended and he was fired from the University on March 12, 2007.Source: http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2007/03/06/sports/sportstop_story/7e90024a44451c8d8725729500828655.txt] On March 22, 2007, Wyoming hired former Portland State head coach Heath Schroyer to become its next head coach.Source: http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10080409]

Coaching records

*Ogirri is currently sitting out the 2007-08 season per NCAA transfer rules. Thiam is sitting out the 2008 spring semester and 2008 fall semester, and will be eligible in 2009.

References