Sundance Wicks can now turn his attention to coaching.
The University of Wyoming men’s basketball first-year head coach, who was hired on May 12, announced the completion of the Cowboys’ roster for the 2024-25 season last week with the addition of transfer guards Dontaie Allen and A.J. Willis.
UW head coach Sundance Wicks fires up the crowd at Wyoming Night at David Street Station in Casper on Friday, June 7.
“It’s always nice when you can put a stamp on the end of the recruiting season that says, finished,” Wicks said in a release. “We had to find the right mix of high character, intensely competitive, deeply connected players that understood the commitment they had to have to be a part of our Cowboy Culture and I think we found that mix.”
Allen is a 6-foot-6, 210-pound senior who played last year at Western Kentucky after playing his first three season at Kentucky. He averaged 8.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 40.0% from behind the arc last season for the Hilltoppers.
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The Falmouth, Kentucky, native was named the state’s Mr. Basketball in 2019.
“I really think Poke fans are going to like Dontaie Allen,” Wicks said. “We always look first for where a player has won along his journey, and he has done plenty of that! He brings an insane amount of experience to our roster and elite weaponry in his ability to shoot the basketball from beyond the arc.
“He has a great toolbox to work with and his strength, length and experience is going to mean a lot for our program this year.”
Willis, a 6-2, 160-pound sophomore, averaged 5.5 ppg last season at Holy Cross.
“A.J. will add great depth to our go-guard position,” Wicks said. “He can create for others and has a unique game that keeps the defense off balance when he is in attack mode. He is one of those rare players who has an extremely efficient and effective floater/runner game that the defense has a hard time keying in on.”
Allen and Willis complete a UW roster that returns four holdovers — Kobe Newton (6-2, 178, senior), Oleg Kojenets (7-0, 228, junior), Cort Roberson (6-0, 160, junior) and Levi Brown (6-0, 167, redshirt freshman) — from last year’s team that finished 15-17. The Cowboys’ season ended with a 77-73 loss to Fresno State in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament.
Wicks previously got commitments from Obi Agbim, a 6-3, 180-pound senior; junior Scottie Ebube (6-10, 175); grad student Cole Henry (6-9, 240); and senior Jordan Nesbitt (6-6, 210).
Matija Belic (6-7, 205, junior), Nigle Cook (6-6, 176, redshirt freshman), Jehvion Starwood (6-3, 180, freshman) and Touko Tainamo (6-9, 220, senior) remained committed to the Cowboys after former head coach Jeff Lender left to take an assistant coaching job at Texas Tech.
