Practice report: Pokes ready for Saturday scrimmage

LARAMIE -- The Cowboy basketball program is in their third week of practice and will showcase the roster in the Arena-Auditorium for the first time this season on Saturday at 11 a.m. prior to the Wyoming football contest against Fresno State.

The Intrasquad scrimmage is free and open to the public.

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The Pokes headed to Cheyenne last week for a scrimmage in Storey Gymnasium with fans in the Capital City getting their first look at the 2021-22 team. In what was three 10-minute scrimmages, the veterans along with some newcomers showcased what the Pokes will look like this season.

Forward Graham Ike had a big day for the Pokes in Cheyenne. He poured in 21 points and added nine rebounds. He shot 62 percent from the field for the afternoon. He finished last season strong with a 32-point game against San Jose State, which tied for the second most by a freshman in the nation last season.

Guard Hunter Maldonado showed why he is one of the most versatile players in the Mountain West Conference. He added 15 points in the scrimmage and added nine assists. He only recorded one turnover for a 9-1 assist to turnover ratio. He led the Pokes in rebounding and assists last season and has scored over 1,000 points in his career.

Forward Hunter Thompson also had a strong showing in Cheyenne. He added 13 points going 5-of-7 from the field. He also went 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Thompson heads into the season with 113 three-pointers, as the Wyoming native will look to work his way into the top-10 in career triples at Wyoming.

Forward Jeremiah Oden, who had a strong summer in the weight room and added nearly 20 pounds added eight points shooting 4-of-5 from the field. He also added seven rebounds in the contest. He appeared in 23 games with 11 starts averaging four points per game.

A position to look out for this season for the Brown and Gold is the lead guard position. Transfer Deng Dut and freshman Noah Reynolds both had strong days in Cheyenne.

Dut, who was Junior College All-American last season recorded 11 points and added four assists. He shot 63 percent from the field going 5-of-8. Last season at the College of Southern Idaho, Dut added nearly 15 points per game and added over five assists per night.

Reynolds, a native of Peoria, Ill. Finished the scrimmage with 21 points to tie for the scoring led with Ike. He shot 53 percent from the field and was and impressive 3-of-5 from behind the arc for 60 percent. He was also disruptive on the defensive end of the floor with two steals.

As a team, Wyoming shot nearly 50 percent from the field. The Pokes also shot 36 percent from behind the arc.

A Take from the Coaching Staff on Practice Thus Far

"I think practice has gone well and I think we are a few weeks ahead of a lot of programs are at right now,” assistant coach Ken DeWeese said. “We have had the advantage of having a full summer and fall that we didn’t have last season and has made a big difference. I think Cheyenne was very beneficial for us to have some fans in the stands and some officials.”

A Player’s Take on Practice Thus Far

"I think practice has gone very well thus far,” Oden said. “I feel we have tapped into a level we haven’t been at in the past couple of seasons in terms of competitiveness and being held accountable to our energy and habits. I think we look very good in our scrimmage. It didn’t look like our first time out for the season and I’m excited to see how that progresses over the next few weeks.”

* UW press release