Photo by: Troy Babbitt-UW Media-Athletics
11/2/2026 10:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Pokes Insider
Sundance Wicks reunites with mentor Rex Walters in Wyoming opener vs. Regis
LARAMIE – There was a time when Wyoming's vivacious head coach did not "bring his own juice" to the bench.
After Ricardo Patton and his Northern Illinois staff were fired following the 2010-11 season, Sundance Wicks didn't even have a college coaching job to get energized about.
Wicks reinvented himself by launching the Arizona Power Basketball Academy. He started the program to train elite prospects without taking a salary and living in his car until the business took off.
Then Rex Walters, the former Kansas star who had a seven-year NBA career, offered him a chance to get back in the game as an assistant at San Francisco. The Dons' staff included Wicks' brother, Luke, and current UW assistant Will Martin.
A decade later, Wicks' Cowboys open the 2026-27 season against Regis on Tuesday in the Arena-Auditorium (6:30 p.m., MW+).
The Rangers are coached by Walters.
"As I texted him the other day, I wouldn't be in the profession right now if it weren't for him," Wicks said. "He was the guy that gave me a chance after I kind of reincarnated down in Arizona. He took a chance on me to go be able to coach with my brother for a year, which was an awesome season and awesome memories. I wouldn't be coaching college basketball, I don't think, if it weren't for Rex Walters' belief in me."
Walters didn't just hire Wicks to be the same talented young assistant he had been while working for Patton at Colorado and NIU. He wanted the man who had learned the ropes from legendary Northern State coach Don Meyer to embrace his identity as "The Juice Man."
The version of Wicks who has rebuilt the Pokes into a potential threat in the Mountain West was empowered by Walters.
"I was just trying to figure out who I was, right before Rex," Wicks said. "I thought I had an identity or I thought I had to be Person X to get the next job. When I lost Coach Meyer, you kind of lose the guy who was able to tell you the hard truth a lot and just say like, 'Sunny, you need to be Sunny, and here's what Sunny is.'
"I think a lot of us lost that just because he would give you that unsolicited advice whether you want it or not, and it was going to cut straight to it and it helped you kind of use your North Stars, a little bit of your compass. Rex just doubled down on that, and he's never been shy about saying what's on his mind. He said that you're the juice man, so be the juice man and be that every day because we need that."
Wicks returned to Northern State, where he played for Meyer, as an assistant for two seasons before becoming a head coach at Missouri Western. He was an assistant at UW under Jeff Linder, highlighted by the Cowboys' NCAA Tournament appearance five years ago, before a successful one-year run as Green Bay's head coach.
All those steps led to the opportunity for the Gillette native to return home and lead the Cowboys.
"It's a powerful thing to try to come into your own skin and just be comfortable with who you are and have a coach kind of co-sign that and say, look, this is what makes you different," Wicks said. "I was a coach who got fired before Rex, right? Like, that's what I was. That's why it was so important for me to go work for him. Instead of getting fired, I was able to get hired."
There is another strong connection between the two programs. UW senior guard Khaden Bennett's younger brother, Bryce Bennett, is a freshman guard at Regis.
"If I know anything about sibling rivalries, this isn't going to be one of those things where they're just going to play nice with each other," Wicks said.
Wicks was not pleased with the lack of toughness his team displayed during its final exhibition game against College of Idaho.
UW will be tested in that department by Walters' Rangers.
"He is the guy that taught me how to destroy your competitive reality. I mean, every day he could walk into a gym, he could find a reason to get it cranked up," Wicks said. "I'm very familiar with Regis, but his team is always going to compete, man. They're going to compete."
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.
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.
After Ricardo Patton and his Northern Illinois staff were fired following the 2010-11 season, Sundance Wicks didn't even have a college coaching job to get energized about.
Wicks reinvented himself by launching the Arizona Power Basketball Academy. He started the program to train elite prospects without taking a salary and living in his car until the business took off.
Then Rex Walters, the former Kansas star who had a seven-year NBA career, offered him a chance to get back in the game as an assistant at San Francisco. The Dons' staff included Wicks' brother, Luke, and current UW assistant Will Martin.
A decade later, Wicks' Cowboys open the 2026-27 season against Regis on Tuesday in the Arena-Auditorium (6:30 p.m., MW+).
The Rangers are coached by Walters.
"As I texted him the other day, I wouldn't be in the profession right now if it weren't for him," Wicks said. "He was the guy that gave me a chance after I kind of reincarnated down in Arizona. He took a chance on me to go be able to coach with my brother for a year, which was an awesome season and awesome memories. I wouldn't be coaching college basketball, I don't think, if it weren't for Rex Walters' belief in me."
Walters didn't just hire Wicks to be the same talented young assistant he had been while working for Patton at Colorado and NIU. He wanted the man who had learned the ropes from legendary Northern State coach Don Meyer to embrace his identity as "The Juice Man."
The version of Wicks who has rebuilt the Pokes into a potential threat in the Mountain West was empowered by Walters.
"I was just trying to figure out who I was, right before Rex," Wicks said. "I thought I had an identity or I thought I had to be Person X to get the next job. When I lost Coach Meyer, you kind of lose the guy who was able to tell you the hard truth a lot and just say like, 'Sunny, you need to be Sunny, and here's what Sunny is.'
"I think a lot of us lost that just because he would give you that unsolicited advice whether you want it or not, and it was going to cut straight to it and it helped you kind of use your North Stars, a little bit of your compass. Rex just doubled down on that, and he's never been shy about saying what's on his mind. He said that you're the juice man, so be the juice man and be that every day because we need that."
Wicks returned to Northern State, where he played for Meyer, as an assistant for two seasons before becoming a head coach at Missouri Western. He was an assistant at UW under Jeff Linder, highlighted by the Cowboys' NCAA Tournament appearance five years ago, before a successful one-year run as Green Bay's head coach.
All those steps led to the opportunity for the Gillette native to return home and lead the Cowboys.
"It's a powerful thing to try to come into your own skin and just be comfortable with who you are and have a coach kind of co-sign that and say, look, this is what makes you different," Wicks said. "I was a coach who got fired before Rex, right? Like, that's what I was. That's why it was so important for me to go work for him. Instead of getting fired, I was able to get hired."
There is another strong connection between the two programs. UW senior guard Khaden Bennett's younger brother, Bryce Bennett, is a freshman guard at Regis.
"If I know anything about sibling rivalries, this isn't going to be one of those things where they're just going to play nice with each other," Wicks said.
Wicks was not pleased with the lack of toughness his team displayed during its final exhibition game against College of Idaho.
UW will be tested in that department by Walters' Rangers.
"He is the guy that taught me how to destroy your competitive reality. I mean, every day he could walk into a gym, he could find a reason to get it cranked up," Wicks said. "I'm very familiar with Regis, but his team is always going to compete, man. They're going to compete."
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.
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.
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