Periodically throughout the year, University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman will respond to fans' questions on topics relating to UW Athletics programs. This is your chance to get first-hand insight into what is happening with the Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls. Below is the latest series of Q & A with Tom:

March 31, 2008

Tom Burman

Two part question - First, are you happy with the results for Cowboy basketball in year one under Coach Schroyer?
Second, would you tell me if you have any major renovations planned for the AA?

I was not happy with the win/loss situation of Cowboy basketball during the first year. I was not surprised, but I was hopeful that we could experience more success. I was happy with the progress we made "off the floor". Addressing the academic situation is equally important as addressing the programs rankings in the standings. I feel like we made strides with the academic standing of the new student-athletes that are in the program, and I feel like we have a very talented group of young men both academically and athletically who will be on the roster in 2008-09.

With respect to renovations to the AA, we recognize that the AA needs some work and it will be a priority to us as we go forward. Unfortunately, we must finish the War Memorial Stadium projects that are so needed. Plus, we also have other sports that do not have adequate practice facilities and those facilities need to be upgraded, as well. The cost of renovations to an arena are enormous. The University of New Mexico is renovating the PIT at a price tag of $60M and that is basically upgrades to the concourse area as well upgrades to entrances, restrooms, etc.

CSU just hired a new football coach and he has spoken publicly about BCS bids and MWC Championships, but I don't hear that from our coaching staff and AD...thoughts?

I can tell you that my expectations are that we win conference championships! I don't believe that it is reasonable for us to expect to go from zero championships in the MWC to be perennial champions, but I do expect us to rise to the top-half of the league immediately, receive bowl bids and then occasionally rise up and win the MWC Championship.

How does Marios Matalon leaving the Cowboy basketball program mid-year affect our APR and potential for regaining our full scholarship allotment of 13?

It will not impact our scholarship allotment negatively. We are being penalized one scholarship for 2008-09 due to past years APR issues (12 scholarships allowed per NCAA). When he left the program he was eligible and he signed a pro contract in Greece, which allows us a waiver from the penalty.

The past few months have been very frustrating for me as a Cowgirl basketball fan because I can't get to the games in Laramie due to work and when the Cowboys played at the same time, I couldn't listen to the Cowgirl games on KFBC. How come you have a Top 20 program and you place the Cowboys on the radio and not the Cowgirls, please explain?

You would think there is a simple solution, but in a few markets it is actually pretty complicated. In Laramie, the Cowboys and the Cowgirls are aired on two different stations so they rarely have any conflicts. In Cheyenne, our affiliate (KFBC-1240) has one station and they have been partners with the University for many years. They certainly do a great job of supporting the Cowgirls and the Cowboys, yet the station only has one signal that they own to broadcast both team's games.

The other part of the equation is that our media rights (radio, internet, etc.) are owned by our partner, Learfield Sports, which sells and produces all of our broadcasts (Cowboys and Cowgirls). They sell Cowgirl basketball inventory as well, and for years, Cowboy football and Cowboy basketball have been sold together, often as a package. In order to make games more accessible to Cowgirl fans in Cheyenne, we are currently working closely with KFBC and Learfield Sports to develop a long-term solution in that market. We know that Cowgirl and Cowboy basketball is only going to continue to grow in popularity, and it's our goal to ensure we do everything possible to support that effort.

This past year, you asked the State Legislature for additional funding to support athletics, can you tell me where that stands?

We asked the State Legislature to provide us with $2.3 million during the next biennium ($1.15M per year) to support projects related to recruiting, travel, game guarantees, etc. The Governor and the Legislature were very supportive, but did not support it at the level we requested. They did agree to provide us with $1.5M ($750,000 per year), which we will use toward recruiting, team travel, game guarantees, etc. This was really important budget money to secure because the Legislature had provided "one-time" funds in 2004 to support athletics and we have been spending those funds at nearly $1,000,000 per year, and we have exhausted that pool of funds. The one-time Strategic Planning money was used to support salaries, charter flights, incentives, student-athlete medical expenses, facility projects, etc. The bottom line is that much of the funds had become part of the annual operating budgets and to eliminate them completely would have been devastating to our program. The new money, approved by the Legislature, is on-going and will allow us to use it more wisely and with greater vision going forward.

The University of Wyoming Athletic Department has agreed to match the $750,000 per year provided by the State Legislature. We will generate the additional $750,000 per year through self-generated funds such as ticket revenue, Cowboy Joe Club, Learfield partnerships, television revenue, special events, and MWC revenue. As we all know, inflation is a serious challenge in the current market. It is possible that our travel costs will increase by 20% this coming fiscal year. Student-athlete medical insurance has been increasing at an equally alarming rate.

We appreciate the support of the State of Wyoming as well as the University of Wyoming.

Wow - I don't know if you had anything to do with getting the Mountain on satellite but if so, thank you. I am a subscriber to Dish, should I switch to Direct TV?

I don't believe that I had anything to do with Direct TV deciding to carry The Mountain, the decision is almost strictly a business decision made by Direct TV. They are not influenced much by anything other than whether they believe carrying The Mountain will improve their position in the market place. At this point (March 26, 2008) Direct is carrying The Mountain and Dish is not right now.