April 12, 2001

LARAMIE, Wyo. -

Wyoming Basketball Coach Steve McClain has named Heath Schroyer as the newest member of his Cowboy coaching staff.

Schroyer, whose appointment is subject to UW Trustee approval, replaces Sidney Coles, who resigned this month to pursue other coaching opportunities.

"Heath is a great addition to our staff," McClain said Thursday. "I could not have found a coach who was a better fit, or who could bring more to our program than Heath. He has a tremendous knowledge of our league, and that's a great positive. But more importantly, he's bright, energetic, and an excellent recruiter and teacher. He's an outstanding young coach. He was very involved in BYU's defensive scheme, and that was extremely attractive to me.

"He also opens another another recruiting area for us because of his ties on the east coast," McClain continued. "I feel with John (Adams), Leroy (Washington) and Heath I have three great young coaches who have a great deal of collegiate experience. All three can coach, and all three are excellent recruiters. I think they compare favorably with any coaching staff in the country, and that's a great thing for our players, our program, and the head coach."

Schroyer comes to Wyoming from Brigham Young University where he was an assistant with Steve Cleveland for the past four seasons. He was instrumental in the Cougars' return to respectability as coordinator of the team's defense, as well as its preseason conditioning and skill development director. Over the past two seasons the Cougars led the Mountain West Conference in scoring defense and field-goal-percentage defense.

He accompanied Cleveland from Fresno City College to BYU in 1997-98, a program that had won just one game the previous season. BYU's fortunes steadily improved, and the Cougars tied with Wyoming and Utah for MWC Championship this past year, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the conference tourney.

"After scouting the Cowboys, and playing against Coach McClain, I have the utmost respect for him, and the program," Schroyer said. "This is a great opportunity for me to learn from one of the most innovative basketball minds in the country. He, and the people of Wyoming want to win, and win badly. I want to be a part of that."

Schroyer, 29, is a native of Walkersville, Md. He played his high school basketball at the legendary prep school, DeMatha in Hyattsville, Md., for Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten. At DeMatha, he was named captain and co-MVP. He also was MVP in the Washington, D.C. city title game when he scored 25 points in the second half. He was an all-league player and captained the Final Four team at Kings River Community College (Reedley, Calif.), during the 1991-92 season. He earned his B.A. at Armstrong Atlantic State University (Savannah, Ga.), and his M.A. from National University in Fresno, Calif.

"I have appreciated Heath's passion for the game, and the expertise he has developed in teaching and implementing our defensive system," Cleveland said. "His energy and attention to detail have been instrumental in our game preparation for every opponent. His presence has been a major part of the rebuilding process."

Schroyer was an assistant for Cleveland at Fresno in 1996-97, where he served as defensive coordinator, as well as the recruiting coordinator. Prior to his stint at Fresno, he spent two years as an assistant coach at Kings River CC.

He married the former Karen Weymann in September of 1998.