NCAA Basketball: 10 early big winners from 2022 offseason
Wyoming Cowboys
The Cowboys made its second NCAA Tournament appearance in 20 years this past season after super performances from stars, Graham Ike and Hunter Maldonado. Both are set to return but the team has lost a few rotation pieces and needed to find some talent from the portal.
But Wyoming had one of the best weekends of the offseason, landing a trio of former Pac-12 players in the past 48 hours. One was Jake Kyman, a 6’6 wing from UCLA that can shoot the ball at a high level when given playing time.
The other two comes from USC in Ethan Anderson and Max Agbonkpolo. Anderson started 49 games at point guard and is a solid passer and defender, although was never a big scorer. And Agbonkpolo is a former top-100 prospect and 6’8 power forward that averaged 7.7 ppg in 18 starts last season.
None of these three were all-stars at their previous stops but each plays a specific role that Wyoming needs if they all start. Anderson lets Maldonado play off the ball more while Kyman’s shooting helps space the floor. And Agbonkpolo can be the real x-factor here, as he and Ike could become the best frontcourt duo in the Mountain West if things go well.
Next. Biggest remaining Big Ten roster needs. dark
Colorado State is the early favorite in the conference for next year (assuming David Roddy is back) but Wyoming’s star duo combined with the influx of Pac-12 transfers could give them an even higher ceiling for next year. It’s not easy to recruit players to Laramie but Coach Jeff Linder has done a great job this offseason doing so, leading the Cowboys to be one of the big winners so far.