Cal Poly Men’s Basketball Connects Six Continents
2/5/2026 9:27:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Story by: Emma Gonosey, Cal Poly Athletics
Cal Poly men’s basketball has built something rare in college sports- a team that truly represents the world. With players from nine countries and all six inhabited continents, the Mustangs have one of the most internationally diverse rosters in Division I basketball. But beyond the geography, what defines this group is the connection they’ve built across borders.
Assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Sam Walters says that diversity gives the program its character. “Our head coach, Mike DeGeorge, is great at getting people with all different missions from all different backgrounds working toward one common goal,” Walters said. “It’s created a really rich experience for everyone on our roster. No matter where your career goes, you’ll have friends from all over the world who share that same love for the game.”
That global reach is easy to see inside Mott Athletics Center. Practices blend accents, languages, and styles as players bring their own backgrounds to the same sport. They’ve built a culture that feels both global and local, connected by their shared effort and respect for the game. Every player’s story starts in a different corner of the world.
For senior Luka Tarlac, basketball was never just a hobby, it was a way of life. “In Serbia, the whole culture and community revolves around basketball,” he said. “Even if you didn’t want to play, you were born into it. My dad played professional basketball, so I wanted to be just like him.”
Thousands of miles away, the game looked completely different. Sophomore Guzman Vasilic, from Uruguay, grew up in an almost opposite world. “Basketball isn’t the main sport where I’m from,” he said. “We actually moved cities just so I could find a good league to play in. That’s when I really fell in love with it.”
For freshman guard Jess Esso-Essis, from France, basketball has always been part of life, connected through culture and family. “Since I [was] maybe three, I was playing basketball, because I have a family of basketball players,” he said. “Growing up in France is very busy, it’s kind of like the USA, but it’s a small USA. We have an amazing coach, we have an amazing culture of basketball.”
Players from opposite sides of the globe now share the same court in San Luis Obispo, and somehow, those different journeys fit perfectly together. “Even if I’m from South America and I’ve got a teammate from Africa or Asia, there’s a connection,” Vasilic said. “Our team is really special… just something that connects us.”
Tarlac says that sense of connection makes the team feel like home. “Just having so many foreign guys creates that unity and togetherness,” he said. “You never really feel alone. I remember my first year, I was extremely homesick. The main thing is just trying to be together, because the moment you’re alone, that’s when it feels the worst.”
Many Mustangs live in the same neighborhood, eat meals together, and spend holidays side by side when they can’t travel home. “The perfect example is Christmas break,” Tarlac said. “We’re all around 14- or 15-hour flights from home, so we help each other through it.”
That closeness carries over to the court, where trust and chemistry have become the team’s foundation. Walters says that’s not easy to build in today’s fast-changing college basketball world. “It’s a hard thing to do right now with so much turnover,” he said. “But if guys can all get working toward the same goal, that can go a long way.”
For Esso-Essis, that sense of trust starts with the coaching staff. “To be honest, Coach DeGeorge is the nicest coach I’ve ever had,” he said. “Every coach I’ve had always just yells… they don’t talk. But this staff, not only Mike but every coach on the team, are always really nice and lift us up.”
As one of the team’s veterans, Tarlac has naturally stepped into a leadership role. “My role as a senior is to [bring] everyone together and lead a bit,” he said. “Sometimes the younger guys need to hear that it’s okay, and they feel good when an older person tells them that.”
Walters says that type of leadership sets the tone for the entire program. “Everyone is here because they want to succeed,” he said. “There’s no challenge because they’re from another place. They all want to be great.”
With players from across the globe, every day brings something new- not just on the court but in conversation, music, and meals. “You get to learn phrases in different languages,” Walters said smiling. “It forces you as coaches not to waste words, you have to be efficient and intentional with what you say.”
The exchange of culture has created a tight-knit environment for the Mustangs, where everyone learns from one another. Vasilic says it’s given him a deeper appreciation for the game and the people who play it.
“It’s a different feeling when you’re representing your country,” he said. “You know that you’re playing for something bigger than you.”
For Tarlac, his time at Cal Poly has been a lesson in growth, as both a player and a person. “As a kid, you go in every day just to have fun. I feel like my biggest lesson learned was [that] I had to take every day extremely seriously, because every day, every rep, is very important.”
Coming off one of the program’s strongest seasons in recent years, both players and coaches are optimistic about what lies ahead for the Mustangs. “Our potential this year, in my opinion, is unreal,” Tarlac said. “If we make big strides defensively, I feel like we can go really far into the season and into the tournaments.”
“I really think that we can be a top team in the Big West,” Esso-Essis said. “I believe if we just trust what the coaches want us to do, we can definitely be a top three, even top one team.”
Walters shares that excitement. “Helping our players reach their potential and getting the community in the gym to see what kind of product we can put out; that excites me,” he said. “They’ve all taken such different paths to get here, but every one of them shows up wanting to work and wanting to win, that’s what makes coaching this group so rewarding.”
For Cal Poly, the story of this season is bigger than basketball. It’s about connection, the kind that bridges oceans, cultures, and time zones. From all corners of the globe, the Mustangs have found a shared home on the courts in San Luis Obispo. Together, they’ve built more than a team. They’ve built a family.
“What stands out most is how much these guys care about each other,” Walters said. “They come from all over the world, but once they step on the court, they’re just teammates. That’s what makes this group special.”
