(Zach Agee Photo)
For the past three years, continuity has been non-existent for Wyoming basketball. Complete roster overhauls has become the norm for the program, and head coach Sundance Wicks knew that it wasn’t a recipe for sustainable success.
It was clear that heading into his third year at the helm, player retention was at the top of the list of priorities for Wicks heading into the offseason after an encouraging 18-15 campaign that ended in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament, the Cowboys’ first postseason berth since earning an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament in 2022.
“The number one priority for me is retention,” Wicks said during a presser in February. “We don’t want to have to recruit a whole new roster every year.”
Seniors Leland Walker, Matija Belic and Kiani Saxon assuredly will not return, as they exhausted all of their eligibility. Guards Damarion Dennis, Adam Harakow and Jared Harris, alongside forwards Simm-Marten Saadi and Abou Magassa all entered the transfer portal.
At that point, it had seemed as if the program was going to fall victim to the transfer portal for yet another season.
Then, the good news came pouring in.
First came the announcement that backup point guard Uriyah Rojas would be returning for his senior season—an encouraging sign as Wicks worked to keep some of his roster intact. Rojas averaged 6.2 points per game off the bench and scored in double figures eight times last season, including a 23-point burst against Austin Peay in early November.
Then, it was the freshman tandem of Nasir Meyer and Gavin Gores to announce their return. The pair ended the season as two of the Cowboys’ top contributors, as Meyer was the team’s second leading scorer averaging 12.9 points per game while also chipping in 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Gores was one of the Cowboys’ most efficient scorers, as he held the highest field goal percentage on the team and poured in 7.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
“These guys are going to carry the flag for Wyoming here for the next couple years,” Wicks said of the pair after the Cowboys’ opening round loss in the Mountain West tournament.
It wasn’t long after that Khaden Bennett also announced he’d be returning to Laramie for his senior season as well. Bennett quietly developed into one of the Cowboys’ most consistent players, as he averaged 10.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
To cap it all off, redshirt freshman and Laramie native Neil Summers also announced his return, marking the first time the Cowboys have returned more than two scholarship players since the aforementioned 2022 season.
With a solid core of players set to return next season, attention then turned to adding players from the transfer portal. Wicks and his staff went to work on filling out the rest of the roster, which is all but completely retooled as of right now.
The Cowboys first added Michael Mora out of Division II Cal State Monterey Bay. The 6-6 wing redshirted his first season at Vermont before playing two seasons at Cal State Monterey Bay, where he averaged 17.2 points and 6.2 rebounds last season.
The Cowboys were then able to ink two Division I transfers, with junior guard Parker Gerrits from Washington State and junior forward Renars Sondors from UL Monroe. Gerrits struggled to find consistent minutes at Washington State, averaging just under 10 minutes per game with the Cougars but could find a more consistent role with the Cowboys. Sondors was a major contributor on a struggling UL Monroe team, as the 6-9 forward from Latvia averaged 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds for the Warhawks.
Wicks was also able to add some additional international talent to the roster with the additions of wing Mattia De Martin and center Linus Ruf. De Martin spent last season at Indian Hills Community College and has also competed for Italy’s under-19 international team, where he averaged 18.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. Ruf comes to the Cowboys after competing in Germany’s Pro A league, where the 6-11 center averaged 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
High school signees Madden Smiley and Chris Pohl are also set to join the team this upcoming season.
While the Cowboys have added some intriguing talent through the transfer portal, the biggest win of the offseason is undoubtedly their retention—which makes for a roster that could make some noise in the Mountain West next season.
