Welcome to Wyoming Hoops: Renars Sondors
LARAMIE -- "We recruit winners."
Sundance Wicks said that, referring to landing high school standouts Madden Smiley and Chris Pohl in the offseason. The latter could soon be a menace in the paint for the Wyoming basketball program. The other, leading the charge and manning the point.
This third-year bench boss wasn't just talking about success at the prep level, though, when he made that statement. Can't forget the NCAA Transfer Portal, which has been more of a foe to this university than a friend in years past.
Did Wicks flip the script in 2026-27?
It appears so.
The Cowboys return 50% of their offensive production from an 18-win squad that punched its ticket to the postseason for the first time since March of 2022. Promising freshmen Naz Meyer (12.9 ppg) and Gavin Gores (7.3) bought into the mission. So did transfer guards Uriyah Rojas (6.2) and Khaden Bennett (10.2). Those four, along with redshirt rookie Neil Summers, are all back in the mix this fall.
That group also accounted for 15.1 of the team's 35.5 boards per game. Meyer and Bennett each averaged nearly five a night.
Damarion Dennis and his 11.2 points an outing are gone. He's now at Texas Tech, lacing them up for former UW head coach Jeff Linder. Forwards Simm-Marten Saadi (Central Arkansas) and Abou Magassa (UNC Asheville) changed addresses, too. Adam Harakow (Western Michigan) and Jared Harris (Prairie View A&M) also entered free agency.
Outside of Dennis' production, the other four combined to net just 16.4 points per contest.
Wyoming lost its leading scorer, Leland Walker (13.5 ppg), along with Kiani Saxon and Matija Belic to graduation. That trio averaged 21 a game.
Let's meet the 10 new faces on this roster:
NAME | Renars Sondors
YEAR | Junior
HT/WT | 6' 9", 215
HOMETOWN | Riga, Latvia
POSITION | Forward
JERSEY NUMBER | 10
PREVIOUS SCHOOL | Louisiana Monroe
YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY | Two
NOTABLE | "Pokes got better today." Sundance Wicks penned that brief, yet impactful, message on social media in mid-April after inking 6-foot-9 junior Renars Sondors, who averaged nearly 11 points a night in Louisiana Monroe's frontcourt last season. The Latvia native started 25 of the Warhawks' 28 games last winter and shot 44.1% from the field. He sank 44-of-128 attempts from beyond the arc, too, including hitting 35% of his threes in Sun Belt Conference play. He finished in double figures scoring 19 times. Playing in three games against high-major opponents -- Ole Miss, Miami (Fla.) and Kansas State -- Sondors averaged 11 points and three boards. He also hit eight threes in that timeframe. He netted 12 in a lopsided loss to the Hurricanes. Sondors received interest in the transfer portal from nearly 20 programs, including Mountain West foes UTEP and San Jose State. Sondors, playing for the Latvian National Team, won a gold medal at the 2023 Under 18 European Championship in Matosinhos, Portugal.
QUOTABLE | "When you walk in and you see a mature group of guys and a secure group of guys, that's because the people that are living it every single day have been through the fire. So, yeah, that pep in this step is real, but it's a lot more of a confidence that they have about coming back and a belief in what they're doing and why they're here," -- Wyoming head coach Sundance Wicks on not only his returning core of players, but the experienced ones, like Renars Sondors, who know what it takes to win.
WELCOME TO UW BASKETBALL SERIES:
MORE UW HOOPS NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* 'Extremely Underrated': Wyoming's Basketball Staff Remains Intact
* What Heights Can Wyoming Basketball Program Reach This Season?
* Rojas' Under-The-Radar Re-Commitment 'Huge' For Pokes
* Wicks, Cowboys Sign Kansas 5A Player of the Year
* Pokes Add Another Big Man to 2026-27 Hoops Roster
* Cowboys Add Length at Guard Spot, Sign Former Gold Medalist
* Wick's Cowboys Sign 6-11 Forward to Frontcourt
* Cowboys Land 6-9 Stretch Forward in Transfer Portal
* Wyoming Adds Shooting Guard From Wazzu Via Transfer Portal
* 2026 Wyoming Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players