Tulane Green Wave Men’s Basketball Highly-Touted Transfers Make Immediate Impact
Not much is expected of the Tulane Green Wave men’s basketball team during the 2024-25 season.
Coaches in the American Athletic Conference have picked them to finish in a tie for 11th, out of 13 teams, with the UTSA Roadrunners. After their underwhelming performance last year, it isn’t a surprise that people are down on the team.
But, a lot of the issues that plagued the Green Wave were addressed this offseason with transfers and excellent high school recruiting.
Arguably the biggest hole on the roster was their lack of a point guard. That will no longer be an issue with Georgetown Hoyas transfer Roawn Brumbaugh and freshman KJ Greene handling the backcourt duties.
In their season-opener against the NAIA Louisiana Christian Wildcats, Brumbaugh showcased just what he can provide. He handed out seven assists with zero turnovers, helping get an offense on track that struggled for portions of the game.
The former Hoya is one of several highly-touted transfers that Ron Hunter was able to bring into the program. Another was Mari Jordan, who came to Tulane after one injury-riddled season with the Georgia Bulldogs.
He was excellent in his debut, leading the team with an efficient 18 points on 7-of-12 from the field. The former Bulldog rounded out his stat line with four rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
"I felt great," Jordan said, via Guerry Smith of NOLA.com. "I'm so happy to play my first college game. I felt the energy. We were getting stops on defense and getting points in transition, so that's what was really working for us."
12 of those 18 points came in a second-half stretch that helped the Green Wave put the Wildcats away in what ended up being a 76-42 rout. They took full advantage of an undersized team, dominating the glass and playing stifling defense.
Another new addition to the starting lineup alongside Brumbaugh and Jordan is Kaleb Banks. After seldomly playing the previous two campaigns with the Indiana Hoosiers, he is going to be an integral part of the rotation.
He played 27 minutes, showing off an impressive 3-point shot as he knocked down 4-of-6 attempts. Banks dominated the boards as well, grabbing a game-high 13 to go along with three assists, one steal, and one block.
This is the exact kind of performance you want to see against an overmatched team. It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but they got the job done and there were a lot of positives to take away from the victory.
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.