Wyoming basketball coach Steve McClain will be back as the Cowboys’ coach after leading his team to the brink of the NCAA Tournament.
Wyoming athletic director Gary Barta made the announcement Monday after a weekend of speculation at the Mountain West Tournament that McClain would be fired. The Cowboys went into the MWC Tournament as the No. 7 seed and advanced to the title game, where they lost to San Diego State in overtime.
“It was a great week for Wyoming basketball in the Pepsi Center but it was a difficult one away from the court,” Barta said in a press release. “What made it so difficult was the media speculation regarding Steve’s future. That speculation led to a firestorm of talk regarding his status.”
Referring to conversations he and McClain had regarding the program’s future, Barta said, “Termination was never discussed. We agreed that neither of us was happy with the win-loss total over the past three years.”
McClain has a 140-100 record, but the Cowboys have struggled since a third-place MWC finish in 2003.The Cowboys’ future is hitched to freshman point guard Brandon Ewing, who is coming off all-tournament and third- team all-MWC honors.
McClain has four years left on this contract.
