Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming freshman Afam Muojeke drives past a Colorado School of Mines player earlier in the season.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
How do you top 31 points in your Cowboy debut?
Scoring 32 would probably do it.
He’ll certainly take his points, but redshirt freshman Afam Muojeke is looking at different numbers for now. Actually, he liked 26 last Friday -- the amount the Cowboys won by against Cal State Bakersfield.
“It was just a team effort,” Muojeke said Tuesday as they get ready for Wednesday’s meeting with Prairie View A&M (7 p.m. at the A-A). “I’m just glad we went out there and got the win. My individual performance is based on what the team and the seniors do for me. They open everything up. I’m just glad that we got the win.”
The lanky Muojeke (6-foot-7, 215 pounds) has a potentially strong all-around offensive game. He can take it to the hoop or he can stop and pop the 3-pointer. He did both with ease at times against Bakersfield.
That’s his game offensively, but the other side of the ball is where he wants to improve the most.
“I’m really hoping to play team defense … that’s how we win games, on the defensive end,” Muojeke said. “I don’t think I have tapped my potential defensively. I think I can be the heart of the team, getting everybody ready for the game. That’s basically what I do.”
Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer said he was happy for Muojeke after the win over Bakersfield, but warned the media to not get used to it. After all, Muojeke is a freshman and he has the potential to have games like he did in the opener and games where he struggles like a newcomer.
Potential, however, is the best way Schroyer describes his new wing player.
“I think Afam has all of the tools to be a fabulous player,” Schroyer said. “The word potential has been thrown around him for a long time. He’s 6-7, very long and very athletic. I look for him to have an immediate impact for this team and be a focal point for this program.”
For Muojeke, immediate is now, despite the fact that this is his second year with the program. Struggling with a preseason knee injury last year, Schroyer opted to redshirt his talented true freshman.
Sitting out gave Muojeke the chance to watch the game, even if he wasn’t crazy about the idea.
“Going out and playing with the guys last year, they really took me through it,” he said. “It was a long process and I really didn’t want to do it, but they took me through it and I learned a lot.
“I think it was best to fully recover and do what Coach told me to do. I wasn’t really fully healthy at mid-season, so I took the time to watch and learn the system a little more. But it’s very hard to sit.”
The Cowboys open with seven home games before taking on a much more challenging road schedule that includes encounters at Boise State, Utah State and UCLA. Again, defense comes to Muojeke’s mind as they get ready for the Mountain West Conference season.
“These games are really important, just on the defensive end,” he said. “That’s how we are going to get it done this year. Our offensive will come.”
A coach’s dream, at such a young age, Muojeke already knows what to say when talking about Wednesday’s game with Prairie View A&M.
“We’re just going to take it one game at a time,” Muojeke said. “We have Prairie View (Wednesday). They are a very athletic team and we hope to go out and get the victory to keep us rolling.”
In the meantime, Muojeke keeps working on his defense, and of course, 30-footers … just in case. Fighting the shot clock last Friday, he nailed a long 3-point attempt that would makes a player brag “I called that,” in a game of h-o-r-s-e.
Muojeke had it all of the way.
“I practice those almost every day,” he said with big grin. “It just came natural. I’m just glad it went in.”
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