Cowboys sign pair of players

“We are really excited about adding these two outstanding young men to the Cowboy basketball family. I believe that they will fit well with our nine current freshmen and sophomores. When I look at the team that we are starting to assemble, I feel that the future of Cowboy basketball is very bright.” -- UW men's basketball coach Heath Schroyer

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University of Wyoming men's basketball head coach Heath Schroyer announced the signing of two student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.
Michael Dietz, of Casper and Thomas Manzano, of Brooklyn, N.Y., will both join the Cowboys for the 2009-10 basketball season.

“We are really excited about adding these two outstanding young men to the Cowboy basketball family,” said Schroyer. “I believe that they will fit well with our nine current freshmen and sophomores. When I look at the team that we are starting to assemble, I feel that the future of Cowboy basketball is very bright.”

Dietz , a 6-foot-7 guard, is currently a senior at Natrona County High School, originally gave a verbal commitment to Wyoming going into his junior season. As a sophomore, Dietz helped lead Natrona to the Wyoming Class 4A state basketball championship. That year, he averaged 11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.

Last season as a junior, Dietz was named All-State for the second consecutive season after averaging 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 3.2 blocks and 2.0 steals per game. His blocked shot average was tops in Wyoming class 4A. Natrona was the top ranked team in class 4A and had lost just one game entering the 4A state tournament. However, they were upset by Rock Springs in the semi-finals.

“We are really excited about Michael Dietz,” said Schroyer. “He is a quality kid who has his best basketball ahead of him. He is a multi-dimensional player and I love his versatility. He will develop his game, get better every year and have a very good college career. He has been the best player in our region over the past few years, and we are very excited about his future with the Cowboys.”

Manzano, a 6-4 guard, comes to Wyoming from Garden City Community College, where he is currently a freshman. He will join the Cowboys prior to the 2009-10 season and will have three remaining years of eligibility.

Prior to enrolling at Garden City, Manzano played with current Cowboy Afam Muojeke at Genesis One, a prep school in Mendenhall, Miss. He then spent the fall of 2006 at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., where he played with Michael Beasley, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Following prep school, Manzano initially went to Iowa Western but transferred to Garden City where he sat out and used his redshirt year.

Through three games at Garden City this season, Manzano is averaging 17 points and six rebounds a game. Garden City is currently 2-1.

“Thomas is a very good acquisition for our program and we are thrilled that he is going to be a Cowboy,” said Schroyer. “He brings college experience to the table, but will also be able to be a three-year player for the Cowboys. With losing two guards like Brandon (Ewing) and Sean (Ogirri), we knew we needed to add a punch to our perimeter and Thomas is that punch. He is a talented guard who can score in a variety of ways.”