Texas Tech Eyes Wyoming's Jeff Linder as Assistant Coach: ESPN Reports Deal Close

By Jeff Bugher

jeff@pokesnews.com

5/9/2024

Wyoming men's basketball head coach Jeff Linder at the NCAA tournament. Courtesy photo from UW Athletics

Pete Thamel from ESPN has reported on X (formerly Twitter) that Wyoming men’s head basketball coach Jeff Linder is the target as the top assistant for Texas Tech on Grant McCasland’s staff. Per the report, both sides are close to a deal, and it is expected to be announced soon. 

Linder at Wyoming

Since coming to Wyoming in March 2020, Jeff Linder has been at the helm of the Wyoming Cowboys basketball program, serving as the 22nd head coach in its history. Taking over a team that had previously struggled with just two conference victories, Linder guided Wyoming to a 14–11 regular season record in his debut year, including a 7–9 mark in the Mountain West Conference. In the 2021–22 campaign, the Cowboys finished the season 25–9 overall, finishing fourth in the Mountain West Conference standings and earning a spot in the NCAA Division I First Four. However, the team faced challenges in the following seasons, including a rebuilding phase in 2022–23, resulting in a 9–22 record and an 11th-place finish in the conference. Despite setbacks, the 15–17 record in the 2023–24 season secured an 8th place standing in the Mountain West Conference. Several players had abrupt midseason departures, and one anonymous source close to a departing player told PokesNews.com that the atmosphere at practice was "not the best"; as always, there are two sides to every story.  The transfer portal has decimated the team like a broken record—however, Linder had a talent for finding diamonds in the rough to rebuild the team. 

Before Wyoming

From 2016 to 2020, Coach Linder transformed Northern Colorado's men's basketball program. Despite a modest start with an 11–18 debut season, Linder led the team to three consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins. The highlight was the 2017–18 season, setting a school record with 26 wins and winning the 2018 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Linder's success earned him the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year award in 2018–19, with Northern Colorado achieving a program-best 15–5 conference record. This success continued in 2019–20 with another 15–5 record in Big Sky play.