October 8, 2024 – Mike Sautter spoke with Omaha Men’s Basketball Head Coach Chris Crutchfield to discuss the upcoming season, the team’s increased athleticism, and the key players stepping into larger roles this year.
Q: You’ve mentioned that your team is more athletic this year. After watching practice, I can definitely see that. How has that athleticism changed the dynamics of your team?
Coach Crutchfield: The biggest thing we like about our team this year is our experience. We’re older now. We have four seniors and five juniors, guys who have played college basketball. This will be one of our older teams. We addressed our inside presence by getting bigger—we’ve got guys who are 6’9″, 280 pounds; 6’8″, 275; and 6’9″, 240. So we have more size. We also upgraded our guards by adding length and athleticism on the perimeter, and we’ve got some good shooters. We brought in seven new players, and I really like where we’re at.
Q: Tony Osburn is one of those returning players who will be relied on more this season, along with Marquel Sutton. With Frankie Fidler moving on, how do you see those two stepping up in scoring?
Coach Crutchfield: No doubt, we’re looking for them to step into bigger roles. Last year, they were second or third scoring options with Frankie being our dominant scorer. Now, we expect Marquel to do more on the perimeter and for Tony to be a lot more aggressive. I’m excited to see the growth and maturity in both of them.
Q: Tony Osburn has really transformed physically. I saw him throw down a two-handed dunk in practice! Has his athleticism taken a jump?
Coach Crutchfield: Definitely. He’s gotten bigger and stronger. If you see him at practice, his body has changed a lot. He’s become more athletic and quicker. We give him a hard time, measuring the rim in the fieldhouse—it’s ten feet, not 9.5! But Tony has put in the work, and it shows.
Q: You added size in the post this year with some transfers and new players. How important was it to find immediate-impact post players?
Coach Crutchfield: That was huge. We lost Nick Davis, who is playing in Sweden now, so we needed to add some size. We brought in Josh Streit from North Dakota State, and he’s been really good for us. We also added Isaac Ondekane from Lindenwood, who we recruited from junior college. On top of that, we have a big-time freshman, Pablo Soumare, from Senegal. He’s 6’8″, 175 pounds, mobile, and athletic. He’s still a freshman, but we’re excited about his future with the program.
Omaha Men’s basketball kicks off their upcoming season against Mid-America Christian November 4th at 7:00 pm in Baxter Arena.
