The University of Wyoming men’s basketball team announced the hiring of two staff members on Thursday, as head coach Larry Shyatt welcomed Chris Poole as Director of Player Development and Strength and Conditioning and Matt Wise as Assistant Director of Player Development.
"Having a good level of continuity and comfort with your staff is key to success, so I’m very pleased to welcome Chris and Matt into the Wyoming basketball family," Shyatt said. "Having known Matt for close to 10 years, I’ve been able to watch him grow as a young coach. His last two years at Florida with coach Donovan make him very familiar with how we run our program and will help his speedy transition. Chris learned from one of the best in the nation in Todd Wright at Texas, who has trained strength coaches with great success at several other programs I’ve coached. We expect the same from Chris, who has already shown he is a bright young man by earning his doctoral degree."
Poole comes to Wyoming from the University of Texas, where he was a member of the strength and conditioning staff for men’s basketball during the 2012-13 season. With the Longhorns, Poole worked under the direction of head strength coach Todd Wright and was involved with many facets of the team’s training program. He also worked as a Performance Coach at Train 4 the Game in Austin.
Prior to Texas, Poole was a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma from 2009-12, while he earned his doctoral degree in exercise physiology. He graduated with his master’s degree in exercise science from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB) in December 2008 and served as the strength and conditioning coach for the men’s basketball and softball teams. Poole also earned his bachelor’s degree from UMHB, while he played as a wing for the Crusaders on the hardwood. During his senior season in 2006-07, UMHB qualified for the NCAA DIII tournament for the first time in school history. Poole is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is also certified in Applied Functional Science through the Gray Institute. The son of Norman and Debbie Poole, Chris has one brother, Ryan, and one sister, Jaclyn.
"I’m extremely excited to join the University of Wyoming men’s basketball program and have the opportunity to work with coach Shyatt and his staff on continuing their recent success," Poole said. "I look forward to doing everything I can to continue to create an atmosphere of success not only in the weight room, but on the court and in the classroom."
Wise joins Shyatt’s staff after serving as a graduate assistant at the University of Florida the past two years. He helped head coach Billy Donovan and the Gators advance to the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight both seasons, while earning his master’s degree in sport management. His responsibilities with the Gators included conducting advanced statistical research, assisting with on-court workouts, helping with video editing, promoting and marketing summer camps and assisting UF’s Director of Operations with daily tasks for the program.
Prior to Florida, Wise played four seasons as a forward for Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., where he helped the Pioneers win a conference title and advance to the NCAA DIII tournament as a sophomore. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2011. Matt is the son of Mark Wise, a college basketball broadcaster, and Mary Wise, Florida’s head volleyball coach. He comes to Laramie with his fiancé, Katie Williams.
"I’m eager to join the Wyoming coaching staff because I have looked at coach Shyatt as a role model for a number of years now," Wise said. "He embodies what I want to become as a coach someday. He has an unbelievable level of passion and enthusiasm for what he does and you can see the impact that has on his team and staff. Coming to Laramie is a tremendous opportunity for me. I’m thankful to have been given this chance to work with some of the best people that college athletics has to offer. With the recent success of the Cowboys, I’m thrilled to be a part of what can be a very special team for a long time to come."
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