University of Wyoming basketball star and Glendo native Allyson Fertig has already had an incredible playing career and will now get to showcase her talents on the national stage, a capstone to her record-breaking career.
Fertig, a Douglas High School graduate, will play in the 2025 Women's College All-Star Game on Saturday in Tampa, Florida.
She was one of only 20 players selected for the game that will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 1 p.m. Fertig will play on Team Lieberman, coached by Naismith Hall of Famer and basketball legend Nancy Lieberman.
“To see someone from the Mountain West and a mid-major school is obviously a huge credit to us and credit to Allyson and what she’s done this year and the numbers she’s put up,” her coach Heather Ezell said.
Fertig had a banner senior season this year, named the Mountain West Conference player of the year. She averaged 18.8 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 57.4% from the floor, helping the Pokes to a 22-12 record and second place finish in the Mountain West, while only missing one game.
“She was a main focus, especially on the offensive end, but she was a huge key for us on the defensive end too,” Ezell said.
Fertig finished her career at Wyoming second in program history with 1,860 points, the program's all-time leader in rebounds with 1,216, second in career field goals made, third in blocks with 210 and second in career double-doubles with 48.
“She’s one-of-a-kind,” Ezell said. “There’s not going to be another Allyson Fertig, and the one we had is special.”
Wyoming Native
Possibly even more significant is the fact that Fertig is a Wyoming native, leading Douglas to three state championships and likely a fourth had the 2020 state tournament not been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cody Helenbolt, Fertig’s high school coach, said he could tell there was something special about her when he first started coaching Fertig in the seventh grade. While teaching the middle school players a basic post move, Fertig made about 20 shots in a row.
“I said, ‘Ok, this is different,’” Helenbolt said.
It’s not uncommon to see Wyoming-natives on UW rosters but it’s much rarer for them to be the stars of or even starters on their teams. To have Fertig fill this role, Ezell said, is enormous.
“It’s huge,” Ezell said. “Being from Glendo and doing what she’s been able to do since she’s got here. She’s a name that everybody knows, she’s a future hall-of-famer here.”
Ezell said Fertig’s presence on the team has helped build a lot of excitement around her program. Fertig has also embraced the added pressure that comes from being a bit of a local celebrity.
“She can’t walk through Walmart without being stopped probably 10 times,” Ezell said. “That’s a lot of pressure on a college athlete and the way she’s handled it and the success she’s still been able to do is a huge credit to her and her prep and just the way she takes things in stride.”
Already a two-time All-Mountain West player entering her senior season, Fertig likely had offers to transfer to bigger schools and get access to bigger name, image and likeness opportunities, a move many present-day college athletes often make. However, Ezell said never had any doubts that Fertig would return to her home state team.
“That’s her, she bleeds brown and gold,” Ezell said. “There wasn’t ever a chance that I was going to be concerned that she’d leave because it meant so much for her to be a part of this program.”
Similarly, Helenbolt said Fertig had scholarship offers to play at other schools out of high school, but never doubted for a minute that she would play for the brown and gold.
“She said, ‘coach, I want to go to Wyoming, I want to be that Wyoming kid,’” Helenbolt said.
Hard Work Pays Dividends
Although Fertig was an all-state player for all four years of her high school playing career, Helenbolt said there was still significant work to be done after her freshman season, lacking in mental and physical toughness despite already being one of the most talented players on the court. As a post player, Fertig would get hit and targeted by nearly every team they played
Fertig built up more strength and developed more technical skill that helped her be named two-time Wyoming Gatorade Player of the Year and Max Preps Player of the Year for Wyoming in 2021.
“She never complained, she always did the work, and it obviously paid dividends,” Helenbolt said.
By the time her high school career was finished, Helenbolt said he was confident that Fertig could be the best player on UW’s roster if she continued to work hard.
Ezell was on the coaching staff for all four of Fertig’s seasons at UW. The work that Fertig put in behind the scenes, Ezell said, is what made her the player she is today.
When she first came to Laramie, Ezell said Fertig only had about one post move. Each year she added a new element to her game and this past season saw the largest jump, making conditioning a particular focus. To see a player of Fertig’s size, standing 6-foot-4-inches, playing almost entire games, Ezell said, is incredibly rare.
Allyson Fertig was a Wyoming high school basketball star before becoming one of the best Division I players in the nation at UW. She rewrote the record book, and on Saturday plays in front of pro scouts. (Troy Babbitt, University of Wyoming Athletics) 
Allyson Fertig was a Wyoming high school basketball star before becoming one of the best Division I players in the nation at UW. She rewrote the record book, and on Saturday plays in front of pro scouts. (Troy Babbitt, University of Wyoming Athletics) 
Allyson Fertig was a Wyoming high school basketball star before becoming one of the best Division I players in the nation at UW. She rewrote the record book, and on Saturday plays in front of pro scouts. (Troy Babbitt, University of Wyoming Athletics) 
Allyson Fertig was a Wyoming high school basketball star before becoming one of the best Division I players in the nation at UW. She rewrote the record book, and on Saturday plays in front of pro scouts. (University of Wyoming Athletics)
What’s Next?
Fertig has hired a sports agent and is actively seeking opportunities to continue her playing career, most ideally in the WNBA. Getting into the all-star game, Ezell said, was incredibly critical for Fertig in helping to achieve this goal.
“Get in front of those WNBA teams, upper management people, so they knew who she was,” Ezell said. “The one part of playing at the mid-major level, they don’t see you too much. Gets her an opportunity to play in front of them.”
Helenbolt, now the women’s coach at Northwest College in Powell, plans on watching the game. He openly credits her for furthering his own coaching career and the incredible success he had at the high school ranks.
“I’m extremely proud,” he said. “I just passed down some expertise. Like any good athlete, I try to allow the kid to learn the game.”
If Fertig can impress in the game, she’ll likely get invited to some WNBA training camps. From there, Ezell thinks she has a chance at making the league.
“I hope some team gives her that chance because she could be a vital asset to their program,” she said.
But if not, Fertig is practically guaranteed to have countless professional playing opportunities overseas.
For Ezell, replacing Fertig will be no easy task. Rather trying to do so, she plans to focus on telling her players to try and just fill some of her shoes. The team is bringing in four new freshmen in the fall and like every other program in the country will try to heavily tap into the transfer portal.
“You have to be confident enough to step up and produce at some level,” she said.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
