Despite facing a major financial hurdle, the University of Dallas men’s basketball team made its way to London this August, fulfilling a promise to one of its senior players.
The trip had been in the works since 2022, when computer science major Mike Kennedy committed to the University of Dallas. Kennedy, a senior forward for the team last year, was an international student from London, England. Kennedy was one player in a long history of international students for the men’s basketball team.
Head Coach Matt Grahn said, “For all of our guys that come from outside of our conference footprint, I make a promise that I’m gonna try […] and take them home so that they can play in front of family and friends in their college uniform.”
UD athletics is no stranger to travel, but this trip marked a first: never before had the men’s basketball program — or any UD team — ventured overseas to another continent. The team spent over a year fundraising, working at events and camps in order to raise the money. By April 2026, the team had raised enough money to fully fund its journey, setting the stage for its departure in May.
However, things quickly went south in April when their travel company, Go Play LLC, filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, taking around $60,000 worth of the team’s hard earned money, and refusing to honor any flights or travel arrangements that had been made. Coach Grahn looked for a way to salvage the trip, reaching out to corporate sponsorships and foundations, but they were unable to contribute to the travel funds.
With outreach to Dallas sports teams yielding little success, Coach Grahn and the basketball team turned to social media, hoping to gather whatever support they could. Videos featuring members of the team were posted to TikTok, and one of their videos went viral, getting 681.9k views and 76.8k likes. The team also reached out to local news outlets, including The Dallas Morning News, NBC and CBS, hoping to raise awareness of their situation. As a result, they were able to raise around $13,000.
It was then that Coach Grahn received a call, notifying him that billionaire Mark Cuban wanted to donate $30,000 to the team, helping to make up the deficit. Cuban, the former owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has remained deeply involved in the Dallas community for years. He continued that commitment by donating $30,000 to the fundraiser, helping push the Crusaders across the finish line. Another benevolent giver was the Murrell Foundation, a local nonprofit based in Dallas that donated $17,000. Through the generosity of several major contributors and the support of countless other donors, the team reached its fundraising goal and made the trip to London in August.
Before the trip, the basketball team had 10 days of practice, where they shared meals and spent time together before travelling to London on Aug. 13. After a day of practice and sightseeing, the Crusaders took on the BTM U20 Team, fighting against jet lag and a 27-point lead by the opposing team. Though they rallied in the second half, closing the gap significantly, they lost by three.
That night, the team paid a visit to Kennedy’s house, meeting his relatives and friends.
In spite of all the difficulty and heartbreak that had gone into financing and finalizing the trip, Coach Grahn said, “That whole trip was worth it at that point […] to see the joy Michael’s parents had of having us there and having their son back home […] It was awesome.”
On Tuesday, the team played the London Lions Second Division team, playing well and winning by more than 30 points. The men’s basketball team returned to the U.S. on Aug. 20, bringing its historic overseas journey to a close. The Crusaders will return to the court on Nov. 13 when they take on Schreiner University.