Laramie, Wyo. – Heath Schroyer has seen how good Wyoming basketball can be. He worked under coach Steve McClain during the 2001-02 season, helping lead the Cowboys to a 22-9 record, their first NCAA tournament win since 1990 and their first regular-season conference title in 20 years.
Since then, the Cowboys have fallen on hard times. Now, Schroyer is reuniting with another former boss, UW athletics director Tom Burman, to restore Wyoming basketball.
“It’s great to be back,” Schroyer said today when he was introduced as Wyoming’s new coach, replacing the fired McClain. “I told Tom when I got here it feels like coming home.” Schroyer comes to Wyoming from Fresno State, where he’s been associate head coach under Steve Cleveland for two years. Cleveland and Schroyer previously coached together at Fresno City College and Brigham Young.
“I had a great situation,” Schroyer said. “This is the one opportunity I would have left it to come back to.” Wyoming might be an opportunity, but it won’t be easy. McClain was fired earlier this month after going 157-115 in nine seasons, but just 57-63 over the last four seasons, with two losing records and no postseason bids. Burman cited on-the-court losses and slumping ticket sales when he fired McClain.
Schroyer says he wants to maintain the fast-paced offense favored by his predecessor, combining a four-out motion offense and high-pressure defense.
“We’re going to open the floor up,” Schroyer said. “I think it’s a mistake at this level not to play fast at 7,200 feet.” That sounds good to guard Brandon Ewing, who led the Cowboys and the Mountain West Conference in scoring last season as a sophomore.
“I’m ready to win in the tournament. I want to be one of those teams that’s winning championships,” Ewing said.
“Whoever came in, I’m ready to play basketball,” he said.
“(Schroyer) seems like a cool guy-energetic. I’m ready to play.” And Schroyer is no stranger to challenges. He and Cleveland helped turn around BYU before Schroyer came to Wyoming for a single season. In 2002, Burman – then the athletic director at Portland State – hired Schroyer to turn around an awful Portland State team.
Portland State went 5-22 in Schroyer’s first season, improved to 11-16 in his second season, then went 19-9 overall, 11-3 in league play, and won the Big Sky Conference regular-season title in his third and final season before reuniting with Cleveland to help turn around Fresno State.
“I’m not just confident, I know that we hired the right guy to lead Cowboy basketball,” UW President Tom Buchanan said.
The five-year contract Schroyer signed Friday afternoon will pay him a base salary of $150,000 a year. With incentives, he can earn up to $500,000.
