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.”

Cowboy basketball signs another Ohio product

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming sports.org

Daylen Harrison evidently liked what he saw, after a weekend in Laramie prompted him to sign a national letter of intent to play basketball for the Cowboys on Sunday. Harrison will enroll at Wyoming for the fall semester of 2009, following his senior year of high school.

“Daylen is a great young man who really fits a need that this program will have over the next four years,” UW head coach Heath Schroyer said in a release. “He is not only a very good basketball player, he is a great student and a terrific young man who will fit nicely in our locker room. He can really shoot the basketball and will be as good of a shooter as we have next season. He can also slide down and play the post. He is only 17 years old, but will grow into a prominent figure in the Cowboy basketball program."

Harrison will come to Wyoming from St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School in Akron, Ohio, where he enjoyed a standout career at the same high school that produced NBA superstar LeBron James. Harrison was a three-year starter for the Irish, where he played for head coach Dru Joyce.

As a senior, Harrison averaged 17.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while leading St. Vincent-St. Mary’s to the Ohio Division II State Championship. He was selected as the MVP of the state tournament after scoring 21 points in the championship game. On the season, the Irish finished with a 24-4 record.

Following his senior season, Harrison was selected as the Akron Beacon Journal Player of the Year, was named Second Team All-State in Division II and was his district’s Player of the Year. He was also selected as a Regional Top-5 All-Star by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. On the season, Harrison shot 49.8 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from the three-point line.

“Coach Anthony Stewart was the lead on recruiting Daylen and did a tremendous job attracting such an accomplished young man," Schroyer said.

Harrison is also an outstanding student, carrying a 4.2 grade point average over his high school career. In addition to being a member of the National Honor Society, he has received numerous other academic honors.

He was also offered by Butler and Air Force. He played AAU basketball for the King James Shooting Stars, along with fellow Cowboy signee Desmar Jackson.

With the signing of Harrison, the Cowboys have concluded the 2009-10 recruiting class. Harrison joins the Wyoming Gatorade Player of the Year from Natrona High School Michael Dietz, a Warren, Ohio prep star in Desmar Jackson, Garden City Community College transfer Thomas Manzano and Stoneridge Prep’s Amath M’Baye.

“Daylen solidifies our recruiting class for next season,” said Schroyer. “He is the final piece of a puzzle that we are very excited about finishing. By adding the five players we signed this year to our young team, we are in a great position for the future. These guys will be able to play together for three to four years and continue to build the Cowboy basketball program.”

Cowboys sign Ohio prep star

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It didn't take long for the college basketball signing period to take into effect for the Cowboys to make a dent, signing Warren, Ohio, high school standout Desmar Jackson to a national letter of intent on Wednesday.

“We are very excited about adding Desmar to the Cowboy basketball family,” Wyoming had coach Heath Schroyer said said in a press release “He has unlimited potential and a chance to be a very special player. He is a versatile combination guard who can play the point or either wing position. He can also defend all three guard positions. He is a good, young player who, when added to our current guys, will help build a great core for the future.

“As a coaching staff, we have had our eye on Desmar since we arrived at Wyoming. I give coach Anthony Stewart a great deal of credit in taking the lead. He did a phenomenal job over the past two years with Desmar.”

The regular signing period for basketball began on Wednesday and runs through May 20. The Cowboys may sign one more student-athlete during this period.

Jackson, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard, began his high school career at Warren Kennedy, but transferred to Warren G. Harding prior to his junior season, following a coaching change at Warren Kennedy. In two years at Warren G. Harding, Jackson helped lead his school to a combined record of 46-5.

As a senior, Jackson was named to the Associated Press All-Ohio First Team for Division I, the highest classification in Ohio. Jackson averaged 20.5 points a game and also averaged just 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.3 steals per game.

In addition to earning All-State honors as a senior, Jackson was named First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Northeast Ohio. He was a finalist for the Ohio Player of the Year award and was also nominated to be a McDonald’s All-American.

This past year, Jackson helped lead Warren Harding to the final four of the Ohio Division I State Tournament for the first time in 43 years. Warren G. Harding finished with a 23-3 record.

As a junior, Jackson averaged 15 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals a game. That year, Warren G. Harding finished with an overall record of 23-2.

In just two years at Warren Harding, Jackson etched his name into the school’s career record books. He ranks fourth in school history in steals (143), fourth in assists (158) and sixth in blocked shots (60).

Jackson was also recruited by Ohio State, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Kent State.

His high school coach at Warren Harding was Steve Arnold. He played AAU basketball for the King James Shooting Stars.

Jackson also played some high school football while attending Warren Kennedy. As a wide receiver, Jackson helped his team advance to the Division V state finals as a sophomore.

Ewing named to All-District team

Wyoming senior Brandon Ewing

For the third consecutive season, the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) recently selected Wyoming senior Brandon Ewing as an All-District VIII performer. Ewing also received the honor following his sophomore and junior seasons.

The USBWA names nine all-region teams from across the country. The teams are based on voting by the USBWA’s national membership. District VIII consists of schools in the states of Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Montana.

For Ewing, a Chicago, Ill. native, this marks the third postseason honor that he has received this year. He was also named First Team All-Mountain West Conference by the league’s coaches and media, thus becoming the first player in MWC history to garner all-conference honors four times. He was also named Second Team All-District 17 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

This season, Ewing leads the MWC in both scoring and assists with 18.5 points per game and 5.03 assists per game. He is on pace to become the first player in MWC history to lead the league in both categories in one season. Ewing also looks to be a lock to become the first player in MWC history to lead the league in scoring three times, as he was also the best scorer in the conference as a sophomore and junior.

On the season, Ewing scored in double-figures in 31 of 33 games, while reaching the 20-point plateau 16 times. In his career, Ewing scored in double-figures 107 times and scored 20 or more points 51 times.

Ewing ends his Wyoming career as the school’s career leader in free-throws made, free-throws attempted, 3-pointers made, 3-pointers attempted and games started. He ranks second in school history in scoring and assists. He also ranks third in steals, third in attempted field goals and sixth in made field goals.
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USBWA District VII Awards
Player of the Year
Luke Nevill Utah

Coach of the Year
Stew Morrill Utah State

All-District Team
Luke Babbitt Nevada
Lee Cummard BYU
Tony Danridge New Mexico
Brandon Ewing Wyoming
Jimmer Fredette BYU
Cory Higgins Colorado
Mac Hopson Idaho
Anthony Johnson Montana
Luke Nevill Utah
Gary Wilkinson Utah State

Cowboy offense stuck in reverse

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming senior Brandon Ewing goes up for a layup Tuesday against Northeastern.

Cowboys-Huskies stats

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The game plan was simple: Just play an up-tempo game and run your opponent off the court.

Not everything goes as planned and the Wyoming Cowboys found out the hard way Tuesday in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational against Northeastern.

The Huskies, who play a more deliberate game, slowed the Cowboys down to almost a crawl at times and held off Wyoming 64-62 to move into the quarterfinals next Monday against UTEP.

“We knew going in that we couldn’t score in the 70s or 80s,” Northeastern coach Bill Coen said. “The University of Wyoming is very comfortable at playing at that pace. We knew we couldn’t get going up and down and get into a running game with them. We tried to control the tempo and that was effective.”

Northeastern, which confused Wyoming with various defenses, went into the game giving up an average of 62.4 points a game. Giving up 62 to the Cowboys proved to be just enough.

“They like the game low scoring like that; we like the game up in the 80s and the 90s,” Wyoming senior guard Brandon Ewing said. “We really couldn’t get in a rhythm.”

Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said his team was out of rhythm all night.

“I give Northeastern a lot of credit for that,” Schroyer said. “Their switching defenses kept us off balance. Offensively, they knocked down big shots when they needed to.”

The Cowboys were especially off kilter early, as Northeastern, build early leads of 14-7 , 21-8 and 27-14.

“We did what we did most of the year by coming out with energy, forcing them to one and done, boxing out and getting rebounds,” Northeastern guard Allen Chaisson said.

Once the Cowboys didn’t have a couple of early shots go down, Schroyer said they pressed.

“Give them a lot of credit,“ Schroyer said. “When Tyson (Johnson) and Sean (Ogirri), your two seniors that score a lot, get just seven points, they did a nice job."

Wyoming did recover and actually led on two occasions in the second half, but could never get over the hump.

“We missed a lot of easy shots,” said Ewing, who led all scorers with 22 points. “We weren’t executing on our offense and defensive end. They hit a lot of tough shots and got their confidence.”

The nearly 7,000-feet difference in altitude between Boston and Laramie seemingly was built for the Cowboys’ advantage.

“I would say that people, if they hit their shots and get their confidence going, if they are winning the game, the altitude will never faze them,” Ewing said. “ But if they are losing the game, they’ll get tired.”

Instead, the lengthy Huskies gave the Cowboys fits all game. No one struggled more for Wyoming than Ogirri, who was scoreless for the only time in his brief UW career, missing all three of his shots. Ogirri went into the game averaging 14.8 points and was the Wyoming and Mountain West Conference single-season leader in 3-point shooting.

“He’s a real good catch and shoot shooter from the outside, so we just tried to get up in his face and not let him get the quick look right away,” Northeastern guard Matt Janning said. “Coach did a good job of switching defenses the whole game. We went triangle and two and put one guy out. He was more than happy to sit in the corner. I think we took him out of the game.”

Coen called Ogirri is one of the best shooters that he is ever seen. It was the Huskies job to keep Ogirri out of his comfort zone.

“We were very concerned. He was very capable of going for big numbers,“ Coen said. “Every shot he took was contested. We have some length and we were hoping that would bother him a little bit.”

The Cowboys certainly missed Ogirri’s instant offense.

“It’s always hard to play when Sean’s not out there and in his groove,” said Wyoming freshman Afam Muojeke, who added 16 points “He got in early foul trouble, and he was never really able to get into it.”

In the end, the Cowboys could never get over their offensive quagmire.

“This was our first postseason game in six years and we were almost in slow motion at times,” Schroyer said. “Obviously, it is a step we will have to take and absorb."

Huskies surprise Cowboys in CBI opener

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman Afam Muojeke drives on a Northeastern player on Tuesday.

by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

From Boston to Laramie and opening the College Basketball Invitational in less than 48 hours, you couldn't blame the Northeastern Huskies for being a little slow on Tuesday night.

But it was the Huskies who left the home-standing Cowboys a little dazed and confused, as they surprised Wyoming 64-62 in the first round of the tournament in the Arena-Auditorium.

Losing six of their previous nine games, Northeastern, 19-12, opened Tuesday with a different attitude from start to end.

“We had not been playing all that well towards the end of the season, and when we were selected, I think it was just a relief for the guys to get another chance,” Northeastern coach Bill Coen said. “We played with a particular energy that you need to be successful. We were able to execute and knock down some shots and gain some confidence early. I thought that was the key.”

Wyoming, 19-14, struggled early and the Huskies took advantage by running out to a 21-8 lead 11 minutes into the game.

“We hit some shots early and gained a lot of confidence,” Coen said.

Guard Matt Janning, who led the Huskies with 20 points, said they wanted to get off to a good start after their recent struggles.

“We wanted to put it on right away and see what we could do from there,” Janning said. “We had guys step up tonight.”

The Cowboys, who were led senior Brandon Ewing’s 22 points, came back to cut the Northeastern lead to 32-28 at halftime.

Wyoming took its first lead at the 10:55 mark on two free throws by freshman Afam Muojeke. But Northeastern’s Allen Chaisson answered with three straight 3-pointers and the Huskies led by as much as eight before Ewing scored six points in the final 20 seconds, including a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left.

Allen finished with 16 points, with Nkem Ojougboh adding 11 and Eugene Spates 10 for the Huskies, who will play UTEP on Monday. The Miners edged Nevada 79-77 on Tuesday.

Winning away from home has not been uncommon for the Huskies, who earned road wins at Profidence, Indiana and Virginia Commonwealth this season.

“We were comfortable playing away from home,” Coen said. “I kind of attribute that to we took a foreign trip and went up to Canada over the summer an were able to win six game son the road. That kind of set the tone for our guys, they are comfortable playing on the road. Home teams are going to make a run, but it is really how you respond to those runs that will make a difference.”