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Trio of Pac-12 transfers no longer with Wyoming basketball after mid-season departure

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•02/08/23•

AndrewEdGraham

Wyoming v UNLV
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 24: Head coach Jeff Linder of the Wyoming Cowboys looks on in the second half of a game against the UNLV Rebels at the Thomas & Mack Center on January 24, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Rebels defeated the Cowboys 86-72. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Three players who transferred to Wyoming to play men’s basketball this season are no longer with the team, the school announced on Wednesday. USC transfers Max Agbonkpolo and Ethan Anderson, along with UCLA transfer Jake Kyman, are “no longer with the Cowboy basketball program” per a release.

The release also quotes head coach Jeff Linder, but offers little by way of explanation or reasoning. It’s just a perfunctory quote.

“We thank Max, Ethan and Jake for their contributions to the program,” Linder said. “We wish them well in their futures, both on and off the court.”

The release noted that Linder will have no further comment.

Anderson and Agbonkpolo were, of course, teammates at USC. But Agbonkpolo was also a high school teammate of Kyman — which helps explain how the trio of southern California natives landed at Wyoming together. Additionally, Wyoming entered the 2022-23 season off an NCAA Tournament berth the prior season with a 25-9 record.

The 2022-23 season has not been as kind, and Wyoming currently sits at 7-15 overall. Amidst the poor play, Anderson, Agbonkpolo and Kyman have played sparingly.

Of the trio, only Anderson seemingly carved out a more than rotational role for himself with Wyoming in 2022-23. Anderson started 17 games and averaged 24.9 minutes per game in 21 contests. His last start was on Jan. 24.

Agbonkpolo has six starts and averages 16 minutes per game. His last start was on Jan. 14. And Kyman has started one game, on Dec. 6, 2022, and averaged 12.6 minutes per game.

In recent weeks, their roles decreased further. In the last two Wyoming games, the trio played a combined 32 minutes. However, there hadn’t been any indication that they would soon be off the roster.

But now, for reasons yet to be made clear, they’re hoopers without a home.