Florida Gators
Penn - NCAA First Round
Shyatt returns to UF for Annual Fall Clinic, a tradition he wants to continue
Wednesday, August 17, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Larry Shyatt has been a man in motion the past five months since being named head coach at Wyoming.
Shyatt was on the move again late Tuesday afternoon, making a final stop at his home in Gainesville before flying to Denver and then catching a connection back to Laramie.
Shyatt's wife, Pam, will finally join him permanently in Wyoming later this month once the sale of their home here is complete. Shyatt has made multiple trips back to Florida since his departure in March, but the latest one was for a reason Shyatt hopes keeps him coming back to UF for many years.
Shyatt and dozens of other college and professional coaches were in town Monday and Tuesday for the Annual Fall Coaching Clinic that Shyatt helped start 28 years ago. While Shyatt is no longer Gators coach Billy Donovan's right-hand man, he remains close to Florida's athletic department and wants the clinic to continue at UF.
“We sort of have made it annual thing here – we used to rotate it around,'' Shyatt said. “We've had eight years here and I think the best thing for the clinic is to keep it here as long as Billy and Jeremy [Foley] want to keep it here. Laramie would be a tougher place to get to.''
This year's clinic drew several big names from the NBA and college basketball, including former Kansas and NBA star Danny Manning, who gave a presentation on post player development.
VCU coach Shaka Smart, a former Donovan assistant, new Miami head coach Jim Larranaga, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, and Detroit Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank were some of the most notable coaches at this year's clinic.
With Shyatt's move to Wyoming still in transition, Gators video coordinator Oliver Winterbone helped organize the two-day event that is by invitation only and includes clinics touching on nearly every aspect of the game.
“I had gotten the notes once or twice before. The notes are a real prized deal,'' Winterbone said. “They are pretty substantial and just a lot of really good stuff. I knew it was always a great clinic and I just wanted to be part of it.''
While Shyatt made the opening remarks on Monday morning and closed the clinic on Tuesday afternoon, he had one eye back in Wyoming on the Cowboys.
In his first head-coaching job since he was at Clemson from 1998-2003, Shyatt has quickly energized the Cowboys' fan base with a strong recruiting class that includes incoming freshmen Shakir Smith and Larry Nance Jr., son of the former Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns star.
This is Shyatt's second stint at Wyoming after serving as head coach for the 1997-98 season before moving to Clemson.
Shyatt hired a staff that includes former UCLA assistant and longtime friend Scott Duncan as associate head coach, and Shyatt's oldest son, Jeremy, and former Kentucky standout Allen Edwards as the top assistants. He also hired former UF graduate manager and video assistant Greg Zhelesnik as director of basketball operations.
“When you take a new job, there are always a lot of little fires,'' Shyatt said. “In my case it was a little bit easier because it's actually a place my family and I have been to. We didn't have to overcome the worry of a new environment.
“Wyoming has come in last place the last year years. We've got a tough job on our hands, but we've got some really good kids who stayed with us and brought some young passionate high school players. We're excited about tomorrow, but it's been a four-month whirlwind.''
Despite his busy schedule trying to rebuild the Cowboys into a threat in the Mountain West Conference, Shyatt made time to return to UF for the clinic, which has spawned copy-cat clinics around the country over the years.
“These are coaches who not only want to embrace the game, but be guardians of the game,'' Shyatt said. “For all the right reasons, we are going to work, listen and analyze, and bring back to our staff new and shared ideas.
“That's healthy for our profession.''
Winterbone, entering his second season on Donovan's staff, left impressed. Donovan's new assistants John Pelphrey and Norm Roberts also made presentations.
“It's a pretty intimate environment,'' Winterbone said. “Guys are more willing to share. We have a good number of outside-the-box speakers. I think there is something that can be taken from everyone at all levels of coaching. That's why it's so special.''
As he prepared to return to Wyoming, Shyatt was asked about the prospects of his first team. His response included elements reminiscent of the team he helped coach in his final season at Florida.
The Gators won their third outright SEC regular-season title in school history and made it to the Elite Eight.
“I'm hoping we have strength in numbers because right now I don't think individually we probably have the talent level to compete with the better teams in our league,'' he said. “But you know, sometimes work ethic, a passion, and most of all a bunker mentality – knowing what is important as a group – can overcome a lot of individual talent.
“We're hoping we can embody that type of family atmosphere going into our first year.''
