GoWyo.com has broken down the Cowboys roster over the last few weeks, as Wyoming prepares to open the season on Friday with an exhibition contest against Regis University in the Arena-Auditorium. Today will feature the three newcomers to the Cowboy front court.
Two players gained valuable experience last season in redshirt sophomore
Brodricks Jones and redshirt freshman
Austin Mueller. Newcomer to the program
Hunter Thompson of Pine Bluffs also joins the front court group.
Jones averaged 1.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 16 games off the bench for UTEP in 2015-16. Jones missed nine contests with a knee injury before returning to the lineup. He averaged 8.6 minutes per contest. Jones grabbed a career-high five rebounds against Loyola in the season opener. He recorded a career-high three blocks in 13 minutes off the bench against Florida Atlantic.
Mueller played under coach Joe Ortiz at ThunderRidge High School. As a junior, he helped lead the Grizzlies to a 24-4 overall record and an appearance in the Colorado Class 5A state championship game. He was an All-State selection as a senior in 2015-16. He averaged 10.2 points per game and seven rebounds as a senior.
Thompson played for head coach Will Gray at Pine Bluffs High School. He was rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN and a three-star recruit from Rivals and 247 Sports. ESPN graded Thompson as the 37th best power forward in the 2017 class and the 27th best player in the region. Thompson ranks 370th in 247 Sports' national composite rankings and 89th at power forward. Scout and Rivals give Thompson three stars. As a senior he averaged 22.4 points per game and 9.4 rebounds.
The following is Coach Edwards' player-by-player analysis of the 2017-18 returning Forwards:
Brodricks Jones • Redshirt Sophomore
"Brodricks (Jones) is a talented player for us. He has an ability to score the basketball in bunches. He has great footwork to guard any position on the floor."
Austin Mueller • Redshirt Freshman
"Austin (Mueller) has taken steps since joining the program. He is a tweener and is finding his niche with the program. What I love best about Austin is his hard work and as he continues to grow he will help our program."
Hunter Thompson • Freshman
"Hunter (Thompson) physically has the size to go play in the post, but what I like about him is his ability to shoot the basketball. He is a very mobile and very skilled player that will be an asset for us."
The Cowboys faceoff against Regis on Friday, Nov. 3 in an exhibition game in the Arena-Auditorium, before tipping off the regular season against Chattanooga on Friday, Nov. 10 in Laramie. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling the Wyoming Athletics Ticket Office at (307) 766-7220 or going online at GoWyo.com.
