Ryan Dermody is coming up on a one-year anniversary that he'd rather not remember.

It's been 359 days since the Wyoming basketball player suffered a devastating elbow injury during preseason practice that derailed nearly his entire junior season.

Now, the Cowboys' lone senior is completely healthy and will be counted on -- especially early on -- to provide leadership to a youthful UW team.

"Number one thing for Derm is to not put pressure on himself and to enjoy his last year," UW coach Heath Schroyer said. "I also want him to help lead. He's a fifth-year senior, he's been around a long time, he's played in big games so he has the ability to go and help our young guys.

"The one thing about Ryan is that he's been there and done that. There's not a lot of guys on our team that you can say that."

Dermody, a transfer from Colorado, averaged more than nine points and 33 minutes per game as a sophomore, but a freak accident prior to the start of last season cost him nearly the first three months of the year.

And when he returned, he never seemed to be completely comfortable, averaging less than two points in 10.4 minutes per game over seven contests.

But Dermody's been rejuvenated in the offseason and feels no pain in the elbow which required plenty of physical therapy.

"The elbow feels good," Dermody said. "It feels 100 percent and I haven't had any problems with it. This summer I just worked on getting stronger in the weight room and just getting a lot of shots up. I wasn't able to shoot when my elbow was hurt, so I was just trying to get my rhythm and confidence back."

Thus far in preseason practice, the Loveland, Colo., native has looked like his old self, knocking down 3-pointers bunches while playing his typically solid defense.

The Cowboys may particularly need him for his shooting from beyond the arc after losing guard Sean Ogirri, who had the best 3-point shooting season in Mountain West Conference history.

"I want to be a guy that can knock down open shots for this team," Dermody said. "I think that's an area I can help this team out with. Hopefully, I'll be one of the guys who can help fill that role that Sean filled for us because he was obviously a tremendous shooter."

As the Pokes endure eligibility and injury issues early on, the veteran wing player should see plenty of playing time.

But on a team with more depth this season, the roles will continue to sort themselves out throughout the season.

"Just kind of works itself out as the year goes on," Dermody said. "I'm not really concerned about it. I just want to show up to practice, play hard every day and whatever minutes I get, I'll be happy with. I just want us to be a winning team. I'm excited to be a part of that."

"He can play two different positions, he can guard three positions and if Ryan can find his shooting touch like he had two years ago then he's going to be able to contribute for this team," Schroyer added.

After he persevered through a grueling junior season, the Pokes will take any contributions from their only senior that they can get.

POKES SEE GOOD, BAD DURING SCRIMMAGE: Ups and downs, highs and lows will be expected with a young team.

And UW saw plenty of all of them during Sunday's closed-door scrimmage at Fresno State.

Coaches and players are prohibited by NCAA rule from discussing specifics of the scrimmage, which takes the place of one preseason exhibition game, but sources close to the program have said that the Cowboys went through some expected inconsistency against the Bulldogs.

Official stats were not kept and coaches cannot release any of their unofficial figures, but one source said sophomore Afam Muojeke led the way with nearly 20 points -- though all numbers could be skewed by the fact that teams don't have to simply play two 20-minute halves during the scrimmages.

Sophomore center Boubacar Sylla, who returns to the court after sitting out a year following his transfer from Auburn, was one of the bright spots, scoring about 13 points and grabbing about eight rebounds.

Sophomore guard Arthur Bouedo was also reportedly impressive in creating plays, but the guard has to sit out the first 14 games this season to satisfy NCAA rules regarding amateurism.

Contact Laramie-based UW sports reporter Eric Schmoldt at eric.schmoldt@trib.com. Check out his blog at tribtown.trib.com/ESchmoldt/blog