LARAMIE, Wyo. – Wyoming men’s basketball head coach Sundance Wicks wasn’t messing around when he brought up the challenges his team could be facing with player transfers and future NIL opportunities, especially as the season starts to wind down.
"It's a tricky world right now," Wicks said after last Saturday’s game. "This is the time of the season, the last nine, ten games...where free agency starts to kick in, quiet as it's kept."
Wicks explained that this period during the season often has players contemplating their futures rather than focusing on the present and now.
"I don't care if you're a good player or if you're not playing a lot," he said. "There are players out there and people behind the scenes looking for new spots and new stops, thinking about the next step or the next pause."
Wicks takes the approach of making sure his players are staying grounded.
"You try to get guys to stay and play present, to want to be here and play the right way," Wicks said. "In the moments we have left together, we need to fight for those moments."
While Wicks did not specify any current concerns within the Cowboys' roster, he did bring the topic up unprovoked...which was interesting. Additionally, he also spoke about the new reality across college basketball and collegiate athletics.
"I'm not saying that's here now, but I just know it. It's a reality that a lot of coaches have to deal with," he said. "One little crack can turn into a spider web or a fractured windshield really quick."
During a press conference on Friday, Wicks alluded that he doesn't believe tampering is happening with his team. The same cannot be said for Jay Sawvel's football team, who reported during a press conference earlier in February that two major players had been contacted.
On Monday, “On Time Agency” posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that top Wyoming player Obi Agbim had signed with their agency. Likely a sign that shopping the NIL market isn’t off the table.
While the landscape is changing quickly, Wicks remains focused on the now.
"You have to be very conscious of what's going on and what's happening," he said. "But we're in the trenches, continuing to fight for what's right and holding that line."
"It is sad that there are going to be a lot of good programs, a lot of good coaches, and a lot of good players out there not thinking about where they are right now," he said. "You have to be where your feet are."
Wicks isn’t a stranger to building a team; he did it last year at the last minute, and he can do it again if needed. I'm calling it what it is: the transfer portal is free agency in collegiate athletics.
Updated 2/14/2025 10:12 AM MST to include a statement from Sundance Wicks regarding a lack of tampering.
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