Tulane is on a mission to become a football school and the sport has dominated the recent focus of Tulane Athletics. The emphasis is not without reason; football is a moneymaker in the South.

A higher level of commitment and attention to the football program from the athletic department was required to take the Green Wave to the next level. Tulane entered the 2014-15 NCAA season with the perfect recipe for a football renaissance.

Head coach Curtis Johnson was going to take the Green Wave to new heights following a 7-6 season and a bowl appearance in 2013-14. Redshirt freshman quarterback Tanner Lee was expected to shine in his first season at the helm of Johnson’s offense. Tulane’s stellar 2013 recruiting class featured running back Sherman Badie, linebacker Nico Marley and offensive guard Chris Taylor. Cornerback Parry Nickerson had a year of experience under his belt and improved.

The opening of Yulman Stadium symbolized the rebirth of Tulane football by bringing football back to Tulane’s campus after nearly 40 years in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The hype was real and many fans thought the Wave was going to accomplish something that had never been done in school history: being bowl-eligible in back-to-back seasons.

Tulane, however, finished 3-9 and without a bowl appearance. Injuries and inexperience plagued the team and the competition was tougher than expected. Johnson’s team is heading back to the drawing board looking to improve in 2015-16. 

When the football season came to an end, the sporty spirit died down around campus and it seemed the student body was unlikely to attend another Green Wave sporting event until football next season.

That was until men’s basketball team tipped off its 2014-15 season.

Few people expected much from head coach Ed Conroy’s team this season. After finishing with a 17-17 record in a mildly competitive Conference USA last season, many people thought Conroy’s team would struggle during its inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference.

With NBA Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown leading SMU and the national defending champions Connecticut in the AAC, the Wave looked to be overwhelmed from the beginning. In addition to a fierce conference, the Wave had to play difficult non-conference opponents including Washington, St. Johns and Wake Forest.

With the odds stacked against it, the Wave has a 13-9 record and has been competitive in just about every game.

Conroy’s coaching job this season has been nothing short of a masterpiece and his contemporaries have recognized how impressive his work has been.

“[Conroy] is the most underrated coach I’ve seen,” Brown said following SMU’s 66-52 victory over the Green Wave Jan. 21 at Devlin Fieldhouse. “I’m thankful we had three days to prepare because I don’t think you can play against them without having a lot of preparation.”

Conroy’s leadership has taken an undersized, outweighed and young team to a higher level. Better yet, the Wave is only going to improve going forward.

Tulane’s two leading scorers, sophomore guard Jonathan Stark and junior guard Louis Dabney, both plan on returning next season. Freshman center Dylan Osetkowski is an emerging star and should provide the Green Wave with a very solid interior presence over the next four years.

Conroy’s stellar coaching job this season has been beneficial for the program’s recruiting too. The Wave is attracting talent from all over the country, including two recruits, Taron Oliver and Blake Paul, who are big and agile centers, the most sought after position in basketball. Oliver, Blake and Osetkowski will provide, literally, a “Big 3” next season for the Green Wave to compliment the “House of Guards” which will feature Stark and Dabney.

Conroy’s team will to continue to fight as the season winds down but regardless of the outcome, Tulane fans must wonder how good team will progress in the coming years. The Wave is young, composed and can play anybody.

It is time to admit Conroy is the best thing to happen to the basketball program in a long time. Maybe Tulane is on its way to becoming a basketball school.