Wyoming's Third-Leading Scorer Expected to Enter Transfer Portal

LARAMIE -- The first domino has fallen.

Damarion Dennis, a sophomore guard who averaged 11.2 points per game during his lone season in Laramie, is entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to Sam Kayser of League Ready.

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The San Antonio, Texas product, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, is the first Wyoming basketball player to announce his intentions to leave the program.

Dennis, who came to the high plains after spending his freshman season at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, was one of the Cowboys' top offensive producers down the stretch, reaching double figures in the final six games and in 11 of the final 12.

Standing just 6-foot-1 and weighing in at 166, Dennis was also one of the team's top rebounders, averaging 3.2 an outing. He snagged a career-high 11 boards and netted 13 points in a 74-70 setback against UNLV in the opening round of the Mountain West Tournament.

Dennis connected on 52% of his shots from the field, including 34% from beyond the arc.

He averaged nearly 24 minutes per night, a major increase from the non-conference slate, which saw him on the court for just 20.1. During league play, Dennis was on the floor for more than 25 minutes a game.

During his time at Corpus Christi, Dennis averaged 6.7 points a night along with less than two rebounds. He also dished out 1.3 assists an outing and took care of the ball, turning it over just 0.5 times per.

"Metrics matter," head coach Sundance Wicks said in early November. "We recruited him, and he was the most-efficient player in a transfer portal ... That's a value-based buy right there. It's like, nobody's looking at him because he played 17 minutes a game at Corpus Christi, but that stuff translates.

"What makes him efficient is who he is and how he plays: he's tight, he's twitchy, he doesn't have a lot of wasted motion. That's a guy right there who just, like I said, plays the game of basketball the right way. There's no fluff and stuff about it. He gets to his spots and he makes his shots."

Losing players to free agency is nothing new for this program.

Four players hit the portal last season, joining six seniors who exhausted their eligibility. Forward Abou Magassa, along with guard Matija Belic, were the only holdovers on Wicks' revamped roster. The year prior, Jeff Linder's last at the helm, six others hit the open market, including Kael Combs and Cam Manyawu, who last weekend helped Iowa punch its ticket to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Wicks has been boisterous this season about retention. He thinks that could lead to title contention as early as next season with defending champion Utah State, along with Colorado State, Boise State, Fresno State and San Diego State bolting for the reimagined Pac-12.

"I mean, I'd be idiotic not to, right?" Wicks said earlier in the month. "... It's getting guys that really believe in what we're trying to do and seeing the vision and the mission. But, I do know this: if you can return a good chunk of your roster -- a good core of your roster -- and the guys that choose to stay ... I think if you do that, run it back next year in the Mountain West, you got a really good chance of competing for a championship."

Leland Walker, Kiani Saxon and Belic have played their final game in a Wyoming uniform. Now, so has Dennis. That leaves freshmen Naz Meyer and Gavin Gores, as well as Adam Harakow, Khaden Bennett, Uriyah Rojas, Jared Harris, Simm-Marten Saadi and Magassa. Garrett Spielman, Talan Taylor and Neil Summers also remain. Wicks and Co. will also welcome rookies Madden Smiley and Chris Pohl this summer.

The portal is set to officially open April 7, the day after the national championship game. The 15-day window closes April 21.

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