2019–20 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team represented Tulane University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Green Wave, led by first-year head coach Ron Hunter, played their home games at Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans, Louisiana as sixth-year members of the American Athletic Conference.^[1]

2019–20 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Record	12–18 (4–14 AAC)
Head coach	Ron Hunter (1st season)
Assistant coaches	Ray McCallum Claude Pardue Kevin Johnson
Home arena	Devlin Fieldhouse
Seasons ← 2018–19 2020–21 →

2019–20 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Cincinnati	13	–	5		.722			20	–	10		.667
No. 22 Houston	13	–	5		.722			23	–	8		.742
Tulsa	13	–	5		.722			21	–	10		.677
Wichita State	11	–	7		.611			23	–	8		.742
UConn	10	–	8		.556			19	–	12		.613
Memphis	10	–	8		.556			21	–	10		.677
SMU	9	–	9		.500			19	–	11		.633
UCF	7	–	11		.389			16	–	14		.533
South Florida	7	–	11		.389			14	–	17		.452
Temple	6	–	12		.333			14	–	17		.452
East Carolina	5	–	13		.278			11	–	20		.355
Tulane	4	–	14		.222			12	–	18		.400
Note: The 2020 AAC tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Green Wave 4–27, 0–18 in AAC play to finish in 12th place. They lost in the first round of the AAC tournament to Memphis.^[2]

On March 16, 2019, the school announced that Mike Dunleavy would not return as head coach.^[3] He finished 24–69 in three seasons at Tulane.^[4] On March 24, the school named Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter the new head coach.^[5]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Jordan Cornish	0	G	6'6"	225	RS Senior	New Orleans, LA	Graduated
Moses Wood	4	F	6'8"	190	Freshman	Reno, NV	Transferred to UNLV
Connor Crabtree	5	G	6'6"	190	Freshman	Hillsborough, NC	Transferred to Richmond
Caleb Daniels	10	G	6'4"	205	Sophomore	New Orleans, LA	Transferred to Villanova
Bul Ajang	11	F	6'10"	225	Sophomore	Jonglei, South Sudan	Medically retired
Semir Sehic	21	F	6'9"	235	RS Junior	Cypress, TX	Play professionally
Blake Paul	23	F	6'9"	250	Senior	New Orleans, LA	Graduated
Shakwon Barett	24	G	6'5"	180	RS Freshman	Toronto, ON	Transferred to Northwest Florida State College

Incoming Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
K. J. Lawson	1	F	6'8"	210	Graduate Student	Memphis, TN	Transferred from Kansas after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.
TeShaun Hightower	5	G	6'4"	190	Junior	Lithonia, GA	Transferred from Georgia. Hightower was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.[6]
Ibrahim Ali	11	G	6'10"	245	RS Freshman	Lagos, Nigeria	Transferred from Arkansas. Ali was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have four years of remaining eligibility.[7]
Nic Thomas	14	G	6'2'	185	Graduate Student	Arlington, TX	Transferred from Norfolk State after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.
Christion Thompson	25	G	6'4'	190	Graduate Student	Baton Rouge, LA	Transferred from Rhode Island after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.

2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Nobal Days PF	Racine, WI	Washington Park High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Nov 15, 2018
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (80)
Tylan Pope PF	Franklinton, LA	Franklinton High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	May 28, 2019
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (NR)
Charlie Russell SF	New Orleans, LA	Sophie B. Wright High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	May 2, 2019
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (NR)
R.J. McGee SF	Chicago, IL	Taylormade Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Apr 17, 2019
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved November 30, 2019.

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2020)
Name	Hometown	School	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
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (NR)
Sion James PG	Buford, GA	Lanier High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sep 1, 2019
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:    247Sports: 131
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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. Retrieved November 23, 2019.

Roster

2019–20 Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G/F 0 Charlie Russell Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Sophie B. Wright New Orleans, LA G/F 1 K. J. Lawson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS Hamilton Kansas Memphis, TN G 2 Jordan Walker 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS So The Patrick School Seton Hall Port Washington, NY G 3 Ray Ona Embo (LT) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Quality Education Academy Lognes, France F 4 Nobal Days 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Racine Park Racine, WI G 5 TeShaun Hightower 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Mount Zion Prep Georgia Lithonia, GA F 10 Tylan Pope  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Franklinton Franklinton, LA F 11 Ibrahim Ali 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Fr Maumelle Arkansas Lagos, Nigeria F 12 Kevin Zhang 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Montverde Academy Shenyang, China C 13 Buay Koka 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So The Patrick School Nasir, South Sudan G 14 Nic Thomas 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) GS Home School Athletic Association Norfolk State Arlington, TX G 15 Grant Quinn (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Liberty Christian Oklahoma Lewisville, TX G 23 R. J. McGee 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr TaylorMade Academy Chicago, IL G 25 Christion Thompson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS Madison Prep Rhode Island Gonzales, LA G 32 Cameron Galic (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Bethesda-Chevy Chase Bethesda, MD G 34 Alec Zaccardo (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Lincoln-Sudbury Regional MassBay CC Boston, MA	Head coach Ron Hunter (Miami (OH)) Assistant coach(es) Ray McCallum (Ball State) Claude Pardue (Emory) Kevin Johnson (Texas–Pan American) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on (LT) Left team Injured Current redshirt Roster

• Dec. 1, 2019 - Ray Ona Embo quit the team. He elected to return home to France to pursue a professional career.^[8]

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 31, 2019* 7:00 pm		Spring Hill	W 93–55		23 – Thompson	8 – Tied	7 – Walker	Devlin Fieldhouse (862) New Orleans, LA
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Southeastern Louisiana	W 76–55	1–0	24 – Walker	14 – Thompson	6 – Lawson	Devlin Fieldhouse (2,179) New Orleans, LA
November 12, 2019* 7:00 pm		Jackson State	W 88–79	2–0	21 – Hightower	8 – Thompson	4 – Lawson	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,225) New Orleans, LA
November 16, 2019* 1:00 pm, ESPN3		Northwestern State	W 79–52	3–0	19 – Hightower	6 – Walker	4 – Tied	Devlin Fieldhouse (919) New Orleans, LA
November 21, 2019* 1:00 pm, ESPNU		vs. Mississippi State Myrtle Beach Invitational quarterfinal	L 66–80	3–1	12 – Tied	3 – Tied	6 – Walker	HTC Center  Conway, SC
November 22, 2019* 11:00 am, ESPNU		vs. Middle Tennessee Myrtle Beach Invitational consolation 2nd round	W 86–74	4–1	25 – Thompson	6 – 4 tied	5 – Walker	HTC Center  Conway, SC
November 24, 2019* 9:30 am, ESPNU		vs. Utah Myrtle Beach Invitational 5th place game	W 65–61	5–1	16 – Hightower	5 – Thompson	7 – Walker	HTC Center  Conway, SC
December 1, 2019* 1:00 pm, ESPN3		Southern	W 82–65	6–1	30 – Lawson	9 – Thompson	5 – Hightower	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,745) New Orleans, LA
December 4, 2019* 7:00 pm		at Southern Miss	W 61–56	7–1	15 – Thompson	10 – Hightower	4 – Lawson	Reed Green Coliseum (3,668) Hattiesburg, MS
December 8, 2019* 12:30 pm, ESPN+		vs. Saint Louis Jerry Colangelo Classic	L 62–86	7–2	18 – Lawson	8 – Lawson	4 – Thompson	Talking Stick Resort Arena (1,050) Phoenix, AZ
December 16, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Alcorn State	W 68–57	8–2	15 – Hightower	8 – Days	4 – Tied	Devlin Fieldhouse (883) New Orleans, LA
December 20, 2019* 1:30 pm		vs. Akron DC Holiday Hoops Fest semifinals	L 61–62	8–3	18 – Hightower	9 – Tied	2 – Tied	Entertainment and Sports Arena  Washington, D.C.
December 21, 2019* 12:00 pm		vs. Towson DC Holiday Hoops Fest 3rd place game	L 82–86 OT	8–4	33 – Hightower	7 – Lawson	5 – Thompson	Entertainment and Sports Arena  Washington, D.C.
AAC regular season
December 30, 2019 8:00 pm, CBSSN		at No. 9 Memphis	L 73–84	8–5 (0–1)	22 – Lawson	7 – Hightower	4 – Thompson	FedExForum (15,544) Memphis, TN
January 4, 2020 3:00 pm, CBSSN		Cincinnati	W 76–71	9–5 (1–1)	22 – Hightower	9 – Thompson	3 – Lawson	Devlin Fieldhouse (2,513) New Orleans, LA
January 8, 2020 9:00 pm, CBSSN		at UConn	L 61–67	9–6 (1–2)	17 – Hightower	10 – Thompson	4 – Thompson	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (5,721) Storrs, CT
January 11, 2020 11:00 am, ESPNU		at Temple	W 65–51	10–6 (2–2)	17 – Tied	10 – Lawson	6 – Tied	Liacouras Center (6,485) Philadelphia, PA
January 14, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN3		UCF	L 55–74	10–7 (2–3)	19 – Thompson	7 – Days	3 – Walker	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,665) New Orleans, LA
January 18, 2020 1:00 pm, ESPN3		Tulsa	L 54–67	10–8 (2–4)	15 – Lawson	6 – Lawson	5 – Thompson	Devlin Fieldhouse (2,189) New Orleans, LA
January 25, 2020 1:00 pm, ESPNU		at East Carolina	L 62–81	10–9 (2–5)	19 – Thomas	13 – Thompson	4 – Lawson	Williams Arena (4,817) Greenville, NC
January 29, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN3		South Florida	L 52–66	10–10 (2–6)	18 – Thompson	3 – 3 tied	3 – Thompson	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,945) New Orleans, LA
February 1, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPNU		at SMU	L 67–82	10–11 (2–7)	20 – Thomas	7 – Lawson	4 – Hightower	Moody Coliseum (4,477) Dallas, TX
February 6, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPNU		at No. 25 Houston	L 62–75	10–12 (2–8)	17 – Hightower	5 – Tied	3 – Thompson	Fertitta Center (6,430) Houston, TX
February 8, 2020 5:00 pm, ESPNU		East Carolina	L 67–81	10–13 (2–9)	23 – Thompson	9 – Thompson	6 – Thompson	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,742) New Orleans, LA
February 12, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Temple	L 68–72	10–14 (2–10)	23 – Hightower	9 – Lawson	4 – Thompson	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,330) New Orleans, LA
February 16, 2020 1:00 pm, CBSSN		at Wichita State	L 57–82	10–15 (2–11)	16 – Thompson	7 – Thompson	4 – Hightower	Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS
February 19, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN3		SMU	W 80–72	11–15 (3–11)	26 – Hightower	9 – Hightower	6 – Walker	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,150) New Orleans, LA
February 22, 2020 11:00 am, ESPNU		at UCF	W 75–74	12–15 (4–11)	21 – Lawson	9 – Thompson	5 – Hightower	Addition Financial Arena (4,966) Orlando, FL
February 25, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPNU		at Tulsa	L 57–62	12–16 (4–12)	19 – Hightower	6 – Tied	3 – 3 tied	Reynolds Center (3,443) Tulsa, OK
February 29, 2020 7:00 pm, CBSSN		Memphis	L 67–74 OT	12–17 (4–13)	30 – Thompson	9 – Lawson	3 – Thompson	Devlin Fieldhouse (3,023) New Orleans, LA
March 8, 2020 3:00 pm, ESPNU		UConn	L 76–80	12–18 (4–14)	21 – Thompson	5 – Lawson	3 – Lawson	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,897) New Orleans, LA
AAC tournament
March 12, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPNU	(12)	vs. (5) UConn First Round	Cancelled					Dickies Arena  Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source^[9]

1.^ Cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Awards and honors

American Athletic Conference honors

Player of the Week

• Week 16: Teshaun Hightower

Source^[10][11][12]