2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team represents Tulane University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Green Wave, led by second-year head coach Ron Hunter, play 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.

2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
2020–21 record10–13 (4–12 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDevlin Fieldhouse
2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Wichita State11–2 .84616–6  .727
No. 6 Houston †14–3 .82428–4  .875
Memphis11–4 .73320–8  .714
SMU7–4 .63611–6  .647
Cincinnati8–6 .57112–11  .522
UCF8–10 .44411–12  .478
Tulsa7–9 .43811–12  .478
South Florida4–10 .2869–13  .409
Temple4–10 .2865–11  .313
Tulane4–12 .25010–13  .435
East Carolina2–10 .1678–11  .421
† 2021 AAC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

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

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Charlie Russell Jr.0G/F6'7"190FreshmanNew Orleans, LATransferred to UMass Lowell[1]
K. J. Lawson1G/F6'7"215Graduate StudentMemphis, TNCompleted college eligibility[lower-alpha 1]
Ray Ona Embo3G6'5"195RS JuniorLognes, FranceLeft team (mid-season)[2]
TeShuan Hightower5G6'5"190JuniorLithonia, GADismissed from team[3]
Kevin Zhang12F6'10"220SophomoreShenyang, ChinaPlay professionally[4]
Nic Thomas14G6'1"185Graduate StudentArlington, TXCompleted college eligibility[lower-alpha 1]
Grant Quinn15G6'5"200RS JuniorLewisville, TXWalk-on; did not return
Christion Thompson25G6'4"215Graduate StudentGonzales, LACompleted college eligibility[lower-alpha 1]
Cameron Galic32G6'6"205JuniorBethesda, MDWalk-on; did not return
  1. 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
NamePos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Oton JankovicF6'10"212SophomoreZagreb, CroatiaTransferred from Vanderbilt. Jankovic was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.[5] Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[6]
Gabe WatsonG6'2"192JuniorJackson, MSTransferred from Southern Miss. Watson was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.[7] Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[8]
Jaylen ForbesG6'4"186SophomoreFlorence, MSTransferred from Alabama. Forbes was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[9][10]
Kevin CrossF6'8"240SophomoreLittle Rock, ARTransferred from Nebraska. Cross was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[11][10]

2020 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    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 14 April 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

    AAC preseason media poll

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

    Coaches Poll
    Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
    1Houston99 (2)
    2Memphis90 (2)
    3SMU80
    4Cincinnati77
    5South Florida61
    6Tulsa50
    7Wichita State44
    8UCF37
    9East Carolina34
    10Temple18
    11Tulane15

    Roster
    2020–21 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 0 Gabe Watson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)192 lb (87 kg) JrSt. Joseph
    Southern Miss    		 Jackson, MS
    G 1 Sion James 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)185 lb (84 kg) FrLanier Buford, GA
    G 2 Jordan Walker 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)170 lb (77 kg) RS JrThe Patrick School
    Seton Hall    		 Port Washington, NY
    F 3 Tylan Pope 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS FrFranklinton Franklinton, LA
    F 4 Nobal Days 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoRacine Park Racine, WI
    F 5 Kevin Cross 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)240 lb (109 kg) SoMills HS
    Nebraska    		 Little Rock, AR
    F 10 Oton Jankovic 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg) SoMontverde Academy
    Vanderbilt    		 Zagreb, Croatia
    F 11 Ibrahim Ali 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS SoMaumelle
    Arkansas    		 Lagos, Nigeria
    G 12 Jadan Coleman 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)155 lb (70 kg) FrBob Jones Madison, AL
    C 13 Buay Koka 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS JrThe Patrick School Nasir, South Sudan
    G 23 R. J. McGee 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoTaylorMade Academy Chicago, IL
    G 25 Jaylen Forbes 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)186 lb (84 kg) SoFlorence HS
    Alabama    		 Florence, MS
    G 32 Ben Callahan-Gold (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg) FrNorthfield Mount Hermon New York, NY
    G 34 Alec Zaccardo (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)160 lb (73 kg) JrLincoln-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

    COVID-19 impact
    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 10th was moved to Tulsa.[14]

    Schedule
    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

    All-AAC Third Team
    • Jaylen Forbes

    Source[19]

    References
    1. Langone, Matt (27 Apr 2020). "Notebook: UMass Lowell's Noel testing NBA draft waters". lowellsun.com. Lowell Sun. Retrieved 30 Apr 2020.
    2. Smith, Guerry [@Guersmith] (1 Dec 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 14 Apr 2020 – via Twitter.
    3. Schlabach, Mark (26 Apr 2020). "Tulane guard Teshaun Hightower charged with murder in Georgia". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved 26 Apr 2020.
    4. Zacher, Benjamin (27 Oct 2020). "Tulane Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Green Wave". bustingbrackets.com. Retrieved 1 Dec 2020. Zhang left the program to play professionally in China.
    5. "Men's Basketball Transfer Oton Jankovic Granted Immediate Eligibility". tulanegreenwave.com. Tulane Athletics. 19 Oct 2020. Retrieved 1 Dec 2020.
    6. "Men's Basketball Adds Vanderbilt Transfer Oton Jankovic". tulanegreenwave.com. Tulane Athletics. 17 Apr 2020. Retrieved 21 Apr 2020.
    7. @GoodmanHoops (24 Aug 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] (18 Apr 2020). "Source: Southern Miss transfer Gabe Watson has committed to Tulane" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 Apr 2020 – via Twitter.
    9. "Tulane Men's Basketball Adds Alabama Transfer Jaylen Forbes". wgno.com. WGNO. 22 Apr 2020. Retrieved 30 Apr 2020.
    10. Goodman, Jeff [@GoodmanHoops] (19 Aug 2020). "Tulane got waivers for Jalen Forbes (Alabama) and Kevin Cross (Nebraska), Ron Hunter told @Stadium. Both eligible for this season" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 Aug 2020 – via Twitter.
    11. Rothstein, Jon [@JonRothstein] (1 May 2020). "Source: Nebraska transfer Kevin Cross has committed to Tulane" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 May 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 25 Jun 2020.
    13. "Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
    14. "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. 3 Feb 2021.
    15. "Tulane-UCF Game Scheduled for Dec. 30 Postponed". theamerican.org. 18 Jan 2021.
    16. "Tulane-Tulsa Game Scheduled for Jan. 23 Postponed". theamerican.org. 22 Jan 2021.
    17. "The American Announces Changes to Men's Basketball Schedule". 16 Feb 2021.
    18. "The American Announces Changes to Final Weekend of Regular Season". theamerican.org. 2 Mar 2021.
    19. "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. 2021-03-10. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
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