Tulane Green Wave-76 

Vs

Louisiana Christian-42

By:Patrick Harkness

The Tulane Green Wave kicked off their 2024-2025 season with a Win against Louisiana Christian. With 10 new players it was exciting to see how Ron Hunter and this coaching staff is going to use these athletes as the season progresses. Essentially this was a scrimmage against a far lesser opponent. It wasn't always pretty during the game but with the last 10 minutes of the game you started to see something in this Green Wave team that excites me as the season progresses. The first half they started out strong with Kaleb Banks knocking down 3, 3 pointers. Then things got a little shaky midway through the first half with Tulane struggling to put points on the board. They were able to capitalize on some key mistakes by Louisiana Christian that allowed them to end the first half strong. The first half of play Tulane was 9-14 from the floor with an FG% of 37.5. This is an area that must improve and I'm going to take that as first game jitters and new guys getting a feel for each other on the court. Beyond the arc they were 4-10 shooting 40%. Kaleb Banks was nailing deep corner threes with ease hitting nothing but net. Kaleb really surprised me with his 3-point ability. I knew he had some ability there, but you can tell he has put in a lot of work and could be Tulane's 3-point specialist. At the end of the first half Tulane was up 33 to 21. The second half they seemed to settle in and improve in all areas of the game. Shooting 44.4% (16-36) from the floor and 42.9% (6-14) beyond the arc. The last 7 minutes of the game you actually got to see what this team is all about with Freshman transfer Mari Jordan leading this team into a strong charge to end the game. Final stats for Tulane FG% 25-60 (41.7%), 3PT% 10-24 (41.7), FT% 16-22 (72.7), REB 48, Assists 17, STL 4, 10 blocks and 11 turnovers. Let's get into individual performances. 

Starting 5- Small Ball/Fast lineup

Rowan Brumbaugh- Led the team in assists with 7 and finished with 9 points mostly from the free throw line going 4-6. Didn't have the greatest night shooting going 2-10, but he will bounce back. He is a great facilitator and also has great driving ability to the rim letting the defense crash down on him and Rowan has great vision and awareness to find the open man for a shot. I asked Coach Hunter after the game if this could be a focal point for Tulane and Rowan moving forward, he said “Rowan has great ability to drive and kick it out to the open man”. It'll be fun to see him used in the pick and roll game.

Asher Woods- Totaled almost 17 minutes in the game with 3 points and one assist. He didn't have his best game but look for him to rebound “no pun intended”. Asher has a lot of ability that's waiting to be unleashed his true freshman year at VMI before he transferred to Tulane he averaged 14 points a game. Will be a key player for this Green Wave team.

Mari Jordan- Played his first collegiate game. Led the team in points and is expected to be the main guy throughout the season. Mari really led his team down the final stretch of this game by collecting 12 points in the second half. He was 7-12 from the field and 2-3 from beyond the arc while also getting 2 steals, 2 blocks, and 4 rebounds. He's a strong finisher at the rim with multiple moves he can use to get there and has a great 3-point shot. Really excited to watch the Freshman this year.

Kaleb Banks- Junior transfer from Indiana totaled 27 minutes on the floor while leading the team in rebounds with 13 (2 offensive and 11 defensive). Was second on the team with 14 points. Also collected 3 assists, a steal and blocked shot. Kaleb came out firing from the deep corner nailing 3 shots from beyond the arc. He has truly developed a really nice 3-point game and could be Tulane's 3-point specialist going forward. On the night he was 4-6 beyond the arc. He is also a really good rebounder, something Tulane has been needing over the years. Look for him, Gregg Glenn, and Tyler Ringgold to help Tulane improve in this area and defensively.

Gregg Glenn- Totaled 22 minutes and was third on the team in points with 11 while also collecting 4 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Coach Hunter stated that he didn't have his best night but looked for Glenn to bounce back and be a key staple for this team moving forward. He scored 20 points in the previous exhibition game.

Bench- 4 to 6 players 

Tyler Ringgold- Should be one of the first players off the bench or even starting in certain matchups but boy was this young freshman exciting to watch. Tyler Started the second half. He showed great driving ability to the rim all night and looks to be a strong finisher. He totaled almost 20 minutes off the bench and was a spark plug that got the team going. Coach Hunter stated that Tyler will be that Swiss army knife and reminds him a lot of Sion and plays that similar role. On the night he finished with 10 points going 3-6 from the field and 4-4 from the foul line. He also tacked on 2 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Look for him to be a defensive staple with his physical play and forcing tough shots for the opponent.

Kam Williams- The true freshman got a lot of action in this game and looks to be a key part off the bench moving forward with some starting ability as the season progresses or certain matchups. He totaled 19 minutes going 2-5 from the court and 2-5 from the foul line putting his total points up to 6 while adding on 3 assists and 2 rebounds. It'll be fun to watch the hometown hero play this year and once he settles in watch his talents explode.

Spencer Elliot- The 6-10 RS Freshman got to play his first collegiate game this year totaling 12 minutes with adding on 4 rebounds and 2 points. Will be a good low block center for Tulane this year and has the ability to shoot from the 3-point line. But defensively is where Tulane will need him the most. He shows good shot blocking and rebounding ability while also being a skilled passer

KJ Greene- The highest rated recruit in Tulane history got in on some action as well. Tallied 5 minutes. Attempted only one shot and missed while causing a couple turnovers. He did a good job coming in for Rowan and giving him a spell. Look for KJ to improve as the season progresses and become more involved down the season stretch. Another young exciting piece to watch with a lot of potential.

Micheal Eley- I was expecting Eley to be a little more involved but only got in for 4 and a half minutes. He transferred over from Siena where he averaged 13 points a game. The guy is super athletic and a good defender and decent rebounder. Maybe we will only see him come in on key defensive opportunities, but the season just started so let's not look too hard into this. He was one of my favorite transfers this offseason.

Percy Daniels- Another guy who I thought would get more of an opportunity but only got in for 3 minutes and got a rebound and a block. The season has just begun so I'm sure his minutes will increase. He was originally committed to Seton Hall before Tulane stole him away, also had an offer from LSU. He got to play in 27 games last year for Tulane. He's a 6-10 Center with ability to score down low and from the perimeter with good defensive skills.

Logan Stephens- Former walk-on at Rutgers before he settled in at Tulane. He got 3 minutes on the night and hit a beautiful 3 pointer. 

Stefan Cicic- The true freshman center got in for 2 minutes. With Percy and Spencer in front of him he shouldn't get a whole lot of playing time this year. Should be a key developmental guy in the years to come

Joseph Teich-The Walk-on freshman guard got his first minutes of his career for Tulane with a minute and a half and almost knocked down a shot. Another developmental piece for Tulane down the road

Jake Shapiro- Also got in for a minute and a half for Tulane where he attempted a shot and got a rebound.  

Roll Wave!!!

This is Patrick Harkness and you can follow me on X @rolldatwave and @BeInTheKneaux everywhere.