LARAMIE – Larry Shyatt has a sharp eye for identifying basketball talent.
 
The former Wyoming head coach took a group of lightly recruited prospects, including longtime NBA forward Larry Nance Jr., and developed an NCAA Tournament team during his second stint leading the Cowboys.
 
While recently returning to the Arena-Auditorium to watch the Pokes go through summer workouts under Sundance Wicks – the once overlooked Campbell County High standout he offered a scholarship to a quarter century ago – Shyatt made several court-side observations.
 
"Who is No. 0 in Gold?" Shyatt asked aloud. "His body strength will make him a factor."
 
The bruising guard with the build to compete against elite Mountain West backcourts is Uriyah Rojas, who reminds Wicks of one of Shyatt's most legendary players.
 
"Uriyah has a lot of Josh Adams in him as far as being hyper competitive," Wicks said. "He always wants to win. Sometimes he can take it there, take it a little bit too far, but I'd rather pull you back than push you forward."
 
Rojas continued to stand out during an intense five-on-five Brown vs. Gold competition during Tuesday's practice. However, adjusting to life at 7,220 feet and this level of play hasn't been as easy as the junior college transfer makes it look at times.
 
"It was a huge transition as far as things to do, food options and all that. I'm more of a home body anyway, I don't like to go out too much, so it wasn't too hard for me," Rojas said of moving from greater Los Angeles to Laramie. "On the court it's definitely a big difference as far as physicality, speed of the game and talent wise. I feel like I fit in though."
 
Rojas was a great fit at Chaffey College, where he scored 1,100 points and made 121 3-pointers over the last two seasons. During the 2024-25 campaign he averaged 25.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
 
During a victory over Victor Valley, Rojas scored 54 points on 17-for-29 shooting from the field.
 
"Oh man, I was just in the zone," Rojas recalled of the offensive outburst. "I blacked out after about 35 (points), I'm not going to lie. I was just in one of those zones where you feel like you can't miss, and the rim looks huge."
 
Chris McMillian, who was recruited by Shyatt but played for Steve McClain, was the first member of Wicks' staff to contact Rojas during the recruiting process. Both grew up in Southern California before signing with UW.
 
"When CMac reached out to me and we talked it just seemed like the right fit with the playing style," Rojas said. "Also, the Mountain West, it's one of the best leagues in the country, and I wanted to be a part of that."
 
Wicks sealed the deal by courting Rojas to be a Cowboy with his singular energy.
 
"I was getting the chills a little bit when we had that first conversation," Rojas said.
 
UW's second-year coach has been more impressed with Rojas' leadership than his scoring and strength.
 
"He's got a great voice. He booms. He loves to pick his teammates up and play," Wicks said. "Forget the fact that he scored 27 points a game and had 121 (3s), this guy is a competitor, and competitors find ways to win."
 
Rojas knows he can "score at a high clip" while also making teammates better. He predicts the 2025-26 Cowboys will be able to run opponents out of oxygen in the Dome of Doom.
 
"I can already see now we're going to play fast," Rojas said. "We're a very fast team, we're very athletic, so I think we're going to get up and down and score a lot of points this year."
 
When told about Shyatt's praise of his strength, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior noted that it was the product of hard work.
 
"It took a lot of lifting, getting stronger, just working on my legs. In high school I was real skinny, I was like a straw out there," Rojas said. "I didn't have any weight on me but I just built muscle, ate a lot and now I feel I can handle the ball way better under pressure and physicality. …
 
"(Shyatt) saying that is going to motivate me to keep on working and keep on pushing myself to get better."
 
(Editor's note: This is the seventh in a 12-part series introducing fans to UW's new men's basketball players. Next up: Kiani Saxon).
 
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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