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Wyoming men's basketball assistant coach Shaun Vandiver is seen during a game Jan. 13, 2024, in Laramie, Wyo.

Troy Babbitt, Wyoming Athletics

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Shaun Vandiver

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OGDEN — With boxes of shoes and clothes surrounding a makeshift office inside Stewart Stadium’s skysuites, a bass voice paused a string of phone calls about his latest recruiting trip to break down film with five Weber State men’s basketball players from a recent workout.

Shaun Vandiver, who pulled down 10.6 rebounds per game over three standout seasons at Colorado, used the short session to key on technique and approach for cleaning the glass.

Elite rebounding is required, he told the players, to win games at Weber State. Best in the country, perhaps.

Then, the newest addition to WSU’s coaching staff got back on the phone.

“Great player, always had a reputation of being a really good bigs coach. Jeff Linder just raved about his personality and his ability to coach the bigs,” WSU head coach Eric Duft said about Vandiver. “He’s going to be a force multiplier in the office, with this team. High-character guy; him and his wife, Danielle, are going to be great additions and we’re excited about him.”

An Illinois native, Vandiver began his college career at Hutchinson Community College before going to Colorado where he became a two-time All-Big 8 First Team selection and was selected for the CU Hall of Fame. Vandiver is fifth all-time in scoring at the school with 1,876 points in 91 games. He averaged 20.6 points and 10.6 rebounds over his three seasons at Colorado, was a first-round pick by the Golden State Warriors in 1991 and, after failing to reach a contract agreement with the team, played a nine-year professional career in Spain and Italy.

Vandiver, 56, began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Colorado and then a graduate assistant at Wyoming. He later returned to Laramie from 2005-10 as an assistant coach to Steve McClain and Heath Schroyer. In between, he spent a year each as an assistant coach at Bowling Green and Northern Colorado.

Vandiver left Wyoming to be an assistant coach for Leon Rice at Boise State for one season, then became head coach at Emporia State, a Division II school in Kansas, where he worked from 2011-18. Then he returned to Wyoming for a third stint. His hire at Weber State was announced in early June.

The coaching veteran said the time was right to join a staff like Weber State’s, adding his experience to “two young but really talented assistant coaches” in Dan Russell and Jorge Ruiz, he said, after Linder, Phil Beckner, Leon Rice and others educated him on WSU being a place you want to coach.

“I’m excited to be here. Fired up,” Vandiver said in late June.

Duft used the word “tireless” three times to describe what Vandiver brings to the Wildcats, speaking about on the court, in the office and on the recruiting trail.

“The guys love him already. He just has that personality, that vitality to him,” Duft said. “He brings people in, and he’s a tireless worker.”

The 6-foot-10 former college standout arrives in Ogden at a crucial time for WSU’s interior. Four-year staple Alex Tew is now gone, and attempts to supplement his strengths and make up for weaknesses with a handful of transfers didn’t quite work out.

Coaches already love the strength and feel for the game Seattle transfer Malek Gomma will give the team.

“He came in with a great skill set and great footwork, so really just trying not to screw that up,” Vandiver quipped.

Declan Cutler, Nigel Burris, David Hansen and freshman Bourgeois Tshilobo all need big offseasons and even bigger on-court contributions.

“Shaun’s already doing good things with those guys, spent a lot of time with Nigel; these guys are going to grow and develop because of him,” Duft said.

Vandiver (pronounced VAN-duh-ver) sees his impact coming in attention to detail — “every rep matters” — being appreciative of life, and doing the work.

“I need to be the best assistant coach support staff member in the country to get us where we want to be, and I think I can do that,” Vandiver said. “Do you like it, love it, or live it? I try to live it every day … do it to the fullest.

“I’ve learned from situations in the past where I didn’t live it, and it wasn’t good enough. So I’m truly appreciative of this opportunity.”

Vandiver spoke about connecting with former WSU players Jeremy Senglin and Joel Bolomboy in a recruiting trip to Texas as examples of how to mentor Weber State players.

“Everyone wants to talk about Damian Lillard, and they should, but … I played overseas for 10 years and have experienced some life that I can share with guys,” Vandiver said. “But not just basketball, these guys need to become grown, responsible men and that’s our responsibility. … I have former players who are CEOs of companies, lawyers, in the military, physical therapists. Their success is my success, selfishly. So we want all our guys to go do successful things, be important to their community and be excellent fathers.”

Thursday, Vandiver posted a photo to social media site X with Senglin and his wife after having breakfast together, perhaps making a connection to past program success that can help the Wildcats bounce back from going 9-22 against Division I opponents last season.

“He’s done it all, so he’s going to be a valuable resource for us,” Duft said. “Just his personality and his energy that he brings every day, it’s what we needed. I knew exactly what we were getting and he’s been really good for us.”