Last Year: 20-11; 3rd (12-6) in the American Athletic Conference, No Postseason
Head Coach: Ron Hunter (Fifth Year; 56-57 at Tulane)
Projected Starting Lineup
| G Sion James – 6’6″, 205 – Senior |
| G Kolby King – 6’2″, 180 – Sophomore |
| G Jaylen Forbes – 6’5″, 190 – Senior (5th) |
| F Collin Holloway – 6’6″, 221 – Senior |
| F Kevin Cross – 6’8″, 240 – Senior (5th) |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Sion James: 9.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.0 spg, 0.8 bpg
Kolby King: 1.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.2 spg – 30.4% 3FG
Jaylen Forbes: 18.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.9 spg – 38.8% 3FG
Collin Holloway: 6.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.5 spg – 36.4% 3FG
Kevin Cross: 14.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 0.8 bpg, 0.6 spg
Experienced Reserves
| G Asher Woods – 6’3″, 180 – Sophomore |
| F Gregg Glenn III – 6’7″, 230 – Sophomore |
| F Jordan Wood – 6’9″, 205 – Senior (5th) |
| W Tre Williams – 6’6″, 200 – Senior (5th) |
| G Logan Stephens – 6’2″, 190 – Junior |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Asher Woods: 14.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.9 spg – 3.4 FTA/G @ VMI
Gregg Glenn III: 1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.8 spg, 40.0% FG @ Michigan
Jordan Wood: 8.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.5 bpg – 37.0% 3FG @ Howard
Tre Williams: 1.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.3 bpg
Logan Stephens: 2.0 ppg, 0.3 apg in 3 games @ Rutgers
Freshmen
| G Mier Panoam – 6’2″, 185 |
| F/C Percy Daniels – 6’9″, 235 – Redshirt Freshman |
| F Spencer Elliott – 6’9″, 205 |
‘Good mornin’, America – how are ya? Say, don’t you know me? I’m your native son!’
The train that the City of New Orleans calls Tulane basketball took a trip overseas this summer; in preparation for the 2023-24 season, and also as representatives of the entire nation. USA Basketball tabbed Tulane to play as America’s team at the FISU World University Games in China this summer. And despite the loss of star point guard Jalen Cook, the veteran Green Wave brought home a bronze medal and the confidence to challenge for a conference crown.
While it’s easier to understand than some other players’ decisions, Tulane fans who have been waiting for a winner couldn’t help feeling chagrined when Cook, a two-time All-American Athletic Conference point guard, made his exit this spring. He’s gone back to his first school, LSU, and the Green Wave are left no choice but to move on.
The better coaches among the ‘mid-major’ ranks will be, and always have been, the ones who can hold onto some stars despite the maelstrom of the Transfer Portal. And Tulane’s conductor held onto three big ones this summer. Ron Hunter earned a contract extension off of the Green Wave’s success in winning 20 games and placing third in the AAC. Some of the home fans are feeling a tad zestier than usual about that; it was, after all, Hunter’s first time winning 20 games in New Orleans after three straight losing seasons. With his veteran core largely intact and some interesting new transfer catches of his own, though, Hunter has the talent and proven star power to make it back-to-back 20 win campaigns. And if their summer performance overseas is any indicator, potentially lots more.
The Cajun Cerberus which Hunter has retained and shall guard the gates of Uptown is composed of proven starters Sion James, Jaylen Forbes and Kevin Cross. James is a big point guard, Forbes is a scoring wing who’s already racked up 1,508 career points, and Cross is a sturdily-built forward who has posted seven double-doubles the past two seasons; to go along with 227 assists. Forbes and Cross share the same agent, and after trying out the NBA’s Draft process, re-committed to leading the Green Wave on the same day.
Forbes was once a freshman reserve at Alabama, and Cross once backed up the post as a rookie for Nebraska. Their stars have ascended steadily, though, since they both arrived in New Orleans ahead of the 2020-21 season. Forbes has been named to the second or third team All-AAC roster at the end of each season he’s played with the Green Wave so far, and enters his fourth year eighth all-time in Tulane history in scoring average. Last year, Forbes also set a new school record for triples made in a season, and is just 24 more deep balls away from becoming the Green Wave’s all-time leader in three’s. He’s posted 17.2 points per game since coming to Tulane, along with 5.2 boards and 1.5 steals, through 83 tilts. His scoring averages have placed him fourth, fourth and third in the league each season, respectively, making Forbes one of the most dangerous covers in the conference. He also finished fifth in the American in steals last winter, and is tremendous at jump-starting the Tulane offense in transition when he strips the opponent of possession. Forbes is a dangerous long-range artillerist, having swished 219 triples at a 38% clip in a Tulane uniform, and every scouting report against Tulane warns the opposition to keep a hand in his face well out beyond the arc. Forbes is also a multidimensional scorer, and though he launched 56% of his shots last year from the land of trey, he’s proven effective enough at luring defenders too close on his jumpers and driving into contact off the bounce. With 425 combined free throw attempts, he’s finished in the AAC’s top five in both makes and attempts each of his three years, and his career 82% rate of conversion is the best in Green Wave history.
Cross – a post player – owns a 24% career assist rate; the fifth-best such mark in Tulane history
Not even a broken finger on his shooting hand at the end of January could knock Forbes down. And he brings it on the defensive end, too. Forbes is really good, and he knows it – he even had words with Memphis coach Anfernee Hardaway when he suggested that his Tigers get after Forbes during a heated 90-89 Green Wave road victory in overtime. “Just a fine basketball player just believing in himself,” Hardaway said of the exchange. “I’m trying to pump up (Memphis star Kendric Davis) to go around him. Basically, he was like, ‘Nah, he ain’t going around me.’ So, basically, he was jawing back at me about that he wasn’t going to allow KD to beat him off the dribble.” This year, Forbes is back with sights set squarely upon an American Conference title, and will bring all of his best effort and bravado to see it through. “I’ve always said when you’re building a program, you need all-conference guys,” Hunter told NOLA.com, speaking of Forbes. “Then to win the league you’ve got to have a guy who’s like a player of the year. This is the first time we have a legit Player-of-the Year type guy.”
Cross is one of the slickest playmakers in the country at his size, a cerebral and savvy big who can command Hunter’s attack out of the paint. A master of the defensive rebound and one or two dribbles into a long setup to a streaking teammate in transition-sequence, Cross is a unique talent whose size belies how well he thinks ahead of the action. While he does commit a fair number of overzealous turnovers, Cross – a post player – owns a 24% career assist rate; the fifth-best such mark in Tulane history. Cross handed out 4.2 helpers per game last year, a total which was good for sixth in the league. “He’s a lot like Draymond Green and how he plays for the Warriors,” Hunter says of his ‘point center’. “We took a lot of things (Green) did and incorporated that into (Cross’) game.”
Cross likes a mid-range shot, and will utilize his dribble into a turnaround jumper or runner as he nears the paint. While he’s made 66 career triples, Cross has yet to shoot 30% for the entirety of any season, and he’s smart enough to focus his best efforts inside. Cross made 68.3% of his shots around the rim last season, per Bart Torvik, with a team-high 26 dunks. And, like Forbes, Cross is adept at earning free points. Cross ended up making the eighth and seventh-most free throws in the AAC over his last two seasons, and shoots 77.5% from the stripe for his career. A stout defender who always brings a tremendous effort on both ends, Cross could nonetheless really use some help up front. Despite playing out of his most natural position by having to function largely as the Green Wave’s 5 man for years, Cross has held up well and continued to improve his game. This year, Hunter hopes to have provided Cross with the most help he’s yet had in the paint, and if the fifth-year big can be afforded more room to operate, Tulane’s offense may sizzle like never before.
James may be a step off of the star power that Cross and Forbes command, but the fourth year playmaker has well earned the respect of AAC opponents. With 76 starts over his three years, James is a steady hand to facilitate offense and fill in with whatever else may be needed on a given night. He wears his variety of hats so well, in fact, that Hunter had James on the floor for an average of 37.1 minutes last year, which was the most of any player in the conference. Though he’s not a great outside shooter – and attempted just 17 shots from mid-range last year, per Bart Torvik – James has worked hard to show off a serviceable jumper. To that end, James has established that he can knock down a spot up triple if given time and space, but generally won’t dribble into a deep shot. He wound up ranking eighth in the league in assists per game for the second year in a row, and owns a 209:84 assist-to-turnover ratio the past two seasons. With his great size, length, and smarts defensively, James ranked second in the AAC in steals per game a year ago, and 11th in blocks. James also uses his big frame and bounce to great effectiveness on the glass. Like Cross, he’s a terrific runout-starter in transition, and he also has proven highly capable of taking it to the rack himself; James shot 66% at the rim last year, with 22 dunks of his own. “He’s one of those guys that just has ‘it’ – on and off the court,” Hunter has said of James. “He understands the value of doing the right thing. You don’t have to tell him what to do.” Generous with his time as a volunteer and well-liked by the people of New Orleans, James is out to put all of his considerable talents together in a high-impact senior season.
In Hunter’s go-go offensive system, there’s always got to be bucket-getters. While most teams rely upon having at least three different players who can reliably score, Tulane needs four to run at peak efficiency – though Hunter would also be fine five, six – as many as he can get. The Green Wave led all Division I teams with 77 possessions per game last season; they ranked 14th in the nation per Evan Miya’s True Tempo stat, and finished 19th in the country with 79.9 points scored on average. Last season, with Cook, Forbes and Cross leading the way and James playing his role of the rim-rattling Tinker who provides what’s incalculably missing, things clicked along nicely. If the FISU Tournament is any indication, St. John’s transfer Kolby King is going to step smoothly into the #4 scorer’s role and keep the Green Wave rolling. A quick and lithe guard with a great first step, King has all the scoring instincts which Hunter looks for in his guards. It was a difficult season last year in New York, and the now-sophomore from Pompano Beach, FL, didn’t play a whole lot in his rookie season with the Red Storm. In less than eight minutes per game, he nonetheless showed that he likes to get out and go. He got off 52 shots in his 200 total minutes played, and while he made just 31% of them, he displayed the same willingness to attack the rim and heat up from deep as King flashed in China at the FISU Tournament. He averaged 18.2 points across Tulane’s five official games, including 21 and 23 in the team’s semifinal and medal matchups. “Kolby is a guy that will be counted on right away,” Hunter said. “His ability to be a primary ball handler and a high-level defender is something that we are really looking forward to. He is also as tough as they come and an incredible person. We are lucky to have him.”
While King is looking like a solid new scoring option, Louisiana native Collin Holloway has been steadily building his resumé towards becoming a key contributor. And with Tylan Pope, last year’s sometimes-starter at the other forward spot, having taken his talents to the Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Holloway looks like a very ready replacement. The former Georgetown transfer is listed at just about the same size as Pope, and is comparably athletic. He can score both inside and out, and is creative both in getting his own looks in the paint and generating some for his friends. Holloway also made some key contributions overseas, playing opportunistic defense and crashing the boards. And when his efforts were rewarded with a good look from James or Cross, he made the most of his opportunities. Holloway is a career 35.4% shooter from deep, and when he started 20 games for the Hoyas two years ago, Holloway got to the free throw stripe almost three times per contest, where he’s knocked down 73.4% for his career. He’s a versatile defender who is probably best against frontcourt players, where his quick feet and agility in the paint can be tougher to deal with. “He can play anywhere and has the quickness and toughness to make big plays down low and on the perimeter,” Hunter has said of Holloway. Now the coach is hoping that, like Pope before him and James continues to do, Holloway will chip in with a little bit of everything this year.
There is no doubt that Hunter is going to play his stars. Last year, not only did James lead the AAC in average minutes; Forbes played 36.5, Cook was at 34.5, and Cross averaged 32 minutes per contest. That’s a tremendous workload, and though his guys are clearly built to handle it, their effectiveness at his frenetic pace could surely be enhanced with a bit more help off of the pine. To that end, Hunter hopes to have done enough in the Portal to replace not just Pope but two more of his top four reserves from last season. Tré Williams isn’t new; he played about 11 minutes on average last season, but appeared in just 14 games. He missed most of the final two months of the season with an undisclosed injury, but the 6’6″ wing has plenty of high major experience to add to the rotation. Prior to arriving in New Orleans, the Dallas native had played for both Minnesota and Oregon State over his first three seasons. During that span, he averaged 3.7 points, 1.9 boards and an assist over 17 minutes per game, with 20 combined starts. He will launch a three, but has not been an efficient shooter for his career; especially with his 47% mark from the foul stripe. Things tend to go better when he gets into the paint; Williams is just a 34.6% shooter for his career, but he’s made 61.8 of his shots near the rim the past three seasons, per Bart Torvik. Williams has the size and experience to make a solid impact this year, and scored in double figures a couple of times during the Green Wave’s time at the FISU Tournament – hopefully, a sign of things to come.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 79.9 – Points Per Game (13th) |
| 17.0 – Opponent Assists Per Game (354th) |
| 77.7% – Team FT% (17th) |
| 45.5% – Team Rebounding Rate (345th) |
| 1.382 – Team Assists Per Turnover (27th) |
Logan Stephens and Greg Glenn III are another pair of former Big Ten players looking to earn bigger roles on the old portage between the Mighty Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain than they did up North. Glenn could really help out the frontcourt situation by adding the legitimate depth that’s been lacking the past couple of years. Another Pompano Beach native, the combo forward also has previous experience with Team USA. Glenn won gold playing with the USA’s U-16 team in Belém, Brazil at the 2019 FIBA Americas Championship. He was a 4-star recruit when he arrived in Ann Arbor last season, but redshirted after appearing in just four games during rookie year as Michigan’s boat swayed through an uncertain season. Glenn told Michigan Insider towards the end of last season, “It was a learning experience this year,” Glenn said of his year at Michigan. “I took all the learning from it so I could contribute next year.” He indicated a desire to get into the best shape of his career, and has brought both will and talent to the Green Wave. A forward who can score effectively around the rim when he decides to, Glenn is also very comfortable operating on the wing. And, like Cross, he’s a skilled passer both out of the post and outside of the paint. Not only should he learn a bit from Tulane’s veteran big man, but Hunter hopes that Glenn can combine with Cross on some exciting big-to-big feeds this year. “Gregg is a guy that we are very excited to bring in,” Hunter said. “He brings high level experience not only through his time a Michigan but also with his time with USA basketball. He is a versatile skilled player that is perfect for the position-less style of today’s basketball.” Stephens was a walk-on at Rutgers, but after two years of tremendous work on the scout team for coach Steve Pikiell, is hoping to play a legitimate reserve role for the Green Wave.
VMI transfer Asher Woods has more proven scoring credentials than King, and after a great debut that landed him on the Southern Conference’s All-Freshman team, Woods is looking to play big minutes again for the Green Wave. He led the Keydets in scoring as a rookie, and ranked second in assists. He was streaky from deep, but sank 48 triples at a 31.6% rate last season. If he can bring that percentage up a bit, Woods will also bring tremendous value to a Tulane side which ranked 203rd nationally with a 33.8% team percentage from deep. Woods is confident putting it on the floor, and uses his long strides and a bit of a Euro step to get to the bucket, where he can hang and hit a variety of shots. He attempted at least 116 shots from all three levels last year, per Bart Torvik – and took 96 trips to the foul stripe, where he made 75% of his tries. “With Asher we are getting a proven college scorer,” Hunter said. “We are excited for his ability to not only score but make plays for others as well.” Woods is the type of budding scorer who could really begin to flourish in Hunter’s system, and with Cook’s 19.9 scoring average to be replaced, Woods will get his chance to shine.
Jordan Wood has also moved up to the AAC, and the former Howard wing is hoping to add another deep threat to Hunter’s arsenal. Though he’s yet to average double figures for a full season, the San Antonio native has started 36 career games and splashed 86 triples, including 64 of them at a 37% rate last year as a sophomore. “Jordan will bring proven in-game shooting and athleticism to the wing position for us,” Hunter remarked on Wood when he signed with Tulane. “He has an incredible attitude and will bring maturity and experience to our program.” He may not be the world’s greatest defender, but at 6’9″, Wood’s ability to knock down triples can be a real matchup problem. With similar size at current but a different mindset is Spencer Elliott, a scoring big from Atlanta. Though he played mostly in the post during high school, Elliott can handle the ball a bit and Illinois – among other high major schools – sniffed around him before the Green Wave landed Elliott to help out up front. He is a skilled big, and of him, 247’s Brandon Jenkins said that “his footwork, shooting touch, and comfort in putting the ball on the floor were all noteworthy strengths,” upon seeing Elliott play last year.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| vs Mississippi State – December 9 |
| N – California / UTEP – November 22 |
| vs Furman – December 14 |
| N – Bradley – November 20 |
| vs George Mason – December 22 |
Elliott’s fellow youngsters Percy Daniels and Mier Panoam will round out the rotation. Daniels saw action in just four games last year due to a persistent groin injury, but that he can play hoops at all is a triumph for the Baton Rouge native. Daniels has Type A Hemophilia, and can bleed uncontrollably from even minor cuts or scrapes – not an easy thing to deal with while playing sports. After working hard to find a treatment plan that works, though, Daniels was finally able to play high school basketball. “Usually, a person with hemophilia can’t play any kind of contact sports, including basketball,” said his prep coach, Jeff Jones. “But he does well with the injections, and the doctors are pleased.” Now, if Daniels can leave nagging injuries behind him as well, the 6’9″ youngster could help out significantly. He’s got a nice hook shot, and can protect the rim – and of course, he’ll know what to do with slick feeds from James, Cross & Co. Panoam, who is from Anchorage, Alaska, prepped in Georgia and arrives as the country’s 27th-rated point guard recruit by 247 Sports. “Anybody who has seen Mier play knows how special of an athlete he is,” Hunter says of his new playmaker. “He has the ability to change a game with his athleticism. He is also an incredibly hard worker who lives in the gym.” With James as an example, Panoam looks to be on a nice course as the heir to running Hunter’s attack. He is adept at driving the ball, and is crafty and creative around the bucket.
Things had been tough for awhile at Tulane, but last season was a breath of fresh air. And with the talent both returning and newly-arrived, Hunter has set a hopeful course for the year – and years – to come.
“I came in to build a program, and I feel like this is what we’ve got now,” Hunter told NOLA.com at the end of last season. “We’ve got the respect of the people in this league, and when I first got here there was no respect for Tulane. We’ll just keep building…I’m proud of these guys. We continue to build this program. It’s not the same old Tulane, and I’m really proud of that.”
There are some serious contenders for the AAC title this year, and the likes of Memphis and Florida Atlantic won’t be easy to dethrone. Tulane has got a lot going in the right direction, though. With confidence riding high off of a solid showing on the international stage, ‘ware the AAC – there’s a train scheduled to arrive at Dickies Stadium in mid-March, and it’ll be chugging full-steam ahead.
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