Wyoming men’s basketball coach Larry Shyatt is furious that the Mountain West Conference did not consult with coaches or athletes before deciding this month to only allow eight of eleven conference teams to play in the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament.
The decision was made in a meeting of conference President’s and Athletic Directors and Shyatt says it was done secretly.
"No notice, no inclusion, no communication, not one word uttered to an assistant commissioner in charge of basketball, there seems to be a degree of behind the scenes plotting."
Shyatt says it appears as though the decision was made in an effort to save money, but he says taking away the NCAA dreams of student athletes is wrong and it’s the kind of action that lower tiered conferences take. He said there could have been other solutions but nobody asked.
"Could no one involved perhaps suggest that we General Patton the situation and collect and look at any other opportunities as to not remove, strip, or eliminate these athletes opportunities to compete for the NCAA tournament? What was the rush?"
Conference officials say it gives the regular season more meaning.