Here's what Ed Conroy and Malik Morgan said about Tulane's loss today. The Wave led by six early in the second half but played poorly the rest of the way as the Tigers rallied despite the absence of freshman Dedric Lawson, who leads them in scoring and several other categories.

Conroy

"There were a lot of positives and unfortunately its been a lot of the things that have continues to bite us.We're playing some very good basketball for about 30 minutes. I think our intent and our focus was really good tonight down the stretch, we tried to get the ball inside. But we turned it over a few times and had some missed opportunities, and then we had some fatigue. Kajon [Mack] tweaked his knee a little bit so he had to sit and that caused Lou [Dabney] to have to play a few too many minutes. Memphis is so fast, athletic and deep, so they put the hurry on us a couple times and that hurt us. Things just didn't break our way right around that 10-minute mark, and other than that I was pleased with our guys' performance."

On the matchups

"Shaq [Goodwin] defended with a lot of energy and he really did some good things. He has quick hands and strong feet, he defended really well. But I thought our guys did well. I thought Jernard [Jarreau] and Dylan [Osetkowski] really worked extremely well together. We caused Memphis to have to call a couple timeouts at the beginning of the half. Credit Memphis for locking down."

On the blocked shots (Tulane had 10, which was about a month's work last year)

"No question this allows us to defend. What we have to do is find our balance of being able to spread people out with our skill, whether it's Melvin Frazier or Cameron Reynolds, maybe a little bit of a smaller lineup with the ability to defend on the interior against these bigger teams. I thought Ryan Smith, Blake Paul, Jernard Jarreau did a great job of protecting that rim and causing Memphis some trouble."

On Cameron Reynolds, who hit three straight 3s in the first half and had the best game of his career

"He's a guy that can really shoot the basketball and a guy that can play multiple positions for us. He's a very smart player and he's going to be a key figure for us. One of our challenges in the rotation is figuring out where to get him his minutes because we certainly need him on the floor and he can present some problems for opponents."

MORGAN

On the start of conference play

"We just wanted to come out with energy and do what we do best, I wanted to do what I do best and just attack on both ends of the floor, to get out a rebounds and we just kept that mentality that we wanted to get our first conference win."

On his start to the game

"I just wanted to stay aggressive. I got the first couple shots to fall and that gave me a little bit of extra confidence to keep attacking. I didn't come out too well in the second half, but I started getting going later in the second half, but the time ran out on me."

On his mentality when the shots aren't falling

"I try to stay involved as much as I can, rebounding, defending, getting my teammates open shots. We just need to be able to knock down the open shots at the end of the game."

On the role change with Von Julien at the point now

"This is more my normal position. I've always had good court vision, I've always had the knack to get my teammates the ball. My natural ability is to put the ball in the hole. That's what I've done since I was in high school and I just try to stay aggressive the whole game."

On playing UConn next (at home Jan. 2)

"We just want to bounce back. We showed some good stretches tonight, but we need to build on this loss as a team and we need to clean up these loose ends."

A couple hours ago, Coach Fritz tweeted “Roll Wave out of Dothan Alabama” which has to this point meant a commitment. Who that might be from a city of 150,000 is anyone’s guess. However, we have offered a punter/kicker from Dothan named Coby Neenan, who has been committed to Georgia Southern. His hudl highlights:
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Roll Wave!!!

On edit: commitment confirmed in numerous places.

Guerry- Thanks for the interviews with the coaches of Bradwell and Harper. Good Stuff. From a recruiting standpoint, that's the kind of thing most of us are hoping for. Any such information on possible recruits is also appreciated.


Roll Wave!!!

I'm getting the final one up early because of the Friday games and it being Thanksgiving week. Winwave is going for his second pick 'em win in the last four years.

Tulane (+6.5) Tulsa
Houston (+1) Navy
Michigan (-1.5) Ohio State
Stanford (-3.5) Notre Dame
Oklahoma State (+6.5) Oklahoma
Florida (+2) Florida State
Mississippi State (+1) Ole Miss
Louisiana Tech (-6) Southern Miss

Stevenson just tweeted, "Tulane done me wrong god got something in store for me." For the second time, he has also removed the "Tulane commit" from his twitter site. I'd guess (but don't know) that when he de-committed previously Coach Fritz took him seriously. When he decided to recommit, the offer was not longer there. Whatever. As Coach CJ used to say (before excuses became the norm), "Next man up!!"

Roll Wave!!!

I am a newbie to twitter and admittedly don't really completely have it figured out, but someone retweeted something from someone named Tyler Johnson that says, "Tulane here I come". On his twitter page, it looks like he was considering or was committed to GA Southern.

Another recruit of Fritz's from GSU? Is he ours now?

According to a Rival's article, OT Wyatt Richthofen has de-committed from Tulane. https://tulane.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1843837

There are a million possible explanations but, to me, it looks like Coach Fritz is assessing all of CJ's recruits and several don't appear to be "meeting standards." I'd guess that since we're recruiting so many DB's that some of our current "roster" guys or commits are also not "making the cut." We'll see.

Roll Wave!!!

That's what they are saying on the other site. Word is he is transferring to USM. You got anything on this Guerry?

I'm hearing Fritz will have two more assistants in place by the time the dead period ends for recruiting, with one of them likely having a local connection.

The third assistant he may wait longer on. Not all coaches can go on the road at one time, so there's no hurry to get the last guy.

We'll see what develops. I was not given any names.

Does anyone know if the staff is complete? Last i heard there were still two coaching spots open. Probably would help for recruiting to have these spots filled I would think.

We are now exactly four weeks to “signing day,” 2016. The “dead period” ends soon, school starts, and we have three “visit weekends” in front of us, the first in only nine days. We have many needs on our football team and possibly not enough “openings” to fill them.

We’ve signed two players already who will count toward 2015 recruiting, leaving us the potential to sign 25 more according to the NCAA. Of course, we also must remain within the overall limit of 85, so that’s also a consideration. According to the official site, I have us with 64 scholarship players returning. Of course, that includes many players who, due to injuries, academic deficiencies, suspensions, or simply lack of contribution might not be back. Others, of course, due to the change in staff, dissatisfaction with school, etc., might not return. If everyone came back, we’d have 21 openings, two of which, like I mentioned, are already filled. To sign 25 more, we would need at least six kids currently on scholarship to somehow “vacate” them. I’m certainly not wishing that on anyone specifically, but I think it is likely that we could approach that number, with four being a reasonable (my view) “over/under.”

So, what do we need?

Personally, I think our greatest needs coming out of last year were QB’s, OL’s, WR’s, and DB’s. The best I can tell, we’ve signed one QB and one DB, and have 2 OL’s, 2 WR’s, and 4 more DB’s currently committed. We’re probably OK now for DB’s but a great, fast, “lock-down” corner would still be nice.

At QB, we’ve got one “new” QB and I can’t believe we won’t sign at least one more. Two would be better.

On the offensive line, we’ve got 2 presumably committed and I think we need at least two more. We lost Shienle, Hanson, Godfrey, and Bradley (who never played) from last year’s woeful line, so bringing four in doesn’t seem excessive.

At wide receiver, we return exactly one proven BCS-level WR, a former walk-on who performed admirably considering his talent level, an injured player who, if fully recovered, is a likely starter, and two sophomores who played little and contributed less as freshmen. I like our two commitments but at least one more would seem in order.

At DB, we’ve likely run out of room, but, as mentioned previously, a “top-flight” corner would be welcome still.

Lesser needs are at TE, RB, DL, and LB. I’d still like to see us sign a tight end who can “really” block. I don’t see one on our roster. A hard-charging, big, short-yardage running back is also needed, especially since the oft-injured Lazedrick Thompson is entering his senior year. We’ve got three DE’s and two DT’s committed according to my calculations, but we’ve lost two mainstays on the line and the backups from last season don’t look that good. Still, we may be OK there. At LB, Thomas and Marley played the vast majority of downs and are both seniors. Depth is necessary here, though Marbley, Ed Williams, and Zach Harris all could step in admirably if they can attain their potential under the new staff. I’d still like to see a big, rough MLB, like the de-committed Giovanni LaFrance in this class. At least one seems to be on the radar.

If we do end up having ten more openings, my current “wish list,” based on who our coaching staff appears to be tracking, would include, in no particular order:

Lindsey Scott, QB, Zachary, La (Syracuse Commit)
Malik Staples, RB, Peachtree Ridge, Ga (Louisville Commit)
Benaiah Franklin, RB/WR, Marietta, Ga (Purdue Commit)
Latrell Williams, WR, Columbia HS, Fl (USF Commit)
Drew Wilson, OL, Bamberg, SC (Georgia Southern Commit)
Kelton Hollins, OL, Zachary, La (TCU Commit)
T.J. Brunson, LB, Richland, SC (Uncommitted)
Evan Hinson, DE/TE, Deltona, Fl (Uncommitted)
Ca’Ron Baham, ATH, John Ehret, La (Uncommitted)
Tre Jackson, ATH, University Lab, La (South Carolina)

Since most of these guys are currently committed and the others have good options, the likelihood of getting more than 2-3 of these kids is remote. But, one can hope. A “clean sweep” would probably move us to near the top of AAC “recruiting rankings” by most services.

Roll Wave!!!

Other than Jack Abraham, who I cannot get rid from my admin page but should be removed by my Rivals.com handler who returns to the office tomorrow, are there any other known inaccuracies on my updated list of commitments?

By my count, there are 15 known commitments. Is Kwanzi Jackson, who I do not have but 247 does have, still a commitment? I still have Deion Rainey, who confirmed his interest in Tulane after Fritz was hired, and they don't.

Fritz is bringing just about everyone from Georgia Southern. The six coaches confirmed, as first reported by Thayer Evans of SI.com, are defensive coordinator Jack Curtis, who also will coach the safeties, offensive coordinator/QB coach Doug Ruse, OL coach Alex Atkins, DL coach Kevin Peoples, LB coach Michael Mutz and RB coach Dell McGee.

Tulane's Jason Rollins, as reported last week, will remain, and he will coach the cornerbacks.

The only openings left are tight ends and wide receivers, with someone designated as special teams coach.

The three coaches who are not coming along, or at least who have not been announced, are wide receivers coach Matt Barrett, tight ends coach Chad Lunsford and defensive ends coach Johnny Jernigan.

Julie Boudwin is reporting we have a commitment from a Sean Harper. I am not sure whether she has the right Harper. I can not find any thing on a Sean Harper except one who signed last year with Wash State.

Heard some rumors that Mr. Bradwell may be flipping from georgia southern to Tulane...anyone else know?
Here is the link to the geo southern site that I read it on...
http://www.gsufans.com/tsc/forumdisplay.php?8-The-Flight-Line


Godby H.S. In Tallahassee, FL. Keenan Blackmon went to Godby...
Solid offer list Louisiville, Oregon St., USF, usm, etc.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3745232/darius-bradwell

http://247sports.com/Player/Darius-Bradwell-78008

I'm hearing that Darius Bradwell, a two-star QB from Tallahassee Godby who had committed to Georgia Southern, has switched to Tulane to follow Fritz and will try to confirm it tomorrow.

Bradwell was offered by Oregon State before his senior year, but they lost interest. He also had an offer from Louisville, but he committed to Kent State before switching to Georgia Southern with no interest by that point from P5 schools. He is listed as an athlete by Rivals and was originally a 3-star recruit who was downgraded to 2 stars.

Whether this turns out to be true or not, and I expect it is true, the days of Tulane pursuing drop-back QBs are over. Regardless of what happens this fall, Fritz' QBs will be runners first and passers second. That doesn't mean they won't throw the ball well, but the first priority will be athletic ability.

School will start up again next week.

1. What’s the story on kids who didn’t make it to school last fall for academic reasons: Darius Williams, Doug Henry, and Darius Black? Are any of them enrolling for this year? Any chance or desire for any of them to return?
   
   
2. What’s the status of Rene Fleury? He was suspended indefinitely early last season and, to the best of my knowledge, never reinstated. Is he still a member of the team?
   
   
3. What’s the latest on our academic casualties? Leondre James dropped out of school vowing to return. Will he? What about Leonard Davis and Edward Williams who “were not on track to graduate” according to CJ? Are they “back on track” and ready to contribute? What about Kenneth Santa Marina and Braynon Edwards? They both sat out the year, losing a year of eligibility I might add, due to academic deficiencies. Are those cleared up or are they gone?
   
   
4. What ever happened to Sergio Medina? He played a lot on special teams as a Freshman, was moved to fullback as a sophomore and still saw some action on special teams and then played nary a down last season, which could count as a redshirt if he’s still around. Is he?
   
   
5. A number of players were not playing by the final game last season including Richard Allen, Eric Bell, Quinton Carroll, Tristan Cooper, Terrence Encalade, Zach Harris, Devon Johnson, Roderick Teamer, Eldrich Washington, and Peter Woullard. Most of these guys were injured and some probably simply didn’t play due the coaches’ decisions. Are the injured all returning? How about the non-contributors?

That’s a lot of guys with question marks.

6. Any others who will be leaving?

7. Does anyone have a “good” list of commitments?

8. How many total does Coach Fritz plan to sign?

Anyway, were a little over a month to signing day and we may still have quite a few holes to fill.
Go get 'em, Coach Fritz.

Roll Wave!!!

Running back coach has flipped from Tulane to the University of Georgia.

Hearing rumors Fritz has flipped 3 star DB Javon Jackson out of Georgia. He is currently a Duke Commit. Anything on this Guerry?

I'm not breaking any news here, but LB Kalia Davis of something called West Florida Tech in Pensacola is Tulane's first commitment for 2017.

I lived in Florida for 21 years and never heard of West Florida Tech, but I also never covered football recruiting there.

He's unrated by Rivals or any other service but Fritz and his staff obviously like him. He had no other offers according to Rivals, but South Carolina was recruiting him.

Happy New Year to all of the Wave Nation ! Looking forward to a very prosperous New Year w/the Wave !

Tulane opens its AAC schedule at Memphis on Tuesday after an unimpressive 7-6 non-conference performance that included zero victories against teams currently ranked in the top 200 according to RealTimeRPI.com, a bad loss to Alabama A&M and some ugly wins against UNO and Drake.

Only twice, against Appalachian State--when Tulane took a 40-8 lead, which is hard to do against air--and in the last 25 minutes against Stephen F. Austen, has Tulane looked good, but the upside is higher than in Ed Conroy's first five years. The problem is in realizing that potential.

Here's my assessment of each scholarship player heading into the Memphis game, starting with the backcourt and proceeding to the frontcourt.

1) Louis Dabney

For most of November and December, he appeared to show little of the trust in his teammates he boasted about before the year started. He forced too many shots as if he did not believe anyone else could get the job done. But in the last two weeks, he calmed down and began letting the game come to him. He needs to continue playing that way because Tulane cannot win with him shooting below 40 percent, and he is not good enough to score consistently against defenses geared to stop him. But he is good enough to do damage if he gets some help from teammates and does not have to carry the burden of trying to score for 40 minutes.

2) Malik Morgan

I'm not crazy about his outside shot, which his mother called "beautiful" in a story I wrote about him and his sister for The Advocate last December. His release point is too high and too late. But he has a knack for the game. At Mississippi State, he scored two baskets in a row by tipping the rebound off the glass and in, and neither was accidental. He can score in a lot of different ways and is crafty. Look for him to play two guard a lot more the rest of the way because he's just not a reliable point guard, going out of control on the dribble too often. He can excel in a role as a scorer and is a good rebounder for his position. Defensively, he gets his hands on a lot of balls but needs to be more judicious. Foul trouble has been an issue, and he has to stay on the floor.

3) Von Julien

Even though did not make a shot in the two games after becoming the starting point guard, he needs to remain the starter because he is the only natural point guard on the roster. He can penetrate and find open players and also is better than Morgan at handling pressure even though he is a freshman. But if he does not develop some scoring ability, Tulane will be in trouble. The coaches have to trust that he will improve as he gets more experience.

4) Kajon Mack

Since coming back from a knee injury, Mack has been better than I anticipated as a backup point guard. Tulane can use his athletic ability and defense. The question always has been whether he could provide anything on offense, and his three assists and zero turnovers in four minutes of first-half action against Southern Miss was encouraging. He will get healthier as the year goes along, and he looks more comfortable than he has in the past.

5) Cameron Reynolds

At some point, he needs to start knocking down some shots because he would be a big attribute if he could. His size and athletic ability make him a valuable defender, but that value is negated when he cannot score. His shooting percentage of .315 is woeful, and it's not because he gets bad looks. Maybe being a regular part of the rotation will help him gain some confidence in his offense. It better. He has the tools.

6) Kain Harris

Harris is Tulane's most reliable freshman, which is not saying much to this point, and the Wave's best outside shooter. Still, he needs to prove he can consistently knock down open 3s. It's hard to win in modern college basketball without the threat of the 3, and no one on the roster scares opponents from behind the arc. Good players improve as they gain experience. The Wave needs Harris to follow that path.

7) Melvin Frazier

Tulane's most hyped freshman has been ineffective, beginning the year as a starter but falling out of the lineup because he's shown nothing other than raw athletic ability. He's not a good ball-handler, passer or shooter, averaging a paltry 5.1 points with 15 turnovers and five assists. He's also horrendous from the foul line. Maybe the light will go on, but he has a long way to go. At this point, he is effective only as the finisher on the fast break.

8) Dylan Osetkowski

He showed promise as a freshman, and it's been no surprise that he has improved dramatically as sophomore. He had all the intangibles that indicated steady growth. Osetkowski will struggle to score when he catches the ball on the post against athletic AAC defenders because he is not a good jumper, but he has outstanding feel for the game, is a superb passer and tough rebounder. With Tulane possessing more options offensively than it did last year, look for him have more games like his 20-point day against Mississippi State.

9) Jernard Jarreau

He's a terrific passer, too, giving Tulane so much more ability on the inside than it ever has had under Conroy. The concern with him is his health. Injuries derailed his career at Washington, and although he has made some athletic plays, giving Tulane a defensive presence on the interior it has lacked for awhile, he looks slow at times during games, too. If Jarreau maintains the level he showed in the non-conference play, he will help the Wave significantly. The one concern is his tendency to hang his head when plays don't go well. That moodiness needs to stop pronto. He also should be a better free throw shooter than his .541 percentage attests. He has good form.

10) Blake Paul

Paul gives Tulane a shot-blocking presence off the bench. Although he looks very much like a freshman offensively, he has the upside to contribute this year. We'll see if it happens.

11) Ryan Smith

The coaching staff loves Smith because of his work ethic. The problem is his limited game. When he is on the floor--and his time has decreased as the year goes along--Tulane essentially is playing 4 on 5 offensively.

12) Taron Oliver

This guy is gifted offensively, possessing nice touch and a variety of shots. He also is no factor because of his weight and likely won't be this year. It's a shame. If he works as hard as everyone around him insists he has done since he arrived on campus, he can be a significant factor in the future.

I just texted Jason Rollins, and he said he had not heard from Fritz yet.

Interestingly, Fritz retained Georgia Southern's defensive coordinator, Jack Curtis, when he arrived in Statesboro. Curtis had been on the staff of Jeff Monken since 2011, and he came to Ga Southern from Central Missouri, Fritz' old stomping grounds.

Fritz' offensive coordinator, Doug Ruse, has been with him for four years. Although those years were run-centric, Ruse coached a prolific passer in his previous stop at Western Illinois, Matt Barr, the runner-up for the Walter Payton award in 2010. He spent eight years before that as offensive coordinator at Arkansas State, where the pass offense never finished higher than 69th and Arkansas State never won more than six games.

The other assistants don't stand out one way or the other.

Double post. Internet issues in Denver.