Sophomore guard Trey Washington’s trek to Wyoming at times was not an easy and at times it was not a smooth one either. He is here now and is eager to help Wyoming out in whatever way he can.
It’s not what you know it’s whom you know. Trey Washington is currently dawning the Brown-and-Gold because of the relationship his high school coach had with one of the assistant coaches at Wyoming.
“My high school coach is great friends with Allen Edwards,” Washington said. “Wyoming was a great fit for me.”
That, however, is not the only reason Washington was lured to Wyoming he was also attracted to familiarity. The transition from high school to college can be a difficult one, and sometimes even a scary one. One aspect that helped smooth Washington’s transition from high school to college was his familiarity in coaching styles.
“Coach Shyatt is a defensive guy just like my high school coach,” Washington said. “It just fit into my culture.”
It did not take long for the freshman to make his mark at Wyoming as in his first game he scored 14 points in 23 minutes of floor time. He became the first Cowboy true freshman to score double figures in his first game in over a decade. Washington thrived in the non-conference portion of Wyoming’s schedule. He logged a significant amount of minutes and scored a career-high 24 points versus Western State. However, when the Calendar shifted to conference play times got tough for the freshman. He played very sparingly. He struggled with turnovers and most noticeably lost his shot.
“My confidence started to drizzle out,” Washington said. “I wasn’t shooting the ball as well as I was at the start of the year.”
He was visually frustrated. The freshman had faced an enormous amount of adversity from consistent success to near non-existent success. That can be tough on any player at any game but for a freshman to experience it makes it that much more difficult to overcome.
Compounding these struggles was the fact that Washington missed home. He had never been this far away from home this long and it was wearing on him.
“Laramie is a nice little town, but I got homesick,” Washington said.
Through all the struggles there was always someone there that helped Washington and tutored him on how to play the game more effectively. It was his backcourt mate senior Riley Grabau. The senior has been in Washington’s position some years ago and he knew how he could help the youngster.
“You have to be there and tell them that some things are not going to go the way you want them to go,” Grabau said. “I was in that same position four year ago so I know I have to be a big-brother and a father figure.”
“Riley has been a big, big counselor,” Washington added. “He has talked to me about a thousand times. He has been a great leader.”
Now fast forward to today where Washington finds himself as a key and integral piece of the Wyoming puzzle. He has endured his freshman struggles and has worked hard in the off-season to improve his craft.
“Trey is another one that has improved,” Shyatt said. “He worked hard in his conditioning. “He has led all of our runs this off-season.”
Washington looks to bring the success he brought at the beginning of last year for the entire season this year. He looks to run the show if Grabau or Adams are in foul trouble or having an off night. He looks to do whatever he is told and help elevate the Cowboys to new heights.
“My role is going to be whatever Shyatt asks of me,” Washington said. “Come in and knock down some shots. Play great defense. Change to pace of the game with my speed, my quickness and my intensity. Be a spark.”
