Wicks Not Thrilled With Pokes’ Performance in 76-61 Win

LARAMIE -- Sundance Wicks was in mid-season form Saturday afternoon deep in the bowels of the Arena-Auditorium.

His veteran-led team just moments prior knocked off visiting College of Idaho, 76-61, led by an 18-point performance from big man Gavin Gores. The Cowboys outscored the visitors 34-22 in the paint and turned 17 turnovers into 20 points.

Wyoming, for the third straight exhibition game, also shot better than 50% from the floor.

Gores, who also reeled in a team-best six rebounds and was fouled eight times, was one of four to reach double-figures, joining Naz Meyer (12 points), Khaden Bennett (11) and Washington State transfer Parker Gerrits (10).

Solid outing with the regular season just 10 days away, right?

Wrong.

So, so wrong.

"Absolutely not," Wicks said to open his postgame press conference, referring to a question he just received on his postgame radio show: Was there anything he was pleased with in this tilt?

"Scheme doesn't matter if you're not tough," the Cowboys' third-year head coach continued. "Taking care of basketball doesn't matter if you're not tough. None of it matters if you're not tough. We're supposed to be a gritty team. We were the furthest thing from gritty. We got punched in the face, knocked on our butt multiple times and out-rebounded on the offensive boards."

In preseason games against Northern Colorado and TCU, Wicks said, shooting and scoring weren't the issues. Far from. He's confident that will continue. The eclectic bench boss, numerous times this offseason, has mentioned he has a roster filled with yellow labs.

They're friendly, playful and loyal, but there's no killer instinct in the breed.

That's glaring right now, Wicks added.

"I'm worried about whether these yellow labs can actually latch on and be a pit bull at some point and bring a fight to somebody else," he said, voice raised. "But they are not willing to do it. Extremely disappointed.

He named names, too, singling out his star player.

Meyer finished with just a pair of boards, neither of which came on the offensive glass. He attempted just four free throws on the afternoon, sinking only two of those. He also capped his day with a couple of turnovers in 24-plus minutes of work.

The expectations for the Los Angeles native are lofty, including all-conference aspirations. There's a responsibility that comes with that, Wicks said.

"I just thought Naz was playing basketball today," he added. "We talk about players play, tough players win. He's playing basketball today ... Even when it's hard, you've got to try to impact the game in a certain way, whether that's defense or rebounding or energy, effort, enthusiasm, leadership, fight. There's a million ways you can do it without scoring the basketball.

"If that doesn't come from our best player -- our guy -- it's going to be a long year if you don't have that fight."

Wicks said he delivered this exact message behind closed doors, too.

Bennett recited the company line postgame.

"We're not pleased with our performance," the senior guard said. "Obviously, respect to them, they played tougher than us today. We were soft defensively and offensively. So that's just pretty much the message, and we understand that."

Why? Especially in the first game inside their home building?

"I'm not sure," he said. "I think I guess we just kind of overlooked our opponent, which is something that we should never do."

Wicks said he warned his team all week that the College of Idaho program comes with something Wyoming is still striving for: Culture.

The Yotes had an "off-year" in 2025-26, winning just 21 games. The season prior, that overall record was 35-2, including an NAIA National Championship. They also won a title two years earlier.

Rey Johnston netted a game-high 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting. The two-time Montana Gatorade Player of the Year also snagged nine rebounds and dished out a pair of assists. Fellow guard Conner Sheets finished with 14 points and, like Johnston, drilled a trio of triples.

"Our culture is nowhere where it needs to be right now," Wicks said, adding that he pointed to the visiting bench after the Yotes briefly took a first-half lead and told his team "that's what it is supposed to look like."

"That's on me. I'm just telling you, I'm supposed to be a guy who can get guys to rally and to believe, but at some point, too, as young men that are now working professionals in a business, they've got to take some accountability and ownership and who they are going to be and how they're going to show up."

Gerrits said that plea has been heard loud and clear.

"I think just our overall fight as a team," he said. "I think being able to walk out and impose our physicality on somebody, and being able to throw the first punch rather than feeling like we're getting punched. And, on top of that, responding to it. When we do get punched in the mouth, and they come out with energy and hitting big shots, it's like being able to collect our guys and respond to that, and not dwell from the adversity."

Regis will pay a visit to the high plains for the season opener Nov. 3. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.

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