Graham Ike named preseason POY, Cowboys ranked 2nd in MW polls

Oct. 20—LARAMIE — The hype continues to build around the University of Wyoming men's basketball program going into the new season.

Junior forward Graham Ike was named the Mountain West preseason player of the year before the start of MW Media Days on Wednesday. Ike also joined teammate Hunter Maldonado on the preseason all-conference roster to give the Cowboys two of the five all-conference nods.

Ike was a first team all-conference selection by the media at the end of last year and a second team selection by the coaches. Maldonado was a first-team selection from both the coaches and the media.

UW wasn't just recognized for its individual talents. The Cowboys were voted to finish second in the conference, earning four first-place votes and 204 total points to finish behind only San Diego State.

Expectations always come along with preseason accolades, but Ike believes this year's Cowboys are a team built for handing pressure. A big part of getting better in key situations down the stretch will be holding each other accountable both on and off the court, Ike said.

"To be able to hold guys accountable is not easy, but to be able to take that from your own teammates isn't easy, either," Ike said. "But we do that with our chins up, and we just move to the next play. We understand that we can't take things personal or be bitter when things aren't going our way. We just have to continue to do this whole thing together."

UW coach Jeff Linder doesn't look into the preseason rankings much. The Cowboys were tied for eighth in last year's polls before finishing fourth and clinching an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. UW finished the season 25-9 overall.

"Preseason polls, I'm not sure what they're really worth," Linder said. "Last year, we were picked tied for eighth. ... We're going to have a bullseye on our back, and there's a different pressure that comes with that."

The Aztecs finished No. 1 in the preseason conference poll with 16 first-place votes and 216 points. Boise State was picked third (166 points), Colorado State was picked fourth (156), New Mexico was picked fifth (136), UNLV was picked sixth (110), Fresno State was picked seventh (101), Utah State was picked eighth (96), Nevada was picked ninth (73), San Jose State was picked 10th (35) and Air Force was picked 11th (27).

Darrion Trammell of SDSU was voted the preseason newcomer of the year, and Joseph Hunter of Fresno State was named the preseason freshman of the year. New Mexico's Jamal Mashburn Jr., Colorado State's Isaiah Stevens and SDSU's Matt Bradley joined Ike and Maldonado on the preseason all-conference team. Stevens will miss an extended period after having foot surgery last week.

While Linder may not look too far into the preseason accolades, the Cowboys have the rest of the league on notice going into the new year. Boise State's longtime coach, Leon Rice, knows UW will be a tough matchup for any team in the country.

"The Mountain West always has great players in this league, and they have two of the best ones coming back," Rice said. "They're going to drive a hard bargain with anyone, and they're going to be a great team."

Boise State is the reigning MW champions from both the regular season and the conference tournament. But SDSU's the early favorite to win the MW and will start the season ranked No. 19 in the country.

Four of the conference's 11 teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year. All rivalries and bitterness go by the wayside during each team's nonconference schedules to start the season.

"You look up and down the Mountain, and there's a lot of good teams this year," Rice said. "We want everyone to go out and go undefeated in nonconference, because that's what helps our résumés. ... In the preseason, we're all rooting for each other. But once conference season comes, it's dog-eat-dog."

Team chemistry will go a long way in helping the Cowboys achieve their goal of bringing a MW championship trophy back to Laramie for the first time since 2015, junior Jeremiah Oden said.

"It's going to be one of the biggest pieces for us," Oden said. "Team chemistry is going to be the single biggest piece that's going to determine our success this year."

In order to establish and maintain that high level of team chemistry, Ike wants the Cowboys to continue to trust each other as the long season churns along.

"I really have real love for these guys because of the things that we've been through and the things we still have to go through," Ike said. "The love that we have for each other and the way we fight through adversity and pick each other up is truly amazing."

The Cowboys will start the season with three consecutive home games, starting with a matchup against Colorado Christian at 7 p.m. Nov. 7. UW starts the conference season Dec. 28 against Fresno State in California.

Alex Taylor{span class="ContentPasted0"} covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at {a class="linkified" href="mailto:ataylor@wyosports.net"}ataylor@wyosports.net{/a} or 269-364-3560. Follow him on Twitter at @alex_m_taylor22.{/span}