Wyoming’s New Big Man Scottie Ebube is a ‘Dude’

LARAMIE -- Sundance Wicks said if Scottie Ebube's played 40 minutes a night, he could be a 24-and-12 player.

That's points and rebounds, respectively.

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That's a better average than Great Osobor. You might recall, Utah State's forward was named the Mountain West Player of the Year last season.

Wyoming's new head coach dropped another name, too -- Zach Edey.

Purdue's 7-foot-4, 305-pound center netted better than 25 a night. He added a dozen-plus boards, too, en route to becoming an NBA Lottery pick.

Ebube, Wyoming's new 6-foot-10 big man, of course, will not be playing a full game. In fact, last season at Southern Illinois, he averaged just 11.5 minutes per game. Did foul trouble keep him planted on the Salukis' bench? Nope. He didn't foul out once in 31 outings.

The main culprit? Conditioning.

"That's what I've been working on a lot," said Ebube, who tipped the scales at nearly 280 last winter. He's now around 254.

Wicks said if the season started today, the Mundelein, Ill., product could probably see roughly 20 minutes of court time.

"(Sports performance coach) Jimmy (Edel) has done a phenomenal job decreasing body weight and Increasing body mass," he added. "His BMI goes down, cardiovascular activity goes up ... Long spurts are hard for him. He's a rhino, and rhinos can run really fast for a short sprint, sure, and then they got to take a break. So that's why we have three big guys."

Ebube netted six points and 3.6 rebounds a game last season. He hit double figures eight times, including a 15-point outburst in a 91-68 rout of Queens University. He recorded at least six boards seven times.

His frame and build has drawn comparisons to another paint roamer who called Laramie home from 2020-22: Graham Ike.

The similarities basically end there when you ask Ebube's teammates and coaches.

"They are two different players," said Wyoming assistant Shaun Vandiver, who coached Ike. "I'll be brutally honest, Scottie is more athletic and more explosive than Graham. Graham's more skilled. He's a guy that's more technician. Scottie is more brute strength and power. He could be a fabulous pro, but the mental has to catch up with the physical. He's a great kid and a hard worker. You guys will see. You throw it up and boom, he's just going to get it. Graham will never catch up with Scottie's athleticism."

"Graham is more on the ground," senior guard Cort Roberson added. "He has really good footwork. Not to say Scottie has bad footwork, but he's an athlete like you haven't seen before. He's got a 40-inch vertical. Graham couldn't get off the ground like that.

"They are similar in that they are both beasts and they're both really good players. Both have mean streaks."

Wicks joked that he has ejected players from practice the same way an official would. Ebube has been on the receiving end of a whistle, along with an earful or two. Attitudes can get you the gate, he added. So can elbows or being overly physical.

"I've always liked piss and vinegar," Wicks said with a grin. "I was a salty cat myself."

So is Ebube and Ike.

"He's way more athletic than Graham. Way more," Wicks continued. "Graham had the better feel in that low pinch-post area where you'll pass and see it a little bit more. Ebube is like a weapon of mass destruction. When the ball goes into him, I tell him, score. He's actually an underrated passer.

"... I think the comparisons are the fact that Graham had a little bit more stamina and could play longer, right? But from the intensity and the intent at which they play, and then their demeanor, there's a Manimal in there. When we see Scottie's consistent best, night in and night out, he'll be one of the fan favorites. He'll have some rim-rocking dunks that'll just blow your mind."

Ebube said he has watched film of Ike. Coaches talk about the Gonzaga senior, too.

"(Sunny) pretty much said that I can become a player like Graham Ike," he added.

After spending two seasons in Carbondale, Ebube, whose birth name is Chibuike, entered the NCAA Transfer Portal last March with two years of eligibility remaining. He committed to Wicks' Wisconsin-Green Bay program a month later.

He was on the move again in less than three weeks when Wicks was named the new head coach at Wyoming.

"Just that relationship," Ebube said. "That's a big thing I saw when I was in the portal. I wanted to have a relationship with a coach on the court and off the court. I saw that and Sunny was the best coach for me. It worked out."

Being a vocal leader, Ebube said, is one of his strengths. He didn't mention a word about his offensive skillset. He didn't talk about points or averages. Defense, he added, will be the name of his game.

"I'm going to try to be the defense anchor in rebounding and finishing. Those are the things that will describe me."

Wicks has another word.

"He's a dude."

Wyoming will host the College of Idaho Friday night inside the Arena-Auditorium. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.