Archive for February, 2012

Pokes Take Care Of TCU On Senior Night

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012 by Wicks in Cowboy Tough

Six University of Wyoming basketball seniors played (or watched) their last regular season home game last night as the Cowboys reached the 20 win mark with a victory over the TCU Horned Frogs. With their regular season home games now over, let’s take a quick look at the contributions and achievements of this year’s outgoing senior class:

Arthur Bouëdo

The former walk-on from France has seen limited playing time over his career and can be best described as a hard-working squad player. He scored 14 points in his only start this year when Wyoming played South Dakota. His biggest contribution to the program was his 17 points in 201o in a win over New Mexico.

Francisco Cruz

The Mexico native came to Wyoming as a junior college transfer and has only played two years for the Pokes but has made quite an impact. In 2010-2011 he averaged 10 points per game and has increased his average to 12 points per game this year. He has been a solid player who can score both inside and outside and will be missed next season.

JayDee Luster

Luster is by far this year’s most improved player after two below average seasons. His overall numbers are about the same in terms of points and assists but his shooting percentage and assist to turnover ratio has improved greatly. He has also stepped up as a team leader which is an invaluable asset.

Afam Muojeke

You have to feel really sorry for Muojeke. The 2008-2009 MWC freshman of the year averaged 13.8 points per game and followed that up with half a season at 16.8 points a game before suffering a knee injury. He was rushed back too soon last season and has had several more knee procedures. Who knows how great Muojeke could have been if healthy over four years in Laramie. There is a good chance he would have rewritten many records.

Adam Waddell

Waddell is an under-rated player who will finish his career in the top 10 in two categories (games played and blocks). This is especially impressive considering all the injuries Waddell had to suffer through during his sophomore and junior years. People may say Waddell is soft but I think once time has passed he will be remembered very fondly by the fan base.

Rob Watsabaugh

Really not much to say about Watsabaugh. He was  a squad/practice player who came into the program from West Hills College in Coalinga, CA and has only played in 37 games averaging 1 point per game.

 

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We’re Not Going Streaking!

Monday, February 27th, 2012 by Wicks in Cowboy Tough

I have returned from my week on the road and now the blogging can recommence. Over the weekend the Pokes defeated Boise State by the score of 64-54 improving to a record of 19-9 for the year. This is important because “Frank the Tank” is no more as the Pokes are done streaking in a negative sense. The four previous games were quite ugly with Pokes letting go of halftime leads in each contest. With just two games left in the regular season perhaps the Cowboys can close out with a three game winning streak but that could prove to be a difficult task considering the last game is on the road against UNLV.

The previous four games were difficult to take as the Cowboys could have been victorious in each of them. Yet, there is no need to hang our heads and think what might have been because this is just year one in a rebuilding process. Before the season if I offered you a 19-9 record with 2 games left in conference play I’m pretty sure you would have taken that deal with a smile on your face. It is a big improvement over our form the past few seasons under the direction of the used car salesman.

Larry Shyatt has produced results and will continue to produce as he upgrades the talent in the program. Wyoming should be a lock for some sort of postseason (the NIT or the make beleive invite) which will allow our younger players a few more games to learn and grow as we build for next season. There is also a chance that we could earn a bid to the dance if our chips fall right in Vegas, crazier things have happened! So hold tight and hope for better rebounding and three point shooting in future seasons as the program grows.

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Random Basketball Stats

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 by Wicks in Cowboy Tough

The Cowboys (18-6) take on Air Force (11-11) at the AA tonight (6pm tip-off) in search of their 19th win of the season. It is a critical home game that Wyoming must win to keep their name in the NCAA bubble talk. With conference play rapidly heading down the front stretch, let’s take a look at a couple of stats that jumped out at me that have helped and hurt the Pokes so far this season.

 

+3.3 : Team Turover Margin

The Cowboys lead the MW in turnover margin thanks to their stingy defense and the improved play of PG JayDee Luster who leads the conference in assist to turnover ratio at 2.4. This is a boost from last year where Wyoming was just under +1 for the season. 

 

.582 : Leonard Washington’s Shooting %

The USC transfer leads the league in FG percentage and is a full 8 percent ahead of  the next best shooting rate held by New Mexico’s Drew Gordon. Washington has only attempted 196 shots though ranking 3rd on the team behind Cruz and Martinez. It may be wise to get Washington more looks in the games ahead.

 

.339 : Team Three Point Shooting %

The Cowboys have improved their three-point shooting from last year (up to 33% from 28%) but rank 7th in the MW only ahead of Air Force. A lot of the teams offensive struggles at time can be attributed to shot selection. While I like the confidence of the shooters to keep shooting sometimes it would be better to get to the basket more than settling for an outside shot. Once Shyatt builds a squad with a better outside-inside balance, with the coaching staff’s commitment to team defense the sky really is the limit.

 

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Just Say No To Conference North America

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 by Wicks in Cowboy Tough

Enjoy the Mountain West while you can folks because in its current look and feel it is all but dead. One can argue that the true Mountain West died when two conference founders BYU and Utah packed their bags but what is on the horizon for the conference is a clear and direct change from the western based conference we have grown to quite like. Yesterday the Mountain West and Conference USA announced the formation of a new conference but offered very little in actual details. Like most things the devil is in the details and it is this lack of details that has me concerned. The “new” conference which I have dubbed conference North America will have 16-24 teams. The conference “leadership” claims increased television revenue and visibility for conference North America based on the fact it covers five time zones from Hawaii to the east coast.

When did we last hear this argument? Oh yeah, back in 1996 when the 16 team WAC was formed. Just three years later the Mountain West was formed due to the major inefficiencies of such a large conglomeration of schools. So it seems we have learned very little in the past 16 years as we are doomed to repeat a mistake we have already made. Now sure this new attempt may end up being more regionalized with two divisions of eight teams or even four divisions with four teams to meet the goal of hosting football semi-final and championship games but that novelty will quickly die down. Are you really exited about possible matchups against Tulsa, Southern Miss or Eastern Carolina? I’m not!

I will support the Cowboys no matter what and I just want what is best for the university and its sports programs but this is clearly a step in the wrong direction. The conference and its institutions are trying to chase football money and gain BCS access (which is on its death-bed) but in doing so they are risking alienating the people who matter the most their alumni and fans. It will only be a matter of time before a new Mountain West emerges from the ashes of conference North America.

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Former Pokes Prepare For NFL Scouts In Denver

Friday, February 10th, 2012 by Wicks in Cowboy Tough

The Denver Post reports today that former Wyoming football players Brian Hendricks and Josh Biezuns are in Denver training with NFL  performance coach Loren Landow. They are looking to improve their times and marks in NFL combine style drills to impress NFL scouts on their pro day in Laramie. You can read the complete article in the link below to see what other college stars are participating in this program with the former Cowboys.

 

 
 
 

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Wyoming Basketball Plus/Minus

Thursday, February 9th, 2012 by Wicks in Cowboy Tough

It is no secret that I am a big fan of breaking down statistics in sports. This stems from my background in baseball which is a game that relies heavily on the analysis of statistics. Baseball has even taken its analysis of statistics to another level with the ‘moneyball effect’ and this is slowly creeping into other sports. College basketball is no different and we now have statistical services tracking the hockey born and bred plus/minus statistic on the hardwood. The plus/minus is a very simple statistic to compute. When a point is scored, every player on the floor for the team scoring is credited with a “plus.” Every player on the floor for the team scored against gets a “minus.”  A player’s overall total is calculated by subtracting the minuses from the pluses. This statistic offers a broad measurement on how valuable a player is when on the floor.

Below is Wyoming’s plus/minus chart per game for the season so far with stats courtesy of statsheet.com. For comparison purposes the highest plus/minus per game in college basketball this year (for those with 18 or more games played) is +20 by Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger. The Mountain West is led by New Mexico’s Drew Gordon (+16.6) and UNLV’s Oscar Bellfield (+12.8) with our own Francisco Cruz ranking third at +11.3. Not surprisingly, every player who receives regular playing time has a positive rating due to the team’s stingy defense. Additionally, our best three offensive players Cruz, Martinez and Washington have the highest ratings on the team due to their scoring prowess. What do you take away from this information?

 

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Win Over UNLV Provides RPI Boost

Sunday, February 5th, 2012 by Wicks in Cowboy Tough

With the 68-66 upset win over number 11 UNLV on Saturday the Cowboys have seen their RPI greatly improve. The Cowboys now have an RPI of 73 after being ranked 92nd following the road loss at TCU last week. The strength of schedule also improved jumping from 188 to 142 and is on course to finish at 101 according to statsheet.com. This is a very positive sign for the Cowboys and the key now is to keep winning. Wyoming has a chance to really improve their RPI with games still left against New Mexico, CSU, San Diego State, and UNLV all of which have higher RPI’s.

A 2-2 record or better against these  higher rated teams down the stretch should be the goal for the Pokes. This along with holding court against the lower ranked teams that Wyoming should be favorites against could see the brown and gold very much in the NCAA tournament conversation. The Cowboys will also have an additional chance to enhance their resume in the conference tourney in Vegas with a win or two. Anything is possible at this point in time, it’s a good position to be in comparison to this time last year!

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Wyoming Shows Some California (And Washington) Love

Friday, February 3rd, 2012 by Wicks in Cowboy Tough

Dave Christensen and his staff went full-out Tupac and Dr. Dre with this recruiting class in showing some California love. Six recruits from this class call the Golden State home ranging from Ventura in SoCal to Sacramento in NoCal. Additionally, the Pokes captured five commits from the state of Washington with the substantial ties that Christensen and new defensive coordinator Chris Tormey have in the northwest. I am 100% sold on the new emphasis in Washington but I do have some concerns about recruiting California so hard.

Washington is a good fit for Wyoming because the two states are somewhat similar weather wise. Prospects out of Washington are used to cold and damp winters and should not need much adjusting to the Wyoming weather. That is why Wyoming has had success in the past of recruiting and retaining quality players from the upper midwest especially in Minnesota. California is a different story though as it seems in both basketball and football we have a hard time in keeping talented players from the coastal state through four full years. For some reason or another a high number of them get homesick and decide to move closer to home leaving the Pokes shorthanded.

With six recruits from California in this year’s class it will be interesting to see how many of them stick around and make an impact in the program. I understand the fact that there was a lack of Division I prospects in Wyoming and Colorado this year. The staff in that case had to recruit where the talent is and California has plenty of it. I just think it is a risk considering Wyoming’s track record in retaining players from the state. All in all this is a good class (on paper) and I am very curious to see how the class will  look in two to three years. Perhaps my assumption that Washington is a better fit than California for the Cowboys will be wrong. I wish all the new Pokes nothing but success and only time will tell how they will get on in Laramie.

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Mapping Wyoming’s Football Recruits

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 by Wicks in Cowboy Tough

 

 

For a full version of this map click HERE.

 

 

Arizona
Tom Thornton QB 6-1 205 Fr. Tempe, Ariz. (Marcos de Niza)

 

California
Sam Awrabi DE 6-3 240 Fr. Clovis, Calif. (East)
Sam Hardy DL 6-3 275 Fr. West Hills, Calif. (Chaminade College Prep)
Walker Madden OL 6-9 260 Jr. Yucca Valley, Calif. (College of the Desert, Calif.)
Dylan Muscat DB 6-0 175 Fr. Santa Monica, Calif. (Santa Monica)
Connor Rains OT 6-7 305 Jr. Placerville, Calif. (American River CC, Calif.)
Shaun Wick RB 5-10 190 Fr. Ventura, Calif. (St. Bonaventure)

 

Hawai’i
Siaosi Hala’api’api LB 6-2 225 Fr. Honolulu, Hawai’i (Kaimuki)

 

 Illinois
Austin Tixier DL 6-3 250 Fr. Mount Prospect, Ill. (Prospect)

 

Kansas
Jacob English OL 6-5 280 Fr. Beloit, Kan. (Beloit)

 

Minnesota
Chase Roullier OL 6-4 290 Fr. Savage, Minn. (Burnsville)

 

Oregon
Nathan Leddige OL 6-5 282 Fr. Beaverton, Ore. (Southridge)

 

Texas
Chase Appleby DL 6-0 280 Fr. Frisco, Texas (Centennial)
Nico Brown WR 6-3 200 Fr. Leander, Texas (Leander)
Lucas Wacha LB 6-1 208 Fr. Texarkana, Texas (Pleasant Grove)

 

Washington
Damian Greene DB 5-9 174 Fr. Sammamish, Wash. (Skyline)
D.J. May RB 5-11 190 Fr. Federal Way, Wash. (Federal Way)
Uso Olive DL 6-1 305 Fr. Federal Way, Wash. (Federal Way)
Trent Sewell WR 6-2 197 Fr. Bothell, Wash. (Bothell)
Jason Thompson QB 6-2 205 Fr. Renton, Wash. (John F. Kennedy)

 

Australia
Tim Gleeson P 6-2 195 Fr. Melbourne, Australia ( Viewbank College Prep)

 

Germany
Justin Bernthaler DL 6-2 245 Jr. Stuttgart, Germany (Fullerton CC, Calif.)
Eric Nzeocha WR 6-1 200 Fr. Neusitz, Germany (FOS Ansbach)

 

 

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It’s Football Signing Day!

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 by Wicks in Cowboy Tough

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s that time of the year again where high school and junior college football players put pen to paper in deciding where they will play their college football. Coach Christensen and his staff have put together a solid class with three signees already in Laramie and around another 18 recruits ready to make their commitments official. The class is heavy on players from the states of California and Washington as it was a down year for prospects out of Colorado.

Be sure to check back here in the next few days as we at WyoNation and Cowboy Tough breakdown this year’s class as we cast an eye towards the 2012 season and beyond. You can follow this year’s festivities in Laramie by using the link below which is highlighted by the press conference at 3pm mountain time if you have an account with Wyoming Vision.

 

Wyoming Signing Day Central

 

 

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