Wright jumps off saddle at Wyoming

Steve Carp

Tuesday, March 4, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

The word was Joby Wright was probably coaching his last season at Wyoming. Monday, the word became reality as the Cowboys' coach resigned, effective at the completion of the season.

Wright, who has a 53-59 record in four seasons in Laramie, will coach the Cowboys today in the opening round of the WAC Tournament against Texas Christian. Athletic director Lee Moon said a search for Wright's successor will begin immediately.

Wright, 46, was said to be looking to move on for a variety of reasons. His wife Cathy has had health problems living in the high altitude of Laramie. Also, Wright supposedly had expressed interest in the Northwestern coaching vacancy and was looking to return to the Big Ten, where he had played at Indiana and later coached there as an assistant to Bob Knight.

And there were reports that he and Moon were not connecting. Sources close to the university said Moon was looking to bring in his own coach after arriving on the scene last July. The two supposedly had clashed on several occasions.

Neither Moon nor Wright were available for comment Monday. But in a prepared statement, each talked about the decision.

"Joby and I discussed the situation at great length," Moon said. "And we determined that a change would be in the best interest of all parties.

"This has been a very tough year on him, not only the season, but with his family as well."

Wright said: "I'm very proud of the young men who played basketball for us during my tenure and I am thankful for having had the chance to impact them in a positive way. I clearly understand the importance of wins and losses on the floor. But at the same time, we tried to instill in our student-athletes the importance of striving to receive the best education this university has to offer.

"Through my time here, I really got to know the people of Wyoming and I have a great deal of respect for them. We worked very hard to put together a program to reflect that respect. I appreciate those who supported me and were fans of our program."

The Cowboys were struggling at 5-9 when disaster hit in mid-January. Leading scorer LaDrell Whitehead dislocated his left elbow in a loss to Hawaii and was out for 10 games.

Ironically, Wyoming won five of its next six, but lost four of its final six games to finish 12-15 overall, 8-8 in the Pacific Division.