Leland Walker’s Stint in a Wyoming Uniform Not Done Yet

LARAMIE -- It's fun to dream, isn't it?

Sundance Wicks has already played out the "fairytale ending" since hearing his team would be included in the 32-team field of the upcoming National Invitational Tournament.

As always, it's a one-game-at-a-time mentality around here, but that doesn't mean Wyoming's coach isn't allowing his already overactive mind to drift in the direction a major what if.

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The NIT Final Four will take place in Indianapolis. That also happens to be the hometown of the Cowboys' unquestioned leader, Leland Walker.

"It's nice to have hope in March, right?" Wicks said, flashing his trademark smile.

They first have to get through a 22-win Wichita State program that just Sunday competed in the American Athletic Conference tournament title game. But it's not lost on this youthful roster that Walker is ultimately getting at least one more 40-minute session in a Wyoming uniform.

"He's put his heart and soul into this team, like everyone else, but him, deservingly, needs to play more games," fellow senior Kiani Saxon said on Monday. "So, being able to give that to him, yeah, it just means a lot. I know he wants to play, like, every day. He's a hooper. He always wants to play play basketball. It means a lot to us."

Khaden Bennett said look no further than a social-media video the program's official account released late Sunday evening after learning its fate.

"It means a lot. Obviously, you saw him jumping up and down. You could see the excitement on his face," the junior guard added. "Anytime we get extra games for our seniors ...  it's just always something that was the goal when we first started."

Walker led the team in scoring this season, pouring in 13.7 points a night while connecting on 42% of his attempts from the field. He failed to reach double figures in just nine of the Cowboys' 32 outings during his lone year in Laramie. That included nine straight with at least 10. He netted a career-high 30 in a road loss at Boise State in late January.

The 6-foot-1, 181-pound point guard also dishes out nearly four assists per game. He's now seven assists shy of 500 in a career that began at Eastern Kentucky before moving on to Florida Atlantic for his junior campaign.

Walker's impressive résumé includes 1,562 points and 351 rebounds. He's four short of 100 boards this season.

Wicks was seeking "high-value" targets in the offseason, so he's not the least bit surprised with Walker's production. Was has stood out to the bench boss is the senior's leadership and compete level.

He was no doubt the engine behind the program's one-year turnaround.

Last Wednesday afternoon deep in the bowels of the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Wicks slid the microphone closer to his face and refused to wave the white flag. Just minutes after being outlasted 73-70 by UNLV in the opening round of the Mountain West tournament, he refused to take a trip down memory lane and talk about the season that was.

He wasn't ready to concede. The ride, in his mind, wasn't over. In fact, he even told Walker to save his tears.

"I can't speak enough on how proud I am of Leland," Wicks said. "... He's led our team. He's the single reason our guys show up with great energy, effort and enthusiasm every day, because he's an every day dude, as a leader. Those guys are hard to find. He's an unbelievable human being. You'll never find anybody to say a bad word about Leland Walker.

"I'm excited to continue to coach this guy, and I wish I could have coached him for four years. If I coached him for four years we would be sitting up here talking about championships for a long time."

He'll have one more shot tonight, deep in the heart of Kansas. The Cowboys and Shockers are scheduled to tipoff at 5 p.m. Mountain Time and the game will be televised on ESPNU.