From Adelaide to Grand Junction, CMU’s men’s basketball program has become a landing spot for international athletes, with four from Australia alone.
For players like Harvey White and Clayton Jewell, the trip across the world isn’t just about basketball. It’s about opportunity, culture and a coach who knows how to bridge both.
“There were eight of us so we got pretty close,” said sophomore guard Harvey White, remembering his freshman year at CMU. White recounted the team’s close ties as a prominent memory he enjoyed about the team. Before signing with CMU, White played semi-professionally in a development player position on the Adelaide 36ers.
White’s teammate, junior guard Clayton Jewell, was also recruited by head coach Mike Dunlap from Australia for the 2025-26 season.
This will be Jewell’s first year at CMU, after transferring from Oklahoma City University’s basketball program. Jewell is majoring in business management, but has hopes to play basketball professionally after graduating..
“I chose CMU because our coach is really good and has good connections,” said Jewell. “He’s tough but excels careers.”
Both Jewell and White said that they believed in coach Dunlap’s reputation: not only coaching professional teams, but also for sending collegiate-level basketball players to the big leagues.
“I’m also here for the life experience,” White added, noting that having a degree is reportedly important for one’s athletic career. Being coached in your sport at a collegiate level massively prepares an athlete to potentially be drafted into a professional league.
However, for CMU’s basketball players, it can be challenging to choose between schools that offer opportunities for advancement in athletic careers.
“I got around 60 to 70 offers from a whole bunch of different schools,” said Jewell. “I just remember for a couple days I would open my phone and there would be so many messages from teams.”
Jewell admitted that recruitment season was stressful, but he believes that CMU was the best decision for him.
“Being a really good Division II school is better than being an average Division I school,” Jewell said.
Playing professionally is the goal,” Jewell said. Both White and Jewell have played basketball since they were seven years old and they agree that one of the most important aspects is the team’s bond. When players work together and trust each other, they tend to play better.
That trust is also what Jewell was looking for when weighing his college options and something he saw in CMU.
Although having only been at CMU for two weeks now, Jewell is happy to be on campus and be coached by Dunlap.
“I had heard that Dunlap was a good coach. He was tough but had a reputation for excelling in careers,” said Jewell. He was also interested because Dunlap had experience coaching for the Adelaide 36ers in Australia, where he is from.
Dunlap was hired in April 2024, with an illustrious resume. His career highlights include serving as an Assistant Head Coach for the Denver Nuggets from 2006-2008, as well as coaching for the Adelaide 36ers in Australia from 1994-1996. Dunlap has extensive experience in coaching both college basketball and professional teams; he was inducted into the RMAC Hall of Fame in 2012.
Dunlap recently won his first NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, and in turn carried over a record-breaking 2023-24 season for men’s basketball at CMU with 29 wins.
Dunlap has played a role in this international “takeover”, recruiting six international players for the 2025-26 season. White and Jewell are joined on their team by two other Australians, a player from Hungary, and a player from France.
With international talent, proven leadership and a culture built on connection, the Mavericks are setting themselves apart in the Division II basketball world.
For White, Jewell and their teammates, the 2025–26 season is not just another year, but it’s a chance to show how far a global game can reach.
