A lost opportunity
by George Kay
After building a 16-point halftime lead, the Wyoming Cowboys squandered that advantage and lost their Mountain West Conference opener to New Mexico in double overtime.
It was a disheartening defeat for the Pokes because they played so well at times. It appeared they were destined to hand the Lobos an unexpected loss. Wyoming seemed to have the proper strategy in the first half with an up-tempo attack that had the visitors back on their heels.
That sizeable halftime lead slowly melted away, and the outcome was anybody’s game right up until late in the second overtime period.
There was more than one reason for the Cowboys’ demise. Cold shooting was a big factor, especially when one considers that Brandon Ewing went stone cold in the game’s final 30 minutes after a spectacular first half.
Watching the game on national television (CSTV) was painful at times as the announcers were not well-versed in the background of Wyoming basketball or the Mountain West Conference.
The Cowboys’ Brad Jones was called for a technical foul with about five minutes left in regulation, and UW Coach Heath Schroyer sat the senior guard on the bench. There he stayed for the remainder of the contest.
The CSTV announcers were critical of that decision and kept the topic alive for the remainder of the game. It would have been nice to have the veteran guard in the lineup at crunch time, but Schroyer is determined to instill discipline in the Wyoming program.
This was one way to accomplish that end, and whether the tactic was worthwhile remains to be seen.
This conference-opening defeat was not unexpected as New Mexico figures to be one of the better teams in the league. But with three of their next four games on the road, the Cowboys will have to put it all together in a hurry.
At this point, I would point to Brigham Young University as the class of the conference, but there is a long way to go before March.
As for Wyoming, the Pokes need to learn from this difficult defeat and continue the improvement that was evident at times on Saturday in Laramie.
With the UW students on break and treacherous roads limiting some travel plans, the turnout on Saturday was pretty meager.
The Pokes’ next home game will be next week on Wednesday when Air Force comes to Laramie. That game will have more importance than might be the usual case. And the turnout at that game will be a more accurate indication of interest in Cowboy basketball.
The Cowboys are in desperate need of some success as they move into the heart of the MWC campaign. And without some success on the court, the turnouts at the Arena-Auditorium will reflect a lack of enthusiasm among the residents from across the state.
Right in the midst of a Wyoming winter, we got a breath of summer last weekend when the annual Colorado Rockies baseball camp was held in Casper.
The Rockies’ Clint Barmes and Ian Stewart joined a group of Colorado coaches as instructors at the annual camp, which is a popular event for coaches and youngsters statewide.
In chatting with Barmes and Stewart, I tried to get an indication of the attitude about the coming season. Barmes indicated he had been thinking he might be traded away from Denver. But so far, he remains with the Rockies and he is fine with that.
He told me that with Kaz Matsui and Jamey Carroll traded away from Colorado, there will be a greater opportunity in the Rockies’ infield.
Stewart echoed those thoughts and said he was anxious to play anywhere, be it second base or third base or elsewhere.
This yearly camp is a great opportunity for the youth, and it is a nice break in the midst of winter for the rest of us. Remember, spring training is only a couple of months away.