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2025 Omaha Men’s Basketball Offseason Tracker

by Apr 12, 2025Omavs Mens Basketball

Omaha Maverick head coach Chris Crutchfield celebrates with fans during a basketball game at Baxter Arena on February 22nd, 2025 in Omaha Nebraska. Photo by Collin Stilen.
Photo Credit: Collin Stilen

Omaha men’s basketball made history this season, winning the Summit League regular season and tournament titles and earning the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth. There’s no time for rest in the college basketball world, however, and Coach Chris Crutchfield and his staff are already at work building for the future.

The transfer portal opened on march 24, and Omaha will have plenty of work to do to build off this season’s success (although retaining sharp-shooter Tony Osburn is a good place to start).

To keep you updated on all the comings and goings, we’ll update this offseason tracker whenever news drops.

>> March 25: Redshirt freshman wing Tucker Mills enters the portal.

The 6-foot-6 Colorado native redshirted last season and did not appear in a game this year.

**Update: Mills committed to Division II MSU-Denver.

>> March 26: Senior guard JJ White plans to enter the transfer portal.

White has one more season of eligibility because of the NCAA’s ruling regarding non-Division I transfers. The Georgia native who graduated from high school in Oklahoma was part of Crutchfield’s first recruiting class at Omaha and spent three years as a Maverick. This season, White was a first-team All-Summit League selection, averaging 13.7 points and 4.0 assists while shooting 44.2% from 3. He totaled 1,057 points, 363 assists and 290 3-pointers in his three-year career in Omaha.

**Update: White committed to Baylor.

>> March 26: Senior forward Marquel Sutton plans to declare for the NBA Draft and enter the transfer portal.

Like White, Sutton gained an extra season of eligibility with the NCAA’s JUCO ruling. The 6-foot-9 Oklahoma native was part of Crutchfield’s first class in Omaha and developed into the Summit League Player of the Year in his third season as a Maverick. He averaged 18.9 points and 7.9 rebounds this season and totaled 1,388 points and 638 rebounds in his three-year career in Omaha.

**Update: Sutton committed to LSU.

>> March 26: Redshirt freshman guard Sebastian Perry plans to enter the portal.

The 6-foot-1 Oklahoma native appeared in nine games this season, scoring six points in 18 minutes on the court.

**Update: Perry committed to Division II Central Oklahoma.

>> March 27: Redshirt freshman center Lincoln Palbicki enters the portal.

The 6-foot-9, 235-pound post played in eight games this season, totaling six points and four rebounds in 13 minutes played.

>> March 28: Omaha signs Crutchfield to a contract extension though the 2029-30 season.

Crutchfield, an Omaha alumnus, led the Mavericks to a Division I record 22 wins and the program’s first Summit League regular season and tournament titles.

“We are excited to have Coach Crutchfield continue as the leader our basketball program,” athletic director Adrian Dowell said in the program’s release. “In the current collegiate athletic environment, leadership stability is vital and it’s a tremendous opportunity for our campus to have Coach Crutchfield extending his stay at his alma mater. The historic 2024-25 season has propelled Omaha Athletics and our institution to the forefront of the national conversation and we look forward to continuing this significant momentum under his leadership.”

>> April 11: Long Beach State big man transfer Christian Richardson commits to Omaha.

The 7-foot-1, 230-pound center played in 27 games as a junior this season for the Beach, averaging 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds while shooting 69% from the field in 8.0 minutes per game. The California native spent his first two seasons at Butler Community College and will be a senior for the Mavericks next season.

>> April 12: South Alabama transfer forward Julian Margrave commits to Omaha.

The 6-foot-10, 210-pound Kansas native averaged 7.0 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 42.5% on 4.6 3-point attempts per game as a sophomore, averaging 20.3 minutes per game with 18 starts. This season, he suffered a season-ending leg injury in his first game and will likely receive a medical hardship, giving him two seasons of eligibility remaining. Margrave only appeared in nine games as a true freshman, totaling 14 points and six rebounds in 50 minutes.

>> April 16: Snow College point guard Mark Brown Jr. commits to Omaha.

The 5-foot-11 point guard spent two seasons at Snow, averaging 13.3 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 48.5% from the field (36.4% from 3) and 80.2% from the free-throw line this season as the Badgers went 32-2. He started 26 of his 28 games as a freshman for Snow as well, averaging 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists for a 21-7 team.

Brown scored a career-high 34 points against Odessa College on Nov. 22, shooting 8-of-9 from the field (2-of-3 from 3) and 16-of-17 from the free-throw line. He hit the 20-point mark three other times and scored in double figures in 29 of his 34 games as a sophomore.  He notched two double-doubles with 20 points and 12 assists against College of Southern Idaho in March 8 and 17 points and 10 assists against Utah State Eastern on January 23.

>> April 17: Freshman center Pablo Soumare enters the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound big man played in 14 games this season, totaling nine points and five rebounds in 53 minutes.

>> April 18: Mark Brown Jr. decommits from Omaha, just two days after announcing his commitment.

>> April 19: North Dakota transfer Deng Mayar commits to Omaha.

The 6-foot-8, 180-pound forward started in 15 of his 42 games across two seasons with the Fighting Hawks. He averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game, shooting 48% from the field with 10 starts this season. Prior to his time at North Dakota, Mayar played junior college basketball at Howard College, giving him an additional season of eligibility to spend at Omaha.

The Utah native scored in double figures eight times this past season, including five of his last eight games. He recorded back-to-back double-doubles with 10 points and 11 rebounds followed by a career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds in nonconference play, with both games coming against UTSA.

>> April 21: Drake hires former Omaha assistant coach Warren Niles.

Niles departs Omaha after three seasons to join new head coach Eric Henderson’s staff in Des Moines, leaving Crutchfield with a vacancy to fill on his bench.

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