LARAMIE – Mike Mora was already well-traveled when Sundance Wicks asked him to pack his bags for a new adventure at 7,220 feet.
 
The junior forward with the sweet jump shot grew up in Palo Alto, Calif. He was a two-time captain for current Wyoming assistant Nick Whitmore at Asheville (N.C.) School, spent his true freshman season at Vermont, and played the last two seasons back on the West Coast at Cal State Monterey Bay.
 
"He's had a journey that hasn't been easy going from high school to prep school to Division II," Wicks said. "I love those journeys. Everybody wants this opportunity to play at this level, and now you're here. This is where you're earning it every day. There's an audition every day, and I'm on his butt because he's got a chance to be really good."
 
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Mora averaged 17.2 points and 6.2 rebounds to earn first-team all-conference honors at CSUMB last season. He started 56 games and made 120 3-pointers over the past two seasons.
 
Mora was the first transfer portal target to commit to UW during this cycle. His older brother, Brendan, played for Whitmore at New Hampton School, the prep academy where Nasir (Naz) Meyer also played.
 
"My brother played one year for him and told me he's a great coach and if you want to play college basketball, you should go play for that guy," Mora said. "It's kind of how it all started. I enjoyed playing for him for those three years. … Honestly, I was really close with Coach Whitmore. He made it feel like a second family, so, that helped me a lot."
 
Whitmore's familiarity with Mora made the vetting process easy for Wicks. UW's third-year head coach has high expectations that he will make an immediate impact transitioning from Division II to the Mountain West as Akuel Kot, Obi Agbim, Adam Harakow and Kiani Saxon did in recent years.
 
During summer workouts, Mora has fit in well with a team that returns Meyer, Khaden Bennett, Uriyah Rojas and Gavin Gores from the 2025-26 rotation.
 
"I knew the character, high-quality kid, everybody loves him," Wicks said. "He's already connecting with everybody. He's one of the favorite new guys for everybody to be around, just that type of person, and the person matters more than the position. Plus, he can take hard coaching. He's been coached."
 
Mora gives UW another reliable perimeter shooting threat. In an effort to earn heavy minutes he's working on defense, rebounding and setting screens.
 
"The first thing he said to me, I heard you're a crazy (expletive) like me," Mora said of his first interaction with Wicks during the recruiting process. "It was 9 a.m. for me, so that was a huge difference from the other calls I get. The other calls are like, 'Oh, hey Mike, how you doing?' That was a big first impression and honestly, I love some guy bringing the energy like that. It's natural to have a day when you come in and you're tired and he brings the energy and he will hold you accountable to match it.
 
"When he gets on you it can be annoying for a second, but you're going to match it and at the end of the day you can look back and be like I gave it my all today. It's a good feeling."
 
One of Mora's personal areas of focus has been defending smaller guards at this level. His physicality as a wing has been impressive from the beginning.
 
More importantly, Mora has quickly developed chemistry with Wyoming's veteran core.
 
"Nasir Meyer, one of the first couple of days being here, he brought everyone together," Mora said. "We watched one of the NBA Finals games, got some pizza, and we all just hung out. I think that's been a big theme of this year so far is just connectedness and the returners upholding the culture, holding everybody accountable. …
 
"I think it does speed up the process a little bit. It kind of makes you more comfortable knowing that the guy next to you knows what's going on."
 
(Editor's note: This is the fourth in a 10-part series introducing Cowboy fans to Wyoming's new men's basketball players)
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
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