Richard Anderson photo
Newcomers Afam Muojeke drives on Djbril Thiam during a recent Cowboy practice.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
Editor’s note: Wyoming Sports.org sat down with Wyoming head men’s basketball coach Heath Schroyer this week and discussed the differences between his first season and the beginning of his second season. In the second of two stories, Schroyer talks about the changes and additions on the court.
The Wyoming Cowboys took a shot to the chest in the first round of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament, losing to Colorado State in the first round.
Wyoming had beaten the rival Rams twice during the regular season, but saw its season come to a staggering halt with the loss. It was a tough way for Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer to end his first season at the helm. Although the Cowboys had just 12 wins going into the tournament, Schroyer felt like the program had made strides in many other areas, on and off the court.
Despite the loss, it only took Schroyer “a couple of hours” to start thinking about seson. A few days later, they went back to work.
“As hard as it was losing the last game, there was a point a couple of day afterwards that you realize, 'you know what, we weathered the storm and as hard as it was, we got through it. We’re better today,'" Schroyer said.
“The guys that we sat out, the guys we knew we would have back and the guys we thought we were going to bring in, it got our juices flowing pretty quick. I’m happy that we didn’t quick fix this. We’ve done it with young guys, we’ve done it by bringing guys in and redshirting them and balancing out our classes. We haven’t set ourselves up as a one-hit wonder. We have set ourselves sup, in my opinion, for continued improvement and gradual improvement. Hopefully, we’re getting to a point where each year we’re competing for postseason bids. If we can do that, then we have accomplished a lot.”
After returning from the MWC tournament in Las Vegas, Schroyer had the team take a few days off before getting back into the weight room.
“As the leader of the program, I had to come out and show that it was over, as hard as it was,” he said. “We went back in and started working hard. When you work hard and starting sweating again, you start talking about next year and what we have to do in the off-season. It gets everybody ready to go, to get that bad taste out of your mouth. I really feel that from the seniors way more than from the previous year.”
Schroyer said he leans on his three seniors -- guards Brandon Ewing and Sean Ogirri and forward Tyson Johnson -- to lead this team that still is young and inexperienced. Ewing is a two-time MWC scoring champion, with Ogirri bringing in scoring and leadership after transferring from Wichita State, where he led the Shockers to the Sweet 16 two seasons ago. Johnson came on last season to become a valuable scorer down low.
“I talked to the seniors on the very first day of school. I talked to them about this being their last go-around,” Schroyer said. “I challenged all of the guys in the program, and starting with this senior class, to leave this program better than how you found it. If each guy in the program, if each coach in the program can do that, then we have done our job. That’s the biggest thing that I talk to these three seniors about when we talk alone. That’s kind of our motto, so to speak, as a program. We all know where it was. If we do that in each class, then we’re going to have a program that we all want.”
Young and inexperienced for sure, Schroyer likes the talent and the potential.
“There is no question in my mind that our young kids are talented and they all have a chance to be really good players here,” he said. “I’m more confident because it is year two. Guys understand what we are trying to accomplish on both sides of the ball.”
The key, Schroyer added, will be how quick the young players will adapt and step into their roles.
“Our three seniors have all, in different ways, proven themselves at this level,” Schroyer said. “Now, it is going to come down to the two or three young guys who can step up and become contributors. If that happens, then we have a chance to become pretty competitive.
Schroyer is certainly counting on 7-foot sophomore center Mikhail Linskens and 6-8 junior forward Ryan Dermody to continue their improvement, and redshirt freshmen Adam Wadell (6-9) and Afam Muojeke (6-7) to step in and contribute. Also new to the program is 6-7 junior forward Mahamoud Diakite and transfer Djbril Thiam (6-9), who will be eligible at the start of the second semester and 6-5 freshman A.J. Davis.
Sophomore transfer guard JayDee Luster and 7-2 sophomore Boubacar Sylla will sit out as redshirts, with freshmen walk-ons guards Galand Thaxton and Arthur Boudeo also on the roster.
Despite the plethora of new faces, Schroyer said it is still easier because last year was a completely new offense and a new defensive philosophy. The returning Cowboys are ahead of last year because it is the same offense and same defense.
“As hard as it was last year, we kept teaching and we kept demanding certain things on both sides of the ball because that is how we are going to build a program,” Schroyer said. “If we just threw it away midseason and did something else, then we would be starting at year one again on the basketball floor. I feel good about it. As hard as it was to bite the bullets that we had last year with redshirting certain guys and doing the things we had to do, there is no question in my mind that we are better off today because of it.”
Now is the time to take the next step in the process. As coaches and as players, Schroyer said they want to win every game.
“That is why we are here,” he said.
But for Wyoming at this stage of the program, he said that they have to be a little more realistic. After all, they have nine freshmen and sophomores on the roster.
“I think we’re going to surprise people this year,” Schroyer said. “We are set up in every component to be competitive for the next three, four, five years. That’s a credit to my staff and that’s a credit to our young men who are in the program. I’m excited about starting; I’m excited about our year. I like our guys. The three seniors are playing like seniors and they are leading like seniors. We have a lot of young pups who are following them, and if two or three of those guys step up like I think they will, then we are going to be pretty darn good come January or February.”
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