December 2023 - 23

A YEAR TO FORGET
The 2022-23 basketball season was one of
the most highly anticipated in more than 20
years at UW. The Cowboys were coming off a
25-9 record and the team made its first NCAA
Tournament appearance in seven years. Most
of those players returned, and three transfers
from the Pacific-12 conference were added.
There was talk of a conference championship
and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
That didn't happen.
A preseason and season-ending injury to
one of the Cowboys' best players started
the domino effect. More injuries followed,
and during the season the three transfers
left the team. The Cowboys finished with a
9-22 record. After the season, more players
transferred and Linder had only three scholarship
players on the roster.
But that's not all.
Bruce Linder became ill in June 2022
Linder has recorded a winning record in five of the seven seasons he's been a head coach at the college level.
(Photo courtesy of UW Athletics)
Head coaching record
Northern Colorado
Season
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
2019-20
Total
26-12
21-11
22-9
80-50
Wyoming
Season
2020-21
2021-22
2022-23
Total
Overall record Conf. record Standing
11-18
7-11
11-7
15-5
15-5
48-28
8th
5th
2nd
2nd
Postseason
CIT champion
and his condition worsened as the 2022-23
basketball season progressed. Linder missed
some practices and games to be with his
dad and family in the Denver area. In the
early-morning hours of March 9, Bruce, 71,
died from complications from his illness. Jeff
was there when his dad passed. Less than 24
hours before that, UW's basketball season
came to an end with an 87-76 loss to New
Mexico in the opening round of the Mountain
West Tournament in Las Vegas.
" It was hard and something not a lot of
people around here knew about early on, "
said Linder of his dad's illness. " It came to
a head in January and it was unexpected to
get to the point it did.
" At the same time I was fortunate that I
Overall record Conf. record Standing
7-9
14-11
25-9
9-22
48-42
13-5
4-14
24-28
8th
4th
11th
Postseason
NCAA
Tournament
was close enough that I could be there with
him. For the university administration to
understand what I was going through and
to allow me the opportunity to spend time
with him and my mom meant a lot. There
will be more games and things like that,
but in terms of time spent with family, you
don't realize how precious life really is until
you watch someone take their last breath. "
In the months after his dad's death, Linder
had to fill the holes on his roster. This season's
team features 11 new players and two new
assistant coaches.
" Last season is really hard to describe, "
Linder said. " I never had to go through a
year like that. There were a lot of things I
couldn't control, injuries being one of them.
Wyoming Wildlife | 23

December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2023

December 2023 - 1
December 2023 - 2
December 2023 - 3
December 2023 - 4
December 2023 - 5
December 2023 - 6
December 2023 - 7
December 2023 - 8
December 2023 - 9
December 2023 - 10
December 2023 - 11
December 2023 - 12
December 2023 - 13
December 2023 - 14
December 2023 - 15
December 2023 - 16
December 2023 - 17
December 2023 - 18
December 2023 - 19
December 2023 - 20
December 2023 - 21
December 2023 - 22
December 2023 - 23
December 2023 - 24
December 2023 - 25
December 2023 - 26
December 2023 - 27
December 2023 - 28
December 2023 - 29
December 2023 - 30
December 2023 - 31
December 2023 - 32
December 2023 - 33
December 2023 - 34
December 2023 - 35
December 2023 - 36
December 2023 - 37
December 2023 - 38
December 2023 - 39
December 2023 - 40
December 2023 - 41
December 2023 - 42
December 2023 - 43
December 2023 - 44
December 2023 - 45
December 2023 - 46
December 2023 - 47
December 2023 - 48
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