Wyoming Lands Verbal From Colorado 5A Player of the Year

LARAMIE -- "Big phone call from a big-time player, Cowboy Country."

That was a post on X Tuesday afternoon from Wyoming head basketball coach Sundance Wicks.

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"This young man has real juice," he continued. "It's a great day to be a Cowboy."

Now, we know who the mystery man is.

Madden Smiley, last year's Class 5A Player of the Year in Colorado, announced just three hours later on that very same social media site that he is Laramie bound, becoming the second known verbal commit of the 2026-27 recruiting class.

"Let's get to work, Laramie," Smiley posted.

Chris Pohl, a 6-foot-8 forward from Marshfield, Wisc., is the other prospect who should ink on the dotted line in mid-November.

Smiley, the son of Northern Colorado head coach Steve Smiley, averaged 20.9 points per game along with 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals, helping lead Windsor High School last winter to its first state championship since 1924.

The 6-foot-4 combo guard netted a team-high 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in that title tilt against Green Mountain. That was coming off another 25-point performance the two nights prior against Dakota Ridge.

The Wizards knocked off the two-time defending champions, Mesa Ridge, in the semifinals. In a 38-point outburst against Poudre during the regular season, Smiley eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his prep career.

Smiley received seven offers after his junior season. That list included Vermont, Colgate, Loyola Maryland and Southern Utah, among others.

Pohl, who made his own announcement on Sept. 12, also fielded offers from North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Michigan Tech and others, was a unanimous first-team all-Wisconsin Valley Conference performer as a sophomore.

In 21 games last season, Pohl averaged nearly 13 points per game and pulled down 7.1 rebounds. He shot nearly 48% from the field and sank 22-of-77 of his three-point attempts.