Cowboys seniors consider UW home

Richard Anderson photos

From left, Wyoming seniors Brandon Ewing, Sean Ogirri and Tyson Johnson.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Sean Ogirri and Tyson Johnson wished they would have come to Wyoming earlier than they did; Brandon Ewing hopes he can come back and keep Laramie a part of his life.

The three Cowboy seniors will be honored Saturday before they play their final regular-season home game of their careers, as Wyoming hosts New Mexico at 2 p.m. in the A-A.

Ogirri didn’t have to travel as far to Wyoming, compared to Ewing or Johnson. The Denver native knew what he was getting into, albeit for a short stay in Laramie.

Ewing, from Chicago and Johnson, from Long Island, N.Y., not so much.

Their stay at the University of Wyoming, however, has been one that they won’t forget.

“It’s been real fun. I’ve met a lot of people here,” Johnson said. “Just having the whole Wyoming experience, coming from New York, I’ve had a lot of fun in the last two years. It’s definitely a lot slower here, a lot less people, but just trying new things, like going to the mountains and stuff like that, has been great.”

Ewing had a little bit of an idea of what Wyoming was all about, as he followed fellow Chicago native Jay Straight to the Rocky Mountains.

By now, Ewing said he considers Wyoming his second home, the people of Laramie are his second family.

“If I make it to the NBA, I might just buy a house in Laramie and come back when I can and check up on everybody,” Ewing said.

Ogirri actually left Denver for Wichita State, but after some coaching changes, made his way back closer to home. If circumstances had been different, he would have been here sooner.

“If I had the same coaches and same players, definitely,” said Ogirri, when asked if he would have liked to come here for his entire career. “I love the coaches, I love the players. I just like Wyoming.”

Ewing, Johnson and Ogirri all admit that there will be some emotion to deal with before the game.

“It’s going to be sad to go out; I wish I had another two years here,” Johnson said. “But Senior Day should be fun.”

Ewing said he will have mixed emotions on Saturday.

“I gave my heart and soul to this university, but it is also exciting to see what the fans will bring me on my last game,” Ewing said.

The game is also important for the Cowboys to pick up some momentum before next week’s Mountain West Conference Tournament. Because of that, Ogirri said they will have to bottle their emotions by tip-off.

“The only thing we want is a win,” Ogirri said. “I’ll be trying as hard as I can because it is my last game here and all of my family and friends will be here. I just want to do everything I can for my team.”

Emotions will not only run high for the three seniors and their family, but for the Wyoming coach staff.

“Saturday will be an emotional day for me because of the way our seniors have helped turn this program around,” Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer said. “They will leave the program better than they sound it."

Ewing will leave as one of the top players in Wyoming basketball history. He is ranked among the top 10 of UW’s career leaders in 12 of 16 categories. Most notably, Ewing is the second leading scorer and assist man in school history, while also starting the most career games.

“I was at the retirement home, doing volunteer work, and they showed me the paper. I didn’t know I had so many records,” Ewing said. “It will be great to sit back and see what you did, but for now, I will be trying to get a win and get to the tournament.”

Johnson transferred to Wyoming from Blinn Community College and has made a strong impact during his two-year career as a Cowboy. This season, Johnson ranks among the MWC’s best in seven statistical categories. He is also Wyoming’s top rebounder and fourth leading scorer.

“I’ve been pretty happy; it could have been better, but things have gone pretty well. That’s why I wish I had another two years under Coach Schroyer, knowing his system a little more,” Johnson said. “I kind of feel like a sophomore, to be honest with you.”

Ogirri has made a major mark on the Cowboy program in just one season. He currently ranks 12th in the nation in made 3-pointers per game and 23rd in 3-point percentage. With 98 made 3-pointers this season, Ogirri is Wyoming’s all-time single-season leader and needs only two more to break the MWC’s record.

Ogirri can’t help but wonder house things would have gone if he could have played more than one year with Johnson and Ewing.

“Definitely. We've played well together this season so far. If we had more years together, I think we would have gotten a lot more wins,” Ogirri said.

Bienvenu Songondo will also be honored prior to the beginning of the game. Songondo, who lettered for the Cowboys from 2006-08, was unable to play during his senior season due to a knee injury.

Searching for their fifth straight win, the Cowboys stubbed their collective toes on Wednesday in the loss to BYU. At 18-11 overall, a strong finish could get them into some sort of post-season tournament.

Of course, winning the MWC tournament is first and foremost on their minds.

“We’ll take the NIT, that is great, but our main goal is to play one game at a time, win the MWC tournament, and we’ll be in the NCAA Tournament,” Ewing said.

If they win the league tournament, Ogirri said they will have some higher stakes to think about.
“I think we do have a lot of basketball left,” Ogirri said. “I guess we will see what happens.”

Although Wednesday night was a tough loss, Johnson said they have a “whole bunch” of confidence still in them. They want that to continue.

“If we come out on Senior Day and get a win against New Mexico, we’ll have a lot more confidence for the conference tournament,” Johnson said.

Yet, it’s still first things first -- the Senior Day ceremony.

“It will be sad at first, and I’m sure my Mom will be crying,” Ewing said. “ But after that, its game time.”