First-year Wind River girls head coach Matt Blaylock has his work cut out for him. With just 13 girls out for basketball and many players moving to wrestling or transferring to other schools, the Lady Cougars are largely young and inexperienced.
Blaylock grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and worked as an undergraduate coach with the United States Sports Academy.
Blaylock is a 1991 high school graduate from Frederick, Maryland. He enlisted in the United States Air Force and had his first taste of Wyoming at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne.
He was an assistant coach at Laramie HS and coached middle school basketball at Rock River.
“I started a basketball non-profit in Laramie, Gem City United,” Blaylock said. “We played travel ball.”
Before arriving at Wind River, he coached at the Fremont County Job Corps in Riverton.
“It was the hardest place I ever coached,’ Blaylock said. “I took over the program in August. It’s taken a little bit to get to know the players.”
He is assisted by Shelly Littleshield.
Players that should be in the varsity mix this season include Aleaha Brown, Alaina Murray, Atavia Smith, Emory Nicholas, Mila Warren, Morning Sky Littleshield, Nataya Burnett, Nataya Shoyo, and Tania Burnett
“We don’t have any seniors; we are very young,” Blaylock said. “We have three juniors, four sophomores, and five freshmen.”
The Lady Cougars open with Manila, Utah, at the Bridger Valley Classic, then play Class 3-A powerhouse Mountain View before finishing with a good Class 1-A Little Snake River team.