It’s fun to watch the Mavericks right now.

The men’s basketball team is riding a 13-game winning streak, the longest in school history. The Mavericks are 9-0 in Southland Conference play, looking to lock up a No. 1 seed in the SLC Tournament in March.

Not only are they fun to watch, they’re apparently fun to be around. It shows when the team interacts with each other off the court, before interviews and during practice.

The team jokes around, laughs and genuinely gets along. It takes its sport seriously, with senior forward LaMacrus Reed always calming the team down if things need to get serious for practice.

Head coach Scott Cross loves the team as well. He said it’s a blessing to be around this group of guys. Reed said he wouldn’t trade this team for any other teammates out there.

Cross even likes to have fun too. After a win against Texas State, Cross joked with sophomore guard Shaquille White-Miller. White-Miller knocked down two free throws that gave the Mavericks the lead late into the game.

When I asked to interview White-Miller, Cross obliged.

“Step up, Mr. Clutch,” Cross said with a chuckle to White-Miller.

The entire team is in sync and together. Rarely do they quibble, and Cross has them all focused on the ultimate goal: winning a SLC championship.