INSIDE: Cowboys’ Allen Edwards dismisses UW BASKETBALL hot seat talk PREVIEW 2019-20 A NEW ERA Gerald Mattinson takes the reins of the Wyoming Cowgirls after 16 seasons as an assistant coach UNCLE CHARLIE’S Package Liquor GRILL & TAVERN Fine Wine • Beer • Spirits Celebrating over 40 years! Give us a Join Us For “Taste”! Sandwiches Appetizers FOOTBALL Food & Fun EVERY GAME, EVERY SUNDAY • WE HAVE THE BIG TEN NETWORK! Burgers Soup & Salad Lunch Served Dinner Served Soup & Salad Bar Mon-Fri 11:00am - 2:00pm Mon-Sat 5:00pm - 9:00pm Mon-Fri 11:00am - 2:00pm Sat & Sun 11:00am - 5:00pm Sun 5:00pm - 8:00pm Put Your Favorite Wines on Sale Wine Beer Over 900 Different Labels of Fine Wines! Wines for the Connoisseur at Everyday Low Prices! Choose any 6 of your favorite wines (750 ml.) and receive 10% off! Plus Uncle Charlie’s Original Wine Tote! 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Yellowstone Rd Corner of Yellowstone & Storey Frontier Park WYOMING BASKETBALL 2019-20 3 WHAT’S INSIDE COWGIRLS Taking over the reigns ...... 4 Senior leader .............. 6 Super sophomore ......... 10 Stepping forward ......... 13 Duo learning ropes ........ 14 Meet the Cowgirls ...... 16-19 Cowgirls schedule ......... 21 MW analysis ............. 23 MW team capsules .... 24-25 2018-19 stats ......... 26-27 COWBOYS Edwards eschews pressure ................. 29 Bounce-back year ........ 30 Work in progress ..........33 Welcomed expectations ............. 34 University of Wyoming forward Taylor Rusk, second from right, and teammates celebrate their win against the Pepperdine Waves in the third round of the WNIT on March 28 at Arena-Auditorium in Laramie. The Cowgirls beat the Waves 61-60. Instant impact ............ 37 Troy Babbitt/Special to WyoSports Meet the Cowboys .... 38-41 UW BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2019-20 MW analysis ............. 42 Cover photo and player portraits: Nadav Soroker | Designer: Erica Klimt | WyoSports Cowboys schedule ........ 43 staff: Jeremiah Johnke, editor; David Watson, assistant editor; Tyler Poslosky, writer; Robert Munoz, intern MW team capsules .... .44-45 Produced by: WyoSports, in conjunction with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle 2018-19 stats ......... 46-47 and Laramie Boomerang MW TV schedule ...... 48-49 For more coverage of the University of Wyoming Cowgirls and Cowboys throughout the season, visit WyoSports.net. Taking over the reins GERALD MATTINSON IS NOW HEAD COACH FOR THE COWGIRLS By Tyler Poslosky | WyoSports Gerald Mattinson was studying practice film. It was Oct. 8, less than a month before his University of Wyoming women’s basketball team opens the 2019- 20 season. The more Mattinson dissected the tape, the more he started to think. “Wow, we don’t have very many practices left until our first game,” he said. Indeed. It had been more than 150 days since Mattinson was named coach of the Cowgirls, but everything – from putting the finishing touches on the 2019-20 recruiting class, to firming up the nonconference schedule, to mapping out preseason practices – has gone by in a jiffy for the new man in charge of a proud program. “It’s been kind of fast-paced,” Mattinson said. “Days are flying by.” Mattinson, 60, takes the reins following the retire- ment of 16-year coach Joe Legerski, who is the pro- gram’s winningest coach with an all-time record of 314-186. The void couldn’t be bigger. But Mattinson is no stranger to the program; he spent 16 seasons as an associate coach under Legerski. Prior to that, he stared at Casper College from 1977-78, where he played on a club that went 36-4 with a sixth- place finish at the NJCAA Tournament. After his play- ing days were over, Mattinson served as the Rock Springs High boys coach from 1982-87, and then moved from his high school alma mater to Western Wy- oming Community College, where he served in various roles, including men’s head coach, from 1987-99. WYOMING BASKETBALL 2019-20 5 “I just look at it as just another record. She was first in 3A in scoring son said of the starting lineup. “As we leadership. It’s a new role for Rusk step,” Mattinson said of taking over (17.5 points per game) and steals (5.3 say every day in practice, you’re after having Cotton and Tapia in front the Cowgirls. “I don’t know if it’s a steals per game), and third in re- coming out to practice to compete for of her last season. But, Mattinson challenge. It doesn’t weigh on me. It’s bounding (7.8 rebounds per game). a spot to play or to earn some playing said, Rusk is adjusting to the switch. just a step forward for me, one more Powell held her own in 4A, as well. time, and those spots are going to be After three consecutive 20-plus thing to accomplish and try to do the The Cody standout finished second wide open. win seasons, expectations remain the best that we can.” in 4A in rebounding (11 rpg) and “Somebody’s going to have to be same, even though the Cowgirls will His fingerprints are already start- blocked shots (3.5 bpg). She finished able to fill them, and I don’t know face a more difficult task this season ing to show up on the program. the season fifth in scoring (13.4 ppg). right now who that is. Some days one with eight underclassmen fighting If you expected drastic changes to Both are expected to contribute player looks good, and then another for playing time. the Cowgirls’ foundation, Mattinson right away. day somebody else has a great day. “We’re going to have to go through made very few. UW will feature the “Right now, they’re playing hard in We need to have some of our athletes some growing pains,” Mattinson same motion offense and man-to- practice, and they’re trying to figure step up and start to separate them- said. man defense it has over the past few out the transition of playing at this selves a little bit here in the next 10 “We’re probably going to have years. But Mattinson did say there level,” Mattinson said. “One of them days or so, and that’ll give us a better some days when we’re really, really could be a wrinkle or two on both told me they’re basically playing direction of where we’re going.” up and some games where we’re ends of the floor. harder right now than they had to One spot, however, appears to be going, ‘Whoa, we really got it!’” “That’s what this team was built for play all year as a senior against the locked. the coach said. “And sometimes, when we recruited the previous competition they played against.” Senior forward Taylor Rusk is one yeah, that youngness kicks in and classes, you know, when we recruit- The Cowgirls will rely on anyone of two returning starters for the Cow- then the next thing you know, that ed kids that fit a system of motion of- and everyone to step up after losing girls. (Sophomore guard Karla Erja- next game you’re going, ‘Wow, what fense and playing some man-to-man three starters – Bailee Cotton, Marta vec is the other.) Rusk enters the happened?’ defense,” he said. Gomez and Clara Tapia – off last sea- 2019-20 season just 155 points shy of “My goal is to try to win a confer- Among the Cowgirls’ five newcom- son’s roster. Two junior college becoming the 26th member of the ence championship within the next ers are 5-foot-11 guard McKinley transfers in juniors Jaye Johnson 1,000-point club. She was one of four couple of years and, if not, to try to Bradshaw of Lyman and 6-0 forward (Casper College) and Emily Buchan- Cowgirls to finish with 300 or more lead the program, once again, as Paige Powell of Cody. an (Eastern Wyoming) also are com- points last season. good or maybe with some players a Bradshaw helped lead Lyman to a peting for playing time. Rusk also will be leaned on in a va- little bit better than maybe what it Class 3A runner-up finish and a 22-6 “It’s wide open right now,” Mattin- riety of ways – most importantly, for was.” 6 WYOMING BASKETBALL 2019-20 Senior leader COWGIRLS’ RUSK TRANSITIONING INTO A NEW ROLE By Tyler Poslosky WyoSports For the past three seasons, Taylor Rusk has had others to lean on. Last season, she had seniors Bailee Cotton, Marta Gomez and Clara Tapia to go to for advice. This season will be different. For the first time in her career, Rusk will help take over the lead- ership reins for the University of Wyoming women’s basketball team. “This being my last year, (I’ve) just got to step up,” Rusk said. “I’ve learned a lot from them and past seniors, and to just know what’s expected of you and set- ting the tone and just being able to step up (is huge).” The 5-foot-11 Rusk is one of only two returning starters and is just one of three seniors on the Cowgirls’ roster for the 2019-20 season. The other returning starter is 5-10 sophomore guard Karla Erjavec. “With having six seniors last year, it was a lot easier and with me being a returner, too, I think there was less newcomers, and now it’s probably more newcom- ers,” Rusk said.