Hell Week: designed for team bonding and a test of physical endurance, it pit the Tulane Men’s Basketball team, led by senior guard Louis Dabney, against the Tulane ROTC this past September.

“From Monday to Friday, 5 o’clock workout and a two-hour workout,” Dabney said. “With the army guys we do all these different type of drills. For instance, the last one [the team] had, we ran from [campus] all the way to the levee and did a lot of drills there [and] then we had to run back. We did the drills against the army guys it was like competing until your body hurts.”  

Throughout the physically strenuous exercises there is no doubt that team chemistry slowly develops between the newly acquired Green Wave athletes.

The Tulane men’s basketball team suffered a disappointing offseason when the fifth and final player, Payton Henson, decided to take his talents elsewhere and no longer compete with the Green Wave.

This move left head coach Ed Conroy with only two true upperclassmen on the roster to help lead the best recruiting class for Tulane in 15 years.

Louis Dabney automatically slid into the main leadership role determined to make his senior season a winning one. 

“I have always been a leader on this team and it has always been the same so it is not really any different feeling,” Dabney said. “I have a great group of guys that listen to everything that I say so it makes it a lot easier.”

Louis Dabney fits the leadership role perfectly when examining his success throughout his Tulane career. He is considered one of the biggest scoring contributors throughout his years playing.

Last year Dabney managed to lead the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game. He was also named third team All-Louisiana and second team All-American Athletic Conference. Due to his consistent play, he started 30 out of 31 games last season.

Even though the Green Wave’s performance against the Loyola Wolf Pack on Nov. 5 did not meet Louis Dabney’s standards, the freshmen carried their own weight and played with the physicality Dabney has been reinforcing throughout the off-season. 

“What I emphasize the most to my freshmen is that this league is really physical and it is nothing like high school,” Dabney said. “You want to stress the importance for them to play hard every possession.”

The Tulane men’s basketball team was recently predicted to finish last in the AAC preseason coaches’ poll. It is likely Tulane received this ranking since the team is comprised of newcomers and there is no way to predict the outcome of the season. Also, the conference is more competitive this year with UConn ranked 20th nationally, SMU and Cincinnati receiving votes and other teams in AAC becoming stronger overall. Dabney stills remains optimistic.

Dabney gives the five freshmen a respectable individual to look up to and though quiet, he does all he can to inspire his team and guide them toward success.

“We have the pieces,” Dabney said. “I feel that we can win a conference championship.”