Cowboys to host only exhibition game

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming coaches Fred Langley and Heath Schroyer talk things over with the Cowboys during a recent practice.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Last week, the Wyoming Cowboys informally kicked off the basketball season with a closed scrimmage in Seattle against the University of Washington.

The Cowboys will officially kick off their exhibition season Saturday by hosting the Colorado School of Mines, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium. Wyoming opens the regular season on Nov. 14 at home against Cal State Bakersfield.

Under NCAA rules, a team can scrimmage another program in a closed situation in place of an exhibition. That is exactly what the Cowboys did last week, hence just one exhibition on the schedule.
Although the coaches can’t talk about specifics, such as statistics, Schroyer did say the scrimmage, which was also closed to the media, was extremely beneficial for his young team.

Schroyer said they were able to treat the weekend like an actual road trip.

“Being able to go on the road, getting on a plane, getting on a bus and traveling, knowing how we eat on the road, how we act, I think was a huge advantage for us,” Schroyer said. “It is something I am going to do every year, and it might get to the point next year where we actually have two closed scrimmages and no exhibitions. I think that much of it. I think we gained so much from it. I know there is a good argument of turning the lights on and going through that at well, but we’ll definitely do that every year.”

Unofficial word is the Cowboys more than held their own against the Pac 10 Huskies.

“Washington was picked to finish in the middle of the Pac 10, and to go up there and actually play them in their gym, it was great,” Schroyer said. “We gained a lot from it.”

At the same time, Schroyer said his players are anxious to play in front of their home fans against the Colorado School of Mines.

“This will actually be the first time that a lot of our guys have played in front of a real crowd, so it will be great,” he said. “I’m sure a lot of them will have some butterflies to get through, but it will be a great experience, and hopefully they will play well and the fans come out and will get a sneak peek at the new guys.”

While senior guards Brandon Ewing and (transfer) Sean Ogirri, along with senior forward Tyson Johnson, junior wing Ryan Dermody are proven players, the Wyoming coaches are anxious to get added looks at sophomore post Mikhail Linskens and several newcomers, including redshirt freshmen Adam Waddell and Afam Muojeke, freshman A.J. Davis, junior Mahamoud Diakite and sophomore transfer Djbril Thiam, who will be eligible in December.

Schroyer said he is anxious to see how his young team handles certain situations. Like any game, Schroyer said their first goal is to win the game. Secondly, he said they want to get better that day. He said there is also knocking down free throws, playing defense and understanding the substitution patterns.

“All of those things that go into a game, in front of people, will be new to a lot of our guys,” he said. “It will be a great experience before we get started for real the following week.”

As of Thursday, Schroyer said he hadn’t decided on the starting rotation. Throughout the year, though, he said he plans to play nine or even 10 players to take advantage of what he sees has stronger depth.

“We’re young, but we’re talented,” Schroyer said. “I think for this year and getting ready for the stretch run of January and February, and also to continue to look ahead, to get our young guys some quality minutes is a big responsibility for me and for our staff and for our basketball program.”