Wyoming senior post Derek Wabbington returned to action Dec. 10 against Princeton, after missing nearly a month with a sprained knee suffered in the season opener against Alabama State.
The Princeton game, however, was a forgettable experience for Wabbington, who didn?t score in 11 minutes of action as the contest turned into a guard-oriented affair. Saturday?s game against Montana State was closer to a coming-back party, as the 6-foot-9 Wabbington played 27 minutes, scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds.
?Being out three weeks, you kind of lose a little bit of rhythm; I?m just trying to get that back,? Wabbington said. ?I?m still getting back into shape a little bit. Three weeks doesn?t sound like a long time, but it is for basketball.?
Wabbington hopes that progression continues in the next couple of weeks, as the Cowboys close out the non-conference schedule with home games against Southern Methodist tonight at 7 p.m., followed by Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Tuesday and Weber State on Dec. 31. Wyoming travels to Denver for a Jan. 2 game and opens Mountain West Conference play on Jan. 4 against UNLV.
?All I want to do is get back to where I was,? Wabbington said. ?Coming into the season, I felt like I was physically ready and mentally ready. Hopefully, I haven?t lost too much with the time that I missed.?
Wabbington averaged 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds a game in his first season with the Cowboys, after transferring from Northeastern Community College (Sterling, Colo.). He is being counted on to provide a presence down low for the Cowboys this season, along with senior Justin Williams.
Wabbington scored four points early against Alabama State before injuring his knee after a hard foul. It was a disappointing setback, Wabbington said, both mentally and physically.
?There are a lot of things, just getting confidence back in your legs, getting confidence back in your shot, your moves, your game,? Wabbington said. ?Just getting back in the flow of things is the hardest thing to do.?
Although not 100 percent recovered, Wabbington said he is getting closer.
?I?ve tried my hardest to be patient throughout this whole injury,? he said. ?I?m getting stronger every day; I?m not too far off from where I need to be. Every day I progress a little bit more.?
Wyoming coach Steve McClain said Wabbington began to look comfortable in the second half against Montana State.
?In the last four or five minutes of the game, he actually looked like, ?I know what I want to do out here,?? McClain said. ?I think it was real important for him.?
Wyoming freshman guard Brandon Ewing said the Cowboys need a healthy Wabbington this season if they want to find success in the Mountain West Conference.
?I call him the comeback player of the year,? Ewing said. ?He?s a big-time key to our success. We look for him; we call a lot of sets for him. We want him to get to 100 percent because he is about 65 or 70 percent. Once he gets to 100 percent, we?ll be tough to beat.?
The Cowboys moved to 5-4 on Saturday with an 80-67 win over Montana State in the annual Wyoming Shootout in Casper. Wabbington said that although they still made some mental mistakes, he said it was a good win for the team, as it gives them some momentum heading into a tough final preseason stretch.
?This SMU team is going to be a good team; they have some real good guards on their team and bigs,? Wabbington said. ?Wisconsin-Milwaukee will be a tough game. All we can do is go out and try to get better and do what we?re supposed to do.?
SMU is 5-3 on the season after an 89-46 win over Savannah State. The Mustangs were boosted by the return of senior guard Bryan Hopkins, the team?s leading scorer last year who was academically ineligible for the first seven games of this season.
Hopkins, who scored 19 points against Savannah State, led the Mustangs last season in scoring (17.9 ppg), assists (3.9) and steals (2.4).
?You?re talking about a kid who thought about putting his name in the NBA Draft,? McClain said. ?There?s no question that Bryan is a very talented player. You add him to a group that has really started to come together and that makes them a very talented group.?
The Mustangs are especially talented at the guard position, with Dez Willingham and Derrick Roberts to go along with Hopkins. Roberts is averaging 14.4 points a game and Willingham 12.4 points and 3.4 assists a game. Also for SMU, forward Devon Pearson at 12.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
?There?s no question that their guard play may be as good as we?ll face so far this season, especially now with Bryan Hopkins back,? McClain said. ?Dez Willingham is a kid I really like and tried to recruit. Their big guys do a good job with what they do. We have to make sure we know where their guards are at all of the time.?
The Cowboys might be a little short-handed, with Williams nursing a sprained ankle that he suffered in the second half against Montana State. Although he finished the game, Williams left the Casper Events Center on crutches and didn?t practice until Wednesday afternoon. Williams is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 points a game, while leading the way in rebounding at 11.8 and blocked shots at 6.2. McClain indicated that Williams was a game-time decision.
Another game-time decision could be freshman Ross Forman, who has missed the last two games with a broken nose. He was back in practice this week and is expected to be examined again today before the game.?
The Princeton game, however, was a forgettable experience for Wabbington, who didn?t score in 11 minutes of action as the contest turned into a guard-oriented affair. Saturday?s game against Montana State was closer to a coming-back party, as the 6-foot-9 Wabbington played 27 minutes, scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds.
?Being out three weeks, you kind of lose a little bit of rhythm; I?m just trying to get that back,? Wabbington said. ?I?m still getting back into shape a little bit. Three weeks doesn?t sound like a long time, but it is for basketball.?
Wabbington hopes that progression continues in the next couple of weeks, as the Cowboys close out the non-conference schedule with home games against Southern Methodist tonight at 7 p.m., followed by Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Tuesday and Weber State on Dec. 31. Wyoming travels to Denver for a Jan. 2 game and opens Mountain West Conference play on Jan. 4 against UNLV.
?All I want to do is get back to where I was,? Wabbington said. ?Coming into the season, I felt like I was physically ready and mentally ready. Hopefully, I haven?t lost too much with the time that I missed.?
Wabbington averaged 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds a game in his first season with the Cowboys, after transferring from Northeastern Community College (Sterling, Colo.). He is being counted on to provide a presence down low for the Cowboys this season, along with senior Justin Williams.
Wabbington scored four points early against Alabama State before injuring his knee after a hard foul. It was a disappointing setback, Wabbington said, both mentally and physically.
?There are a lot of things, just getting confidence back in your legs, getting confidence back in your shot, your moves, your game,? Wabbington said. ?Just getting back in the flow of things is the hardest thing to do.?
Although not 100 percent recovered, Wabbington said he is getting closer.
?I?ve tried my hardest to be patient throughout this whole injury,? he said. ?I?m getting stronger every day; I?m not too far off from where I need to be. Every day I progress a little bit more.?
Wyoming coach Steve McClain said Wabbington began to look comfortable in the second half against Montana State.
?In the last four or five minutes of the game, he actually looked like, ?I know what I want to do out here,?? McClain said. ?I think it was real important for him.?
Wyoming freshman guard Brandon Ewing said the Cowboys need a healthy Wabbington this season if they want to find success in the Mountain West Conference.
?I call him the comeback player of the year,? Ewing said. ?He?s a big-time key to our success. We look for him; we call a lot of sets for him. We want him to get to 100 percent because he is about 65 or 70 percent. Once he gets to 100 percent, we?ll be tough to beat.?
The Cowboys moved to 5-4 on Saturday with an 80-67 win over Montana State in the annual Wyoming Shootout in Casper. Wabbington said that although they still made some mental mistakes, he said it was a good win for the team, as it gives them some momentum heading into a tough final preseason stretch.
?This SMU team is going to be a good team; they have some real good guards on their team and bigs,? Wabbington said. ?Wisconsin-Milwaukee will be a tough game. All we can do is go out and try to get better and do what we?re supposed to do.?
SMU is 5-3 on the season after an 89-46 win over Savannah State. The Mustangs were boosted by the return of senior guard Bryan Hopkins, the team?s leading scorer last year who was academically ineligible for the first seven games of this season.
Hopkins, who scored 19 points against Savannah State, led the Mustangs last season in scoring (17.9 ppg), assists (3.9) and steals (2.4).
?You?re talking about a kid who thought about putting his name in the NBA Draft,? McClain said. ?There?s no question that Bryan is a very talented player. You add him to a group that has really started to come together and that makes them a very talented group.?
The Mustangs are especially talented at the guard position, with Dez Willingham and Derrick Roberts to go along with Hopkins. Roberts is averaging 14.4 points a game and Willingham 12.4 points and 3.4 assists a game. Also for SMU, forward Devon Pearson at 12.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
?There?s no question that their guard play may be as good as we?ll face so far this season, especially now with Bryan Hopkins back,? McClain said. ?Dez Willingham is a kid I really like and tried to recruit. Their big guys do a good job with what they do. We have to make sure we know where their guards are at all of the time.?
The Cowboys might be a little short-handed, with Williams nursing a sprained ankle that he suffered in the second half against Montana State. Although he finished the game, Williams left the Casper Events Center on crutches and didn?t practice until Wednesday afternoon. Williams is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 points a game, while leading the way in rebounding at 11.8 and blocked shots at 6.2. McClain indicated that Williams was a game-time decision.
Another game-time decision could be freshman Ross Forman, who has missed the last two games with a broken nose. He was back in practice this week and is expected to be examined again today before the game.?
