LARAMIE — Wyoming, for now, has lost a dozen players this offseason to the transfer portal.
Dylan Warlick, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound incoming freshman at the forward spot, is the latest to enter free agency, announcing his decision Thursday night on social media.
“First, I would like to thank the University of Wyoming and the entire coaching staff for believing in me and giving me the chance to play the sport I love,” the Edmond, Okla., product penned on X, formerly Twitter. “With the recent departure of coach Linder, I have requested a release from my NLI and will be reopening my recruitment.”
The first wave of transfers came almost immediately following a one-and-done showing at the Mountain West Tournament.
Six, including potential faces-of-the-franchise Cam Manyawu and Keal Combs, announced their intentions to leave Laramie. Brendan Wenzel, a graduate transfer, bolted, too. So did Caden Powell, Jacob Theodosiou and Jonas Sirtautas.
For the second straight offseason, Jeff Linder was tasked with a near complete rebuild. That appeared to be going smoothly.
Wyoming’s fourth-year head coach snagged guards Obi Agbim, Tyree Ihenacho and Matija Belic. He then added a pair of big men out of the portal, too, in Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams and Touko Tainamo.
Four incoming freshmen were also inbound. That list featured guards Oliver Faubert, Dominic Pagonis and Jehvion Starwood, along with Warlick in the frontcourt.
Boy, have things changed.
News broke on May 9 that Linder would be leaving to become a top assistant on Grant McCasland’s staff at Texas Tech. Those two worked together once before in west Texas, coaching at Midland College from 2006-08.
Linder capped his tenure on the high plains with a 63-59 overall record. He led the Cowboys to an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament in 2022. They lost to Indiana in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
With Linder’s departure came another mad dash to the portal.
Agbim hit the bricks. So did Ihenacho and Yamanouchi-Williams. Faubert and Pagonis also intend to play elsewhere. Now, so does Warlick, who was ranked the second-best recruit in the state of Oklahoma by 247sports.com. He helped lead Edmond North High School to consecutive state championships, averaging more than 20 points as a sophomore and 15.1 during his junior campaign.
Davidson, San Jose State, South Alabama and Abilene Christian all offered the 3-star prospect. Wyoming sealed the deal last November.
“We can’t wait to add Dylan Warlick to the Cowboy family,” Linder said in a prepared statement on national signing day. “Dylan has been on our radar for some time after a great underclassman career in Oklahoma high school basketball. Having won multiple state championships at Edmond North High School, in the highest classification in Oklahoma, we knew there was something special about his will to win and ability to effect winning. Two traits that cannot be discounted.
“We loved his ability to elevate not only himself but his teammates and program as well. Dylan also had much success on the Nike EYBL circuit with Team Griffin, where he competed at an elite level, game-in and game-out. Dylan brings a combination of toughness and skill to the wing position. He’s an exceptional scorer in the post and has a relentless mindset to rebound. His size and athleticism allow him to defend multiple positions and bring versatility to that end of the floor. We can’t wait for Dylan to bring his winning edge to Laramie in 2024.”
Or so we thought.
Warlick is the first player to announce his intentions to transfer since Sundance Wicks was officially hired May 12 as the 23rd head coach in Wyoming basketball history.
Here’s what Wyoming’s basketball roster looks like today:
F – Touko Tainamo (Denver)
G – Matija Belic (UC-Santa Barbara)
G – Jehvion Starwood *
F – Oleg Kojenets **
G – Kobe Newton **
G – Nigle Cook **
G – Levi Brown #
G – Cort Roberson #
* True freshman
* Returner
# Walk-on
Division-I programs are allowed up to 13 full-ride players on the roster. Wyoming now has seven available scholarships.
Wyoming’s current coaching staff, according to gowyo.com, includes:
Head coach – Sundance Wicks
Assistant – Nic Reynolds
Assistant – Nick Whitmore
Assistant – Shaun Vandiver
Assistant/ Director of Operations – Tim O’Flannigan
These are the players who have left the program since the conclusion of the 2023-24 season:
G – Brendan Wenzel (TCU)
G – Kael Combs (Drake)
F – Cam Manyawu (Drake)
G – Jacob Theodosiou (Loyola)
F – Jonas Sirtautas (Radford)
F – Caden Powell (Rice)
G – Tyree Ihenacho
G – Obi Agbim
G – Oliver Faubert
G – Dominic Pangonis
F – Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams
F – Dylan Warlick
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