LARAMIE – The roster needed to be almost completely reconstructed after Jeff Linder left his position as Wyoming's head coach to become an assistant at Texas Tech.
 
Oleg Kojenets is still the big man on campus.
 
The 7-foot junior forward decided to continue his development under new head coach Sundance Wicks after transferring from Nebraska to UW last year.
 
"I was looking for another opportunity to play and make mistakes and grow from them. I got that here so thank you to Jeff Linder," Kojenets said. "Staying obviously depended on the situation and who was going to be the new coach. When it became Sunny, I was happy to stay."
 
Kojenets played in 28 games last season, averaging 3.7 points on 51.9% shooting and 2.5 rebounds. He scored a career-high 18 points in 19 minutes off the bench to help the Pokes rally from a 17-point deficit to stun San Jose State on Akuel Kot's memorable buzzer-beater.
 
The coaching staff is looking for Kojenets, one of only three returning scholarship players, to harness his skills and take advantage of his size more consistently.
 
"Oleg has to understand that he is 7 feet tall," Wicks said. "I tell him that sometimes he wants to play like a guard, he wants to swipe down and try to use his hands a lot. I'm like, dude, you're like the Sears Tower over there. You've just got to be big and let everybody know that you're big. Make them shoot over you, and if they finish over you good luck, God bless.
 
"He's a monster and he's got creature features and we're trying to get him to use it."
 
Kojenets was raised in a basketball family. His parents both played at North Carolina-Wilmington, where his 6-11 father, Aleh, led the men's program to the 200 NCAA Tournament before a decade-long professional career in Europe and his 6-6 mother, Jurgita, was a dominant shot blocker for the women's team.
 
"I love my city. Growing up in Lithuania I'd say it's a good place and I have a great family, and I love everyone. My school was nice, too. Of course I miss it," Kojenets said. "That inspired me to play watching my dad play professionally when I was a kid. Since both of my parents went to college, they also talked about me coming here and saying it was a good opportunity for me if I get a chance."
 
Kojenets moved to Hudson, Ohio, in high school to play at Western Reserve Academy. The decision to come to the United States as a teenager led to a scholarship offer to play at Nebraska.
 
"The first couple months were hard. After that it was a good situation," Kojenets said. "Obviously, first time away being away from your parents and learning the English language wasn't necessarily such a big barrier. You just must be bold enough to try to talk to people and mess up from time to time. It happens."
 
During his two seasons in Lincoln, Kojenets had a redshirt year and appeared in 18 games during the 2022-23 campaign.
 
Kojenets has been competing daily with two new teammates, 6-9 senior forward Cole Henry and 6-10 junior center Scottie Ebube, since the transfers arrived in the summer.
 
The offense will run through the Pokes "three-headed monster" in the post. Wicks also wants his big lineup to play a bruising style of defense reminiscent of the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s and early 90s.
 
"We're going to play inside out. That's one thing that is going to happen for sure is we're going to get the ball to the big guys and ultimately teams are going to have to scheme around that," Wicks said. "Oleg has developed great. Our job as coaches is to put players in a position to be successful. We must put him in a position to be successful, which is going to his home. Him and Scottie, their home is inside that restricted arc. Cole is a little bit different in that sense."
 
Kojenets, who has only lived in Laramie for about 16 months, is suddenly the most veteran returnee along with senior guard Kobe Newton.
 
The Cowboys have 11 new players as the Wicks era begins with an exhibition game against the College of Idaho at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Arena-Auditorium.
 
"(The chemistry) is very good," Kojenets said. "We have some things to work on in practice sometimes, but it will fix itself."
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
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