NCAA Basketball: Top 10 takeaways from first week of 2022 offseason
2. Wyoming lands a trio of Pac-12 transfers
It was a great past season for the Cowboys, winning 25 total games and making the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team from the Mountain West. But despite the great play from both Graham Ike and Hunter Maldonado, it was clear that Wyoming needed a talent boost in order to make it back to the Big Dance and compete for a conference championship.
The team was in the mix for some transfers out west and it was expected that they’d land 1-2 of them, likely from some mid-majors. Instead, it proved to be the ultimate weekend of hosting players from the Los Angeles schools, all of whom would eventually commit to Wyoming.
Wyoming head coach Jeff Linder hit the jackpot this weekend, adding 3 PAC12 transfers from the portal.
— 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) April 10, 2022
Ethan Anderson, Jake Kyman and Max Agbonkpolo will all have MAJOR impacts next season for the Cowboys.
With Hunter Maldonado also returning, Wyoming will be SCARY in 22-23. pic.twitter.com/PePvd4IDh1
The first commitment came from Ethan Anderson, a former top-100 prospect that started 49 games in three years at USC, averaging 5.2 ppg and 3.0 apg. He’s never been much of a scorer but the 6’1 guard is a solid passer and defender and will take the pressure off of Maldonado being the only playmaker on the roster, allowing the star guard to play more off the ball.
Anderson will be joined by another Trojan, Max Agbonkpolo. The 6’8 forward had his best season yet as a junior, averaging 7.7 ppg and 3.5 rpg in 21 mpg while starting 18 games. The former top-100 recruit had 10 double-digit scoring games, including 16 points against Utah which was a sign that Agbonkpolo can be a on offense and will get a chance to do so in the Mountain West.
The last commitment was from UCLA wing Jake Kyman, who couldn’t get much playing time behind the likes of Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez. But the 6’6 guard did make 58/160 of his career three-point attempts, good for 36% overall. As a team, the Cowboys were average from deep but having Kyman as a potential knockdown shooter while Ike is on the court could be a big boost for everyone on offense.
Adding a trio of role players from the Pac-12 may not be the complete difference-makers for Wyoming but on paper, this is certainly a great weekend for head coach Jeff Linder and Wyoming, who will need to win next year. Assuming Maldonado does indeed come back from the NBA Draft process, this may be the team to beat in the Mountain West.