A fan favorite on Maverick men’s basketball is Yaak Yaak. Yaak, a 6’11” center from Adelaide, Australia, is just one of seven Australians playing for CMU. On Dunlap’s roster, there is no shortage of Australian hoopers. With the departure of former head coach Mike DeGeorge, many men’s basketball players left in the transfer portal. In the head coaching search, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) found Mike Dunlap. Dunlap’s basketball experience spans decades and continents, namely America and Australia.

“It’s amazing to have so many Aussies on the team. It’s a major reason why I wanted to transfer here. Everything we do, we do together and we have a lot of things we can relate on. It definitely does help with homesickness as well since we’re all there for each other,” said Yaak.

Yaak, a transfer from Division I New Mexico State, had a stellar sophomore season for Colorado Mesa University(CMU). He played 29 games for the Mavs while notching nine starts. In those 29 contests, he averaged 10.6 points and pulled down 6.2 boards per game.

“Yaak means a lot to us. He’s a huge pick me up guy, one of those guys you can talk to about anything. He’s someone you want to be around and is a leader to our team,” said junior forward Ty Allred.

Yaak was a great rotational piece most of the season, before working up to a spot in the starting lineup for the game against Regis University(Regis). He did start against the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs (UCCS), but there were 14 games between that start and Regis. Following that Feb. 8 contest, Yaak started in every game the rest of the season.

After only scoring nine points in his debut as a starter, Yaak’s second showing in the first five was spectacular. He scored 18, pulled down six rebounds and notched a block. His legacy game, however, was the game preceding the start. In the Thursday night contest against Metropolitan State University – Denver, Yaak played 40 minutes in the double overtime contest. In those 40, he scored 14, grabbed 11 rebounds and sent five shots back to sender.

“I learned I was going to play college hoops in 2022. It’s a big thing even in Australia and a big decision, especially for those of us who have to travel across the world to play.  I was excited when I knew this is what I could do and at the time I had taken visits and all of that stuff,” said Yaak.

While Yaak’s on court play and leadership are touted by his teammates, so is his work ethic.

“Yaak’s work ethic helps us push ourselves even more. Seeing him work makes all of us want to work so we can be a great team,” said Allred.

For the student side of student-athlete, Yaak is a business major. In his limited free-time he enjoys playing playstation, and also enjoys some of the fast food variety stateside.

“Panda express and Chick Fil A are two things I wish I could bring back to Australia with me. They are definitely my two favorite fast food spots over here in the states,” said Yaak.

Yaak and the rest of Mesa men’s basketball will prepare for next season. They’ll begin RMAC play on Dec. 4 against UCCS.