NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Colorado of last decade
By Joey Loose
3. Hunter Maldonado – Wyoming
An extremely talented 6’7 guard from Colorado Springs, Maldonado is preparing to return for his sixth final season at Wyoming this upcoming year. Arriving at the school back in 2017, he missed most of his sophomore season due to injury and returns again because of the extra COVID year. In those first five seasons, Maldonado has already been extremely important to these Cowboys.
After working into his role his first few seasons, Maldonado has become a walking bucket for the Cowboys. He averaged at least 12 points per game in each of his last four seasons, including the injury-shortened one, and has seen his assist numbers rise. In his most recent season, he scored a career-high 35 points in a win against Colorado State and had a 13-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double performance in a loss to San Diego State.
Averaging 18.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game got him named to the All-MWC First Team this past season. He finished fourth in the nation in assists and led the league in free throws and minutes played. Maldonado is certainly talented and returns for one final season with the Cowboys, hoping to return to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. With him and the aforementioned Ike and a few other names back, watch out for Wyoming in 2023!