Linder inks Junior College All-American Deng Dut

LARAMIE -- University of Wyoming head basketball coach Jeff Linder announced Friday the signing of Junior College All-American Deng Dut of the College of Southern Idaho.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Dut is the first Junior College All-American player to wear the Brown and Gold since fellow Australian Nathan Sobey (2012-2014). He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

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“We’re thrilled to have Deng join the Cowboy Basketball Family,” Linder said. “Deng comes to us as a highly experienced and accomplished player from one of the best programs in the nation. Over the course of his career at the College of Southern Idaho, Deng has logged exceptional shooting percentages, been one of the NJCAA’s leaders in assists and assist to turnover ratio. He contributed to 37 wins and led CSI to the Junior College National Tournament. He is a dynamic and efficient guard who is highly committed to winning. We look forward to having Deng’s character and ability in Laramie for the next several years.”

The 6-4, guard was a First Team All-American selection and also earned Region 18 Player of the Year honors. The First Team All-Conference selection added 14.7 points per game. He also added 5.4 rebounds per game and added 5.1 assists per night. He helped lead his team to a conference title and a third seed at the Junior College National Tournament.

Last season, Dut shot 51 percent from the field and 48 percent from behind the three-point line, as his percentage from behind the arc ranked sixth in the nation. He scored a season-high 31 points against Salt Lake. He also recorded 10 assists against Community Christian College.

As a freshman, Dut led the conference in field-goal percentage and three-point percentage. He recorded a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in just 24 minutes against Shoreline Community College. He also received recruiting interest from Georgia, Creighton and St. Johns.

Dut attended Simonds Catholic College Prep in Melbourne, Australia. He helped lead his team to the Gold Medal Victorian Championship three times during his prep career. He was also a Big V Youth League Men’s All-Star. As a senior, Dut averaged 18 points per game to go along with six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Dut originally committed to the University of Portland before switching to UW.

Portland head coach Shantay Legans had this to say about Dut: "He is versatile point guard with the ability to attack off the dribble, score in a variety of ways, and does a great job of getting others involved. He is extremely efficient with the ball on offense and defensively, Deng can guard any position on the perimeter."

Dut joins fellow guard Noah Reynolds in the 2021 class. Reynolds is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound freshman from Peoria, Illinois.

As a junior at Notre Dame, Reynolds averaged 16.8 points per night while shooting 62 percent from the field. He also pulled down 4.5 rebounds a night and dished out 3.5 assists. True to Linder's recruiting habits in Laramie, the sharp-shooting lefty can also stroke it from the outside. Reynolds knocked down 42 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

Wyoming lost guards Kwane Marble II and defending Mountain West Freshman of the Year, Marcus Williams, to transfer this offseason.

* University of Wyoming press release contributed to this article