Tuck’s Take: Wicks Says, ‘I Didn’t See Enough Blood’

LAS VEGAS, Nev., -- Uncle.

Sundance Wicks' first season at the helm of the Wyoming basketball program came to an unceremonious end Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the Mountain West Tournament.

The first 20-plus minutes was burn-the-tape bad.

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San Jose State, a team that swept the Cowboys during the regular season, jumped out to a lightning-quick 12-0 lead. They went on another 10-point heater moments later. That lead ballooned to as many as 22 in the first half before eventually cruising into Thursday's quarterfinals with a 66-61 victory inside the Thomas and Mack Center.

"It's always the hardest part of any year," A red-eyed Wicks said postgame. "You don't prepare for finality. I don't have speeches prepared for when you go in the locker room and you have to talk to six guys who are going to be done with college basketball."

Wyoming flirted with an unthinkable comeback, miraculously cutting the lead to just three with less than 30 ticks remaining. Obi Agbim, who was mostly quiet on this foul-filled afternoon, splashed a triple to make this a one-possession game.

Wicks put the ball in his senior's hands one last time. This three wouldn't fall.

Josh Uduje sealed it at the stripe.

"Wyoming is going to fight you," SJSU head coach Tim Miles said postgame. "Like, we knew this was going to be a close game, and they're not going to go away. They just kept fighting and kept fighting, and we just hung around and did enough and got enough stops at the end to win."

Wicks questioned his team's toughness after the last meeting between these two schools. It was warranted. He again reiterated this week the need for grit against a team that is clearly stronger, faster, especially at the guard spot.

Those guys on the backend had a field day in this one.

Donovan Yap, just like he did last March in Las Vegas while wearing a Fresno State jersey, torched the Cowboys, netting a team-high 19 points. Sadaidriene Hall added 16. Uduje, 15.

That trio combined for all eight threes. Wyoming made just two.

Like they've been all season long, the Cowboys were way too generous, dishing out turnovers like playing cards. The opposition took full advantage, too, turning those 14 gifts into 15 points.

Another disturbing trend throughout has been the lack of balanced scoring.

It's been Agbim and everyone else on most nights. Even the senior guard and recently crowned conference newcomer of the year couldn't solve the Spartans, though he did finish with a dozen.

A motivated Nesbitt sparked the second-half run, scoring seven straight. He led the way with 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Cole Henry chipped in with 11.

We can harp on this performance all day long, and the optics early on had rout written all over it, but let's face it, this season was a wash from the minute Wicks stepped behind the podium in Laramie and wowed the locals with his charm and humor all the way back in May.

Jeff Linder, who griped and moaned about every subject from NIL to fan support throughout his final two forgettable seasons on the high plains, abandoned this place at the 11th hour to take an assistant coaching gig.

That speaks volumes, mostly about the state of this once-proud program in the era of free agency. It takes money. In some cases, lots of it. Linder wasn't willing to put in the work it takes.

Wicks is.

That decision also set in motion a fast-tracked offseason, which led to Wicks compiling a staff and nearly an entire roster in less than 30 days. He says they were the "last puppy at the bowl."

Henry was one of those players. Admittedly, the teary-eyed senior said he thought his playing days were over. The "crazy" coach had different plans for the 6-foot-9 forward from Iowa.

"Sundance is the best coach I've ever played for," Henry said. "There was a reason why I committed here. I know when I entered the portal, I had some options that were really close to home. He made me believe in myself, for real, when no one else did.

"So, what you can expect from Wyoming basketball is a lot of winning and a winning culture."

Wicks is the right guy for this job. I'd argue he's the only man for the task at hand. But he's no miracle worker.

The Gillette native attempted to squeeze every ounce of juice out of this lineup of misfits and outcasts. It appears the final drop hit the bottom of the glass inside this very building back in late January. Since that still-hard-to-believe upset over a then red-hot UNLV squad, Wyoming has dropped 11 of its last 13.

The only wins came over Air Force and Fresno State, two programs who are actually worse off, at the moment.

Lopsided losses started to become more prevalent. There were plenty of heartbreakers, too, against the likes of Mountain West regular-season champs New Mexico, Utah State and San Diego State.

This season's obituary could read: "The team that almost beat everybody."

Those are Wicks' words. He also likes the term "horseshoes and hand grenades." It's fitting.

The tombstone could also state: "Victim of unavoidable circumstance."

The rebuild is already underway, and the rules going forward couldn't be more clear. Wicks wants competitiveness and connectivity. He's been spreading that gospel all season, but added he simply didn't have enough time with the current personnel.

That's not all.

"I didn't see enough blood," he said bluntly. "I didn't see enough blood on the floor. I didn't see enough skinned knees. I didn't see enough (diving after) loose balls. I didn't see enough charges taken. I didn't see any broken noses. I didn't see any blood flying around.

"Fight club taught us you can swallow a pint of blood before you get sick."

Preach.

Dontaie Allen, Kobe Newton, Touko Tainamo, Cort Roberson, Henry and Nesbitt have exhausted their eligibility. Agbim, thanks to a recent NCAA ruling that players who began their careers at the junior-college level can receive an additional year, could return.

Likely? I'm not sliding my chips to the middle of the table.

Could the building blocks begin with Abou Magassa, AJ Wills, Matija Belic and Scottie Ebube? Incoming freshmen Naz Meyer, Gavin Gores and Laramie's own Neil Summers, are also on the way. The latter two are forwards. Meyer is a sharp-shooting guard from Los Angeles.

This day and age, we know all-too well, don't count your chickens before the eggs hatch. Yes, even with rookies.

This team will be constructed in Wick's image. If anything, that should give you hope for the future.

"Come back here next year, two years from now, you're going to be like, 'that Wyoming team is vastly different than the year-one team," he added.

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players