Tulane men’s basketball is rolling into the regular season after defeating Nicholls State University and Northwestern State University at the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse last week. Last season, Tulane finished third in the American Athletic Conference 12-6 and 20-11 overall. With veteran players, bright new additions and a Team USA bronze medal under their belt, Tulane is confident going into the 2023-2024 season.

Tulane has eight key returning players — including seniors and leading scorers Jaylen Forbes and Kevin Cross, as well as key defender and junior guard Sion James. Additionally, Tulane’s opportunity to represent Team USA to win the bronze medal at the Chengdu 2023 World University Games this past summer uniquely prepared the team in comparison to their league rivals. 

“Playing in China was perfect for us,” James said. “In years past in the first few games during the non-conference play, we looked sluggish and slow, but representing Team USA was great for us in terms of allowing us to get reps on the court together. On the softer side of things, it allowed us to bond and get to know each other as a new team. We have seven new guys and it allowed us to get them engulfed in the culture of what Tulane basketball is.” 

The coaching staff was excited to see the potential for the season after Monday’s win against Nicholls State. Although the team was without Forbes, associate head coach Ray McCallum knew the team could face tough obstacles. 

“It was the season opener and we were very excited,” he said. “We had a great balance with four guys scoring 18 or more. We still have to show who can score, regardless of who the opponent is, and we are gonna try to do that most nights. We were pleased to get the win.”

This season the team is bringing in five transfers, including sophomores Gregg Glenn from the University of Michigan and Kolby King from St. John’s University. King came out as the leading scorer with 15 points and five assists in their final exhibition match against Henderson State University 85-64 on Nov. 2.

“The dynamic between the vets and the newcomers is awesome. When recruiting all the new guys, the coaches were very particular about the way that they would fit into our culture, and our coaches did a great job of finding guys who fit us as Tulane basketball,” James said.

As far as expectations for this upcoming season, the team is in full throttle to win their division and earn their place in the NCAA tournament. According to James, their biggest goal is to make it to the NCAA tournament and to advance through it on top of winning an AAC championship. 

“We’ve been knocking on the door for the past few years,” he said. “We feel like this is the year to get it done.”

Tulane will continue regular season play to hopefully earn a 3-0 record at Devlin Fieldhouse this Friday, Nov. 17 versus California State University, Sacramento. Tulane’s team has been improving in years past, and this year they are striving for their seat in the NCAA tournament.