by Staff–15 Jul ’15
University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman announced Wednesday the finalization of a contract extension with head men’s basketball coach Larry Shyatt through April of 2020.
“After sitting down with Coach Shyatt several times since the MW Championship in Las Vegas, it became clear that his focus was his staff and players as part of this extension,” Burman said. “We have worked hard to accommodate his requests, and feel like this is a win – win for both the program and the University of Wyoming. However, during the past four weeks, Coach Shyatt was contacted, interviewed and offered an outstanding opportunity in the NBA with one of the top franchises. He and Pam closely evaluated the opportunity, but after careful analysis, have determined that his heart is with this group of players and coaches and he will continue to build a great basketball program on and off the court.”
“For Pam and I this is all about the excitement of being at the University of Wyoming,” Shyatt said. “This serves as a reminder of how fortunate and grateful we are to lead the Cowboys. We look forward to coaching this group of players and developing them into a championship team.”
As part of the contract extension, Wyoming has developed retention incentives of $100,000 each for assistant coaches Jeremy Shyatt and Allen Edwards. Associate head coach Scott Duncan has a two-year agreement and his contract has been extended through the 2016-17 season.
“Coach Shyatt wanted most to recognize the achievements of his staff and reward them,” Burman said. We felt this was appropriate and will help to maintain the staff’s continuity.”
Terms of the five-year deal include an increased base salary that escalates from $210,000 in 2015-16 to $230,000 in 2019-20. Those numbers could go up with incentives for academic and athletic performance goals.
Shyatt recently completed his fifth season at Wyoming by guiding the Cowboys to a Mountain West tournament title and the program’s first berth in the NCAA tournament since 2001-02. The Pokes went 25-10 overall in 2014-15, as Shyatt owns a 103-60 record at Wyoming.
