LARAMIE — Adam Waddell has brown and gold running through his veins.
Not only was he born and raised in Cody, but he’s the son of former University of Wyoming athletes Lori (Kline) Waddell and Tim Waddell. Mom is a former Cowgirls basketball player (1979-83); dad is an ex-UW football player (1977-79).
As a result, the younger Waddell, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound junior, grew up cheering for UW. He envisioned a time that he might become a part of Cowboy basketball and play before crowds in excess of 10,000 in the “Dome of Doom.” Because of Waddell’s background and the fact that he is the ultimate competitor, UW’s 2009-10 basketball season was a major disappointment from a couple of standpoints.
The Cowboys finished at 10-21, 3-13 in the Mountain West Conference. Included in that was a 9-9 home record, the worst in the Arena-Auditorium’s 29-year history.
And UW drew an average of just 4,885 fans per game — an all-time arena low.
“It’s been really tough, especially being from this state,” Waddell said. “When you grow up in this state and you watch and follow this team … they have been successful.
“And that’s what everyone on this team wants. But people have to realize it’s not just a quick, overnight thing. We have seen success, and we have seen what we can be, but last season was definitely disappointing.
“It was disappointing to see the people of your own state, that you were born and raised in, waiting for us to have a good season.”
Waddell said the 2010-11 version of Cowboys basketball is dedicated to turning things around. But he added that he would like to see renewed fan support.
“The biggest motivating factor for me personally,” he said, “is I want the people in this state to support Cowboys basketball and not just do what every major school does and say, ‘If Coach doesn’t win so many games, we need to get him out.”‘ There was a lot of that last season. Not only were fans staying away, they were calling for coach Heath Schroyer’s head.
A three-year mark of 40-53, 15-33 in the MWC, will do that, leaving the coach on the proverbial hot seat for the upcoming season.
Waddell is quick to defend Schroyer, saying he is not being treated fairly by a number of fans.
“Coach knows what he’s doing; I can tell you that right now,” Waddell said. “From where the program was to where it is now — the quality of character and the talent of the guys that are coming in — it is so much better than it was my freshman year.”
There were several key things that happened that affected the young UW team in Waddell’s opinion.
There were the defections of sophomore guards Thomas Manzano and A.J. Davis, the season-ending knee injury to leading scorer Afam Muojeke and an early-season knee injury and a late-season ankle roll suffered by Waddell himself.
“People make assumptions about why A.J. and Thomas left, and they really have no idea,” Waddell said. “(The fans) turn quickly on you if you’re not winning.”
Waddell said both players didn’t fit what UW was trying to do last season.
“When you find guys that really don’t buy into the system and kind of want to do their own thing, they really don’t fit in,” he said. “They were great guys and we all got along, but when it came to basketball, we really didn’t see eye to eye on things.
“Everyone in that locker room right now, the guys on this team, is 100 percent behind Coach. We trust what Coach is doing.” Waddell said he is excited about the fact that he is healthy and that Muojeke is on the road to recovery. He’s also encouraged by the four new players Schroyer has added.
The list includes three shooting guards — junior college transfers Francisco Cruz and Luke Martinez and freshman Joe Hudson — and 6-foot-8, 235-pound power forward Brian Gibson, the nation’s leading junior college rebounder.
“The new guys already are starting to understand what college basketball is all about,” Waddell said. “They have come in, and everyone is on the same page. Everybody hangs out (together); we are a close-knit group. That’s what wins.”
