From the Military Bowl to the tipoff of basketball season, winter break was packed with Green Wave sports news. Here is a quick recap of what has gone down over the past couple of weeks.

Transfer Portal

The college football season officially coming to an end marked the opening of the transfer portal, and top players across the country are looking for new opportunities on new teams. Under new head coach Jon Sumrall, the Green Wave has been able to build off of its recent success to recruit the highest-rated players in school history. 

Notably, Tulane secured its quarterback of the future in transfer Ty Thompson, a former four-star recruit out of high school who spent his first three years at the University of Oregon. The Green Wave also got commitments from former four-star recruit Shazz Preston out of the University of Alabama and Mario Williams, who played against Tulane in the 2023 Cotton Bowl for the University of Southern California. 

With a spot in the new 12-team playoff on the line, the Green Wave is building a group capable of going up against any team in the nation. 

Men’s Basketball

On the basketball court, the Green Wave has shown promise but ultimately cannot find consistency. Since Dec. 9, Tulane has had 11 wins and five losses, including just a 2-2 record in American Athletic Conference play thus far. But there have been some positives. Kevin Cross has continued his dominant season, maintaining a 17.3 points per game average, and Jaylen Forbes has found his rhythm after a slow start. 

The Green Wave has proven in recent days that it can hang with the best, as its heartbreaking 1-point loss to No. 23 Florida Atlantic University in Devlin Fieldhouse demonstrated how prolific an offense Ron Hunter’s squad can be. If the team can improve even slightly defensively, the veteran trio of Cross, Forbes and Sion James clearly have the shotmaking ability to lead an unlikely run to the NCAA Tournament in March.

With basketball season in full swing and baseball season coming up, there is plenty to look forward to in Tulane athletics this semester.