Leading up to the 2015-2016 college basketball season, GetMoreSports will be ranking the top 50 coaches in the country, regardless of conference level.
50. Larry Shyatt, Wyoming Cowboys
A name that many in the country aren’t familiar with, Larry Shyatt has won 20 games three times in his four years at Wyoming, while reaching his first NCAA Tournament as a head coach last season by leading the Cowboys to the Mountain West Conference Tournament title. During his time in Laramie, not only has UW become one of the toughest places to play in the country, but he’s begun to develop next level players as well.
Larry Nance Jr. was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first-round of the 2015 NBA Draft, thanks in large part to the development he experienced at Wyoming. Nance went from being an athletic but extremely inconsistent big man, to one of the best two-way threats in the country, as a senior. Next season, Shyatt should also have the best guard in the conference, as he and his staff have develop Josh Adams far beyond what any expert could have predicted when he came out of high school.
Shyatt also maintains his accolades from the time he spent under Billy Donovan at Florida, winning two national championships from 2004-2011, and gaining a reputations as one of the best developers of big men in the game today. He may not have the natural recruiting advantages of conference foes like San Diego State or UNLV, but Shyatt has turned Wyoming into a destination for talented players from Florida, and in particular, the Denver metro area.
