OCTOBER 23, 2024 |
Photo – Wyoming Cowboys logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Wyoming Cowboy basketball team opens its season Friday night inside the Arena Auditorium in Laramie.
First year head coach Sundance Wicks opens the season Friday night against the College of Idaho, the oldest private liberal arts school in the state. The Yotes, out of the NAIA—The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics–finished last season with a 32-5 record.
Coach Wicks had to work fast this year and assemble a team. He came to Laramie after Jeff Linder cleared out of Laramie in May to become an assistant at Texas Tech.
Wyoming had made one appearance in the NCAA Tournament during Linder’s four-year stint, earning an at-large bid during the 2021-22 season. Two standout players, Hunter Maldonado and Graham Ike propelled the program to its first trip to March Madness since 2015, winning 25 games and finishing fourth in the conference standings. Wyoming fell to Indiana 66-58 in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
That was the brief highlight reel of Linder’s career at Wyoming. Upheaval in the locker room and key injuries hobbled the program in Linder’s following years. Then he got out of Laramie without a goodbye.
Within a week, Wicks reentered the picture.
Coming off an 18-win campaign during his lone year on the sidelines at Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wicks returned to Laramie after a stint as an assistant. The new head coach looked the part. He showed up at the news conference in a brown plaid sport coat and a gold tie.
Wicks got right down to work, recruiting 10 players in 27 days to fill a roster that had a lot of openings.
The Cowboys will not be a perfect team to start the season. But the ever-enthusiastic Wicks has assembled players who want to fit in and play.
Yes, Gillette brought the juice as he likes to call his contagious energy.
The new era of Cowboy basketball opens Friday night against the College of Idaho. Bigfoot 99 will be on the air with the pregame show at 6 p.m.
