Tuck’s Take: Wyoming’s ‘Race to Maturity’ in Beginning Stages

LARAMIE -- Adam Harakow ripped the rebound right out of the hands of his teammate Abou Magassa under the rim before immediately looking up the floor and emphatically firing a two-handed overhead toss down the court.

Uriyah Rojas hauled in the over-the-shoulder dime in stride and put the ball on the deck one time before taking a quick peek to his left. There, in the rearview, a streaking Damarion Dennis was about to make liftoff.

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It was showtime with under a minute to go in regulation.

A lobbed alley-oop would serve as the exclamation point on what would eventually become a 79-65 grinder Tuesday night inside the Arena-Auditorium.

Hansel Enmanuel had other ideas.

Austin Peay's 6-foot-6 senior never gave up on the play and cut off the connection, swatting the ball into the crowd. That hustle play thwarted that potential highlight-reel jam.

A small victory for the visitors.

As for Rojas and Dennis, a dynamic guard duo that combined to net 40 points in Wyoming's third-straight win to begin the season, that misfired attempt to showboat came with consequences.

Sundance Wicks, typically full of quips and laughs in his press conferences, was in no joking mood when he say down in front of the microphones.

He was furious with the 12 first-half turnovers, singling out his two seniors, Leland Walker and Matija Belic, who were responsible for eight of those. The head coach was also less than impressed with his team's inability to break a press, an aspect of the game he said -- loudly -- "isn't that hard."

Layups, plenty of the easy variety, were missed, too. The Cowboys were just 9-of-24 at the rim.

When it comes to that late Rojas-Dennis scenario, Wicks gave that side-eye look only a father could give. You know, the one that makes you sulk in your seat.

"That crap, like we told them, that's JUCO, man," he said, ranting about how impactful metrics are when it comes to March and it isn't just about winning and losing any longer. "This aint JUCO. This is the Mountain West ... He knows now. You can't be swayed by Dennis, wanting to have some sort of weird highlight thing at the end. It's just, that's childish. We've got to be more mature.

"... It's not how we do it. That's not our program -- and that won't be our program. So those guys know better."

In other words, the bar has been raised in Laramie.

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* Wyoming Drains 12 Triples, Staves Off Visiting Titans, 92-82

* Wicks' Message to Matija Belic: 'I Believe in You'

* Pokes Set For Saturday Matinee Against Cal State Fullerton

* Meyer Sinks 19, Cowboys Roll to 99-75 Win in Season Opener

* Tuck's Take: Guard-Heavy Assault Lifts Pokes in Opener

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* No 'Speed Dating' This Offseason For Wicks and Co.

Dennis, despite that blunder, sat down in front of reporters with a small statue of a bison just minutes after wrapping up a 17-point performance against the Governors. The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi transfer secured that hardware for being the team's best all-around player that night. He pulled down five rebounds, dished out four assists, snagged two steals and didn't commit a single turnover. He was also a plus-20 on the floor.

The trophy is a symbol of toughness.

Wicks preaches that the buffalo walks into the storm. That's what he expects on a nightly basis from this young, energetic, guard-heavy lineup.

Rojas poured in a team-best 23 on the night. The sharp-shooter from Chaffey College drilled 6-of-7 from deep and tacked on two assists, while filling in for Walker, who was ineffective at the point. Four of those triples came in the final 9:18.

The last splash came on the possession following the failed hookup with Dennis. Still, that make did little to quell the vein popping out of Wicks' forehead, especially when it came to Rojas's extended post-shot celebration.

"That was crazy, man," the junior said with a nervous smile. "I know it's going to be worse in film, too."

But he made the three.

"Yeah," he added, "that doesn't make up for that dumb play. That was terrible. I'm never going to let that happen again.

"That's on me," Dennis chimed in. "I asked for the lob."

This "race to maturity" is in the beginning stages. Wicks, who eventually calmed down a tad, joked that this roster is so youthful, in spots, that guys are worried about whether to wear earbuds or headphones to pregame shootaround and what socks they should put on.

"They're still screwing up their undershirts," Wicks said in amazement. "Two games now, the refs have told us, you're wearing gold, they have a gold undershirt, not a white undershirt."

You may have noticed there are no last names on the Cowboys' home white jerseys. It's very much on purpose -- it's about the name on the front.

Craig Bohl would be proud.

The old ball coach, one Wicks affectionately refers to as "Craigers," would also be proud of this precedent this program is establishing.

No excuses. No nonsense. So far, no losses.

"I love Wyoming so much, man," Wicks said. "I told those guys, I will fight. I will go down swinging at every corner. Every corner. You gotta just start throwing punches with me. Right now, we're just start blindly swinging at everybody that comes across our path, and we're gonna fight all the way till the very end.

"I don't know how many games we're gonna win, I don't know how many games we're gonna lose, but I know this, we're gonna swing."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players