Luster named Cowboys captain

Wyoming sophomoe JayDee Luster

By UW Sports Information

University of Wyoming redshirt sophomore point guard JayDee Luster has yet to play an official game for the Cowboys, but he has already shown his leadership abilities and was named the team captain for the 2009-10 season.

“I believe that great leaders are born and not made. JayDee Luster is a born leader,” UW head coach Heath Schroyer said. “JayDee has an infectious personality and has an innate ability to make everyone around him a better player and a better person. He leads both vocally and by example. He has a great relationship with everyone in our program, regardless of their background. We couldn’t be happier to have JayDee as a member of this program, but also as the new captain of this team.”

Luster, a San Diego, Calif., native, transferred to Wyoming from New Mexico State University prior to last season. As a freshman at New Mexico State, Luster was a valuable contributor off of the bench and shot 40 percent from the field. He transferred to UW after a coaching change at NMSU.

Luster spent the 2008-09 academic year at Wyoming, where he used his redshirt season and sat out of competition to satisfy NCAA transfer rules. With the exception of games, he was able to participate in virtually all team activities including practices, work outs, team meetings and study sessions. Luster will have three years of eligibility remaining and will be a redshirt sophomore during the 2009-10 season.

“While JayDee had to sit out last season, he was still able to take on a leadership role within our team,” Schroyer added. “He led our scout team in practice, spent a lot of time watching film with our staff and did an exceptional job in the classroom. This past year allowed him to gain a deep understanding of our team and our system. He was also able to go against a four-time All-MWC player (Brandon Ewing) in practice every day and that really helped him grow as a player.”

Luster had a spectacular high school career at San Diego’s Hoover High, where he was his team’s starting point guard all four years of his career. He was a three-time Student Sports Magazine All-American, a three-time All-State selection and the Central League Player of the Year twice.

Luster had hopes of matching Jason Kidd as only the second high school player in history to score 2,000 points, dish out 1,000 assists and record 500 steals in a career. Unfortunately, an injury ended Luster’s senior season early and he fell just short of that milestone.

During his career, Luster averaged 19.5 points, 8.8 assists, 5.8 steals and 4.3 rebounds a game. His 559 career steals ranked third in national high school basketball history and were the second most in California high school history. His 857 career assists were the most in San Diego history.

“JayDee is everything you want a point guard to be, but most importantly he is a winner,” said Schroyer. “He helped lead Hoover to the CIF San Diego Championship as a junior and to a pair of Central League Championships. What I believe makes JayDee a winner is his ability to get the players around him to work at a higher level. He not only does this on the floor, but also in the weight room and in virtually everything he does.”

Schroyer gets extension; team APR soars

Head coach Heath Schroyer

By UW Media Relations

University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman announced on Wednesday that head basketball coach Heath Schroyer’s contract has been extended for two years, through April 30, 2014. Schroyer’s base salary was also increased from $150,000 to $160,000. His original contract was a five-year deal that was due to end after the conclusion of the 2011-12 season.

“In his first two years, Heath has done an excellent job of turning our men’s basketball program in a positive direction both from a competitive standpoint and in the classroom,” said Burman. “He guided the Cowboys back into postseason play for the first time in six seasons, while at the same time raising the expectations and the performance of our student-athletes academically. I get excited when I see the young players in our program, not only because of their athletic abilities, but because of the fine young men they are.

“I believe that what Coach Schroyer has been able to accomplish in his first two seasons is a sign of bigger and better things to come. This contract extension is both a reward for those accomplishments, as well as a display of the commitment we are making to build our men’s basketball program into one that can compete for conference championships and make our fans proud.”

This past year, Wyoming posted a 19-14 record, defeated Mountain West Conference tri-champion New Mexico in the quarterfinals of the MWC Tournament and advanced to the opening round of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Tournament.

The NCAA released its most recent Academic Progress Rate (APR) figures this week, which includes data through the 2007-08 academic year. The Wyoming men’s basketball program received its highest annual score of 935 during the 2007-08 academic year. Due to the Cowboys’ academic improvement and a favorable comparison based on other academic and institutional factors, the Cowboys will be allotted 13 scholarships for the upcoming year, which is the maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA for men’s basketball programs.

The 2007-08 season marked the first under Schroyer. In his first full season at the helm of the Cowboy basketball program, the team’s annual APR score improved 164 points from an historic low of 771 during 2006-07 to a 935 for 2007-08.

“Correcting the APR issue was a major area of emphasis when we hired Heath (Schroyer), and we are extremely pleased about the improvement that has been made,” Burman said. “The strides that this program has made on the floor were made evident in the team’s play this past season. Now it is great to see evidence of the progress that is being made off of the floor.”

“I am extremely happy with what we have been able to do in addressing our APR,” Schroyer said. “We have made improvements on the floor, as well as in the classroom. This is exciting progress as we look to the future of our program.

“When I was hired, addressing the APR issue was a major priority. I am pleased with the progress we have made, while also setting a standard of how things need to be done in the future.”

Each academic year every Division I team calculates its APR. A team’s APR is based on eligibility, retention and graduation of each student-athlete on scholarship. The multiyear APR scores date back four academic years to the 2004-05 season.

“I’m excited about being here at Wyoming, and I’m excited about the commitment level that the administration and the University has shown me, my family and my staff,” said Schroyer. “I’m thankful every morning I get up and go to work that I’m the basketball coach here -- it’s a great place.

“I believe we are on the verge of accomplishing something special here in a short amount of time. The nice thing about receiving this extension is it assures me that I will be able to stay here and see the freshman and sophomore classes through to the end of their college careers. I’m really proud of the two classes we’ve been able to recruit, and I believe those two classes together have a chance to bring Wyoming basketball back to the top.”