In their first game with an almost entirely new roster, Tulane University steamrolled their way to a 76-42 victory over Louisiana Christian University for their first game of the season. The Green Wave especially dominated in the second half, where they outscored the Wildcats by 22 points. 

University of Georgia transfer Mari Jordan led the team with 18 points, which included an emphatic breakaway slam in the second half. Starting big man, Kaleb Banks, added a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in a game where he also drained four 3-pointers.  

However, according to new assistant coach and former Boston Celtics first-round pick R.J. Hunter, it was sixth man Tyler Ringgold that propelled the team to a win. 

“Tyler is very skilled, but skill wasn’t the thing that got it done today. It was his energy,” Hunter said. “Tyler could wake up out of bed and bring that [energy]. He’s just a dog.” 

Ringgold was very aggressive in his first game with the Wave, as shown by his confidence in driving into contact, finishing at the rim and out-jumping opposing players for rebounds. After redshirting during his first season at Texas A&M and transferring back to his home state of Louisiana, Ringgold expressed his gratitude for the relationships he’s already built with Tulane basketball. 

“I just really got a vibe with the coaches and the players here, this connection made me come here,” he said. “I’m from here, too, so I get to see my family a lot.” When asked about being aggressive, Ringgold also mentioned how he just tried to play his role: “Coming out here, playing hard, trying to do whatever I can do to get the win.”  

Hunter praised everyone’s defensive effort, as the players stayed disciplined and did not fall for pump fakes. However, he noted that the offense looked very sloppy at times. 

“It comes down to spacing. It’s not X’s and O’s, it’s not strategy. It’s trust in your team,” Hunter said. “I think we get antsy in space. I think that if we get our spacing down with the defense, it’s dangerous.”  

The new-look squad showed a lot of promise in their exhibition against Spring Hill College last week, and they built on it. While being one of the more inexperienced college teams in the country with not a single senior on the roster, they showed a lot of poise and calmness once they settled in.  

After a season characterized by a blazing offense and a terrible defense, head coach Ron Hunter looked to dramatically fix the latter with coaching and athleticism. Signs point towards his success. Yet, the team still needs to find an offensive identity. They did shoot 41.7% from behind the arc on 24 shots, but they are not going to be able to rely on that so heavily against better teams. 

As R.J. Hunter said, they need to figure out their spacing and who they are. Let’s see if they can find themselves against the University of Louisiana at Monroe this Friday at 6:30 p.m.