Cowboy basketball looks to the future; Linskens, Diakite leave program
A caller on Sportsline Live asked on Tuesday the status of Cowboy basketball and the possibility of three more players who had possibly given verbals.
As it turned out, he was on to something.
About the same time the UW sports information department sent out a release to the media that dealt about 99 percent with the future of the program. The other one percent, at the bottom of the release, stated that sophomore center Mikhail Linskens and junior forward Mahamoud Diakite were leaving the program to pursue opportunities to play professional basketball overseas.
Both are leaving the Wyoming program in good academic standing, thus giving the Cowboys two more scholarships to go along with the three letters-of-intent that have already been signed.
It was no real surprise to see that Linskens and Diakite were departing. If Las Vegas had odds on who would go and who would stay, they were the heavy favorites to leave the program. With the emergence of redshirt freshman Adam Waddell and next year's eligibility of big Boubacar Sylla, there didn't look to be any room for Linskens on the court. And Diakite was just a spot player who never really got into the Wyoming rotation in his first year out of junior college.
Two weeks after the Cowboys disappointing loss to Northeastern in the opening round of the CBI tournament, optimism is shining bright in the Cowboy camp.
Despite that uninspiring final loss, the Cowboys enjoyed an upswing for the most part, winning 19 games for the first time since the 2003 season. Wyoming also earned a postseason berth for the first time since that 2003 NIT year.
“This season was obviously a big step for our program both on and off of the floor, which is evident in our postseason bid,” second-year Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. “We are very excited about the things we have accomplished during our first two years, but we are more excited about what is on the horizon.”
The Cowboys will welcome back two starters and three other significant contributors from that 19-win team. Led by the 2008-09 MWC Freshman of the Year, Afam Muojeke, the Cowboys return a core of talented players. Included in that mix will be senior Ryan Dermody, junior Djibril Thiam and two sophomores, A.J. Davis and Waddell.
The Cowboys will also receive a nice boost as two transfers will be eligible in 2009-10. Sophomores JayDee Luster and Sylla, who each sat out and redshirted this past season, are two very talented young players. Luster, who will assume the point-guard reigns, transferred to UW from New Mexico State. Sylla, a 7-2 center with a 7-5 wingspan, came to Wyoming from Auburn.
Another player that the coaching staff is excited to get into the mix is guard Arthur Bouëdo. Bouëdo was sidelined in 2008-09 due to a preseason ankle injury.
The Cowboys signed three student-athletes during the fall signing period, including Michael Dietz, Thomas Manzano and Amath M’Baye. Dietz, a Casper, native, was named the 2009 Gatorade Wyoming Player of the Year after leading Casper Natrona to the 2009 Wyoming state championship. Manzano, who is transferring to UW from Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kan., had a tremendous freshman season. Manzano was named to the All-Tournament Team of the NJCAA National Championships after averaging 26.0 points a game in the tournament. By scoring 104 points in the tournament, he led all players in scoring. That included a 38-point performance in Garden City’s opening round win. M’Baye averaged 18.0 points and 9.7 rebounds a game at Stoneridge Prep this past season.
“When you look at our roster for next year, we will potentially have one senior, one junior and 11 underclassmen,” Schroyer said. “I believe the key to winning in this conference is to assemble a group of guys that will be together for three to four years, and we have done that. With that, we have been able to balance our short-term needs and our long-term goals. I believe this is the way to build a program for the long term, and I am very excited about what we have done.”
Now, it will be up to the Wyoming coach staff and a mixture of young talent to make sure the Cowboys are indeed heading in the right direction.
As it turned out, he was on to something.
About the same time the UW sports information department sent out a release to the media that dealt about 99 percent with the future of the program. The other one percent, at the bottom of the release, stated that sophomore center Mikhail Linskens and junior forward Mahamoud Diakite were leaving the program to pursue opportunities to play professional basketball overseas.
Both are leaving the Wyoming program in good academic standing, thus giving the Cowboys two more scholarships to go along with the three letters-of-intent that have already been signed.
It was no real surprise to see that Linskens and Diakite were departing. If Las Vegas had odds on who would go and who would stay, they were the heavy favorites to leave the program. With the emergence of redshirt freshman Adam Waddell and next year's eligibility of big Boubacar Sylla, there didn't look to be any room for Linskens on the court. And Diakite was just a spot player who never really got into the Wyoming rotation in his first year out of junior college.
Two weeks after the Cowboys disappointing loss to Northeastern in the opening round of the CBI tournament, optimism is shining bright in the Cowboy camp.
Despite that uninspiring final loss, the Cowboys enjoyed an upswing for the most part, winning 19 games for the first time since the 2003 season. Wyoming also earned a postseason berth for the first time since that 2003 NIT year.
“This season was obviously a big step for our program both on and off of the floor, which is evident in our postseason bid,” second-year Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. “We are very excited about the things we have accomplished during our first two years, but we are more excited about what is on the horizon.”
The Cowboys will welcome back two starters and three other significant contributors from that 19-win team. Led by the 2008-09 MWC Freshman of the Year, Afam Muojeke, the Cowboys return a core of talented players. Included in that mix will be senior Ryan Dermody, junior Djibril Thiam and two sophomores, A.J. Davis and Waddell.
The Cowboys will also receive a nice boost as two transfers will be eligible in 2009-10. Sophomores JayDee Luster and Sylla, who each sat out and redshirted this past season, are two very talented young players. Luster, who will assume the point-guard reigns, transferred to UW from New Mexico State. Sylla, a 7-2 center with a 7-5 wingspan, came to Wyoming from Auburn.
Another player that the coaching staff is excited to get into the mix is guard Arthur Bouëdo. Bouëdo was sidelined in 2008-09 due to a preseason ankle injury.
The Cowboys signed three student-athletes during the fall signing period, including Michael Dietz, Thomas Manzano and Amath M’Baye. Dietz, a Casper, native, was named the 2009 Gatorade Wyoming Player of the Year after leading Casper Natrona to the 2009 Wyoming state championship. Manzano, who is transferring to UW from Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kan., had a tremendous freshman season. Manzano was named to the All-Tournament Team of the NJCAA National Championships after averaging 26.0 points a game in the tournament. By scoring 104 points in the tournament, he led all players in scoring. That included a 38-point performance in Garden City’s opening round win. M’Baye averaged 18.0 points and 9.7 rebounds a game at Stoneridge Prep this past season.
“When you look at our roster for next year, we will potentially have one senior, one junior and 11 underclassmen,” Schroyer said. “I believe the key to winning in this conference is to assemble a group of guys that will be together for three to four years, and we have done that. With that, we have been able to balance our short-term needs and our long-term goals. I believe this is the way to build a program for the long term, and I am very excited about what we have done.”
Now, it will be up to the Wyoming coach staff and a mixture of young talent to make sure the Cowboys are indeed heading in the right direction.
Comments