Welcome to Wyoming Hoops: Mattia De Martin
LARAMIE -- "We recruit winners."
Sundance Wicks said that, referring to landing high school standouts Madden Smiley and Chris Pohl in the offseason. The latter could soon be a menace in the paint for the Wyoming basketball program. The other, leading the charge and manning the point.
This third-year bench boss wasn't just talking about success at the prep level, though, when he made that statement. Can't forget the NCAA Transfer Portal, which has been more of a foe to this university than a friend in years past.
Did Wicks flip the script in 2026-27?
It appears so.
The Cowboys return 50% of their offensive production from an 18-win squad that punched its ticket to the postseason for the first time since March of 2022. Promising freshmen Naz Meyer (12.9 ppg) and Gavin Gores (7.3) bought into the mission. So did transfer guards Uriyah Rojas (6.2) and Khaden Bennett (10.2). Those four, along with redshirt rookie Neil Summers, are all back in the mix this fall.
That group also accounted for 15.1 of the team's 35.5 boards per game. Meyer and Bennett each averaged nearly five a night.
Damarion Dennis and his 11.2 points an outing are gone. He's now at Texas Tech, lacing them up for former UW head coach Jeff Linder. Forwards Simm-Marten Saadi (Central Arkansas) and Abou Magassa (UNC Asheville) changed addresses, too. Adam Harakow (Western Michigan) and Jared Harris (Prairie View A&M) also entered free agency.
Outside of Dennis' production, the other four combined to net just 16.4 points per contest.
Wyoming lost its leading scorer, Leland Walker (13.5 ppg), along with Kiani Saxon and Matija Belic to graduation. That trio averaged 21 a game.
Let's meet the 10 new faces on this roster:
NAME | Mattia De Martin
YEAR | Sophomore
HT/WT | 6' 8", 205
HOMETOWN | Vicenza, Italy
POSITION | Guard
JERSEY NUMBER | 15
PREVIOUS SCHOOL | Indian Hills Community College
YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY | Three
NOTABLE | Indian Hills Community College has already produced one gem for the Wyoming basketball program. Will that happen again with Mattia De Martin? Once upon a time, the Wyoming staff -- one with Sundance Wicks on it -- found a sharpshooter from that premiere basketball factory in rural Iowa: Drake Jeffries. Appearing in just 15 games off the bench, De Martin netted 3.2 points per game while pulling down 1.5 rebounds. He reached double figures only once, pouring in a dozen -- all three-pointers -- in a 107-55 rout of Highland (Ill.) in late February. In his lone season at the junior college level, De Martin shot 44.1% from the field after coming to the United States from Vicenza, Italy. He attempted 17 triples, drilling nine of those for a shooting average of nearly 53% from beyond the arc. De Martin, who played for Team Italy at the Under-19 and 20 level, averaged 18.9 points per game to go along with more than eight boards and nearly six assists during that first year of European competition. He helped lead his team to Gold in the latter.
QUOTABLE | "What an absolute steal we found in Mattia. He is going to be the ultimate connector for us at multiple positions. The thing that really gets me going about Mattia is his passing ability and his ability to stretch the floor. Mattia has great gap gravity and he can really see it. Passing is the quickest way to see if a player has good feel or not. At 6-foot-8 he is a swing wing (playing spots 1-4 on the floor) who has great offensive and defensive versatility. You know we love guys who come from winning and Mattia has won at every level he has been at in Europe and at Indian Hills. We also love guys with scars. Mattia’s journey hasn’t been all sunshine and gumballs, as he was struck by the injury bug right before he was coming over to the states. That is just going to be extra fuel for his fire and desire to prove the people that believe in him right," -- Wyoming head coach Sundance Wicks on the addition of former gold medalist Mattia De Martin.
WELCOME TO UW BASKETBALL SERIES:
MORE UW HOOPS NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* 'Extremely Underrated': Wyoming's Basketball Staff Remains Intact
* What Heights Can Wyoming Basketball Program Reach This Season?
* Rojas' Under-The-Radar Re-Commitment 'Huge' For Pokes
* Wicks, Cowboys Sign Kansas 5A Player of the Year
* Pokes Add Another Big Man to 2026-27 Hoops Roster
* Cowboys Add Length at Guard Spot, Sign Former Gold Medalist
* Wick's Cowboys Sign 6-11 Forward to Frontcourt
* Cowboys Land 6-9 Stretch Forward in Transfer Portal
* Wyoming Adds Shooting Guard From Wazzu Via Transfer Portal
* 2026 Wyoming Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker
Just The Facts: Size Doesn't Matter For Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- Just The Facts: Size Doesn't Matter For Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium
More From 7220 Sports
