Maldo misses a triple-double by one rebound.

Fertig was named the POW.

Pedersen was named the Freshman of the Week. With the number of times Melena has won freshman of the week (5 I think), it's hard to think she won't get freshman of the year.

#1 assist leader in the MWC for a career

and

#1 being knocked to the floor and having to be picked up by his teammates over a career

and

#1 inspirational player for Wyoming during one of the toughest seasons in Wyoming's history!

Looks like a better than average crowd tonight. Loud students would be even better!

I thought after the way they stood and fought after the California Three turned yellow and ran that we might have something to hold out interest the rest of the season.

But goddamn, this team is done. It's over.

And here I am, like a sucker, with significant sums on Wyoming +7.5.

Sad!

Noah Reynolds picture is one of the 3 athletes pictured. Probably a good sign he's returning.

Laramie, Wyo., February 25, 2023 – The University of Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2023 today. Two of the best basketball players ever to play at Wyoming, a dynamic running back, an influential coach, and three conference championship teams comprise the Hall’s 30th Class.



This year's inductees are Dabby Dawson (Football, 1988-89), Chad Lavin (Women’s Basketball Coach, 1986-98), Larry Nance, Jr. (Men’s Basketball, 2012-15), Aubrey Vandiver (Women’s Basketball, 2007-11), the 1968-69 Western Athletic Conference Champion Men’s Basketball Team, and the back-to-back Western Athletic Conference Champion wrestling teams of 1984-85 and 1985-86.



The 30th annual induction ceremony will be held at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center on campus on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. Ticket information will be announced at a later date.



A total of 186 individuals and 22 teams have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception in 1993.



The Hall of Fame Committee met in January to make its final selections for this year's class. The inductees must fit into one of five categories: student-athlete, coach, team, athletics staff member or special achievement. The special achievement category includes individuals who have contributed to the ideal of sports at the University. Each nominee must receive at least 75 percent of the committee's vote to be eligible for induction. Nominations are encouraged and must be submitted by Sept. 1 in order to be considered for the following year’s class. For more information, check out the UW Athletics Hall of Fame website at www.wyohof.com.



Members of the committee are Casey Campbell (chairman), Tom Burman, Mike Hamel (vice chairman), Brett Hansen, Rob Jarosh, Kevin McKinney, Pat Moran, Dale Ann Meeker, Bill Schrage, Sally Ann Shurmur, Reggie Slater, and Taylor Stuemky.

LARAMIE, Wyo. (Feb. 26, 2023) – The Wyoming Cowboys will host the Nevada Wolf Pack on Monday evening at 7 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium. Prior to the contest, Wyoming will honor seniors Hunter Maldonado and Hunter Thompson. The duo ranks first in second in career games played at Wyoming and have combined for over 3,000 career points.



For the Cowboys matchup on Monday, fans can get $10 tickets or a family four-pack for $24 in honor of the Cowboy seniors. The contest will also feature a Gold Tie-Dye T-Shirt Giveaway and posters featuring both Maldonado and Thompson.



The contest will be televised on CBS Sports Network.



Fans can listen to the contest, as well as follow stats on GoWyo.com. The game will be broadcast live on radio over the 26 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, as Keith Kelley will have the call with Kevin McKinney on color.



About The Teams

The Cowboys head into the contest with a 8-20 overall record and a 3-13 mark in conference play. The Pokes held fell on the road at Colorado State by a score of 84-71 on Friday evening. The Pokes are averaging 8.6 three-pointers per game to rank No. 56 in the nation and second in the conference. Wyoming has hit 10 or more threes in a game in 11 games this season. The Pokes are shooting 44 percent from the field this season with opponents shooting 46 percent on the year. The Pokes are scoring 69.2 points per game and are allowing 71.8 per night.



Nevada has enjoyed a bounce-back season. The Wolf Pack sit at 22-7 overall and 12-4 in Mountain West Conference play. They are vying for a top-three seed in the upcoming conference tournament and in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.



About The Players

The Pokes are led in scoring this season by Hunter Maldonado at 14.9 points per game. He also adds 4.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He ranks ninth in the conference in scoring and seventh in assists. He has 614 helpers in his career and is four away from the Mountain West record of 617 set by Kendall Williams of New Mexico. Jeremiah Oden adds 8.4 points per game and 3.6 rebounds. Xavier DuSell leads the Cowboys with 51 made three pointers this season and adds 7.3 points per game. Hunter Thompson adds 6.9 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per night.



Nevada is led by Jarod Lucas. He pours in 16.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Kenan Blackshear stuffs the stat sheet averaging 14.6 points, a team-best 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds per contest. Will Baker chips in 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Darrion Williams leads the charge on the glass, collecting 7.2 rebounds per contest.



The Wolf Pack averages 72.7 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the floor, which includes hitting 35.2 percent of their 3-point attempts. Nevada’s foes average 65.9 points per contest on 41.6 percent accuracy and 32.4 percent from deep.



About The Series

Wyoming owns a 19-9 lead in the all-time series against Nevada. The Cowboys have enjoyed a bunch of recent success against the Wolf Pack, winning each of the last five matchups. That includes the last meeting where the Cowboys walked away with a 74-61 victory in Laramie last season.



Up Next

The Cowboys close the regular season on the road Saturday. Wyoming travels to San Diego State for an 8 p.m. contest inside Viejas Arena.

“Maldo is a warrior and hopefully on Monday, which I know it’s tough sometimes for fans to come out on a Monday night, but I hope the Wyoming faithful come out and honor those two guys -- Hunter Maldonado and Hunter Thompson,” Linder said. “They are a rare breed and they’re going to become even a rarer breed as college basketball evolves. Those two guys are loyal. We better go out dying for those two guys as a team, because in this day and age when it is easy to blame someone else, they didn’t blame anyone. They could have left. Maldo could have left to get NIL money, but that guy is loyal to the University of Wyoming and loyal to the Brown and Gold. Hunter Thompson has also got the brunt of a lot of things being the Wyoming kid on our team, but that guy gave his heart and soul to the University of Wyoming. I hope and pray, as I hope and pray for my dad, that people show up on Monday and honor those guys. They deserve to be honored.”

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Feb. 24, 2023) – The Wyoming Cowboys could not overcome the hot shooting of the Colorado State Rams falling on the road by a score of 84-71 on Friday evening in Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo. The Pokes and Rams split the regular season series with each team winning a game on their respective floors.



“When you allow the other team to shoot 60 percent, it’s going to be tough to win,” UW head coach Jeff Linder said. “But at the 7:07 mark of the second half, it’s a five-point game and we had the momentum. They (CSU) came down and shoot a shot and then they get two offensive rebounds that ends up leading to a three by them. In that stretch, they went on a 10-0 run and the game goes from five to 15 points and the game is over.”



Wyoming was led by Hunter Maldonado with 23 points for his 105th career game in double-figures and his 28th game with 20 or more points. He also added six rebounds and five assists on the night and is four away from the MW helpers record. Brendan Wenzel added 17 points for his ninth game this season in double-figures. He hit five threes on the night. Hunter Thompson added 12 points for his fifth game this season with four or more threes.



“Maldo is a warrior and hopefully on Monday, which I know it’s tough sometimes for fans to come out on a Monday night, but I hope the Wyoming faithful come out and honor those two guys -- Hunter Maldonado and Hunter Thompson,” Linder said. “They are a rare breed and they’re going to become even a rarer breed as college basketball evolves. Those two guys are loyal. We better go out dying for those two guys as a team, because in this day and age when it is easy to blame someone else, they didn’t blame anyone. They could have left. Maldo could have left to get NIL money, but that guy is loyal to the University of Wyoming and loyal to the Brown and Gold. Hunter Thompson has also got the brunt of a lot of things being the Wyoming kid on our team, but that guy gave his heart and soul to the University of Wyoming. I hope and pray, as I hope and pray for my dad, that people show up on Monday and honor those guys. They deserve to be honored.”



The Cowboys shot 45 percent from the field in the contest and finished the night with 10 three-pointers. The Rams shot 59 percent from the field and 44 percent from behind the arc. Colorado State held a 32-19 advantage on the glass. Colorado State went an impressive 19-of-21 from the free throw line



The Pokes used early threes by Hunter Thompson and Brendan Wenzel to take an 8-5 advantage in the opening two and a half minutes. The Rams would take a 10-8 lead until a slam from Caden Powell off a nice dish from Wenzel tied the game with 15 minutes left in the first half.



The Rams went on a 10-0 run and would take a 22-12 lead on the Pokes with just under 12 minutes left in the half. Jeremiah Oden ended the slide the following trip down the floor for the Pokes. Colorado State would enjoy the double-digit lead halfway through the half.



The Cowboys cut the Ream lead that was as high as 12 points to nine on a three-pointer from Maldonado for a 28-19 contest with 7:06 left in the first half. The Rams would hold the Pokes scoreless for an extended period building the lead to 35-19 with under five minutes left in the half.



Wyoming went on a 6-0 run over 80 seconds to make it a 35-25 game for the Rams with 2:59 left in the first half. Thompson hit his second three-pointer of the game and made it a 38-30 game with under a minute remaining on the first half clock and the Rams took a 40-30 lead into the half shooting 62.5 percent from the field.



After a dunk by John Tonje of Colorado State, Wenzel hit a three-pointer to make it a 42-33 game in the opening minute of the second half. The Pokes would make it an eight-point game thanks to Wenzel, but Tonje added a three ball for a 47-36 game with 17 minutes left.



Wyoming held the Rams scoreless for nearly four-minutes and made it a 49-44 game with 13 minutes left. The Rams would push the lead to 55-46 halfway through the half. Thompson made it a six-point game with a triple, but the Rams pushed it to 59-49 with 8:57 left.



Wenzel added his third three-pointer of the game and Maldonado added an and-one play to make it a 63-58 game with 7:30 left, but Isaiah Stevens added a three-pointer seconds later to make it an eight-point game and moved to a 10-point game with six minutes left.



The Rams would go on a 10-0 run and push the contest to 73-58 with 4:10 remaining. Oden would make it a 10-point contest with an and-one play followed by a triple for a 76-66 game with 2:15 remaining, but that is as close as Wyoming would get falling 84-71.



The Rams were led by Tonje with 25 points. Stevens added a double-double with 15 points and 12 assists.



The Cowboys return to action on Monday hosting Nevada in the Arena-Auditorium in a 7 p.m. start. The contest will be Senior Night as Wyoming will honor Hunter Maldonado and Hunter Thompson prior to the game.

Quotes From University of Wyoming Head Coach Jeff Linder

“When you allow the other team to shoot 60 percent, it’s going to be tough to win. But at the 7:07 mark of the second half, it’s a five-point game and we had the momentum. They (CSU) came down and shoot a shot and then they get two offensive rebounds that ends up leading to a three by them. In that stretch, they went on a 10-0 run and the game goes from five to 15 points and the game is over.



“Those little segments require a certain toughness, a certain level of effort that deep down the guys in our locker room have to find. It’s not about if, it’s about when. We’re never going to be the most talented team in the Mountain West, but we’re going to be the toughest team. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure and find those guys who want to sit down and do the little things from Day One and have a certain level of toughness. Then when you get to January, February and March you can get stops, you can set screens and get guys open. There is a certain level of effort that is required to win at this level, which is a high level.



“Maldo is a warrior and hopefully on Monday, which I know it’s tough sometimes for fans to come out on a Monday night, but I hope the Wyoming faithful come out and honor those two guys -- Hunter Maldonado and Hunter Thompson. They are a rare breed and they’re going to become even a rarer breed as college basketball evolves. Those two guys are loyal. We better go out dying for those two guys as a team, because in this day and age when it is easy to blame someone else, they didn’t blame anyone. They could have left. Maldo could have left to get NIL money, but that guy is loyal to the University of Wyoming and loyal to the Brown and Gold. Hunter Thompson has also got the brunt of a lot of things being the Wyoming kid on our team, but that guy gave his heart and soul to the University of Wyoming. I hope and pray, as I hope and pray for my dad, that people show up on Monday and honor those guys. They deserve to be honored.”

Let's pack the AA

2 very special Cowgirls

Laramie, Wyo. (Feb. 22, 2023) -- A former Wyoming football great is on tap to return to his alma mater to coach the Cowboy defensive ends. UW head coach Craig Bohl announced that he has offered the job of defensive ends coach to Brian Hendricks. Hendricks, a native of Burlington, Colo., played for the Pokes from 2008-11 and was honored three times with Mountain West All-Conference honors as a linebacker. Hendricks hiring is pending approval by the University of Wyoming.



Hendricks returns to Wyoming from Illinois State University where he has been the defensive line coach the past five seasons (2018-22) under head coach Brock Spack, who was Wyoming’s defensive coordinator in 1995 and ‘96 under the late Joe Tiller. Prior to that, Hendricks coached for three seasons at Montana (2015-17). His first season with the Griz, Hendricks coached the defensive ends, and he coached the entire defensive line his final two seasons. In 2013, he earned his first full-time college coaching position at Colorado Schools of Mines and coached the Oredigger defensive line for two seasons from 2013-14. Hendricks also served as a defensive graduate assistant at Colorado State prior to that, working for his former linebacker coach at Wyoming, Marty English, who Hendricks will now replace as UW’s defensive ends coach following English’s retirement announcement one week ago on Feb. 14.



“Brian Hendricks embodies the term Cowboy Tough,” said Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl. “Brian was an outstanding player here at Wyoming and was elected a team captain here, which is one of the finest honors a player can receive. I’ve followed his coaching career, whether it be at Colorado School of Mines, at Montana or most recently at Illinois State. I have a really good connection with Brock Spack at Illinois State, and I know what type of football they play. Our defensive ends will really benefit from Brian’s coaching, and I know he will represent the University of Wyoming well.”



“This is a special opportunity for me to return to the University of Wyoming, considering I played my entire college career at Wyoming and how important the program is to me,” said Hendricks. “Wyoming is an unbelievable place with unbelievably good people. In addition, my wife Talia is from Green River, Wyoming, and so this is a special opportunity for our entire family.



“I want to thank Coach Bohl for offering me this opportunity to be part of Cowboy Football once again. Having coached in the Missouri Valley Conference the last several years, I know about Coach Bohl’s success in the Missouri Valley at North Dakota State. That combined with the success Wyoming has had since he has been in charge of the program, it is an honor to be able to work for him now at my alma mater.”



The Illinois State defense in 2022 ranked No. 5 in the nation among Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams in sacks, with 35. ISU also was No. 5 in the country in pass defense (169.8 yards allowed per game), was No. 10 in total defense (318.5 yards allowed) and No. 11 in scoring defense (20.2 points allowed per game).



In 2019, the Redbirds enjoyed an outstanding season, posting a 10-5 record and advancing to the FCS Quarterfinals before losing a defensive battle by a score of 9-3 to eventual national champion North Dakota State. Illinois State was ranked No. 6 in the nation in 2019.



Hendricks’ 2019 defensive front led the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in sacks, with 52. That defensive line unit was led by All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) First Team defensive end Romeo McKnight and MVFC Honorable Mention nose tackle John Ridgeway. McKnight would go on to play in the East-West Shrine Game and sign as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns. Earlier in their careers, McKnight was named a HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-American and an MVFC All-Newcomer Team selection in his first season, while Ridgeway also earned MVFC All-Newcomer Team honors.



The 52 sacks in 2019 were also an Illinois State school record. The 2019 Redbird defense ranked in the Top 10 in the nation in seven defensive categories, including: leading the nation in red zone defense (61.4 percent), ranking No. 3 in turnovers gained (33), No. 4 in scoring defense (16.0 points allowed per game), No. 11 in total defense (303.5 yards allowed per game), No. 14 in rushing defense (116.7 yards allowed per game) and No. 19 in pass defense (186.8 yards allowed per game).



The 2018 season was also a strong one for the Redbird defense as it ranked No. 10 in scoring defense (20.0 points allowed per game) and No. 22 in rushing defense (126.8 yards allowed per game). Illinois State also ranked as the the second-best total defense (309.8 ypg) in the conference behind eventual national champion North Dakota State.



Hendricks came to Illinois State after serving as an assistant coach at Montana for three seasons. At Montana, Hendricks served the last two seasons as the Grizzlies’ defensive line coach. He coached the defensive ends his first season in 2015 and worked with 2015 STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year Tyrone Holmes, who led the nation with 18 sacks. The 2015 Griz team posted an 8-5 record, advanced to the Second Round of the FCS Playoffs and earned a No. 14 national ranking.



Hendricks followed Colorado School of Mines head coach Bob Stitt to Montana. Hendricks was an assistant coach for Stitt at Mines for the 2013 and ‘14 seasons, working with the defensive line. In 2014, Mines had an overall record of 10-2 and tied for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title with an 8-1 league mark. The Orediggers advanced to the First Round of the 2014 NCAA Division II Playoffs, and earned a No. 16 national ranking.



With Hendricks coaching the defensive front, the 2014 Orediggers’ defense ranked second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) in scoring defense (23.4 points allowed per game), No. 1 in the RMAC and No. 36 in the nation in Division II in rushing defense (124.9 yards allowed per game) and No. 1 in the RMAC and No. 12 in the nation in sacks (38).



Hendricks coached an Oredigger defense in 2013 that ranked No. 1 in the RMAC and No. 7 in the country in scoring defense (17.0 points allowed per game).



He joined Stitt’s staff in 2013, following a short stint as a defensive graduate assistant at Colorado State, working with his former position coach at Wyoming, Marty English, who was CSU’s defensive coordinator at the time.



As a linebacker for the Cowboys from 2008-11, Hendricks earned Second Team All-Mountain West honors twice -- as a senior in 2011 and as a sophomore in 2009. He also earned Honorable Mention All-MW honors his junior season of 2010 in spite having to fight thru some nagging injuries throughout that season.



A former Wyoming team captain, Hendricks concluded his career with 309 career tackles, while playing in 45 career games for the Cowboys. He was a starter for the Pokes when they captured the 2009 New Mexico Bowl Championship, with a 35-28 double overtime win over Fresno State. In that game, Hendricks led Wyoming with 13 tackles and he and his defensive teammates posted a remarkable goal-line stand in the first overtime. Fresno State had a first and goal at the Wyoming one-yard line, but the Cowboy defense held the Bulldogs out of the end zone on four straight running plays and UW went on to capture the victory.



Hendricks ended the 2009 season ranked No. 12 in the nation in tackles, averaging 10.55 per game. His 116 tackles in the 2009 season ranks as the 24th best single-season performance in school history, and he still holds the school record for most tackles in a single game, recording 23 tackles on the road at Air Force in 2009.



Hendricks is a native of Burlington, Colo., he earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from the University of Wyoming in 2011. He and his wife Talia, who is a native of Green River, Wyo., have three children, son Hawk, daughter Quinn and son Westly.

Brian Hendricks’ Year-by-Year Coaching History
Year School Position

2023-Present Wyoming Defensive Ends Coach

2018-22 Illinois State Defensive Line Coach

2016-17 Montana Defensive Line Coach

2015 Montana Defensive Ends Coach

2013-14 Colorado School of Mines Defensive Line Coach

2013 Colorado State Defensive Graduate Assistant Coach

LARAMIE, Wyo. (Feb. 23, 2023) – The Wyoming Cowboys will head south for a Friday evening matchup against the Colorado State Rams in Moby Arena. The contest is slated for a 7 p.m. start and is the second meeting this season, as the Pokes downed the Rams in Laramie in January.



The contest on FS1 will feature Jenny Cavnar on the call and Jess Settles as the color analyst.



Fans can listen to the contest, as well as follow stats on GoWyo.com. The game will be broadcast live on radio over the 26 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, as Keith Kelley will have the call with Kevin McKinney on color.



About The Teams

The Cowboys head into the contest with a 8-19 overall record and a 3-12 mark in conference play. The Pokes fell at home to Utah State by a score of 65-55 on Tuesday. Wyoming held the nation’s leading three-point percentage team in Utah State to only 26 percent from behind the arc. For the season, Wyoming is shooting 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc. Opponents are shooting 46 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep. Wyoming adds 8.5 three-pointers per game for second in the conference and No. 62 in the nation.



Colorado State is 12-16 overall and 4-12 in league play. The Rams have won two of their last four games, both of which were on the road. The Rams average 72.9 points per game, shooting 49.1 percent from the floor and 36.2 percent from three-point land. Colorado State’s foes score 71.7 points per contest, hitting 45 percent of its shots from the floor and 37.1 percent of its attempts from deep.



About The Players

The Pokes are led in scoring this season by Hunter Maldonado at 14.6 points per game. he also adds 4.6 assists and 3.8 assists per game. He ranks No. 11 in the conference in scoring and seventh in assists. He has 609 helpers in his career and is nine away from the Mountain West record of 617 set by Kendall Williams of New Mexico. Jeremiah Oden adds 8.5 points per game and 3.7 rebounds. Xavier DuSell leads the Cowboys with 51 made three pointers this season and adds 7.4 points per game after scoring 21 against Utah State.



Colorado State is led by Isaiah Stevens. He pours in 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-best 6.4 assists per game. John Tonje adds 13.9 points and a team-high 4.8 rebounds per contest. Patrick Cartier chips in 12.4 points per game.



About The Series

Wyoming owns a 138-101 lead in the all-time series with Colorado State. However, the Rams have claimed a win in six of the last 10 contests. The Cowboys won the first matchup, 58-57, in Laramie last month.



Up Next

The Cowboys return home Monday for Senior Night. Wyoming plays host to Nevada at 7 p.m. inside the Arena-Auditorium. This marks the first meeting between the two this season.

Clinic on 3 point shooting

Hope the women play their hearts out these last two home games!

7 home games

2 matches in Nebraska

Nm

MBB- What are the thoughts on a reasonable timeline to produce what the team accomplished last year? Perform at the top third or so of the league with an NCAA bid a real potential? Years away? I feel next year will be similar to Linder year one and am hopeful the year after we can rerun to Linder year two type of performance. Any thoughts?

We have one more pregame at Jim's Wings before the Men's Basketball team takes on CSU tomorrow at 7 pm in Moby Arena. The Cowboy Joe Club would like to invite you to Jim's Wings, first come first serve, before we head over to the arena to cheer on our Cowboys! Come at your leisure, a few CJC staff members will be there around 4:30-5 pm. If you need tickets, CLICK HERE! Sections C & D are located directly behind our bench on the upper level.

Signs with Toronto of the CFL after a couple of seasons with Josh and the Bills. Wish the best for him

LARAMIE, Wyo. (Feb. 21, 2023) – University of Wyoming head basketball coach Jeff Linder will miss tonight’s game against Utah State. Linder is in Colorado tending to his ill father. Assistant coach Ken DeWeese, who has the scout for Utah State will be the acting head coach for the Cowboys.

Our Thoughts and Prayers are with the Linder Family.