Brownson Arena is rocking come Friday and Saturday evenings when the Maverick men's basketball team takes the court. This week we feature six members throughout the decade who have put Colorado Mesa on the map in Division II basketball. The decade kicked off with a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship in 2010 and the 2019-20 squad capped of the decade with an RMAC Tournament Championship, beating out the No. 1 and 3 seeds for the title. In addition to the two conference titles, the program has produced three 20-plus win seasons and nine RMAC tournament berths. 

Listed in alphabetical order, we tip-off the men's basketball all-decade team with Colton Burgon who played for the Mavs from 2010-2013 following a single season at Hartnell College. Out of Sandy, Utah, Burgon used all of his 6-foot-8 frame to put up 1,109 career points, 11th all-time in the CMU record book, and 490 rebounds (10th All-Time). Over the span of three seasons, he put in 426 baskets in 773 attempts for a .551 shot percentage (7th All-Time). On the opposite side of the ball, he pulled down 333 defensive rebounds (3rd All-Time), averaging 3.9 per game, while also putting up 84 blocked shots to average a block per game. 

In his time with the Mavs, Colton Burgon's numbers allowed him to earn numerous All-RMAC recognitions including a 2010-2011 first team selection, all while helping the team make it to the 2012 RMAC Shootout Championship match and being named to the all-tournament team. 

CJ Davis started his career with the Mavs in 2015 and dedicated three seasons to the program. In 85 games, he accumulated 1,063 points (14th All-Time) with a majority of those points coming from beyond the arc. The Scottsdale, Arizona native holds the top spot in the 3-point category with 235, nearly a hundred more than Jeremy Cummings (2004) who sits in the second spot. After tallying 97 three-pointers in his debut season, he continued to rack up his total taking over as the leader on Jan. 28, 2017 against South Dakota Mines.  

Adding to the offensive threat, Davis tallied 322 field goals with a .384 shooting percentage to go along with 112 assists. As an All-RMAC Honorable Mention honoree in 2016-2017, Davis put up numbers in the 3-point category will likely go untouched for years to come. 

Mike Dominguez transferred to Colorado Mesa in 2009-2010 as a senior and put up impressive numbers of any CMU player in a single season. With Dominguez on the roster, the Mavs registered a 23-6 overall record and went 16-3 in conference play to take home the RMAC Championship in 2010 and earn a spot in the NCAA Central Region Tournament. Hailing from Espanola, New Mexico, Dominguez took care of business both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. He led the team averaging 21.6 points per game while sinking 6.4 field goals per game at a .527 clip. He also led the team with 75 3-pointers, shooting .463 from deep. Sharing the wealth, he dished out 101 assists, averaging 3.5 per game. Defensively, Dominguez averaged nearly two steals per game with 44 total on the year, to go along with 134 rebounds. 

He would cap off his college career as a Daktronics Second Team All-American, DII Bulletin Honorable Mention All-American, making him the first all-American for Colorado Mesa since the program transitioned in NCAA Division II. His list of accolades extends to Daktronics Central Region Player of the Year, RMAC Player of the Year and was a five-time RMAC Player of the Week honoree. Following his time with the Mavs, Dominguez went on to play professionally in the LNBP, Mexico's top league. A member of the Toros De Nuevo Laredo he helped lead the team to the LNBP Championship title in his rookie season. Currently, he serves as the Head Coach for RMAC rival New Mexico Highlands University. 

Jase Herl (2008-2010) is another former Mav who made an impact for the program in short amount of time. A primary starter since he stepped on campus, he contributed 668 points along with 186 assists and 405 rebounds over his 2-year stint.  A member of the 2010 Championship team alongside Dominguez, Herl was also an offensive powerhouse, contributing consistent double-digit games. In his senior season, Herl averaged 12.2 points per game while leading the team with 189 rebounds for a 7.3-per game average. 

An RMAC West Division Second Team honoree, Herl also landed on the RMAC All-Academic First Team and garnered RMAC Player of the Week honors twice. Like Dominguez, Herl is also active in the coaching ranks and currently serves as an assistant at Missouri State. 

Up until this point the members of the All-Decade team have been transfers, who closed out their careers with the Mavs. However, our final two members dedicated their entire collegiate careers to the maroon and gold. 

Connor Nichols (2015-2019), a 6-foot-6 guard out of Arcadia High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, experienced a coaching change mid-way through his career but showed out in his final two seasons with CMU. As a junior, Nichols posted a monstrous .544 shooting percentage, and maintained that consistency throughout his senior season. Versatile while on the floor, Nichols frame allowed him to attack the basket while also contributing shots from deep. Amassing 1,670 points in his four years Nichols holds the fourth spot in the all-time career points category, and his 14.5-point scoring average ranks fifth all-time in average career points.  

Nichols' numbers extend to a number of categories within the CMU record books including assists (205, 15th All-Time, blocked shots (54, 15th), steals (104, 8th), field goals made (621, 4th) and shooting percentage (.428, 14th). His efforts earned him First Team All-RMAC status as a junior and senior. 

Last but certainly not least, is a name that resonates within the CMU Athletics Department to this day – Ryan Stephan. One of the best to suit up for the Mavericks, Stephan contributed four seasons and totaled 2,073 points in his time, second most all-time, and is just one of three players in CMU history to surpass 2,000-career points.  His career points, free throws and free throws attempted ranks in the top-10 in the RMAC as well. 

Stephan's career numbers are impressive. However, his senior year alone is worth mentioning as the list of accolades are extensive. Going into the season, he received RMAC Preseason Player of the Year, Sports D2 Preseason All-American and Sporting News Preseason All-American honors. During the 2015-2016 season he scored 768 points, the seventh best single-season mark in RMAC history. Against Regis on Feb. 20, 2016, Stephan tied the school record for points in a game with 45. 

He ranked nationally in numerous categories both offensive and defensive, giving him the go ahead as a NCAA DII National Player of the Year. A NABC All-American and D2CCA All-American, he also got the nod as the D2CCAA South Central Player of the Year, RMAC Player of the Year and participated in the NABC All-Star game. 

Stephan pursued a professional career following graduation, and currently plays in Japan's B2 League and is expected to play for team Ehime OV for the 2020-2021 season.  

Previous All-Decade Team Releases
Women's Basketball - Nov. 12
Men's Wrestling - Nov. 5
Women's Swimming & Diving - Oct. 29
Men's Swimming & Diving - Oct. 29
Women's Soccer - Oct. 22
Men's Soccer - Oct. 15
Football – Oct. 8
Men's and Women's Tennis – Oct. 1
Volleyball – Sept. 24
Men's and Women's Cross Country – Sept. 17
Men's and Women's Golf – Sept. 10