Men's Basketball Begins Three-Game Homestand with Matchup Against York

OMAHA - The Omaha men's basketball team (1-2) will begin a three-game homestand on Tuesday night as it takes on York (1-3) at Baxter Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and can be seen on the Summit League Network and heard on the Varsity Sports Network. Gary Sharp and Kyler Erickson will have the call on both platforms.

Mavericks Begin Homestand Against York on Tuesday Night

The Omaha men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Baxter Arena on Tuesday night as it hosts its first of three-consecutive home games against York.
York, a member of the NAIA, is 1-3 this season after finishing 2-26 last year. The Panthers lone win came against Briar Cliff last Wednesday.
Omaha is looking to get back on track after back-to-back losses against 2026 NCAA Tournament teams in No. 25 BYU and Utah State.

Series History

Omaha has been perfect against York with an 8-0 all-time record.
The teams last played last year where the Mavs won 105-58 in Baxter Arena. Lance Waddles and Christian Richardson led the Mavs with 25 and 22 points, respectively. Brock Scholl and Aidan Skradis were the only members of the 2026-27 roster to play against the Panthers. Scholl had 10 points while Skradis added three points.
In the eight all-time meetings against York, Omaha has won by an average of 40 points and has never won by less than double digits.

Scouting the Panthers

York is currently 1-3 but is just a few plays away from having a 3-1 record with single-digit losses coming against Grand View and Doane.
York is led by Awit Mamer who leads the team with 14.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. Mamer has been red-hot from the three-point line, hitting 10 out of his first 13 three-pointers this season.
York has also gotten good production from Keryn Collins and Scotting Johnson. Collins is averaging 11.8 points per game and Johnson is averaging 10.5 points per game.
The Panthers are led by Mitch McMullen who is in his second year at York.

Last Time Out

Omaha was unable to get much going against two NCAA Tournament-caliber teams last weekend at No. 25 BYU and Utah State.
The Mavs dropped both games but one bright spot was Deke Thompson who led the Mavs with 17 and 13 points, respectively in the two games in the Beehive State.

Thompson Off to Hot Start for the Mavs

After playing just 11 minutes at Texas State before redshirting last season, sophomore Deke Thompson has been Omaha's most consistent scorer through the first three games of the season.
Thompson is the Mavs' leading scorer so far this season at 14.3 points per game.
Thompson had 13 points in the opener against Mid-America Christian before leading the Mavs with 17 points against No. 25 BYU and 13 points against Utah State.
Thompson is the first player since Marquel Sutton in 2022 to score in double figures in the first three games of their Maverick career. Sutton scored in double figures in the first four games of his Maverick career.

Cahmai "Chop" Crosby Shines in Debut

Cahmai Crosby made his name known in his first action with the Mavs on Monday night as the senior went for 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting to lead the Mavs to victory.
Crosby, also known as "Chop" by his teammates, played a team-high 32 minutes and not only scored but grabbed four rebounds, had three assists and two steals.
His 21 points were a career high after averaging just 2.1 points per game last season at North Texas.
Crosby had 11 points against No. 25 BYU and nine points along with a career-high seven assists at Utah State.
Crosby got his nickname, "Chop", from childhood friends as it was his gamer tag, and the name has continued to stick to this day.

Stubblefield to Lead the Mavs in the Backcourt

A familiar face returns to Omaha as Grant Stubblefield begins his fourth season with the Mavericks.
Stubblefield started 22 games at point guard last season, averaging 9.3 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.
The Overland Park, Kansas, native was named to the Preseason All-Summit League Second Team heading into the 2026-27 season.
Stubblefield got off to a good start on Monday as the senior tallied 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.
Last season, he ranked fifth in the Summit League with a 2.10 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Ondekane Healthy For His Final Season

Coaches and fans were excited to see what Isaac Ondekane could accomplish in the 2025-26 season after he transformed his body during the offseason. However, an ankle injury prevented him from reaching the court as anticipated.
The center from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, returns healthy for his final season, renewing the excitement surrounding his potential impact.
Ondekane played 25 minutes against MACU in his first game since March 20, 2025, and had a productive seven points and seven rebounds for the Mavs. He was 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.
The scoring hasn't clicked yet for Ondekane this season, but he has still made his presence known on the boards. Ondekane had nine rebounds at Utah State and leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game.
Ondekane is Omaha's most experienced player from the Mavericks' 2025 NCAA Tournament run, having started all but one game during the 2024-25 season.
That year, Ondekane averaged 5.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

Jordan Jr. Providing Spark off the Bench

There were no nerves for freshman Jonny Jordan Jr. in his first collegiate action on Monday night as the St. Louis, Missouri, native had 11 points in his first four minutes of action for the Mavs.
Jordan Jr. finished the game with 13 points after playing 25 minutes with three rebounds, two assists and no turnovers.
Jordan Jr. was a top 10 high school player out of Chaminade High School in St. Louis.
He averaged 22.5 points per game and led Chaminade with 119 assists during his senior season, earning Metro Catholic Conference Player of the Year honors.

Crutchfield Brings in Exciting New Faces for 2026-27

Coach Crutchfield brings back just one player from last season's team, but plenty of new faces will join the Mavericks for the 2026-27 campaign.
Deke Thompson is a sophomore guard who redshirted his freshman season at Texas State. Thompson currently leads the Mavs with 14.3 ppg and is the first Mav since Marquel Sutton in 2022 to score in double figures in the first three games of their Maverick career.
Justin Bolis joins Omaha after spending two seasons at Nebraska. During the Huskers' historic 2025-26 campaign, Bolis appeared in 17 games, including Nebraska's first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Troy. Bolis is expected to contribute across the stat sheet for the Mavericks this season.
Cahmai Crosby is a sharpshooting guard who spent last season at North Texas after playing his first two collegiate seasons at Kilgore College. Crosby made 25 3-pointers at North Texas last season, ranking second on the team. During his second season at Kilgore, he averaged 15.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, earning recognition as one of the top 50 junior college recruits in the country. Crosby led the Mavs with a career-high 21 points on opening night and is averaging 13.7 points per game.
The Mavericks also expect significant contributions from transfers Chris Dockery, Dace Pleasant and Heri Bukinga.
Dockery spent last season at Kansas City, averaging 7.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while making 20 starts for the Roos. Dockery has seen action in all three games so far this season.
Pleasant is a versatile forward who can contribute in several areas. At Howard College, he averaged double figures in scoring and helped the team win the 2026 NJCAA Division I men's basketball championship. Pleasant is averaging 15 minutes across the first three games and is averaging 3.7 points per game and five rebounds per game.
At 6-foot-11, Bukinga is Omaha's tallest player and will provide a significant presence in the middle. He redshirted last season at Drake but is expected to see valuable minutes for the Mavericks this season. Bukinga is averaging 11 minutes a game through the first three games.

Mavs Expected to Use Size and Length as a Strength

Coach Crutchfield expects this year's squad to be one of the biggest and most athletic teams of his tenure at Omaha.
The Mavs have eight players over 6-6, and their average height of its projected starting lineup is 6-5.
The size and length have proven valuable so far as Omaha outrebounded Minnesota and Creighton in the respective scrimmages and outrebounded MACU and Utah State to start the season.

Home Sweet Home

Baxter Arena has been a friendly home for the Mavericks over the past three seasons.
Omaha has defended its home court at a high level, compiling a 33-9 record at Baxter Arena over that span.

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Players Mentioned

Justin Bolis

Heri Bukinga

Cahmai Crosby

Chris Dockery

Jonny Jordan Jr.

Isaac Ondekane

Dace Pleasant

Christian Richardson

Brock Scholl

Aidan Skradis

Grant Stubblefield

Deke Thompson

Lance Waddles

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