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2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team

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2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record10–13 (4–12 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDevlin Fieldhouse
Seasons
2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Wichita State 11 – 2   .846 16 – 6   .727
No. 6 Houston † 14 – 3   .824 28 – 4   .875
Memphis 11 – 4   .733 20 – 8   .714
SMU 7 – 4   .636 11 – 6   .647
Cincinnati 8 – 6   .571 12 – 11   .522
UCF 8 – 10   .444 11 – 12   .478
Tulsa 7 – 9   .438 11 – 12   .478
South Florida 4 – 10   .286 9 – 13   .409
Temple 4 – 10   .286 5 – 11   .313
Tulane 4 – 12   .250 10 – 13   .435
East Carolina 2 – 10   .167 8 – 11   .421
† 2021 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team represented Tulane University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Green Wave, led by second-year head coach Ron Hunter, played their home games at Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans, Louisiana, as seventh-year members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 10-13, 4-12 in AAC Play to finish in 10th place. They defeated Tulsa in the first round of the AAC tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Houston.

Previous season

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The Green Wave 12–18, 4–14 in AAC play to finish in 12th place. They entered as the No. 12 seed in the AAC tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Charlie Russell Jr. 0 G/F 6'7" 190 Freshman New Orleans, LA Transferred to UMass Lowell[1]
K. J. Lawson 1 G/F 6'7" 215 Graduate Student Memphis, TN Completed college eligibility[a]
Ray Ona Embo 3 G 6'5" 195 RS Junior Lognes, France Left team (mid-season)[2]
TeShuan Hightower 5 G 6'5" 190 Junior Lithonia, GA Dismissed from team[3]
Kevin Zhang 12 F 6'10" 220 Sophomore Shenyang, China Play professionally[4]
Nic Thomas 14 G 6'1" 185 Graduate Student Arlington, TX Completed college eligibility[a]
Grant Quinn 15 G 6'5" 200 RS Junior Lewisville, TX Walk-on; did not return
Christion Thompson 25 G 6'4" 215 Graduate Student Gonzales, LA Completed college eligibility[a]
Cameron Galic 32 G 6'6" 205 Junior Bethesda, MD Walk-on; did not return
  1. ^ a b c Lawson, Thomas, and Thompson were all graduate transfers in the 2019–20 season, with Lawson having graduated from Kansas, Thomas from Norfolk State, and Thompson from Rhode Island.

Incoming Transfers

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Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Oton Jankovic F 6'10" 212 Sophomore Zagreb, Croatia Transferred from Vanderbilt. Jankovic was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.[5] Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[6]
Gabe Watson G 6'2" 192 Junior Jackson, MS Transferred from Southern Miss. Watson was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.[7] Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[8]
Jaylen Forbes G 6'4" 186 Sophomore Florence, MS Transferred from Alabama. Forbes was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[9][10]
Kevin Cross F 6'8" 240 Sophomore Little Rock, AR Transferred from Nebraska. Cross was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[11][10]

2020 recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jadan Coleman
SG 		Madison, AL Bob Jones High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Nov 15, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Sion James
PG 		Buford, GA Lanier High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 1, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 131
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 14, 2020.

Tulane will also add Preferred Walk-on Ben Callahan-Gold, a 6'7" swingman from Northfield Mount Hermon School. Ben is the son of comedian Judy Gold.[12]

Preseason

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AAC preseason media poll

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On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[13]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 99 (2)
2 Memphis 90 (2)
3 SMU 80
4 Cincinnati 77
5 South Florida 61
6 Tulsa 50
7 Wichita State 44
8 UCF 37
9 East Carolina 34
10 Temple 18
11 Tulane 15

Roster

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2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Gabe Watson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Jr St. Joseph
Southern Miss 		Jackson, MS
G 1 Sion James 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Lanier Buford, GA
G 2 Jordan Walker 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Jr The Patrick School
Seton Hall 		Port Washington, NY
F 3 Tylan Pope 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Franklinton Franklinton, LA
F 4 Nobal Days 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Racine Park Racine, WI
F 5 Kevin Cross Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Mills HS
Nebraska 		Little Rock, AR
F 10 Oton Jankovic 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Montverde Academy
Vanderbilt 		Zagreb, Croatia
F 11 Ibrahim Ali 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS So Maumelle
Arkansas 		Lagos, Nigeria
G 12 Jadan Coleman 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Fr Bob Jones Madison, AL
C 13 Buay Koka 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr The Patrick School Nasir, South Sudan
G 23 R. J. McGee 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So TaylorMade Academy Chicago, IL
G 25 Jaylen Forbes 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 186 lb (84 kg) So Florence HS
Alabama 		Florence, MS
G 32 Ben Callahan-Gold (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Northfield Mount Hermon New York, NY
G 34 Alec Zaccardo (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr Lincoln-Sudbury Regional
MassBay CC 		Boston, MA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: June 29, 2020

Schedule and results

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COVID-19 impact

[edit]
Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Green Wave's schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.

  • The game vs. Tulsa scheduled for February 10 was moved to Tulsa.[14]

Schedule

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Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 27, 2020
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Lamar
Tulane Classic 		W 66–57  1–0
  15 – Forbes   7 – Forbes   4 – Walker  Devlin Fieldhouse (100)
New Orleans, LA
November 29, 2020*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Lipscomb
Tulane Classic 		W 68–66  2–0
  16 – Tied   8 – McGee   6 – Walker  Devlin Fieldhouse (100)
New Orleans, LA
December 9, 2020*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Southern Miss W 58–38  3–0
  15 – McGee   11 – McGee   6 – Walker  Devlin Fieldhouse (100)
New Orleans, LA
December 12, 2020*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Arkansas–Pine Bluff W 67–56  4–0
  16 – Forbes   9 – Forbes   3 – Walker  Devlin Fieldhouse (100)
New Orleans, LA
December 16, 2020
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Memphis L 74–80  4–1
(0–1) 		 18 – Watson   5 – Tied   4 – Walker  Devlin Fieldhouse (100)
New Orleans, LA
December 19, 2020*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Grambling State W 77–65  5–1
  21 – Forbes   6 – Tied   5 – Tied  Devlin Fieldhouse (100)
New Orleans, LA
December 22, 2020
2:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at East Carolina L 58–68  5–2
(0–2) 		 16 – Forbes   7 – McGee   4 – Watson  Williams Arena (65)
Greenville, NC
January 2, 2020
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		East Carolina W 60–56  6–2
(1–2) 		 20 – Forbes   7 – Cross   2 – Watson  Devlin Fieldhouse (100)
New Orleans, LA
January 9, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at No. 11 Houston L 50–71  6–3
(1–3) 		 13 – Walker   6 – Pope   3 – Watson  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
January 16, 2020
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Temple
Previously scheduled for Jan. 6 		L 57–65  6–4
(1–4) 		 14 – Forbes   5 – Tied   4 – James  Devlin Fieldhouse (100)
New Orleans, LA
January 20, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		SMU Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[15] Devlin Fieldhouse 
New Orleans, LA
January 23, 2020
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Tulsa Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[16] Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
January 28, 2020
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		Houston L 60–83  6–5
(1–5) 		 16 – Walker   9 – Cross   4 – Walker  Devlin Fieldhouse 
New Orleans, LA
January 31, 2020
11:00 a.m., ESPN+ 		at Temple W 81–64  7–5
(2–5) 		 23 – Forbes   13 – Pope   8 – Walker  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
February 3, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Wichita State L 67–75  7–6
(2–6) 		 23 – Walker   8 – Pope   4 – Walker  Charles Koch Arena 
Wichita, KS
February 7, 2020
11:00 a.m., ESPN+ 		Cincinnati L 61–64  7–7
(2–7) 		 15 – Forbes   9 – Pope   4 – Walker  Devlin Fieldhouse 
New Orleans, LA
February 10, 2020
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Tulsa W 58–48  8–7
(3–7) 		 20 – Forbes   7 – Pope   7 – Walker  Reynolds Center (100)
Tulsa, OK
February 12, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at UCF
Previously scheduled for Dec. 30 		L 49–53  8–8
(3–8) 		 14 – Tied   8 – Forbes   5 – Walker  Addition Financial Arena (1,420)
Orlando, FL
February 14, 2021
1:00 pm, ESPNU 		at South Florida
Previously scheduled for Feb. 13 		W 62–59  9–8
(4–8) 		 19 – Forbes   5 – Tied   4 – Walker  Yuengling Center 
Tampa, FL
February 17, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at SMU Postponed due to severe weather[17] Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
February 20, 2020
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		UCF L 81–84  9–9
(4–9) 		 30 – Forbes   8 – Cross   10 – Walker  Devlin Fieldhouse 
New Orleans, LA
February 24, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Memphis L 46–61  9–10
(4–10) 		 18 – Walker   10 – Forbes   3 – Walker  FedEx Forum (2,253)
Memphis, TN
February 26, 2020
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Cincinnati
Previously scheduled for Jan. 16 		L 71–91  9–11
(4–11) 		 37 – Forbes   4 – James   3 – Watson  Fifth Third Arena (1,135)
Cincinnati, OH
March 3, 2020
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Wichita State L 70–78  9–12
(4–12) 		 17 – Walker   9 – McGee   4 – Walker  Devlin Fieldhouse (100)
New Orleans, LA
March 6, 2020
11:00 a.m., ESPNU 		South Florida Cancelled due to scheduling changes[18] Devlin Fieldhouse 
New Orleans, LA
AAC tournament
March 11, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPNU 		(10) vs. (7) Tulsa
First Round 		W 77–70  10–12
  24 – Walker   7 – Tied   7 – Walker  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 12, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(10) vs. (2) No. 7 Houston
Quarterfinals 		L 52–77  10–13
  11 – Cross   5 – McGee   4 – Cross  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Awards and honors

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American Athletic Conference honors

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All-AAC Third Team

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  • Jaylen Forbes

Source[19]

References

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  1. ^ Langone, Matt (April 27, 2020). "Notebook: UMass Lowell's Noel testing NBA draft waters". lowellsun.com. Lowell Sun. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  2. ^ Smith, Guerry [@Guersmith] (December 1, 2019). "#Tulane guard Ray Ona Embo has left the team and returned to France, coach Ron Hunter said after Sunday's win over Southern. Backing up Jordan Walker, Ona Embo was averaging 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 21.8 minutes" (Tweet). Retrieved April 14, 2020 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Schlabach, Mark (April 26, 2020). "Tulane guard Teshaun Hightower charged with murder in Georgia". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  4. ^ Zacher, Benjamin (October 27, 2020). "Tulane Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Green Wave". bustingbrackets.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020. Zhang left the program to play professionally in China.
  5. ^ "Men's Basketball Transfer Oton Jankovic Granted Immediate Eligibility". tulanegreenwave.com. Tulane Athletics. October 19, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  6. ^ "Men's Basketball Adds Vanderbilt Transfer Oton Jankovic". tulanegreenwave.com. Tulane Athletics. April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  7. ^ @GoodmanHoops (August 24, 2020). "Tulane has received a waiver for Gabe Watson to play this season, Ron Hunter told @Stadium. Tulane now with three transfer waivers. Watson transferred in from Southern Miss" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Rothstein, Jon [@JonRothstein] (April 18, 2020). "Source: Southern Miss transfer Gabe Watson has committed to Tulane" (Tweet). Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ "Tulane Men's Basketball Adds Alabama Transfer Jaylen Forbes". wgno.com. WGNO. April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Goodman, Jeff [@GoodmanHoops] (August 19, 2020). "Tulane got waivers for Jalen Forbes (Alabama) and Kevin Cross (Nebraska), Ron Hunter told @Stadium. Both eligible for this season" (Tweet). Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Rothstein, Jon [@JonRothstein] (May 1, 2020). "Source: Nebraska transfer Kevin Cross has committed to Tulane" (Tweet). Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Burack, Emily. "Judy Gold's son will be playing Div. I college basketball, and Ben Stiller is cheering him on". jta.org. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  13. ^ "Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  14. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. February 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "Tulane-UCF Game Scheduled for Dec. 30 Postponed". theamerican.org. January 18, 2021.
  16. ^ "Tulane-Tulsa Game Scheduled for Jan. 23 Postponed". theamerican.org. January 22, 2021.
  17. ^ "The American Announces Changes to Men's Basketball Schedule". February 16, 2021.
  18. ^ "The American Announces Changes to Final Weekend of Regular Season". theamerican.org. March 2, 2021.
  19. ^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
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