Tulane Green Wave Basketball Coach Heaps Praise on Productive Freshman
Tulane Green Wave head coach Ron Hunter was expecting the early portion of the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season to be a bit bumpy for his team.
There were a lot of new faces, as the roster was overhauled in the offseason. Not only was there a lack of continuity from last season, but the team was lacking experience in general.
Transfers Rowan Brumbaugh and Kaleb Banks, from the Georgetown Hoyas and Indiana Hoosiers, were the only players who averaged double-digit minutes per game during a collegiate season along with Gregg Glenn III, one of the holdovers.
There were minutes and roles up for grabs, as everyone was going to have to earn their spot. Brumbaugh and Banks have established themselves as key members of the starting lineup, alongside Mari Jordan, a Georgia Bulldogs transfer, Tyler Ringgold, a former Texas A&M product, and Glenn.
Excitement was high for the incoming freshman class as well. KJ Greene provided the team with another true point guard behind Brumbaugh, something they were lacking last season.
He has played sparingly in the early going, as the Georgetown transfer is playing big minutes.
The freshman who has been standing out with his performance to this point is Kam Williams.
Despite coming off the bench, he is someone who has already earned the trust of the coaching staff. He averages 28.5 minutes per game, which is third on the team and puts him on pace to break Sion James’s freshman record of 26 minutes per game in the Hunter era.
Williams has been stuffing the stat sheet, as he leads the squad in steals (nine), is tied for second in assists (10) and is fifth in scoring (7.4 per game)
“He doesn’t play like a freshman,” Hunter said, via Guerry Smith of NOLA.com. “The game has slowed down for him. Usually the game is still going too fast for them. We can throw a lot at him, and he’s got it figured out. His basketball IQ reminds me so much of R.J.”
He is referring to his son, R.J. Hunter, who played for his dad at Georgia State and was Freshman of the Year in the Colonial Athletic Conference 12 years ago. Williams has a long way to go before reaching that level, but the early results are incredibly positive.
The combination of size, length and athleticism that he brings to the court has been a challenge for some of their opponents to match in the early going. Listed at 6’8” and 190 pounds, he could be a real problem once he fills out.
His two-way impact is what has impressed his head coach the most.
“Offensively, he just plays at a great pace, but what I didn’t know is that he’s a great defender,” Hunter said. “He is an incredible defender, maybe one of the better I’ve ever had. I’ve gone and looked back at the tape we had with R.J., and we’re doing a lot of the same things with Kam right now, especially defensively.”
The Green Wave looks to have found a great prospect in Williams, who is only scratching the surface of his potential.
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.