International Reach Through Men’s Basketball
There’s a worldview that makes up the 2024-25 Jessup University Men’s Basketball program. Led by second-year head coach Mark Darnall, 40 percent of the roster is made of international students.
Darnall came to Jessup in the spring of 2023, having previously sat on the bench as an assistant coach for Eastern Washington. His career has also seen stops in Northern California at state schools such as Chico State and UC Davis.
“I’ve worked at Division II state schools before, and the way our funding worked meant we really needed to focus on in-state kids,” said Darnall. “Being a private, Christ-centered university, we’re able to recruit with a broader net nationally, as well as throughout the world.”
Among the many things Darnall did when he came to Rocklin, first on the list was recruiting. Darnall’s first team reached the NAIA National Tournament, and now they have a bigger challenge ahead of them as members of NCAA Division II.
The roster Darnall has turned out for his second season is comprised of players from six countries across three continents. There are six international players on the team this year: three who joined during Darnall’s first recruiting class and three more who will make their debut later this fall.
For Darnall, recruiting internationally isn’t necessarily an intentional approach but more so a way to find the best players for his team. “We’re keeping our eye on some really good local kids this year, which I am excited about. We’re trying to find the right fit for those who want to be a part of our program and our style of play.”
For those who are local, the effects of the international additions have been felt. “These guys bring unique perspectives from their previous environments, even the guys in the United States that come from different areas,” added Darnall. “We pray before every practice, and to hear one of our guys pray in a different language is pretty cool. We learn so much about each other by spending time with our team.”
In Darnall’s first recruiting class, he added Aydan Janssan of Australia, Anthony Enoh of Nigeria, and Tamatoa Humbert of French Polynesia. Additions this year include Curro Segura of Spain, Josh Lincoln of Australia, and Murphy Rodgers of New Zealand.
These six players have all migrated to Rocklin to continue their basketball journey, but in doing so, they have unknowingly spread the Jessup brand across the globe.
During a trip to Croatia, Student Body President Peter Constant was stopped by someone because of the Jessup shirt he was wearing. That person was a friend of Janssan and followed the men’s basketball program during the 2023-24 season. The brand of Jessup University had reached over 6,000 miles!
“I just think that is so crazy, and it’s such a small world,” said Darnall on the story Constant shared with him. “For us to be able to extend our brand regionally and across the world in a way that does it for the glory of God is very special. Those people, because of Aydan Janssan, recognized the Jessup University brand and ran into someone from Jessup, not even in that country.”
Even though it didn’t occur on a basketball court, for Jessup University, stories like that are a win. Go Warriors!
