Trip to Cancun Was Anything but Paradise for Tulane Green Wave Needing Bounce Back
The Tulane Green Wave men’s basketball team has fallen on some tough times over the last week.
After being defeated by the New Orleans Privateers in overtime on Nov. 22, 93-87, they headed out of the country for a holiday tournament. The Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya started with a matchup against the Wyoming Cowboys.
Things got off to a slow start, but Tulane ended the first half on a high note, taking a six-point lead. They were able to expand that to 16 points early in the second half, but things fell apart during the final 13 or so minutes of the game.
It resulted in a devastating 64-63 loss, as Obi Agbim knocked down a 3-pointer with 9.6 seconds remaining to give his team the win.
The loss was bad enough, but things got worse when head coach Ron Hunter revealed that the team’s leading scorer, Kaleb Banks, was dealing with an injury. After landing hard on his hip, he was unable to play in the second game in Cancun against the Belmont Bruins.
Without him in the mix, the Green Wave were unable to keep up with the motivated Missouri Valley Conference contenders. They shot only 39 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
The Bruins were on fire, as they shot 47 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range in the 89-66 loss.
In addition to Banks, starting point guard Rowan Brumbaugh is also dealing with an ankle injury. Both will undergo testing to determine the severity of their injuries.
Backup center Percy Daniels is also banged up and played only two minutes against Belmont. Gregg Glenn III is also working his way back to normal after taking a few blows to the head against the Furman Paladins.
It will be interesting to see who Hunter will have at his disposal for Monday night’s game against the Southeast Louisiana Lions. If they are down multiple key rotation pieces, it will be a tall task picking up a win, even against a team from the Southland Conference.
If they are out, it will take a total team effort to get things on track offensively. Without Brumbaugh, the only other true point guard is freshman KJ Greene. Asher Woods could be asked to handle the ball more along with freshman Kam Williams.
Williams has been a revelation for Hunter in the early going. A two-way dynamo, he was excellent off the bench before moving into the starting lineup for the last three games.
His production has continued, as he is stuffing the stat sheet. Even with his shot not falling against Belmont, he recorded five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block with only one turnover in 27 minutes played.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.