(Zach Agee Photo)
The Wyoming Cowboy basketball team only just recently wrapped up their season with a pair of narrow losses to UNLV in the first round of the Mountain West Championship and Wichita State in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), but talk of the upcoming offseason between head coach Sundance Wicks and his players had already begun well before the postseason.
“Our future is so bright with these young guys, and that’s our biggest plight right now at Wyoming is retention,” Wicks said after the Cowboys’ first-round loss to UNLV. “I think that’s the biggest thing nowadays in college basketball is, ‘can you retain?’ Because if you can, you can be consistent with your culture and then you could compete for championships.”
The Cowboys finished the season with an 18-15 overall record and a 9-11 conference record, the most wins the Cowboys have had in either category since they made the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid during the 2021-22 season.
Player retention is something this program has been incapable of accomplishing the last three seasons, as the Cowboys have only ever had as many as three scholarship returners in a season since the 2022-23 campaign. Continuity has been practically non-existent for Wyoming—but head coach Sundance Wicks is hoping his current group will be the players to break that vicious cycle.
“I’m very open and honest about our goals and expectations and standards and the process of becoming—not only for this year, but becoming for next year. You know, really focusing on retention and keeping core pieces so that we can build off of this next year,” Wicks said during a press conference in February.
Seniors Leland Walker, Matija Belic and Kiani Saxon will assuredly not return next year, as they all exhausted their final years of eligibility this season. Walker was the only All-Mountain West selection for the Cowboys this season, earning an honorable mention nod while leading the Cowboys in scoring and assists.
Sophomore Damarion Dennis recently announced his intent to enter the transfer portal on Mar. 24. Dennis, who originally transferred to Wyoming after a freshman campaign at Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, played a major role for the Cowboys averaging 11.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game with 19 starts.
The rest of the team still holds onto the chance to return next season to compete for a conference championship in the newly aligned Mountain West next season.
“We had so many glimpses of really playing well [this season], but it wasn’t consistent enough yet,” Wicks said after the Cowboys’ first-round NIT loss. “So, next year, we chase consistency over perfection, right?”
The freshman duo of Gavin Gores and Nasir Meyer may be at the top of the list of potential returnees, as the pair was the two leading scorers for the Cowboys in their first round conference tournament loss, both playing upwards of 30 minutes in that one after seeing substantial improvements throughout the course of the season.
Junior Khaden Bennett would also be a crucial retention piece for the Cowboys, as he started in all but one game this season and was one of the Cowboys’ top three-point shooting threats, connecting on 35.7% of his shots from distance. Bennett also led the Cowboys in rebounding, alongside Meyer.
Guards Adam Harakow and Uriyah Rojas, as well as forwards Simm Marten-Saadi and Abou Magassa served as important role pieces off the bench this season, but could all contend for starting positions in the upcoming season if they choose to stay.
Seeing all those names return for another season in Laramie would be an important first step towards championship contention next season. Nothing is guaranteed, though, as the 15-day transfer portal window doesn’t officially open until April 7.
“If we lose the outliers—the high and the low—then keep our core together, if we can get to that point, I think that’s a recipe for sustainable success in our new Mountain West,” Wicks said.
The Cowboys also have already inked a pair of freshmen set to join the team this summer. Madden Smiley—son of Steve Smiley, the current head coach of Northern Colorado and Wicks’ godson—could aim to make an immediate impact in a Wyoming uniform after recently being named a two-time Colorado Class 5A Player of the Year after an impressive high school career at Windsor.
Chris Pohl, a lengthy forward out of Marshfield, Wisconsin, could also make an immediate impact for the Cowboys after being named the fourth best recruit out of the state of Wisconsin, according to 24/7 Sports.
With their current additions and possible returners, the Cowboys could have the opportunity for yet another immensely improved season in year three under Wicks. Unfortunately for now, it’s all just a waiting game as the transfer portal window looms large.
