LARAMIE – Sundance Wicks has found his Jedi Master this season.
 
Wyoming's first-year head coach, a fan of the Star Wars franchise whose son is named Skywalker, wisely re-recruited Obi Agbim after the Fort Lewis College point guard originally committed to Jeff Linder.
 
Welcome to the Dome of Doom, Obi PG One.
 
"That guy is going to be out there running our show, and he's got to carry a big load," Wicks said. "That's a big part of this process for him is understanding at this level you're going to be counted on. …
 
"Playing the one, you've got to be able to lead a team, you've got to be the conductor."

Through his first eight games at UW, Agbim is leading the team in scoring (18.1 ppg) and assists (3.9 apg). The emerging Mountain West star's climb to 7,220 feet was gradual.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior from Aurora, Colo., played at Metro State and Northeastern Junior College before spending the last two seasons at Fort Lewis, where he averaged 15.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 while leading the Skyhawks to a 29-4 record in 2023-24.
 
In the championship game of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament in March, Agbim scored 33 points on 10-for-12 shooting to lead Fort Lewis to an 86-75 win over top-seeded Colorado Mesa.
 
"My goal going into the season wasn't to be the leading scorer. The whole goal was to be better than the team we had the year before and win a championship," Agbim said. "I had to step in and be that guy, be the scorer. But also, in other games, I had to be the passer or be the defender. Whether it was having to sacrifice my stats or be the guy that has the stats, winning was the goal."
 
After verbally committing to UW last spring, Agbim briefly went back into the transfer portal following Linder's departure to be an assistant at Texas Tech.
 
Suddenly, strange numbers had the all-RMAC first team selection's cellphone buzzing.
 
"That whole process easily was the most unexpected two weeks and the hardest two weeks of my life because it just happened out of the blindside," Agbim said. "It was heartbreaking going back into the portal. My phone was blowing up from 5 a.m. to 5 a.m. over a 24-hour period. I didn't even put my number out there and I didn't know who was calling me. I just put my email out here and there were so many random numbers calling me. It was difficult."
 
A lot of coaches were telling Agbim what he wanted to hear. His inner voice told him to stick with his original Pokes plan and to play for Wicks.
 
"In the recruiting process when you're hearing a lot of different things from a lot of different coaches, the cliché thing is they're all trying to promise you the same dream," Agbim said. "I'd say the biggest difference with me coming to Wyoming is the moment I walked in I knew this place was special. I felt the love from the fans the moment we had the team recruiting dinner.
 
"The moment I walked in here it didn't feel real, it felt like a dream, and it still does to this day. I had to tell my family this is where I really want to be."
 
After working out with his new teammates throughout the summer and fall, reality is setting in for Agbim. His fingerprints are going to be all over the resetting of the program as a scorer, passer and defender.
 
Wicks isn't worried about the scoring part. Agbim has more points than any Cowboy – the new coaching staff tracks everything – as tallied through all the practices to date. He also led Fort Lewis in assists last season.
 
The analytics and projections UW's staff uses suggest Agbim's most important role will be on the other end of the court.
 
"I think the thing about him that is underrated is he led all of Division II last year in defense out of the pick and roll," Wicks said. "So, handlers out of the pick and roll, he was the No. 1 on-ball defender in all of Division II. He's like a cornerback. Off the ball he's like a cat, he can be in and out of the gaps. He's got an elite sense and feel for the game, very instinctual, which you're going to need.
 
"You're going to need guys to make plays that you just can't script."
 
Agbim played with Akuel Kot when the elite catch-and-shoot guard averaged 24.3 points on 51.7% shooting for Fort Lewis in 2022-23.
 
Playing for the Cowboys last season as a graduate transfer, Kot knocked down game-winning buzzer beaters against San Jose State and Fresno State and averaged 14.0 points during his senior campaign.
 
"That guy was unreal," Agbim said. "There was a moment in time when I think he had like a 45-point game and at that point they were double-teaming him and I was like, wow, how is he here at Fort Lewis College at the DII level? He was definitely a gem hidden in the rough. …
 
"The funny thing is last year during the season we had a little weight room, and we had a TV in there and whenever (UW) was playing we put it on the screen."
 
Agbim, of course, leaned on Kot for advice about whether to follow in his footsteps from Durango to Laramie.
 
"He told me everything I needed to know. All the questions coaches can't answer or don't know the answers to, he gave me all the knowledge on things I needed to know," Agbim said. "I'm super proud of him coming here, handling adversity and handling the challenge of changing his role. He gave me the faith and knowledge to make my decision."
 
As a junior in high school, Agbim helped lead Rangeview to a Class 5A state title in Colorado. He was an integral part of Fort Lewis' RMAC championship and Division II NCAA Tournament teams the past two seasons.
 
Wicks, who was an assistant on the Cowboys' 2022 NCAA Tournament team, wants Agbim to help him recreate a winning culture at UW.
 
"You want to take guys from winning programs. Regardless of level, if you've won as much as Obi has won then you understand or at least have been around the dynamic of winning and what it's like to fight for a championship," Wicks said. "He knows what it's like to make deep runs in March. When you're not just a player that was on the team but you're the guy, you understand what that load feels like and what the weight and strain of a season feels like."
 
The force between Wicks and Agbim, who he has dubbed "Obi PG One," is strong.
 
"He was the only coach in the recruiting process that said I'm not going to let you fail, I'm going to push you hard every day," Agbim said. "He is showing me that every day."
 
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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