Wikipedia

Wyoming Cowboys basketball

For the University of Wyoming women's basketball team, see Wyoming Cowgirls basketball.

The University of Wyoming men's basketball program, which competes in the Mountain West Conference, with the schools first recorded game dating back to 1905. Wyoming won the 1943 NCAA championship 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 16 appearances in the NCAA tournament. 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.

Wyoming Cowboys basketball
2024–25 Wyoming Cowboys basketball team
UniversityUniversity of Wyoming
Head coachSundance Wicks (1st season)
ConferenceMountain West
LocationLaramie, Wyoming
ArenaArena-Auditorium
(capacity: 11,612)
NicknameOfficial: Cowboys Unofficial: Pokes
ColorsBrown and gold[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
Pre-tournament Helms champions
1934
NCAA tournament champions
1943
NCAA tournament Final Four
1943
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1941, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1952, 1953, 1967, 1987
NCAA tournament round of 32
1981, 1982, 1987, 2002
NCAA tournament appearances
1941, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1958, 1967, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1988, 2002, 2015, 2022
Conference tournament champions
1987, 1988, 2015
Conference regular season champions
1928, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1958, 1967, 1969, 1981, 1982, 1986, 2001, 2002

History

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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.[2] The team became a powerhouse in the 1930s under coach Willard "Dutch" Witte, who led the 1934 Cowboy team to a 26–3 record. Wyoming was retroactively named the 1934 national champion by the Helms Foundation. 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 14 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 and its All-American center Lew Alcindor, who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Again from 1971 through 1978, the Cowboys had 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 1952–53 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.[3] He was replaced by Benny Dees, who went 26–6 in his first year with the Cowboys and returned them to the NCAA tournament in 1988 where they lost in the first round to Loyola Marymount.

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 to 2003, including conference titles in 2001 and 2002 and an NCAA tournament appearance in 2002. On March 22, 2007, Wyoming hired former Portland State head coach Heath Schroyer to become its next head coach. Shyatt was hired yet again as Wyoming's head coach after the 2010–11 season ended due to the firing of Heath Schroyer.[4] The 2010–11 team's top two scorers left the program[5] afterwards, with Desmar Jackson and Amath M'Baye transferring to Southern Illinois University[6] and the University of Oklahoma,[7] respectively.

The Cowboys went 21–12 in Shyatt's first season, for their first 20–win season in 9 years.[8] They made the College Basketball Invitational each of the next three seasons,[9][10][11] making the quarterfinals in 2012 and 2013. In the 2014–15 season, the Cowboys finished with a record of 25–10, won the Mountain West Conference tournament over San Diego State 45–43, and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.[12] Larry Nance Jr. was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 27th pick in the 2015 NBA draft, becoming Wyoming's first player selected in the draft since Theo Ratliff in 1995. On March 21, 2016, Shyatt announced his resignation from the head coaching job,[13] and Allen Edwards was announced as the 21st head coach in program history.

In Edwards' first season, the Cowboys went 23–15 and won the CBI tournament, defeating Coastal Carolina in the championship.[14] Edwards again won 20 games in his second season. In 2019, Justin James was drafted 40th overall by the Sacramento Kings, becoming the second Cowboy in the decade to be taken in the NBA draft.[15] On December 9, 2019, the program retired Fennis Dembo's no. 34 jersey.[16] Following two disappointing campaigns where the Cowboys failed to win 10 games each year, Edwards was let go as head coach.[17] Jeff Linder was hired as the 22nd head coach in program history on March 17, 2020.[18]

In Linder's first season with the Cowboys, he led the team to a 14–11 year despite inheriting a team with only 6 conference wins the two seasons prior. This included a 6–1 non-conference record highlighted by a road win against eventual Elite Eight participant Oregon State. The team's season ended in the Mountain West tournament quarterfinals 69–66 to eventual champion San Diego State.

Head coaching records

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Coach Tenure Seasons Record Win Pct.
W. Yates 1904–1906 2 4–2 .667
Lt. Coburn 1906–1908 2 5–7 .417
Elmer Hoefer 1908–1909 1 3–3 .500
Harold I. Dean 1909–1912 3 9–13 .409
Leon Exelby 1912–1913 1 2–5 .286
Ralph Thacker 1913–1915 2 3–7 .300
John J. Corbett 1915–1924 9 39–41 .488
Stewart Clark 1924–1928 4 44–26 .629
George McLaren 1928–1930 2 29–12 .707
Willard Witte 1930–1939 9 135–52 .722
Everett Shelton 1939–1959 19 328–201 .620
Bill Strannigan 1959–1973 14 179–187 .489
George Radovich 1973–1976 3 24–55 .304
Don DeVoe 1976–1978 2 29–25 .537
Jim Brandenburg 1978–1987 9 176–97 .645
Benny Dees 1987–1993 6 104–77 .575
Joby Wright 1993–1997 4 53–60 .469
Larry Shyatt 1997–1998 1 19–9 .679
Steve McClain 1998–2007 9 157–115 .577
Heath Schroyer 2007–2011 4 49–68 .419
Larry Shyatt 2011–2016 5 98–69 .587
Allen Edwards 2016–2020 4 60–76 .441
Jeff Linder 2020–2024 4 63–59 .516
Sundance Wicks 2024–present 1 0–0 –
Totals 23 coaches 118 seasons 1,612–1,266 .560

Postseason

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NCAA tournament results

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The Cowboys have appeared in the NCAA tournament 16 times, with a combined record of 9–21. They were national champions in 1943.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1941 Elite Eight
Regional 3rd Place		 Arkansas
Creighton		 L 40–52
L 44–45
1943 Elite Eight
Final Four
Championship		 Oklahoma
Texas
Georgetown		 W 55–50
W 58–54
W 46–34
1947 Elite Eight
Regional 3rd Place		 Texas
Oregon State		 L 40–42
L 46–63
1948 Elite Eight
Regional 3rd Place		 Kansas State
Washington		 L 48–58
L 47–57
1949 Elite Eight
Regional 3rd Place		 #2 Oklahoma A&M
Arkansas		 L 39–40
L 48–61
1952 Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		 Oklahoma City
Santa Clara		 W 54–48
L 53–56
1953 Round of 22
Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place		 Bye
# 16 Santa Clara
#14 Seattle		 —
L 52–67
L 64–80
1958 Round of 24 #18 Seattle L 51–88
1967 Round of 23
Sweet Sixteen
Regional 3rd Place		 Bye
#1 UCLA
#10 Texas Western		 —
L 60–109
L 67–69
1981 5 W Round of 48
Round of 32		 (12) Howard
(4) #19 Illinois		 W 78–43
L 65–67
1982 8 W Round of 48
Round of 32		 (9) USC
(1) #6 Georgetown		 W 61–58
L 43–51
1987 12 W Round of 64
Round of 32
Sweet Sixteen		 (5) Virginia
(4) #4UCLA
(1) #1 UNLV		 W 64–60
W 78–68
L 78–92
1988 7 W Round of 64 (10) #15 Loyola Marymount L 115–119
2002 11 W Round of 64
Round of 32		 (6) Gonzaga
(3) #7 Arizona		 W 73–66
L 60–68
2015 12 E Round of 64 (5) #11 Northern Iowa L 54–71
2022 12 E First Four (12) Indiana L 58–66

NIT results

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The Cowboys have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) eight times, with a combined record of 7–8.

Year Round Opponent Result
1968 First Round Villanova L 66–77
1969 First Round Army L 49–51
1986 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Championship		 Texas A&M
Loyola Marymount
Clemson
Florida
Ohio State		 W 79–70
W 99–90
W 62–57
W 67–58
L 63–73
1991 First Round
Second Round		 Butler
Colorado		 W 63–61
L 75–83
1998 First Round Gonzaga L 55–69
1999 First Round
Second Round		 USC
Oregon		 W 81–77
L 72–93
2001 First Round Pepperdine L 69–72
2003 First Round
Second Round		 Eastern Washington
North Carolina		 W 78–71
L 74–90

CBI results

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The Cowboys have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) five times, with a combined record of 7–5. They were champions in 2017.

Year Round Opponent Result
2009 First Round Northeastern L 62–64
2012 First Round
Quarterfinals		 North Dakota State
Washington State		 W 76–75
L 41–61
2013 First Round
Quarterfinals		 Lehigh
Western Michigan		 W 67–66
L 67–75 OT
2014 First Round Texas A&M L 43–59
2017 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Finals–Game 1
Finals–Game 2
Finals–Game 3		 Eastern Washington
UMKC
Utah Valley
Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina		 W 91–81
W 72–61
W 74–68
L 81–91
W 81–57
W 83–59

National Campus Basketball Tournament results

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The Cowboys appeared in the only National Campus Basketball Tournament, with a record of 1–2.[19]

Year Round Opponent Result
1951 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
3rd Place Game		 Duquesne
Bradley
Utah		 W 78–61
L 63–77
L 52–55

Records vs. Mountain West opponents

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As of March 13, 2024

Opponent Wins Losses Pct. Streak
Air Force 83 43 .659 W 2
Boise State 15 24 .385 L 4
Fresno State 17 23 .425 L 1
Colorado State 138 103 .573 L 1
Nevada 21 10 .677 L 1
UNLV 20 46 .303 L 4
New Mexico 72 79 .477 L 3
San Diego State 41 51 .446 L 11
San Jose State 22 3 .880 W 2
Utah State 53 37 .589 L 4

Notable players

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Statistical leaders

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Career leaders

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Source:[20]

Career scoring leaders
Seasons Player Points
1985–88 Fennis Dembo 2,311
2006–09 Brandon Ewing 2,168
2017–23 Hunter Maldonado 2,158
2015–19 Justin James 2,061
1963–65 Flynn Robinson 2,049
1985–88 Eric Leckner 1,938
2013–16 Josh Adams 1,819
1989–92 Reggie Slater 1,809
1978–81 Charles Bradley 1,744
1995–98 Jeron Roberts 1,599
Career rebounding leaders
Seasons Player Rebounds
1989–92 Reggie Slater 1,197
1998–02 Josh Davis 956
1985–88 Fennis Dembo 954
1994–97 HL Coleman 939
1964–66 Leon Clark 889
1979–82 Bill Garnett 840
1978–81 Kenneth Ollie 833
1968–70 Carl Ashley 818
2017–23 Hunter Maldonado 808
2012–15 Larry Nance Jr. 807
Career assists leaders
Seasons Player Assists
2017–23 Hunter Maldonado 630
1984–88 Sean Dent 502
2006–09 Brandon Ewing 471
2002–05 Jay Straight 453
1999–03 Chris McMillian 434
1985–88 Fennis Dembo 410
2013–16 Josh Adams 398
1980–83 Mike Jackson 357
2006–08 Brad Jones 351
2010–12 JayDee Luster 344
Career blocks leaders
Seasons Player Blocks
1992–95 Theo Ratliff 425
2005–06 Justin Williams 244
2015–18 Alan Herndon 184
1998–01 Josh Davis 173
1985–88 Eric Leckner 164
2012–15 Larry Nance Jr. 135
1989–92 Reggie Slater 100
1979–82 Bill Garnett 97
2008–11 Djibril Thiam 95
1985–88 Fennis Dembo 95
Career steals leaders
Seasons Player Steals
1984–88 Sean Dent 249
2017–23 Hunter Maldonado 188
1985–88 Fennis Dembo 176
2006–09 Brandon Ewing 161
1995–97 LaDrell Whitehead 150
2013–16 Josh Adams 144
2012–15 Larry Nance Jr. 141
1999–02 Josh Davis 140
1999–03 Chris McMillian 136
2002–05 Jay Straight 126
Career games played leaders
Seasons Player Games
2017–23 Hunter Maldonado 157
2018–23 Hunter Thompson 137
2015–18 Alan Herndon 133
1985–88 Eric Leckner 131
2013–16 Josh Adams 131
2015–19 Justin James 131
1985–88 Fennis Dembo 129
1985–88 Turk Boyd 129
1985–88 David Lodgins 128
1984–88 Sean Dent 127

Single-season leaders

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Single-season scoring leaders
Season Player Points
2015–16 Josh Adams 740
2018–19 Justin James 706
1964–65 Flynn Robinson 701
1986–87 Fennis Dembo 689
1962–63 Flynn Robinson 682
1963–64 Flynn Robinson 666
1987–88 Fennis Dembo 653
2021–22 Graham Ike 644
1955–56 Joe Capua 637
1986–87 Eric Leckner 634
Single-season rebounding leaders
Season Player Rebounds
1990–91 Reggie Slater 331
2005–06 Justin Williams 329
1989–90 Reggie Slater 328
1991–92 Reggie Slater 327
2021–22 Graham Ike 317
2016–17 Hayden Dalton 316
1964–65 Leon Clark 315
1952–53 Ron Rivers 314
1996–97 HL Coleman 303
1965–66 Leon Clark 302
Single-season assists leaders
Season Player Assists
2021–22 Hunter Maldonado 207
1986–87 Sean Dent 183
2008–09 Brandon Ewing 166
1985–86 Sean Dent 166
2004–05 Jay Straight 148
1991–92 Maurice Alexander 147
2006–07 Brad Jones 135
2018–19 Justin James 133
2019–20 Hunter Maldonado 132
1998–99 Chris McMillian 130
Single-season blocks leaders
Season Player Blocks
2005–06 Justin Williams 163
1994–95 Theo Ratliff 144
1992–93 Theo Ratliff 124
1993–94 Theo Ratliff 114
2004–05 Justin Williams 81
2016–17 Alan Herndon 74
2017–18 Alan Herndon 72
1989–90 Reggie Page 60
2013–14 Larry Nance Jr. 55
2012–13 Leonard Washington 55
Single-season steals leaders
Season Player Steals
1985–86 Sean Dent 93
1986–87 Sean Dent 75
1995–96 LaDrell Whitehead 70
2010–11 Desmar Jackson 61
1987–88 Sean Dent 61
1998–99 Anthony Blakes 59
1990–91 Maurice Alexander 58
2011–12 Luke Martinez 54
1993–94 David Murray 53
1998–99 Chris McMillian 52

Retired numbers

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Main article: List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers
Wyoming Cowboys retired numbers
No. Player Playing years No. ret. Ref.
4 Ken Sailors 1940–1946 2008 [21]
34 Fennis Dembo 1984–1988 2019 [22][23]

All-Americans

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Player Year(s) Team(s)
Les Witte 1932 Consensus First Team – Helms (1st), Converse (1st)
1933 Helms (1st)
1934 Consensus First Team – Helms (1st), Converse (1st)
Ken Sailors 1943 Consensus First Team – Helms (1st), Converse (3rd), Sporting News (1st)
1946 Consensus Second Team – Converse (2nd), True (1st), Sporting News (3rd)
Milo Komenich 1946 True (2nd)
John Pilch 1950 Look (2nd), Collier's (2nd)
Joe Capua 1956 NEA (3rd)
Bill Garnett 1982 USBWA (2nd)
Fennis Dembo 1988 AP (3rd)

Arena

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Main article: Arena-Auditorium

The Arena-Auditorium, which seats 11,612, serves as the home court for the Cowboy basketball team. Since its opening in 1982, the Cowboys have enjoyed a strong homecourt advantage at the AA.

Wyoming's first home court was a small, red-brick building known as the "Little Red Gym." That was followed by the Half Acre Gym, which served as the Cowboys' home from 1925 to 1951 and seated just over 4,000; the Cowboys had a record of 222–44 in the building. The Cowboys moved into War Memorial Fieldhouse in 1951 and remained there until the Arena-Auditorium opened in 1982.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Primary Colors" (PDF). Wyoming Athletics Brand Guide. May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "The Wyoming Way" (PDF). Grfx.cstv.com. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
  3. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE - Wyoming Coach Exits". The New York Times. 1987-03-25. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  4. ^ "Columns - CBSSports.com". Sportsline.com. 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
  5. ^ "Wyoming Cowboys' Desmar Jackson, Amath M'Baye won't return to team next season". espn.com. 2015-01-07. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  6. ^ "Wyoming guard Desmar Jackson transfers to Southern Illinois - Southern Illinois University Official Athletic Site". Siusalukis.com. 2011-04-13. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
  7. ^ "Wyoming F Amath M'Baye Transferring to Oklahoma". Cowboyaltitude.com. 2011-04-18. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
  8. ^ "Cowboys Clinch 20th Win with 71–59 Victory Over TCU". GoWyo.com. February 28, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  9. ^ "Wyoming Earns Postseason Berth in College Basketball Invitational". GoWyo.com. March 11, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  10. ^ "Wyoming Earns Postseason Berth in College Basketball Invitational". GoWyo.com. March 17, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  11. ^ "Wyoming Accepts Third-Straight College Basketball Invitational Bid". GoWyo.com. March 16, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  12. ^ "Wyoming Upsets No. 25 San Diego State, 45-43, to Earn First NCAA Bid Since 2002". GoWyo.com. March 14, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  13. ^ Holmgren, Ryan (March 21, 2016). "Larry Shyatt resigns after six season at Wyoming". Casper Star-Tribune.
  14. ^ Foster, Brandon (9 June 2017). "Wyoming men's basketball's CBI championship came at financial cost". Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  15. ^ Harris, Noel (10 July 2019). "Kings sign top draft pick Justin James, who has shown improvement in summer league". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  16. ^ Ringolsby, Tracy (6 December 2019). "Retiring Type: Dembo Becomes 2nd Cowboy Hoopster to Have Number Retired". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  17. ^ Borzello, Jeff (9 March 2020). "Allen Edwards out as Wyoming coach after 4 seasons". ESPN. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  18. ^ Seeman, Nick (17 March 2020). "Jeff Linder Named Head Coach of Cowboy Basketball Program". gowyo.com. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  19. ^ "National Campus Tournament 1951". Luckyshow.org. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
  20. ^ "Wyoming Cowboys Basketball 2019-20 Media Guide". GoWyo.com. University of Wyoming Department of Athletics. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  21. ^ Sailors still big shot in Wyoming history at Denver Post by Irv Moss, 6 Abr 2009
  22. ^ Wyoming Cowboys to retire Fennis Dembo's jersey Saturday by Casey Conlon, 6 Dec 2019
  23. ^ UW standout Fennis Dembo’s number retired, 9 Dec 2019
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