nullNikos Frazier / Omaha World-Herald

Know the Foe: Omaha Mavericks look to bounce back

byu basketball,Kevin Young,big 12,university of nebraska-omaha,omaha basketball,chris crutchfield

Luke Nielson

November 06, 09:52 AM November 06, 10:01 AM

BYU basketball's opponent Friday night at the Marriott Center, the Omaha Mavericks, are entering their fifth season under head coach Chris Crutchfield.

During his time as a student at Omaha, Crutchfield played both football and basketball. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Omaha in 1995.

Crutchfield led the school to its first NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2024-25 season and was named Summit League Coach of the Year.

Omaha followed its best season in school history with a disappointing 16-17 finish last season, finishing fifth in the Summit League standings. They were eliminated in the semifinals of the conference tournament, falling to eventual champion North Dakota State.

The Mavericks were picked to finish fourth in the Summit League preseason poll.

In their first contest of the season, they took on Mid-America Christian, an NAIA school, and won 73-65. North Texas transfer Cahmai Crosby led the team in scoring with 21 points, a career high. Deke Thompson and Jonny Jordan Jr. each chipped in 13 points. Every Maverick saw the floor in this game.

Because Mid-America Christian is not a Division I opponent, it was not rated by analytic sites such as Torvik and KenPom. So the rankings for the Mavericks on those sites are their preseason predictions. They are ranked 273rd by KenPom and 301st by Torvik.

Omaha is returning five players from last seasons squad, three of whom were integral parts of the rotation. According to Torvik, they are returning 23.4% of minutes from last years team. Fourth-year guard Grant Stubblefield headlines the returning players as the only returning starter. Stubblefield is part of a dying breed of players who have stayed at their original school for four years.

The Mavericks added seven transfers this offseason, six of whom came from other Division I schools, including Justin Bolis, who transferred from Nebraska.

Omaha brought in a three-man freshman class headlined by three-star recruit Jonny Jordan Jr.

The two schools have met once before, with BYU winning 45-40 in 1943.

Key Players 

Cahmai Crosby

The 6-foot-4 junior college transfer is an explosive, powerful guard and a gifted scorer. After averaging 15.9 points per game in his final season at Kilgore College, he transferred to North Texas, where he ranked second on the team in made 3-pointers while shooting 34.7% from beyond the arc. He played in all 33 games for the Mean Green during the 2025-26 season and averaged 2.7 points and one rebound per game. Crosby and Stubblefield are good friends and played AAU basketball together in high school.

Grant Stubblefield

The veteran point guard is the engine of the Omaha offense. The 6-foot-1 guard led the Mavericks in assists last season with 3.3 per game while averaging 9.3 points. Stubblefield was a consistent starter and was named to the Preseason All-Summit League Second Team.

Deke Thompson

The 6-foot-5 second-year guard appeared in three games for the Texas State Bobcats last season before redshirting and transferring to Omaha. During his senior season at Sand Springs High School in Oklahoma, he averaged 22 points, six rebounds and three assists per game.

Isaac Ondekane 

Ondekane is a 6-foot-8, powerfully built center from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He missed all of last season with a lower leg injury. During the 2024-25 season, he started all but one game and averaged 5.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He provides much-needed beef for a smaller Mavericks roster. Coach Crutchfield has high praise for Ondekane, calling him their leader.

Jonny Jordan Jr.

The 6-foot-3 freshman guard had two offers out of high school and chose the Mavericks over the Fordham Rams. The 11th-ranked player in Missouri, according to 247Sports, averaged 22.5 points per game and a team-high 119 assists during his senior season.

Dace Pleasant 

Pleasant is a 6-foot-6 forward and an NJCAA Division I national champion. Last season at Howard College, he averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 35% from deep. Hes also shown real defensive flashes, averaging just under one steal per game.

The Mavericks and Cougars face off Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.