Mitchell Cutcher
Sports Editor
When Chris Crutchfield took the head coaching job for the Mavericks in 2022, he faced a challenge right off the bat: flipping the roster and bringing in new players after seven decided to move on. Now in his second offseason, Crutchfield does not face a roster overhaul, but rather a roster retool.
From the 2022-2023 roster, three players — Kennedy Brown, Akol Arop and Kyle Luedtke — chose to move on from the team and find a new home in the transfer portal. That trio combined for eight starts, 11.2 points per game, and 6.3 rebounds per game. Luedtke, who had spent the previous five seasons at Omaha, is the only player to have announced his destination, and he is heading to Southwest Minnesota State.
With three players moving on, this creates new opportunities for players who are already on the roster and those who are coming in. One player from the roster who could make an impact next season is Jamal Ambrose, a 6’10 forward who missed the entire 2022-2023 season with an injury. The Minnesota native averaged 15.8 points per game on 68.4% shooting from the field, along with eight rebounds per game in his final year of high school.
The Mavericks only added one player from the transfer portal, a number that wanes in comparison to the four that were added a year prior. Nick Davis, 6-9 forward, will be the lone transfer coming in and is making the jump from Southern Nazarene, a division II program in Oklahoma. Davis made 77 career starts in four seasons and was named the GAC Defensive Player of the Year, having recorded 41 blocks in 32 games.
In addition to Davis, the Mavericks will be bringing in three players from the high school ranks and a pair of them were high school teammates. Grant Stubblefield had been a long-time Omaha commit, having committed to the Mavericks in September. However he was joined by his teammate Landon Braun, who committed in April. Stubblefield was the 6A Player of the Year in Kansas for both his junior and senior seasons.
“Grant is a strong explosive guard that can really get downhill to the basket,” said Crutchfield. “He has great vision and underrated savvy for the game. He is a dual sport athlete with great toughness.”
The final player who will be joining the Mavericks for the 2023-2024 season is 6’7 forward Marcel Bryant. The Texas native was named the 6A MVP, 6A First Team, and the Austin Area Player of the Year.
“Marcel is a big and strong athletic forward with a versatile skill package,” said Crutchfield. “He should be a plug and play player because of his size and strength. Marcel will help strengthen our frontline.”
