Sundance Wicks on Naz Meyer: ‘He’s a Special Kid, Man’

LARAMIE -- Naz Meyer wants to play in the NBA.

What college basketball player doesn't, right?

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Sundance Wicks, though, says his young shooting guard has the goods. Pro scouts have only solidified that stance. Wyoming's head coach doesn't need validation. He sees it with his own eyes.

It's not about the points. It's about the habits.

And it all starts every day at 6:30 a.m.

"His dedication to his craft is masterful," Wicks said Monday night, following Wyoming's 87-72 victory over South Dakota State inside the Sanford Pentagon. "Success happens because you have a different mindset than the average person.

"He's a special kid, man."

Just hours after claiming Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors for the third time in his first 10 collegiate games, Meyer connected on 10 of his 14 shots against the Jackrabbits, capping his latest outing with a game-high 25 points.

The Los Angeles product, who was also heavily recruited by Marquette and Arizona State out of New Hampton School in New Hampshire, netted a career-high 26 in a rout of visiting South Dakota the week prior. That, along with seven rebounds and a steal, earned him the latest honor from the league. The one before that came courtesy of back-to-back games, averaging 53.5% shooting from the field. He scored 14 in a win over Denver and added eight more in a four-point setback against then No. 20 Texas Tech.

Meyer came out of the gate with 37 points in his first two games in a Wyoming uniform. He hit six triples in those victories over Northern State and Cal State Fullerton. The 6-foot-7 rookie added 11 boards and seven assists, too.

He followed those performances with an 0-fer.

On six attempts, Meyer failed to sink a single shot against visiting Austin Peay. Three of those tries came from deep. He capped that one with seven points, all of which came at the free-throw line.

"He had the 'curse,'" Wicks said, referring to his first conference freshman of the week nod. "I asked, like, 'How are you feeling? What are you thinking about?' He goes, 'Coach, I got too caught up in winning an award that was meaningless and I started thinking I had to play a certain way or do certain things to continue to rack that up.'

"I'm like, 'You just gotta let it go. If you start comparing your journey, or thinking you gotta be something that you're not, that's when it all just falls apart..'"

Maturity. Meyer possesses that in spades, Wicks added. Those tough, man-to-man conversations get deep. Most, the bench boss said, don't even want to go there.

Meyer, who is currently averaging 13.5 points and nearly five rebounds a night, wasn't looking for a laidback coach at this level. He wanted teaching, guidance, and, yes, even some tough love.

He came to the right spot.

"The biggest thing is, he stays on me. He doesn't take it easy," the rookie said Monday night, referring to Wicks. "I'll have a good game, but we'll still watch the possessions I didn't take advantage of, you know? ... So, him staying on me and helping me, you know, make better reads, make better plays, it's just been all I've been glad to have so far."

Monday night in Sioux Falls, Meyer was "Fix it Felix." One of the many nicknames his head coach loves to dish out. A couple of buzzer-beating shots masked issues SDSU was causing on the offensive end. He solves problems, doesn't create them, Wicks added.

Being a film junkie and a gym rat has only aided in that maturation process.

That doesn't mean he doesn't get the occasional glare from the sideline.

"You can have real, personal conversations with him," Meyer continued. "You can laugh, you can joke, you know? I mean, out there on the court, I know he looks mean to you guys, but he really isn't that type of guy, I promise."

Wicks will be the first to tell you he is maniacal. Maybe even a bit of a "sicko" as he referred to himself last week. He's obsessed with playing the game the right way. He loathes wasted possessions. If there's still time remaining on the clock, your still punched in.

What does he think of these offensive outbursts from Meyer?

Huh?

"I didn't know he had a game that he had today. I'm still on his ass out there," Wicks said. "I had no idea, but I'm worried about the one-hand passing through to Abou (Magassa) that turned out to be a turnover. I'm worried about the stick hand he didn't get up when the guy blasted one in his face.

"I don't dwell on whether or not he's playing really good, I just want him to win the next possession, to move on to the next play and be better that next possession."

Wyoming now has nine wins under its collective belt, just three shy of last year's season total. The two blemishes during the non-conference slate came in Texas. One was an eight-point setback at Sam Houston State, one in which the visitors went 9-of-22 from the stripe.

Though Meyer may be garnering the spotlight right now, and rightfully so, the Cowboys are no one-man band with conference play on the horizon. Meyer is fine with that. So is his architect of this roster.

"I'm just going to continue to enjoy the ride with these guys," Wicks said. "I've got a locker room full of guys who care about each other, they're competitive, they're connected and they don't care who scores. They only care about the win. It's really rare nowadays to just get guys who only care about winning every game."