Passion, basketball IQ helped Cheyenne Central's Joe Sawyer take over in fourth quarters

Mar. 29—CHEYENNE — Joe Sawyer couldn't escape sports at family gatherings, no matter which side assembled.

"I've been in fantasy football leagues for as long as I can remember," the Cheyenne Central senior said. "Every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fourth of July, we're playing some kind of sport.

"Sports have always been a big entertainment piece on both sides of my family. Basketball was always the biggest, though."

Sawyers, Andersons and basketball are as synonymous with each other in Laramie County as peanut butter and jelly.

Sawyer's grandfather, Ron Sawyer, coached Burns girls and boys teams for years. His father, Dan Sawyer, coached Burns' girls for a season and then spent three seasons on the Chugwater boys' bench, guiding the Buffaloes to the 2002 Class 1A state championship. Sawyer's uncle, Gregg Sawyer, was named the state's Gatorade player of the year in 1994, and then enjoyed a standout career at the University of Wyoming.

Craig Anderson, Joe Sawyer's great uncle, also coached Burns' girls and boys for several years. Sawyer's mom and her siblings all were hardwood standouts for the Broncs.

Joe Sawyer fell for the game early in his elementary school years, and then got an advanced education in the game that often left him steps ahead of his peers and helped him close his prep career as a Class 4A state champion. His knowledge of the game and rock-solid fundamentals earned him his own Gatorade player of the year trophy last week.

They also earned Sawyer Laramie County boys basketball player of the year honors from WyoSports' Cheyenne staff.

"His basketball IQ is off the charts," Central coach Jim Shaffer said. "When you watch him warm up or go up and down the floor, you're not going to be wowed by his athleticism, how high he jumps, or how big and physical he looks. But he's unbelievably fundamentally sound and always makes the right play.

"He's got the best basketball IQ of just about any kid I've coached. A lot of it is his background. Basketball is kind of the family business, and he's had the advantage of being around the game his whole life. He had a pretty good head start in learning and loving basketball."

Some of his basketball knowledge came through watching games with his father and older brother, Kevin. While Joe was parked in front of the TV to enjoy a game, the elder Sawyers were also breaking down the finer points of what they were watching. Joe couldn't help but learn the nuances of the sport.

"They'd have these big basketball talks, and I'd overhear those things and develop a sense of it," he said. "That was after I had already started developing a passion for it and started to really enjoy it.

"I've always tried to learn everything I can, learn what the right play was and how to make the right play. I've gotten my dad's input on what other teams run and how other coaches coach. All those things have been big helps."

The 6-foot-3, 155-pound wing averaged 15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this winter. His scoring average was eighth-best in Class 4A this season. Sawyer also made 55% of his shots overall (171-of-309), including a 61% mark (154-for-253) from inside the 3-point line. His 78% (75-for-96) mark from the free-throw line tied for eighth in 4A.

Sawyer's 15.5 points per contest didn't come from consistent nights scoring in the mid-teens. There were several games in the high-teens, a few in the 20s and a career-best 31 during a 72-71 overtime win Feb. 2 against visiting Natrona County.

The up-and-down scoring output is in no way an indictment of Sawyer or his impact on the Indians, though.

"There were some games where he scored low and some where he scored really high, but we always knew he was going to find a way to impact the game," Central senior Chase Talich said. "You always knew we were going to get something from him that helped us win.

"Whenever we needed a point or some free throws, we knew to look for Joe."

Kelly Walsh coach Randy Roden thought so much of Sawyer's ability to take over a game in ways other than scoring that he highlighted it when Gatorade asked for input on potential players of the year.

"Sawyer is a very unassuming player, and I think his greatest attribute is to dominate a game without really sticking out," Roden said in a news release from Gatorade. "... The thing that sticks out to me when I scout Cheyenne Central is how easy it is to see he's their best player.

"The average fan might not agree, but, as a coach, I see that kid does every little thing all the time at both ends of the floor. He's extremely skilled, but doesn't demand the ball to show off those skills. He's a player without a weakness who makes his team and teammates better."

Sawyer was willing to capitalize on what opposing defenses were giving Central. If that meant he had to serve as a decoy to draw double teams, Sawyer did just that and found open teammates who exploited the added attention he got.

"You don't want to force things," he said. "You still have to be aggressive if you don't want to be a non-factor. I'd remind myself before games that I could have an impact in ways other than scoring.

"If I was drawing an extra guy, that meant someone else was open."

Added Shaffer: "There were games where (Sawyer) took over because we really needed him to take over. Then there were times where we didn't need him to score as much, and he stepped back and let other players do their thing and helped other players do their thing."

Sawyer was more than a one-year wonder for the Indians. He earned all-state honors during both his junior and senior seasons. Sawyer and James Brown III were tied for the honor of Central's leading scorer during the 2022-23 campaign at 16 points per game. Sawyer also grabbed six rebounds per game while dishing out 2.6 assists per night.

In all, Sawyer played in 55 varsity games over three seasons, averaging 14.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists, while shooting 61% from inside the arc and 75% from the free-throw line.

Sawyer developed two nicknames during his time at Central. Disco Joe came during his freshman year when he arrived at a sophomore-level practice surprisingly chipper compared to those around him. Coach Randy Filbin joked that Sawyer must have listened to some upbeat music before walking into the gym and spent the rest of the practice calling him Disco Joe. The nickname stuck.

Fourth Quarter Joe — Sawyer's second moniker — was earned over time and proved especially true during Central's 62-59 victory over Laramie in this year's 4A state title game. Sawyer netted 10 of his team-best 19 points during the fourth quarter of the title tilt. He also matched the Indians' team-high in rebounds that night with seven.

"When it comes to crunch time, he's going to make plays," Central senior Sammy Shumway said. "That's just what we see all the time."

Shumway and classmate Trey Love have probably seen it more than anyone else on the Indians' roster. They first started playing with Sawyer during their days at Hobbs Elementary. Most of the rest of Central's seniors got a taste of Fourth Quarter Joe on Wyoming Flight traveling teams.

Several of those players rose to the occasion over the course of this season, Shaffer said. No player answered the call during crunch time more than Sawyer, though.

"I don't know how many times he took over the game in the fourth quarter," the coach said. "When the Indians needed someone to make plays in order to win, he was the guy who made them."

Sawyer embraces the Fourth Quarter Joe nickname.

"Kyrie Irving is my favorite player, and he's one of the best fourth-quarter players in the NBA," Sawyer said. "It's almost a whole new game in the fourth quarter, and that's where your competitive edge takes over."

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on X at @jjohnke.