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Cowboys Look to Put Last Year in Rear View Mirror

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
June 20, 2011

A wise man once said, “It’s not what happens to you that matters, it’s how you handle it.” A more famous cartoon character once muttered, “You’ve got to put the past in your behind.”

Whichever version you like best, it still means the same thing for the Wyoming Cowboys family: Time to move forward; can’t put 2010-2011 in the rear view mirror fast enough.

The last school year was stained with bookend tragedies. In the fall, football player Ruben Narcisse died in an automobile accident and months later, David Schmitt, captain of the Cowboys swimming team and President of the UW Athletic Department's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, died in a late night fall in War Memorial Stadium just hours before he was to graduate.  

In between, the football team, of which much was expected, wilted under the weight of a murders row schedule and limped to a 3-9 record. The team’s young and promising quarterback, Austyn Carta-Samuels, abruptly left school for personal reasons, leaving a void at the team’s most important position. Men’s basketball coach Heath Schroyer was fired in midseason largely because too many fans were coming to Wyoming games dressed as empty seats.

There were high points, like the football season ending beat down of rival Colorado State, and another solid season for the women’s hoops team. Still, it was far from a banner year in Laramie.

What 2010-11 is, starting now, is a year to learn from, grow from and hope not to repeat.

To start, coach Dave Christensen and his Cowboy football team can breathe a bit easier about the 2011 schedule. Utah and BYU have left the Conference and Texas is gone as well. Boise State was already on the slate for this season, and now that’s become a Conference game. Nebraska replaces Texas, but the game is in Laramie (Nebraska’s first ever trip across the border) and promises to be a festive event between the neighboring state U’s. The Huskers are the only daunting foe on the non-conference slate and other than Boise and TCU the Cowboys will enter the rest of the Conference games with a punchers chance or better.

The big question: Who will be under center? There was no definitive answer after spring practice, with a pair of freshman, Brett Smith and (redshirt) Emory Miller Jr., sharing the top spot on the post-spring depth chart. Christensen likes both players but undoubtedly wishes one or both had a bit more seasoning.

On the hardwood, everyone is lauding the return of Larry Shyatt, a former Wyoming assistant who comes back to Laramie after serving on Billy Donovan’s coaching staff at powerhouse Florida. He’s already bringing a big named recruit with him, Larry Nance Jr., the son of the former NBA Slam Dunk champion.

Will the flip of the calendar be enough to sway the fortunes in Laramie? A fresh start certainly won’t hurt. They’re due some good luck, and coupled with the typical roll up your-sleeves and get to work Wyoming attitude, a turnaround could be imminent.

Tragedies are a part of life and sometimes unavoidable. The Cowboy family can only hope that what they went through last year – on the field and off it – is now just part of the past that's in the behind.
See all of Mark Knudson's blog entries HERE.