Tulane Green Wave Have One Achilles Heel That Will Take Time To Overcome
The Tulane Green Wave were able to get the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season off on the right foot on Monday when they defeated the Louisiana Christian Wildcats 76-42.
It was a strong all-around performance by the team, as they were locked in on the defensive side of the ball. The Wildcats shot only 24.6 percent from the field overall and were 3-of-22 from 3-point range.
Kaleb Banks, a transfer from the Indiana Hoosiers, made four 3-pointers on his own in the game, scoring 14 points with 13 rebounds.
He is one of several transfers who are going to be integral parts of Ron Hunter’s rotation this season. The roster is made up of mostly newcomers, as only two players, neither of whom were starters in 2023-24, are back with the team.
Not only does the head coach have a lot of new players to integrate into the lineup, but they are lacking collegiate experience altogether. There isn’t a single senior on the team, which led to a first for the coach in his career on the sidelines.
"I looked down on the floor at one point and we had four freshmen, something I've never done in my coaching career," Hunter said, via Guerry Smith of NOLA.com. "When we came to shootaround this morning, I could not believe the number of guys in our program who had never played a college basketball game. The more games they get underneath them, the more comfortable they'll feel."
Selected to finish in a tie for 11th in the American Athletic Conference with the UTSA Roadrunners, not much is expected from the Green Wave. It is impossible to predict how they will perform without a sample to go off of.
But, those projections should motivate the coaching staff and players as they know they are better than an 11th-place team.
Louisiana Christian was overmatched in the game, but it was certainly encouraging to see a lineup full of players making their collegiate debuts handle things so well.
Banks, Rowan Brumbaugh and Asher Woods are the only players on the roster who have averaged double-digit minutes per game throughout an entire season before this year. Woods and Greg Glenn II are the only returning players for Hunter.
It will take time for these guys to develop chemistry and cohesion on the court. But, the talent is certainly there for the Green Wave to surprise some people in the coming months.
If Hunter can get them to play defense as consistently as they did against the Wildcats, wins are going to stack up. There are a lot of players on this roster from power conference schools that have something to prove.
Over time, their Achilles heel of inexperience will become a thing of the past.
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.