Tulane men’s basketball ended its final season in Conference USA last year with a 17-17 record, and an 8-8 record within C-USA landing them No. 7 out of 16 teams in C-USA. The Green Wave now faces tougher conference competition in the American Athletic Conference, with schools such as Memphis, and reigning National Champion, Connecticut. 

Though the Wave didn’t have a ton of success last year, several Tulane players had very strong seasons, including the trio of guards, junior Louis Dabney, sophomore Jonathan Stark, and senior Jay Hook who had 500, 494, and 471 points overall, respectively.

This was the first time since the 1995-96 season that three Tulane players broke the 400-point mark. All three of these players are returning for the 2014-15 season. They, along with other returning players, will be instrumental this season. 

JONATHAN STARK: Stark in particular had an impressive collegiate debut last year as a freshman. Stark earned Freshman All-American honors and C-USA named him to the All-Freshman Team, as well as C-USA Freshman of the Week three times last season. He was the second highest scorer on the team with 14.5 points per game last season. As the starting point guard, he was the only player to start all 34 games last season. He has a knack for scoring and assisted on 143 field goals, averaging 4.2 assists per game, the No. 5 most by any Tulane player in a single season. Stark will certainly be crucial this season and key to running an effective offense.

LOUIS DABNEY: Like Stark, Dabney dominated offensively last year in his breakout season. He started in all 33 games he played in and led the team with 500 points last season. Dabney was named to second team All-Louisiana, as well as receiving C-USA Player of the Week honors on Nov. 18. Dabney is an aggressive and active offensive player, and will be an important factor in Tulane’s success. 

TRE DYRE: At 6’6’’, senior forward Tre Dyre led the team in rebounds last season with 260 for an average of 7.6 rebounds per game, and racked up a total of 233 points last season, Tulane’s No. 4 leading scorer with 6.9 points per game. His strong defensive presence, as well as his experience and leadership will be important in this upcoming season.

KAJON MACK: Unable to play last season due to an ankle injury, redshirt sophomore guard Kajon Mack returns to the court this season. As a true freshman, he saw 29 games as well as 7 starts, in which he posted up 77 points and 35 rebounds. Mack brings an increased element of athleticism to the roster that will no doubt make Tulane’s deep guard rotation, in Stark, Dabney, Hook and Mack, that much more versatile.