Jump to content

2023–24 Wyoming Cowboys basketball team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2023–24 Wyoming Cowboys basketball
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record15–17 (8–10 MW)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaArena-Auditorium
Seasons
2023–24 Mountain West Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 22 Utah State 14 4   .778 28 7   .800
Nevada 13 5   .722 26 8   .765
Boise State 13 5   .722 22 11   .667
UNLV 12 6   .667 21 13   .618
No. 17 San Diego State 11 7   .611 26 11   .703
New Mexico 10 8   .556 26 10   .722
Colorado State 10 8   .556 25 11   .694
Wyoming 8 10   .444 15 17   .469
Fresno State 4 14   .222 12 21   .364
San Jose State 2 16   .111 9 23   .281
Air Force 2 16   .111 9 22   .290
2024 Mountain West tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023–24 Wyoming Cowboys basketball team represented the University of Wyoming during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cowboys were led by Jeff Linder in his fourth and final season and played their home games for the 42nd season at Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyoming. They participated as members of the Mountain West Conference for the 25th season.

Previous season

[edit]

The Cowboys finished the 2022–23 season 9–22, 4–14 in Mountain West play, to finish in last place. They lost to New Mexico in the first round of the Mountain West tournament.[1]

Offseason

[edit]

Three players left the team during the season,[2] and had six more players transfer after the season.[3] The Cowboys also hired two new assistant coaches, Bryston Williams and Nick Whitmore, to replace Marc Rodgers and Sundance Wicks.[4]

Departures

[edit]
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Ethan Anderson 20 G 6' 1" 208 Jr. Los Angeles, CA Transferred to Pepperdine
Max Agbonkpolo 23 G/F 6' 9" 196 Jr. Laguna Niguel, CA Transferred to Utah State
Nate Barnhart 15 F 7' 0" 190 RS Fr. Lenexa, KS Transferred to South Dakota State
Xavier DuSell 53 G 6' 4" 199 Jr. Scottsdale, AZ Transferred to Fresno State
Graham Ike 33 F 6' 9" 255 Jr. Aurora, CO Transferred to Gonzaga
Jake Kyman 13 G/F 6' 7" 213 Jr. Aliso Viejo, CA Transferred to Eastern Washington
Hunter Maldonado 24 G 6' 7" 202 RS Sr. Colorado Springs, CO Graduated; Signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder Summer League team
Jeremiah Oden 25 F 6' 8" 201 Jr. Chicago, IL Transferred to DePaul
Noah Reynolds 21 G 6' 3" 195 So. Peoria, IL Transferred to Wisconsin Green Bay
Nathaniel Talich 0 G 6' 4" 191 Fr. Cheyenne, WY Transferred to Casper College
Hunter Thompson 10 F 6' 10" 230 RS Sr. Pine Bluffs, WY Graduated

Incoming transfers

[edit]
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Sam Griffin 3 G 6' 3" 188 Sr. Miami, FL Tulsa
Oleg Kojenets 15 F 7' 0" 228 So. Kaunas, Lithuania Nebraska
Akuel Kot 13 G 6' 2" 167 Sr. Amarillo, TX Fort Lewis
Kobe Newton 2 G 6' 2" 178 Jr. Portland, OR Fullerton College
Mason Walters 33 F 6' 9" 221 Gr. Jamestown, ND Jamestown

2023 recruiting class

[edit]
College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kael Combs
G
Nixa, MO Nixa HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Apr 15, 2023 
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Nigle Cook
G
DeLand, FL DME Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Apr 14, 2023 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   RivalsN/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Cameron Manyawu
F
Kansas City, MO Staley HS 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Apr 25, 2023 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   RivalsN/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Jonas Sirtautas
F
Kaunas, Lithuania Žalgiris 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Aug 7, 2023 
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Jacob Theodosiou
G
Waterloo, ON Western Reserve Academy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jul 1, 2023 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "203 Wyoming Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 8, 2023.

Roster

[edit]
2023–24 Wyoming Cowboys men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Nigle Cook 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 176 lb (80 kg) Fr DME Academy DeLand, FL
G 1 Brendan Wenzel 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Sr Utah San Antonio, TX
G 2 Kobe Newton 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Jr Fullerton College Portland, OR
G 3 Sam Griffin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Sr Tulsa Miami, FL
F 5 Cam Manyawu 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Fr Staley HS Kansas City, MO
F 7 Jonas Sirtautas 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Žalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania
G 10 Levi Brown (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 167 lb (76 kg) Fr Laramie HS Laramie, WY
G 11 Kael Combs 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Nixa HS Nixa, MO
G 13 Akuel Kot 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 167 lb (76 kg) Sr Fort Lewis Amarillo, TX
F 15 Oleg Kojenets 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 228 lb (103 kg) So Nebraska Kaunas, Lithuania
G 22 Kenny Foster 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Sr Smoky Hill HS Aurora, CO
G 24 Jacob Theodosiou 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Fr Western Reserve Academy Waterloo, ON
G 31 Cort Roberson (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Stanwood HS Arlington, WA
F 33 Mason Walters 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) GS Jamestown Jamestown, ND
F 44 Caden Powell 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Midway HS Waco, TX
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 19, 2024

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 27, 2023*
6:30 p.m.
MSU Denver W 79–67 
 24  Griffin   9  tied   7  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (1,027)
Laramie, WY
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2023*
6:30 p.m., MW Network
Northern New Mexico W 104–56  1–0
 23  Griffin   10  Manyawu   10  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (3,362)
Laramie, WY
November 11, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MW Network
Cal Poly W 80–66  2–0
 19  Manyawu   10  Manyawu   5  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (3,826)
Laramie, WY
November 16, 2023*
12:00 p.m., ESPN2
vs. Saint Louis
Myrtle Beach Invitational quarterfinals
L 69–79  2–1
 17  Powell   12  Manyawu   4  Griffin  HTC Center (1,201)
Conway, SC
November 17, 2023*
12:30 p.m., ESPNU
vs. Charleston
Myrtle Beach Invitational consolation 2nd round
W 67–60  3–1
 24  Griffin   8  Wenzel   6  Wenzel  HTC Center (1,152)
Conway, SC
November 19, 2023*
8:30 a.m., ESPNU
vs. Furman
Myrtle Beach Invitational 5th-place game
W 78–71  4–1
 26  Griffin   13  Powell   4  tied  HTC Center (1,136)
Conway, SC
November 26, 2023*
1:00 p.m., LHN
at No. 15 Texas L 63–86  4–2
 12  tied   10  Manyawu   3  Griffin  Moody Center (9,926)
Austin, TX
December 1, 2023*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Portland L 70–81  4–3
 17  Griffin   6  Wenzel   5  Griffin  Chiles Center (1,076)
Portland, OR
December 5, 2023*
6:30 p.m., MW Network
South Dakota Mines W 80–59  5–3
 20  Manyawu   11  Manyawu   7  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (3,272)
Laramie, WY
December 9, 2023*
2:00 p.m., MW Network
Stephen F. Austin W 78–70  6–3
 23  Griffin   10  Powell   5  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (3,584)
Laramie, WY
December 17, 2023*
7:00 p.m., MW Network
Weber State L 71–84  6–4
 24  Kot   7  Manyawu   3  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (3,447)
Laramie, WY
December 21, 2023*
5:00 p.m.
vs. South Dakota State
Sun Bowl Invitational semifinals
W 78–65  7–4
 22  Kot   9  Griffin   3  Griffin  Don Haskins Center 
El Paso, TX
December 22, 2023*
7:00 p.m.
at UTEP
Sun Bowl Invitational championship
L 67–78  7–5
 16  Walters   11  Powell   3  Kot  Don Haskins Center (4,310)
El Paso, TX
December 30, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
at No. 14 BYU L 68–94  7–6
 25  Griffin   5  tied   5  Griffin  Marriott Center (18,987)
Provo, UT
Mountain West regular season
January 2, 2024
6:30 p.m., MW Network
San Jose State W 75–73  8–6
(1–0)
 23  Griffin   6  Griffin   3  Walters  Arena-Auditorium (3,368)
Laramie, WY
January 6, 2024
8:00 p.m., CBSSN
at New Mexico L 60–77  8–7
(1–1)
 18  Griffin   9  Manyawu   3  tied  The Pit (12,611)
Albuquerque, NM
January 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., MW Network
at No. 20 Utah State L 59–83  8–8
(1–2)
 17  Walters   7  Wenzel   3  Kot  Smith Spectrum (8,214)
Logan, UT
January 13, 2024
2:00 p.m., MW Network
Fresno State W 68–67  9–8
(2–2)
 17  Wenzel   8  Wenzel   4  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (3,763)
Laramie, WY
January 20, 2024
5:30 p.m., MW Network
Nevada W 98–93  10–8
(3–2)
 26  Griffin   8  Walters   7  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (4,136)
Laramie, WY
January 23, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
at San Diego State L 65–81  10–9
(3–3)
 22  Griffin   8  Wenzel   3  Griffin  Viejas Arena (12,414)
San Diego, CA
January 27, 2024
2:00 p.m., MW Network
No. 24 Colorado State
Border War
W 79–76 OT 11–9
(4–3)
 24  Griffin   9  Wenzel   4  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (7,113)
Laramie, WY
January 30, 2024
7:00 p.m., MW Network
at Air Force W 83–72  12–9
(5–3)
 25  Wenzel   7  tied   5  Kot  Clune Arena 
Colorado Springs, CO
February 3, 2024
6:00 p.m., CBSSN
at UNLV L 48–62  12–10
(5–4)
 13  Manyawu   13  Walters   3  Walters  Thomas & Mack Center (5,963)
Paradise, NV
February 6, 2024
6:30 p.m., MW Network
No. 25 New Mexico L 73–91  12–11
(5–5)
 20  Wenzel   7  Manyawu   4  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (3,685)
Laramie, WY
February 14, 2024
8:00 p.m., FS1
Utah State L 76–84  12–12
(5–6)
 24  Wenzel   11  Manyawu   4  Griffin  Arena-Auditorium (3,401)
Laramie, WY
February 17, 2024
8:00 p.m., MW Network
at San Jose State W 80–75  13–12
(6–6)
 21  Griffin   7  tied   3  Griffin  Provident Credit Union Event Center (1,891)
San Jose, CA
February 20, 2024
9:00 p.m., CBSSN
at Nevada L 58–76  13–13
(6–7)
 17  Wenzel   12  Manyawu   3  Griffin  Lawlor Events Center (8,604)
Reno, NV
February 24, 2024
5:30 p.m., MW Network
Boise State L 72–92  13–14
(6–8)
 16  Griffin   9  Manyawu   5  Combs  Arena-Auditorium (5,180)
Laramie, WY
February 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
UNLV L 69–75 OT 13–15
(6–9)
 20  Wenzel   10  Manyawu   4  Manyawu  Arena-Auditorium (3,283)
Laramie, WY
March 2, 2024
2:00 p.m., MW Network
at Colorado State
Border War
L 62–70  13–16
(6–10)
 15  Manyawu   10  Manyawu   3  tied  Moby Arena (8,083)
Fort Collins, CO
March 5, 2024
6:30 p.m., MW Network
Air Force W 74–63  14–16
(7–10)
 20  Wenzel   14  Manyawu   2  tied  Arena-Auditorium (3,681)
Laramie, WY
March 9, 2024
5:00 p.m., MW Network
at Fresno State W 86–47  15–16
(8–10)
 17  Kot   9  Walters   5  tied  Save Mart Center (4,395)
Fresno, CA
Mountain West tournament
March 13, 2024
12:00 p.m., MW Network
(8) vs. (9) Fresno State
First round
L 73–77  15–17
 23  Kot   9  Walters   6  Griffin  Thomas & Mack Center 
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain.

Source:[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kirkland, Steve (March 8, 2023). "Lobos Down Wyoming 87-76 to Advance to Mountain West Quarterfinals". University of New Mexico Lobos athletics. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Thorburn, Ryan (February 8, 2023). "Wyoming Cowboys touted transfer trio no longer part of Jeff Linder's program". Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  3. ^ Thorburn, Ryan (May 4, 2023). "Wyoming head coach Jeff Linder wishes former players well, excited about the replacements". Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  4. ^ Thorburn, Ryan (March 30, 2023). "Linder shakes up Wyoming Cowboys coaching staff". Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". gowyo.com. Retrieved October 19, 2024.