Wicks, Cowboys Officially Welcome Forward Mike Mora to Roster

LARAMIE -- Sundance Wicks, for more than a month, has said his ultimate goal was to retain existing members of his current roster.

He and his staff did just that, keeping guards Naz Meyer, Uriyah Rojas and Khaden Bennett, along with forwards Gavin Gores and Neil Summers, in the barn.

Step one: complete.

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Before "portal combat" officially got underway Tuesday, Wyoming's head coach quietly made his first outside move of the offseason, inking forward Michael Mora, who spent his first two collegiate seasons at Cal State Monterey where last winter he earned all-conference honors after averaging 17.2 points an outing, which tied for the league lead.

He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

"Mike fits the bill for what we were looking for and we knew it immediately," Wicks said Thursday in an official school release. "He is a versatile, tough-minded winner who gives us terrific positional size, a strong desire to ride for the brand and be a career Cowboy. Mike has a winning pedigree and has positively impacted winning at every program he has been a part of in his career. He is Cowboy Tough and possesses an elite shot-making ability from beyond the arc, while also being able to play some bully ball on the block."

MORE UW HOOPS NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

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* 2026 Wyoming Cowboys Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker

* Wyoming Forward Abou Magassa to Enter Transfer Portal

* Wyoming Big Man Simm-Marten Saadi Hitting Open Market

* Wyoming Hoops Lands Recommitment From Program 'Flag Bearers'

* Senior Guard Uriyah Rojas Announces He is Staying Put

* Tallgrass Named First Jersey Patch Partner for UW Athletics

* Wyoming Guard Adam Harakow Entering NCAA Transfer Portal

The Palo Alto, Calif., product stands 6-foot-6 and weighs in at 210 pounds, bringing with him what Wicks calls a "Mountain West ready body." He's expected to fill a void on the glass for the Cowboys, he added.

Mora drilled 68 triples last fall while shooting 38% from beyond the arc. He also added more than six rebounds per game and snatched 36 steals. Prior to his stint at CSUMB, he spent one year at Vermont. He suited up for three seasons at the Asheville School in North Carolina during his prep career, twice being named a team captain.

His head coach was current Wyoming assistant Nick Whitmore.

"We return 50% of our production, so now the emphasis is on finding "F.I.T.S.," Wicks said. "(That means) Recruiting players who have high feel, intelligence, toughness and skill to compliment a core of Cowboys who are committed to competing for a championship.

"We are going to be very intentional about finding (Our kind of Cowboys) who can build upon the character and culture that the 2025-26 Cowboys established."

Guards Damarion Dennis, Jared Harris and Adam Harakow all entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. So did big men Simm-Marten Saadi and Abou Magassa.

Wyoming won 18 games last season, the most since the 2021-22 squad that punched its ticket to the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. Wicks' Cowboys made it to the National Invitational Tournament this March, falling to Wichita State in the opening round.

The Mountain West will look much different this fall with the departures of San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and defending conference champion Utah State. Those five are headed to the reimagined Pac-12. The league will now welcome Hawaii as a full-time member. Grand Canyon was inserted a year ahead of schedule and finished fourth overall with 20 wins.

UNLV, Air Force, New Mexico, Nevada and San Jose State also remain.

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