Hunter Thompson

[wyoming3]

As far as I know he can't actually sign with Creighton till November and I doubt Shyatt is going to stop contacting him till he signs. We've got a full summer AAU circuit to go through, who knows kids have been known to de-commit from verbals and sign at other schools.

[joshvanklomp]

It's hard to get better when top flight talent, especially top in state talent, won't come play here

That's why you have a coach who develops talent. Who turns little-recruited players into NBA players. Instead, some Wyoming fans complain because the team didn't reach the unrealistic expectations they had for the team coming into the year.

[joshvanklomp]

I will say that the "good riddance" attitude on this board is toxic for our ability to recruit.

Not nearly as toxic as the "we suck" attitude that is more prevalent on this board. The vast majority of fan message boards fall prey to the sour grapes posts when they lose a recruit. What makes Wyoming unique is that while most message boards fall into two camps in those scenarios ("It's the kids decision, we can't begrudge him" vs. "He sucks anyway"), Wyoming adds a new dimension of "we suck so bad, no wonder he didn't want to play here, who would ever want to play here". I would say that dimension is far more damaging to recruiting than anything else.

At the same time, there are circumstances that people can't turn a blind eye to. I would never say "who would ever want to play here," but I still realize that there are valid reasons a kid would choose a school like Creighton over us. Doesn't mean I think we suck or we'll never get anyone, it's just an honest perspective on the situation.

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

It's hard to get better when top flight talent, especially top in state talent, won't come play here

That's why you have a coach who develops talent. Who turns little-recruited players into NBA players. Instead, some Wyoming fans complain because the team didn't reach the unrealistic expectations they had for the team coming into the year.

I want players who want to play here. It pisses me off local kids don't want to but it is what it is. And if we have to be a team that turns the occasional player into a NBA talent every 5 years we are screwed. Shyatt has to be able to attract immediately impactful players. I am not saying we have to get 1-3 Josh Adams or Larry Nance every class but we will never be successful if we continue to get 1-3 Daltons every class. A lot of this current team WILL BE GOOD in a few years but that leaves a real poop NOW. If wanting to compete every year, and every game is unrealistic than you need to re-examine your fandom. This season was a complete kick in the dick as a fan and I cannot say this was anything but a complete let down, even with the young roster.

[wyokoke]

I will say that the "good riddance" attitude on this board is toxic for our ability to recruit.

Not nearly as toxic as the "we suck" attitude that is more prevalent on this board. The vast majority of fan message boards fall prey to the sour grapes posts when they lose a recruit. What makes Wyoming unique is that while most message boards fall into two camps in those scenarios ("It's the kids decision, we can't begrudge him" vs. "He sucks anyway"), Wyoming adds a new dimension of "we suck so bad, no wonder he didn't want to play here, who would ever want to play here". I would say that dimension is far more damaging to recruiting than anything else.

At the same time, there are circumstances that people can't turn a blind eye to. I would never say "who would ever want to play here," but I still realize that there are valid reasons a kid would choose a school like Creighton over us. Doesn't mean I think we suck or we'll never get anyone, it's just an honest perspective on the situation.

That's a dangerous opinion to have around here. Ben Simmons should've picked us, LSU is no better a basketball program

[joshvanklomp]

I think Wyoming has an attitude problem. I know lots of "Wyoming fans" that do nothing but talk poop about how much we suck. We should talk about how to get better instead of how much we suck. I wouldn't be surprised if there was plenty of people around hunter talking poop about Wyoming. UW is a fine school

“They just have an incredible fan base and I can’t imagine there’s a better feeling than playing in front of 15,000 fans every game.”

Judging by that comment, the fan bases were the key reason he chose Creighton. I'm sure comments like "I hope he fails miserably" and "f-word him" only reinforce his decision to leave the state.

[joshvanklomp]

Have you ever been to Omaha let alone Creighton? The suburbs are nice but there are a lot of areas in the city that are rough and not a place I would want to live. Creighton is in one of the rough areas that I personally would never want to live in. Omaha is going to be quite the large change from Pine Bluffs.

I have. I've seen some of the sketchy areas of Omaha. My friend's daughter went to Creighton. Of course it will be a big change. Maybe that's a good thing.

Exactly. It's quite possible the "big change" is part of what attracted him to the school.

[joshvanklomp]

I want players who want to play here. It pisses me off local kids don't want to but it is what it is. And if we have to be a team that turns the occasional player into a NBA talent every 5 years we are screwed. Shyatt has to be able to attract immediately impactful players. I am not saying we have to get 1-3 Josh Adams or Larry Nance every class but we will never be successful if we continue to get 1-3 Daltons every class. A lot of this current team WILL BE GOOD in a few years but that leaves a real poop NOW. If wanting to compete every year, and every game is unrealistic than you need to re-examine your fandom. This season was a complete kick in the dick as a fan and I cannot say this was anything but a complete let down, even with the young roster.

Why are we screwed? That's the case for most mid-major programs.

I never said wanting those things was unrealistic, I said expecting them is. There were people on this board saying NCAA Tournament or bust. I would've loved to go to the tournament, but I also was levelheaded enough to realize it simply wasn't realistic. I, and others, got ridiculed for saying 17-20 wins would be a good year for this young squad. Turns out we were the unrealistic ones, after all.

[Yabadabadoo]

The hypocrisy of much of the fan base here is what troubles me.

On one hand whenever a kid (a talented kid) chooses to rebuff the efforts of UW and goes someplace else, some in the chorus rationalize this by mentioning so many of the positives of the other school while at the same time speaking of the limitations of Laramie.

This sector of the fan base needs to be leading the 'let's keep things in perspective' fan club when it comes to UW football & basketball.

For if the 'talented' kids are going elsewhere and refusing the Cowboy way, then how can anyone justifiably complain about the lack of sustained winning over these last few years? See, you cannot have it both ways. You may not argue about how a football team sucks, or a basketball team sucks, or how this coach should be fired for whatever reason...if you subscribe to the notion that talented kids have much better options outside of Laramie and thus, we should simply be content with what we get with the kids who do choose to come to Wyoming.

I believe that unwittingly, the rationale crowd, who talks some of us off the ledge when we lose a player like Thompson, are supporting the argument that there are significant limitations with our recruiting efforts, and as such, every coach should be given a mulligan no matter what their record...seeing how Laramie simply cannot stack up against a place like, Omaha, Nebraska.

Bottom line: We can't recruit high caliber athletes to Laramie, nor can we keep our best in-state players at home.

In other words, you cannot cite and justify the lack of talented athletes refusing Wyoming and then on the other hand bitch about the results on the field/court at the same time.

So what are we ever complaining about here?

P.S. Hunter...who?

[rich22]

The hypocrisy of much of the fan base here is what troubles me.

On one hand whenever a kid (a talented kid) chooses to rebuff the efforts of UW and goes someplace else, some in the chorus rationalize this by mentioning so many of the positives of the other school while at the same time speaking of the limitations of Laramie.

This sector of the fan base needs to be leading the 'let's keep things in perspective' fan club when it comes to UW football & basketball.

For if the 'talented' kids are going elsewhere and refusing the Cowboy way, then how can anyone justifiably complain about the lack of sustained winning over these last few years? See, you cannot have it both ways. You may not argue about how a football team sucks, or a basketball team sucks, or how this coach should be fired for whatever reason...if you subscribe to the notion that talented kids have much better options outside of Laramie and thus, we should simply be content with what we get with the kids who do choose to come to Wyoming.

I believe that unwittingly, the rationale crowd, who talks some of us off the ledge when we lose a player like Thompson, are supporting the argument that there are significant limitations with our recruiting efforts, and as such, every coach should be given a mulligan no matter what their record...seeing how Laramie simply cannot stack up against a place like, Omaha, Nebraska.

Bottom line: We can't recruit high caliber athletes to Laramie, nor can we keep our best in-state players at home.

In other words, you cannot cite and justify the lack of talented athletes refusing Wyoming and then on the other hand bitch about the results on the field/court at the same time.

So what are we ever complaining about here?

P.S. Hunter...who?

This is very true. I think a lot of people say we can't recruit and then their answer to that problem is to drop to a lower division. I think both of those ideas are stupid. I think we can recruit ( we were really close to getting Hunter and still might who knows) and I think we really can compete. Maybe I am delusional but I truly think we can compete in the Mtn West. I think we need to be creative with some things but I think we can do it. I have no ideas right now on what needs to change because I am not in nor will I ever be in the athletics department. Tom Burman has to dig in and do a root cause analysis and talk to his department ( including coaches all the way down to the lowest staff member) and his Boss to come up with solutions and not the same solutions we have used since 1988.

[NowherePoke]

I will say that the "good riddance" attitude on this board is toxic for our ability to recruit.

Not nearly as toxic as the "we suck" attitude that is more prevalent on this board. The vast majority of fan message boards fall prey to the sour grapes posts when they lose a recruit. What makes Wyoming unique is that while most message boards fall into two camps in those scenarios ("It's the kids decision, we can't begrudge him" vs. "He sucks anyway"), Wyoming adds a new dimension of "we suck so bad, no wonder he didn't want to play here, who would ever want to play here". I would say that dimension is far more damaging to recruiting than anything else.

At the same time, there are circumstances that people can't turn a blind eye to. I would never say "who would ever want to play here," but I still realize that there are valid reasons a kid would choose a school like Creighton over us. Doesn't mean I think we suck or we'll never get anyone, it's just an honest perspective on the situation.

That's a dangerous opinion to have around here. Ben Simmons should've picked us, LSU is no better a basketball program

Ben Simmons may not be the best choice for the point you are trying to make. Do you think LSU was the best basketball program that recruited Simmons (hint: not by a mile). LSU is not, by most realistic measures, a Top 30 destination. Yet they landed the #1 recruit in the country.

[NowherePoke]

I will say that the "good riddance" attitude on this board is toxic for our ability to recruit.

Not nearly as toxic as the "we suck" attitude that is more prevalent on this board. The vast majority of fan message boards fall prey to the sour grapes posts when they lose a recruit. What makes Wyoming unique is that while most message boards fall into two camps in those scenarios ("It's the kids decision, we can't begrudge him" vs. "He sucks anyway"), Wyoming adds a new dimension of "we suck so bad, no wonder he didn't want to play here, who would ever want to play here". I would say that dimension is far more damaging to recruiting than anything else.

At the same time, there are circumstances that people can't turn a blind eye to. I would never say "who would ever want to play here," but I still realize that there are valid reasons a kid would choose a school like Creighton over us. Doesn't mean I think we suck or we'll never get anyone, it's just an honest perspective on the situation.

Of course there are valid reasons, but it should not be considered fait accomopli that a local kid would choose Creighton over UW.

There are valid reasons to choose Texas, Washington, NC State, Cal, and ASU over Nevada, but that hasn't stopped Musselman from beating out those schools for recruits.

There are valid reasons for choosing Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, or Baylor over USU and Logan, UT but that didn't stop USU from landing McEwen.

There are valid reasons for choosing a SEC school over UW but Justin James is here anyway.

The point is that while Thompsons choice is certainly valid, the choice to play at UW is valid as well. We have beaten Creghton head to head for recruits in the past (one of my favorite Pokes was Brad Jones whose decision came down to us and Creighton when it was McClain vs. Altman) and there choice was every bit as valid as Thompson's.

[wyokoke]

I will say that the "good riddance" attitude on this board is toxic for our ability to recruit.

Not nearly as toxic as the "we suck" attitude that is more prevalent on this board. The vast majority of fan message boards fall prey to the sour grapes posts when they lose a recruit. What makes Wyoming unique is that while most message boards fall into two camps in those scenarios ("It's the kids decision, we can't begrudge him" vs. "He sucks anyway"), Wyoming adds a new dimension of "we suck so bad, no wonder he didn't want to play here, who would ever want to play here". I would say that dimension is far more damaging to recruiting than anything else.

At the same time, there are circumstances that people can't turn a blind eye to. I would never say "who would ever want to play here," but I still realize that there are valid reasons a kid would choose a school like Creighton over us. Doesn't mean I think we suck or we'll never get anyone, it's just an honest perspective on the situation.

That's a dangerous opinion to have around here. Ben Simmons should've picked us, LSU is no better a basketball program

Ben Simmons may not be the best choice for the point you are trying to make. Do you think LSU was the best basketball program that recruited Simmons (hint: not by a mile). LSU is not, by most realistic measures, a Top 30 destination. Yet they landed the #1 recruit in the country.

Maybe you missed the part where I said LSU is no better a basketball program than us

[NowherePoke]

I think Wyoming has an attitude problem. I know lots of "Wyoming fans" that do nothing but talk poop about how much we suck. We should talk about how to get better instead of how much we suck. I wouldn't be surprised if there was plenty of people around hunter talking poop about Wyoming. UW is a fine school

“They just have an incredible fan base and I can’t imagine there’s a better feeling than playing in front of 15,000 fans every game.”

Judging by that comment, the fan bases were the key reason he chose Creighton. I'm sure comments like "I hope he fails miserably" and "f-word him" only reinforce his decision to leave the state.

This is lax and I are talking about. Do you think if Creghton loses a recruit to Iowa State (just to use an example) that their fans go "oh, well they are better than us anyway, no wonder he wouldn't want play here"?

Spoiler alert: No they wouldn't. They would make derogatory comments about Ames, accuse ISU of cheating and possible throw in some the deed references involving farm animals.

I am hardly the biggest homer on this board, but I believe playing basketball for Larry Shyatt at the University of Wyoming is a great opportunity. It is disappointing that many on here, and Hunter Thomopson, do not.

[rich22]

I will say that the "good riddance" attitude on this board is toxic for our ability to recruit.

Not nearly as toxic as the "we suck" attitude that is more prevalent on this board. The vast majority of fan message boards fall prey to the sour grapes posts when they lose a recruit. What makes Wyoming unique is that while most message boards fall into two camps in those scenarios ("It's the kids decision, we can't begrudge him" vs. "He sucks anyway"), Wyoming adds a new dimension of "we suck so bad, no wonder he didn't want to play here, who would ever want to play here". I would say that dimension is far more damaging to recruiting than anything else.

At the same time, there are circumstances that people can't turn a blind eye to. I would never say "who would ever want to play here," but I still realize that there are valid reasons a kid would choose a school like Creighton over us. Doesn't mean I think we suck or we'll never get anyone, it's just an honest perspective on the situation.

Of course there are valid reasons, but it should not be considered fait accomopli that a local kid would choose Creighton over UW.

There are valid reasons to choose Texas, Washington, NC State, Cal, and ASU over Nevada, but that hasn't stopped Musselman from beating out those schools for recruits.

There are valid reasons for choosing Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, or Baylor over USU and Logan, UT but that didn't stop USU from landing McEwen.

There are valid reasons for choosing a SEC school over UW but Justin James is here anyway.

The point is that while Thompsons choice is certainly valid, the choice to play at UW is valid as well. We have beaten Creghton head to head for recruits in the past (one of my favorite Pokes was Brad Jones whose decision came down to us and Creighton when it was McClain vs. Altman) and there choice was every bit as valid as Thompson's.

+1

[laxwyo]

I don't know the mind of a recruit but I'd be disappointed if the local college wasn't disappointed that I decided to go somewhere else. Being pissed is a sign that everyone wanted him here. If no one was pissed, it'd feel like I wasn't wanted. Of course I'm seeing it through my eyes.

I was one that said "f-word him" and I still do. If Wyoming isn't good enough for him then I don't care anymore. I don't hope he fails but could care less what he does from this point on. It bothers me that most athletes don't grow up wanting to be Cowboys. I look at Nebraska and kids dream of playing for their home state and turn down mega offers to do so. I'll admit that I didn't grow up die hard Wyoming fan. My dad didn't go to college and was from Idaho. I remember listening to games from time to time but his work schedule didn't allow us to make Saturday games when I was younger. Maybe it's the fact that most Wyoming grads don't stay in state. Then again, Porter Gustin had two alumna as parents and we didn't even sniff him.

[joshvanklomp]

The hypocrisy of much of the fan base here is what troubles me.

On one hand whenever a kid (a talented kid) chooses to rebuff the efforts of UW and goes someplace else, some in the chorus rationalize this by mentioning so many of the positives of the other school while at the same time speaking of the limitations of Laramie.

This sector of the fan base needs to be leading the 'let's keep things in perspective' fan club when it comes to UW football & basketball.

I am. If you think I've ever done differently, you need to pay closer attention.

[joshvanklomp]

This is lax and I are talking about. Do you think if Creghton loses a recruit to Iowa State (just to use an example) that their fans go "oh, well they are better than us anyway, no wonder he wouldn't want play here"?

Spoiler alert: No they wouldn't. They would make derogatory comments about Ames, accuse ISU of cheating and possible throw in some the deed references involving farm animals.

I don't know what they do, and I don't care.

I don't hope for a 17-year old kid to fail or tell him to f-word himself because he didn't pick my favorite school. If you're fine doing that, more power to ya. I'd like to think I have more integrity than that, and I thought the people of Wyoming did as well.

Why use the actions of someone else to make your actions seem okay? I hate the "everyone else does it" excuse. Maybe that should be the new Wyoming state motto. First it was weedgate, now this. If a Wyoming player gets accused of murder, might as well get the "well OJ Simpson did it" excuse lined up.

[joshvanklomp]

I don't know the mind of a recruit but I'd be disappointed if the local college wasn't disappointed that I decided to go somewhere else.

I don't think anyone who has wished him well isn't disappointed he chose Creighton. I'm disappointed. That doesn't mean I should turn a blind eye to reality.

[NowherePoke]

This is lax and I are talking about. Do you think if Creghton loses a recruit to Iowa State (just to use an example) that their fans go "oh, well they are better than us anyway, no wonder he wouldn't want play here"?

Spoiler alert: No they wouldn't. They would make derogatory comments about Ames, accuse ISU of cheating and possible throw in some the deed references involving farm animals.

I don't know what they do, and I don't care.

I don't hope for a 17-year old kid to fail or tell him to f-word himself because he didn't pick my favorite school. If you're fine doing that, more power to ya. I'd like to think I have more integrity than that, and I thought the people of Wyoming did as well.

Why use the actions of someone else to make your actions seem okay? I hate the "everyone else does it" excuse. Maybe that should be the new Wyoming state motto. First it was weedgate, now this. If a Wyoming player gets accused of murder, might as well get the "well OJ Simpson did it" excuse lined up.

What is wrong with you? I never said anything close to what you are accusing me of saying.