Great article Guerry! I am with you and take the over. In Willie we trust! Roll Wave!

I'll be hit or miss on these commitments while on vacation, and today I was out of pocket, so I am just seeing the news now.

I will find out tomorrow what position Tulane projects him as. Rivals lists him as an athlete and 247 has him as a cornerback. He is 3 stars either way and had offers from Houston and Kansas among others before choosing Tulane. He lives near Dallas but grew up in Memphis through his freshman year of high school.

Tulane's recruiting ranking is going to be its highest in ages if the guys committed end up signing.

does anyone know the schedule For practices this summer?

Here is the transcript of his talk:

"I first want to welcome everyone; we are delighted to have you here to meet with our outstanding football student-athletes and coaches in this beautiful setting. I hope you all enjoyed the clambake last night. Our string of good weather continues and I am sure some lobster consumption records were broken last night.

"We are again honored to have the great Verne Lundquist as our host and emcee. Verne has had one of the greatest careers in the history of sports broadcasting, and that is not hyperbole. What adds to his towering stature, however, is his humanity – he is genuine and personable, and has never let his immense fame affect how he conducts himself. He is a consummate gentleman; we have often called him a national treasure, and we are privileged to have him and his lovely wife Nancy here with us again in Newport.

"There is tremendous excitement surrounding this year’s media day, as there has been over the years, but I believe it is heightened this year. We have just concluded a landmark 12-year TV/media deal with ESPN which validates our success over the past six years, and which gives us a strong tailwind into an even more successful future. We will have the means to continue to make a significant national impact and our student-athletes will continue to compete at the highest levels.

"We have also solidified our position as a P6 conference and our P6 campaign will be energized as a result of our TV/media deal and, of course, our numerous and impressive competitive successes on the field and court.

"We have had a remarkable six years, and although we will clearly focus on our very bright future, this is also a time to reflect on where we have been and how we have achieved as much as we have.

"It is fitting, then, that I pay tribute to individuals within and outside our conference who have been instrumental in our success or have been friends of the conference.

"Judy Genshaft is leaving USF after almost 20 years of spectacular service which has seen phenomenal growth academically and athletically. Judy has also served a term as our conference chair and as our NCAA Board of Directors and Board of Governors representative. She was instrumental in holding the conference together in the turbulent days of 2012 and 2013, a period, which, thanks in large part to her efforts, now seems like a distant memory. Recently, she and her husband Steve donated $20 million to USF to fund an Honors College, the largest donation ever made by a university president to a school.

"Vice Admiral Ted Carter will be leaving his post as superintendent of the United States Naval Academy later this month, his defined term having come to an end. He has made an enormous contribution to the conference and to the college community. He has represented the Patriot League, where Navy plays basketball and Olympic sports, on the NCAA Board of Directors, and has been an important voice on our conference executive committee. Navy athletics have prospered under his leadership. But far more important has been his extraordinary service to our country in combat and in peacetime.

"Among many other things, he holds the record for successful landings on 19 different aircraft carriers, more than anyone in the history of Naval aviation, and has commanded an aircraft squadron, an oil replenishment ship, an aircraft carrier, and an aircraft carrier strike group. And despite this magnificent record, he remains as unpretentious an individual as you will ever meet. We wish the Admiral and his lovely wife Lynda all the best in their next chapter.

"And speaking of Navy, the academy’s sports information department received the Super 11 Award, recognizing them for their outstanding work in servicing the media. Congratulations to both Scott Strasemeier and Stacie Michaud on this terrific honor.

"Susan Herbst of UConn has served as our conference chair, and as our representative on the NCAA Board of Directors and the NCAA Board of Governors. We appreciate her service and her many contributions to the Conference and wish her and her husband Doug all the best in their next chapter.

"I want to take a moment to thank and applaud Renu Khator, our prior conference chair, and David Rudd, our new chair, for their outstanding contributions to our conference and to their universities, Houston and Memphis, respectively. They provided unrelenting support during our lengthy TV/media negotiations and their leadership has this conference knocking on the P6 door. Renu was also instrumental in holding the conference together back in 2012-13.

"As I mentioned, because it is a good time to reflect on our remarkable 6-year history, I want to recognize others who have been vital to our success. Gerald Turner of SMU, who has had terms as our first conference board chair and is currently our CFP Management Committee representative, has meant a great deal to the conference. Without his guidance and support back in 2012 and 2013, I do not know where we would be. And I think of presidents who have retired or moved on who helped us reach these milestones – the late Stead Upham of Tulsa, the late John Bardo of Wichita State, John Hitt of UCF, Steve Ballard of ECU, Scott Cowen of Tulane, Santa Ono of Cincinnati, Vice Admiral Mike Miller of the Naval Academy, Shirley Raines of Memphis, Cecil Staton of ECU, Dale Whittaker of UCF and Neal Theobald of Temple, among many others.

"I also want to recognize our current AD chair, Troy Dannen of Tulane, who does an outstanding job and provides me with valued guidance and support, as well as our vice chair, Pat Kraft of Temple, who does the same. Kudos also to former AAC ADs such as Mark Harlan, formerly of USF, Tom Bowen, formerly of Memphis, Mack Rhodes, formerly of Houston, Warde Manuel, formerly of UConn, and Todd Stansbury, formerly of UCF, among others, who were instrumental in building this conference."

Tulane filled the slot vacated by Eddie Smith rather quickly with what, on paper, looks like a solid hire. Coach Uhlman is a hitting coach, infield coach, recruiting coordinator, 3rd base coach, and former JC head coach with 20+ years of experience. He's recruited and developed a lot of players over the years and hopefully will bring some additional experience to the Tulane staff.

As an aside, the new Oregon coach, Mark Wasikowski, was the Purdue coach when they visited New Orleans two year ago. With Uhlman's connections and Jewett's history with Wasikowski, I wouldn't be surprised to see an Oregon-Tulane series in the near future. I'd approve of that.

Roll Wave!!!

Tulane went out of its normal recruiting area to get this 3-star prospect from Brownsburg, Indiana.

I have not had much luck reaching the recent summer commitments, but I will try to get hold of him tomorrow. At one time he had an offer from Ohio State, but most of his working offers were from MAC schools.

He is a 6-1, 295-pound DT rated the eight best overall prospect in Indiana. His team went undefeated in the regular season before losing 38-0 in the second round of the state playoffs in a surprising upset as the No. 2-ranked team in Class 6A. As a sophomore he listed Alabama, Michigan State and Cincinnati as his top three choices, but he did not end up receiving offers from any of them.

He is Tulane's ninth 3-star recruit out of 12 commitments and the first interior lineman in the class.

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Signee Donovan Benoit is in school and will play for Tulane.

Another signee, Ben Thompson, has gone pro.

Brendan Cellucci will sign with Red Sox.

A third signee, Justin Campbell (no connection to the Justin Campbell already on the team) may or may not play for Tulane. It depends on academic eligibility.

Hope that clears things up. At the plate, Grant Mathews will be back along with Jonathon Artigues. Tulane lost Sal Gozzo to the pros a while ago even though he was not drafted.

With the Eddie Smith departure, Tulane baseball is not exactly stable right now. The hope is that a dramatically improved pitching staff will make a difference next season, but it is no given with Chase Solesky opting to go pro and Kaleb Roper finishing his eligibility. It will be a new-look staff next year.

All of us out -of -towners are concerned about the weather situation in the city we love as well as its effect
on Tulane. Please keep us updated. Thanks and hopefully, the city will come out all right!

top 5 players regardless of position?
Top five breakout players ?
Best player by position?
Top 5 draft prospects, regardless of class?

I caught up with John Leglue at the Tulane NFL Kids Camp last Friday as he took a few minutes during the session to talk. He signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent and earned some positive reviews with the possibility of at least ending up on the practice roster. Here's the interview:

How did the chance with the Broncos materialize?

“Basically during the whole process a lot of things started picking up after my Pro Day because I did pretty well there. I ended up talking or 25 of the 32 teams pre-draft, and I had different draft grades. It was a great blessing just to be put in that situation. The week of the draft, my agent and I sat down and made a top 15 of teams that are good landing spots and the Broncos were always up in the top. It was a great opportunity when they called. They called probably with 10 or 12 picks left in the seventh round. They didn’t have any picks left, so right then and there I knew. My agent talked to them as well and this was the spot I needed to be. I talked to five or six teams after that and I told them I was going to Denver. I was happy with the decision I made.”

What kind of training did you do before Pro Day?

“My training for Pro Day was huge. I went out and trained at East Bay of San Francisco at San Ramon called California Strength. It’s the same place that Ade Aruna trained at last year, and my body just transformed from going out there. I remember I’d gone it at like 24 percent body fat, and before I came back for Pro Day my body fat was down to like 18 or 19 percent. Just complete transformation. It’s day and night from the pictures. We always emphasized on technique, exploding out, and you can really tell that with my vertical and my 40 and all that.

How did rookie camp go with the Broncos?

“I feel I did a great job. It’s surreal every morning waking up, getting on the bus and pulling into the Broncos’ facility. It is a dream come true being in the NFL with such a great organization like the Broncos. It’s just phenomenal. The playbook is a little thick, but it’s the same thing from when CJ was here. We ran a similar playbook, so it really wasn’t too hard to pick up because ever since I was at Tulane, (former offensive line) coach (Alex) Atkins always emphasized knowing all the positions. It definitely paid off when I was out there.”

Where have you lined up for the Broncos?

“The first day of rookie minicamp I was at left tackle and I’ve played every other position since. They had me long snapping, too. Just trying to add to my versatility is going to help me out.”

Versatility is the key to making a 53-man roster or at least making the practice squad in the NFL as an offensive lineman. How much did playing all over the place at Tulane help you?

“It’s great. Sometimes when I was younger I didn’t really think it was best for me to keep changing positions, but in the end you have to buy into what the coaches have to say, and it really paid off for the NFL. Coach Atkins was always like, John, if you are going to play in the NFL, you have to know every position. Me playing nine games at center my sophomore year and guard last year and tackle the year before that just helps me to adjust my footwork and do whatever the coaches need me to do.”

When does training camp start?

“July 17. We have the Aug. 1 Hall of Fame game against Atlanta in Canton, so we are week early.”

What is the key for you to make an impression?

“It’s just to continue to go out every day and just work and try to do the best I can in whatever they ask of me. That’s the same thing I did at Tulane. You just have to continue to work hard and just try to do whatever you can to fit the scheme that they need and be as versatile as I can be.”

Forever, Tulane seniors have talked about wanting to be the class that turned the program around. With the bowl victory against ULL and tying for the West division title in the AAC, do you feel like you were part of the class that finally did it?

“We always emphasize from day 1, we stepped on with coach CJ and then when coach Fritz and then came in, everybody bought in and wanted to stay around. We wanted to leave that great foundation for years to come. I remember I kept emphasizing the previous two years that if we could go to a bowl game and win it, it would show recruits you can get a great education here, top in the nation, and you could also win big games. The season this year is unreal. They have a lot of challenging games and I feel like they are going to do a great job with it.”

We'll take these stories as accurate. Big news for AAC and somewhat Tulane.

Guerry, I assume you are working this story hard for the Advocate. Great for you and I look forward to your reporting there.

More importantly, this is why we subscribe to your site. I really look forward to your indepth insights here. Thanks for what you can provide us here.

I talked to Parry Nickerson last Friday during Tulane's NFL Kids Camp at Yulman Stadium. He had a solid rookie year with the New York Jets, making 21 tackles as a sixth-round draft pick. Entering year No. 2, he has to work with an entirely new coaching staff and front office, including former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Nickerson, an Algiers native, talked about how he felt about his rookie year, the changes and why he was running his own skill-position camp at West Jefferson Stadium.

How good did you feel about your rookie year?

“I feel like I had a great rookie year. I got some time on the field and to see everything off the field from the sideline perspective. I learned some of the veterans’ routines and things to keep their bodies on top. When you are at that level, you want to always stay on top of your body, so I just learned those little maintenance tips and things for those veteran guys. So overall, I feel like I had a great rookie experience and a rookie season.”

You had a lot more production that most sixth-round draft picks achieve as a rookie. How quickly did you realize you were ready to play at that level?

“I just came in with a chip on my shoulder and just filled the spots where the coaches needed me at. I always played with high intensity and just tried to perfect my craft at practice. It’s just adjusting to the speed of the game and just being accountable and available for my teammates.”

What was your primary role?

“I was mainly at nickel and then outside reps. I do outside reps at practice. It’s basically the same thing, but inside it’s more shifty receivers and outside the guys are bigger receivers.”

What was the biggest adjustment for you?

“Just adjusting to the speed of the game and how it is mistake free. You can’t be offbeat with the NFL. Just executing the plays and understanding what it takes to keep your body healthy and just simply perfecting the playbook. That’s about it.”

What are your goals for your second year?

“My goal is to simply help my team reach the Super Bowl, which I know is a lot of players’ dreams to go to a Super Bowl and that’s one of mine. And also to just continue to grow on my year one.”

The Jets had a coaching change. How do you think that will affect you?

“Yeah, we have new coaches—a defensive coordinator change, (Gregg Williams replacing Kacy Rodgers) a head coaching change (Adam Gase replacing Todd Bowles) and we just got a new G.M (Joe Douglas). It’s new terminology and a new defense, but I feel like defense is how you categorize your defense. Most of them are similar. It is a pretty good challenge, but I feel I met the challenge.”

What’s it like being in the New York City area?

“It’s a big city. A lot of fans. There’s always something to do when there’s nothing to do.”

Where do you live?

“I actually stay in New Jersey. I try to stay close to the facility. I’m not trying to get fined. Traffic is hectic in New York City, so I try to stay close to work.”

You are running a camp at West Jefferson (it took place the two days after Tulane’s NFL Kids Camp)?

“Yeah, I have my seven-on-seven perspective camp Saturday and Sunday. That’s basically my camp for skill players and also I just want to elevate their game and their mind on and off the field. It’s New Orleans kids, typically high schoolers ages 13 through 18.”

How did that get started?

“It was just a thought in my head and I went with it. It was just a vision that I’ve been having. It’s my first camp and I just wanted to help those younger guys understand the game and excel their mind on and off the field. It’s at West Jefferson Stadium 9 o’clock to about 8. I’m looking forward to it.”

Tulane is building camaraderie between the guys like you who played in the past and the current players, building program pride under Willie Fritz. What are your thoughts?

“It’s very nice to come back and see he program going and you being a part of the growth of the program. It’s just great to give back to the kids out here. I love being around the kids and being around sports. This camp is a celebration for the local guys that are in

Sorry for the break. I was in Destin for a family vacation and then had relatives I see only once a year staying at the house over the weekend.

Tulane officially announced the Arkansas hoops transfer that was out there two weeks ago today, so 6-10 post player Ibrahim Ali has joined the fold. I have confirmed his addition means one departure to get down to the NCAA maximum of 13 scholarships. My guess is Bul Ajang because I have not heard anything about any of the newcomers not arriving and Ron Hunter has been very complimentary of the four other returnees from last year's team.

The official site provides an update on our players in summer ball; the latest is here: https://tulanegreenwave.com/news/20...te-tulane-baseball-in-the-summer-leagues.aspx

But I’d like to add some info to that review.

As a group our guys are hitting .313 and our pitchers have a 4.10 ERA.

Brendan Power is now down to .147 at bat and has been moved from 2nd base to 3rd base, where, after playing errorless ball (26 chances) at 2nd, has made 3 errors in 19 chances at 3rd (.842). It’s a small sample and fielding average isn’t a great indicator of defense, but it’s not a positive sign for him to replace Hoese, or anyone else, in the lineup.

Collin Burns is a left handed hitting infielder who hit .217 (10 for 46) as a freshman at Tulane. With the departure of Gozzo, the shortstop job appears to be his for the taking. So far this summer, he’s 18 for 57 at the plate (.316) and made three errors in 55 chances at short (.945). While the latter isn’t great (Gozzo fielded .953, .963, and.969 in his three years), it’s a small sample and is not necessarily a good indicator of his defense. That he’s been kept at shortstop (Gozzo was moved to second base last summer) suggests he’s doing OK. We'll see.

David Bengood is killing the ball and his average is now up to .377 with 5 HR’s in 53 at bats. More important, for whatever summer ball indicates, he has only struck out 8 times (every 6.7 times), much better than the 42 Ks in 129 at bats (every 3rd time) he registered during our season. He’s also been working in the infield. He started at 3rd base originally but apparently wasn’t “cutting it.” He only had 6 chances but committed one error. Since moving to 2nd base, he’s only made one error in 37 chances (.973). Whatever, we’ll need his bat in the lineup. Where he’ll play is still the issue.

Ethan Groff was one of our more important recruits last year as an infielder, but ended up redshirting and moving to the outfield. This summer he’s been playing centerfield and started out hitting 11 for 32 (.343). Since then, he’s gone 4 for 33 (.121), resulting in his current .231 average. The coaching staff has been high on him so we’ll see.

Hudson Haskin is probably our best returning player but had a rough start this summer. He started 3 for 26 but kept his #3 spot in the batting order, so I’m guessing he was looking good in batting oractice and intra-squad games. Since then he’s gone 11 for 24 to bring his average up to .280. He’s also been playing centerfield and I don’t think we have anything to worry about here.

Frankie Newman had a great year at Tulane and, if Bedgood is “killing the ball,” there is no adequate description of Newman at the plate. He’s now 30 for 60 (.500) with one HR. But, the key question is where he’ll play next season. He’s only caught in 6 of his 16 games this summer while DHing 9 times. He also played first base one game. He played errorless ball at 1st in that game but his catching continues to be questionable. In six games, he hasn’t made an error but has been charged with three passed balls and only threw out three of 11 base stealers. One of the incoming three catchers could challenge him at catcher, but we’ll need to keep his bat in the lineup somewhere.

Of those position players not playing, Logan Stevens started the summer in the West Coast League but after going 4 for 20 in six games, left his team. No idea what’s up. Kobi Owen was originally listed on the roster of the Sanford Mainers in the New England League but never appeared and is no longer listed. Again, I have no idea of his current status. I’ve seen nothing of Luke Glancy, Stephan Sepich, Michael Statten, or Ty Johnson. Again, not knowing anything specific, it wouldn’t surprise me if two or more of these six players do not return.

Our pitchers also provide a lot of “good news/bad news.” Two pitchers selected in the MLB draft have until July 12 to make their choice of signing an MLB contract or returning to/coming to Tulane.

Brendan Cellucci has thrown two innings twice in the Cape Cod League and his performance probably doesn’t sway his decision or potential bonus one way or the other. He’s allowed 4 hits and 2 walks in 4 innings with 2 earned runs (4.50 ERA). He’s got a little over two weeks to impress/decide what to do. As a returning junior he has more leverage than most, but moving up from the 12th round may be tough.

Donovan Benoit, the JC transfer, has similar leverage as Cellucci, with two years of eligibility remaining and, being only a 36th round draft choice, may have more potential to “move up” in another year. In the Cape Cod League he’s appeared in 4 games for 5 2/3 innings allowing no runs, 2 hits, and no walks, while striking out six. Despite being sparse, those are really good numbers. Hope he can do that and more for the Wave and go high in the 2020 draft.

Justin Campbell is a returning pitcher most expect to be a major contributor. As he was last season, Campbell has been inconsistent so far this summer. In his last start (Jun 22) he went three innings, allowing 4 hits and 5 walks in route to 4 earned runs which balooned his ERA to 6.10.

Grant Segar has pitched well this summer and may have a chance to compete next year. He’s averaging 6+ innings through three starts with a 3.93 ERA.

Krishna Raj is being depended on to come back strong next season and looked good in his first couple of starts this summer (9 2/3 innings with 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 4 walks, and 8 K’s). In his last two starts he’s allowed 8 earned runs and 14 hits in 8 innings, not so good. He also walked five. Needs to do better.

Landon Boeneke has appeared in six games so far this summer with a 3.77 ERA in 14 2/3 innings. The good news is he’s only walked three but he’s been “lit up” for 19 hits.

Josh Bates has taken up this summer pretty much how he finished the year at Tulane. In his first game, Bates threw one inning, walked three, threw a wild pitch and struck out two. He didn’t allow any hits and didn’t allow any earned runs although his wild pitch tallied an unearned run after he walked the bases loaded. In his last two appearances, covering only one inning, he’s continued his hitless streak but walked one more, hit two, and allowed an earned run, giving him a 4.50 ERA in his two innings of pitching with 4 walks and two hit batsmen.

Connor Pellerin has had a similar numbers thus far as Bates. In 2 1/3 innings, he’s not allowed any earned runs, only allowed one hit, but walked 5 while striking out 5. His first appearance was particularly troubling when he faced four batters, striking out one and walking the bases loaded before his relief “bailed” him out. Both Bates and Pellerin have great stuff but need to somehow harness it to be effective.

None of our three seniors (Keegan Gillies, Trent Johnson, or Robert Price) are pitching this summer. Neither is returning junior, C.J. Whelan, who appeared in 18 games last season for the Wave.

Anyhow, summer stats are interesting but not necessarily reflective of how a player will perform during the regular college season. Wood bats, generally lesser competition, and a variety of other factors can give a very poor prediction of future success. But, it is what it is.

Roll Wave!!!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">COMMITTED ☑️ <a href="https://t.co/A8DpLxSiUj">pic.twitter.com/A8DpLxSiUj</a></p>&mdash; REGGIE BROWN⁸⁷ (@Reggie1Brown) <a href=" Login to view embedded media ">June 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Was offered by Tennessee, Louisville, FAU, ECU, usm, etc.

Both are 3-star guys, but their offers were not as prestigious as Chaney's.

1) Kendarrius Moore, an ILB from West Memphis, Ark. Oklahoma State and some smaller schools were after him.

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2) Michael Pratt, a pro-style QB from Boca Raton, Florida. He had offers from FAU and an assortment of G5 schools.

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New Commit.

I interviewed him for a story that is going to run on the June 28 camp for 4th to 8th graders at Yulman Stadium that will feature a slew of Tulane NFL players, including Parry Nickerson, Orleans Darkwa, Rob Kelley, Ryan Grant, Tanzel Smart, Donnie Lewis, Rod Teamer, Dontrell Hilliard. Ryan Griffin, Lorenzo Doss and Taurean Nixon. Matt Forte and J.P. Losman will not be there, but that's about it.

It was not a full-ranging interview because both of us had limited time (I actually had gotten rear-ended on Sycamore St. at a stop sign as I was about to turn on to Claiborne two blocks from the Tulane parking lot as I headed to the interview, but we talked about a few other items.

Here's Fritz on his belief that football is still the best sport in the world amid criticism about long-term effects from concussions, and how he thinks the camp can help in that respect:

"It’s community outreach moreso than anything, but just keeping the game of football strong. I don’t think there’s a sport that comes close to teaching life lessons that football teaches. Parents are welcome to come and sit up in the stands. We’ll have the Glazer Club open. It will be a good event. It’s the No. 1 game in the United States and we want to keep it that way and get the parents and everybody to understand the safety value as well.

"One of the things I show parents and coaches. I just got done speaking at the Louisiana high school coaches convention in Shreveport the other day. The concussion rate in football compared to other sports with the NCAA, right now we’re fourth. Men’s hockey, women’s hockey, wrestling and lacrosse are ahead of us. Right behind us is women’s soccer barely. The benefits so far outweigh the negatives. That’s one of the things I would look for if I was an employer, was the person involved in competitive sports. I’ve had a lot of people call me about former players who aren’t playing pro football and they are very interested in hiring them because they’ve participated in the sport of football. It teaches life lessons that you can get from all sports but you even gain more of an advantage from participating in football."

On how he has changed as a coach over the years in relation to making football safer:

"What I did 20 years ago and what I do now is completely different—tackling, blocking, conditioning. Really in all sports people were over-training 20 years ago and now you just have to be smart in how you train and what you do. The tackling is just so different and the ways that you practice tackling are so different with bags and shields and all those different kind of things. In all sports there’s a risk of, you saw the other night in NBA basketball."

On Rod Teamer's minicamp success with the Los Angeles Chargers and his prospects for making the team:

"It won’t surprise me a bit. I’ve talked to a quite a few people about him. He was pretty much 100 percent this last year. He just understands the game and he processes it quickly and he makes fast decisions out there. He pulls the trigger. When you have to come down and make a play, he comes down and makes a play. There’s no hesitation. He can dissect the intentions of the offense quickly, and he’s really good in the kicking game. He’s excellent for us, so that was neat to see. If he stays healthy, he’s going to have a great chance to make the squad and contribute."

On the Auburn game being in prime time on ESPN2 and the toughness of the schedule:

"It’s a huge opportunity for us. It’s on prime time TV. It obviously will be a great challenge. That’s why we schedule these games. We had a really difficult schedule last year and this is going to be tougher. It’s going to be probably one of the best teams that FIU’s ever had. Army’s coming off an 11-win season and Auburn’s Auburn. Then a few weeks later we’re playing Houston on ESPN."

I'm trying to get out to summer basketball practice once a week to do interviews, and at the end of last week I talked to Rhode Island grad transfer Christion Thompson, a Gonzalez native whom Ron Hunterr thinks is much better than his stats indicated. He's a defense-first versatile 6-4 guard capable of averaging considerably more than the 5.7 points he put up as a part-time starter last year after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons as a reserve. He also is a thoughtful guy who has dealt with a lot in his life.

Here is my full interview with him:

Why Tulane?

“When I came on my visit, coach Hunter spoke about how he needed seniors and old guys to come in and take over the program and run the program and fit all the younger guys into his system. I thought his system was a great system for myself and all the pieces that he was bringing together, I just think we are going to be a good team not only in this conference but individual in basketball.”

Tulane has done a lot of losing in the past. Do you feel like you can win next year?

“I’m really excited. We have a lot to look forward to. A lot of teams are going to look down on us. A lot of coaches are going to look down on us. We are going to be counted out early throughout the season, but we are going to get better and better and we are going to work at it, we are going to grind it. I promise you no game will be easy. This is a new era of Tulane basketball, and like coach Hunter said, we’ve got something to prove.”

Coach Ron Hunter joked that he was going to apply to the NCAA to get you another four years of eligibility because you can guard almost every position on the floor.

“That’s definitely one of my strengths. I take it personally every time I get between the lines to just never let anybody score on me. I was taught that at a young age. My (step) father always said don’t let anybody score on you.”

How would you describe your game?

“Smart. I’m a smart player. I can make shots, but I really thrive on defense and once that defense gets going, it gives me that confidence to get my offense going. I feel that I can do pretty much anything I’m asked to do on the court.”

Coach Hunter describes you as a glue guy. Do you agree?

“Yeah. That’s all about your mindset and what you work for and how hard you go. I give 110 percent every time. I dive on the floor. I get every rebound I need. I guard any position I need to guard. I do whatever I need to do to win.”

You missed a year at Rhode Island (2017-18). What was the issue?

"I was injured. I had surgery. I tore a patellar tendon one year, so I sat out my junior year, which God-willing gave me this year to come here. My career at Rhode Island was really good. My first few years with coach (Dan) Hurley, a great coach. Even coach (David) Cox (Hurley’s associate head coach, who succeeded him in 2018-19 when he left for UConn) was a great coach, too. My role last year kind of fell off. I was the glue guy and nothing else. That’s why I wanted to go somewhere I could do everything I would like to do and I am able to do with my game. I work too hard to be stuffed in a container."

Was the transition to Cox from Hurley difficult?

“It was a little difficult. He was such a great guy and such a great coach, I’ll never speak down on him or his program or what he’s doing over there. It’s just certain pieces come in and certain pieces have to leave. It’s all a part of the game. I know it’s business. I wish them the best this year coming up.”

Was there a specific time when you knew you would be playing somewhere else for your final year?

“There was definitely a time, but I never wanted to put in my head that I’m ready to leave because I was for those guys and I was for that team. I was still all in until the last whistle blew (in an Atlantic 10 tournament semifinal loss), and once that happened, I focused on school, really bearing down making sure I graduated having a high GPA. That way I’d be able to get into master’s programs and be able to go pretty much anywhere I wanted. When Tulane called, it was God.”

What were the other schools recruiting you when you chose Rhode Island?

“When I went to Rhode Island, I had a bunch of schools around here. I had all the little schools around here. I had Mississippi State. I had Texas A&M, Creighton.”


Did Tulane recruit you at all?

“Tulane recruited me a little bit but I didn’t show any interest, so they kind of backed off. And then some of those coaches from that staff (under Ed Conroy) broke up and dispersed.”

What’s it like being back in Louisiana?

“It’s a great feeling. It gives me an extra drive and gives me extra confidence that I needed coming from somewhere where I was so stuck into you can do this, do this, do this. I needed somewhere I could go and give me my confidence, and just being home and having my family and friends all around and with this group of guys that really looks up to me already, this is a good situation for me.”

You are one of three grad transfers. How much do you feel you guys add in terms of experience and knowing what it takes?

“We bring a lot. We’ve got K.J., who brings a tremendous game. He can do pretty much anything. He can guard a lot of positions also, and he played at one of the biggest schools in the nation (Kansas). He’ll never be scared to play against any opponent. And we’ve got Nic, who can just flat-out shoot the ball from anywhere. Without hesitation he can knock down any shot.”

This team played with no point guard last year. Now you have Ray Ona Embo and Jordan Walker. What are they adding?

“Ray is a hard guy. He’s really working on his shot right now and getting in shape. I know what it is like to come off an injury. He’ll be such a great player. With Jordan, he wants to be great. His drive and his will to be great is something you don’t really come across a lot. He loves to be in the gym. Any time me, K.J. or Nic are in the gym, he’s always right there no matter what time it is or how long we stay. He always wants to win and he actually listens. When you try to teach him something, he’ll take it in.”

How did you hurt your patellar tendon?

“It was at a practice towards the end of my sophomore season. I went up to dunk it and I came down wrong. I knew something was wrong, but I played through it. I ended up getting a PRP (platelet rich plasma) shot. It didn’t really work. I sat out for a little longer and ended up having the surgery about the end of the summer. I could have come back my junior year probably halfway through, but it was best for me to redshirt.”

Were you 100 percent last year?

“Right. I wasn’t 100 percent at the beginning of the year, but by the time we got to conference (play) I was.”

How tough is to overcome something like that?

“It was really tough. With me, I’ve overcome everything that’s been thrown at me in life. That being thrown at me, I knew there was a reason. I knew God wanted to test me. It was such a blessing in disguise, like my mom says every day. It was able to come out of the situation, graduate, get my master’s degree and have an extra year to come home and play in front of my family.”

What else have you overcome in life?

“I lost my dad when I was 4 years old. Me and my mom and my brothers, I have two older brothers, growing up. My mom worked hard, got remarried and I have a stepdad who also worked hard and was able to give us everything that we really wanted. It wasn’t always perfect. It wasn’t always the best, but we made do, and that’s what she always taught us and what he always taught us, to make do with what you have and keep God first.”

Do your older brothers play basketball, too?

"Yes. I have an older brother named Jessie. He played basketball. My little brother actually came to Tulane. He’s a really smart guy. My oldest brother fought through and beat cancer. He had cancer when we were younger. He had non-Hodkins lymphoma and he beat that, so that was something we went through when we were younger, just another test God through at us, but we overcame it. We’re a tight family. We do everything together. We talk every day. We do everything together."

How happy was your mother about your coming back to Louisiana?

“She came to a lot of games in Rhode Island. She spent so much money traveling back and forth, but it was worth it. She worked so hard and she always says that was one of her gifts to herself being able to go see me play and now she can come down the street and watch me play. She’ll be at every game. A lot of my family, my brother will be at a lot of games and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Did you visit anywhere but Tulane?

“Initially I was going to visit other schools. I got the call that Tulane wanted me and as soon as I got the call, I just shut it down. I knew I was going to come here. I was talking to coach (Kevin) Johnson just about every other day once I put my name in the portal, and I just made the decision to come to Tulane.”

We apparently got 2020 commitments yesterday from Natorian and Nataurean Watts who played as freshmen for Jones JC last year. Both played wide receiver with Nato catching 23 passes for 286 yards and 3 TDs, while Nata caught 16 passes for 293 yards and also scored 3 TDs. Neither had any offers out of high school at Petal, Mississippi but have both been offered by South Alabama and ULM after their freshman year at Jones. According to his twitter account, Nato, who is listed at 6’3” and 192# ran a 4.38 40 at a combine in April. Nata’s account is silent on the subject, while he is listed at 6’1” and 193#. Nonetheless, their prep stats according to MaxPreps are interesting.

Nato was primarily a wide receiver who played sparingly as a freshmen in high school but caught 31, 35, and 51 passes in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons respectively for (again respectively) 747, 607, ad 980 yards and 10, 8, and 10 TDs—pretty respectable numbers. He also played defensive back in his sophomore and junior season making a total of 72 tackles with 1 interception. If his speed and size is correct, he looks like the kind of player Coach Fritz wants at wideout.

Nata was primarily a running back in high school rushing for 1121 yards on 160 carries and 10 TDs as a FRESHMAN. He then carried 89 times for 625 yards and 6 TDs as a sophomore, before moving to wide receiver as a junior, where he caught 59 passes for 660 yards while rushing only 14 times for 138 yards. He then returned to running back as a senior rushing 208 times for 1328 yards and 20 TDs while also catching 47 passes for 762 yards and 6 more TDs.

It would not surprise me to see Nato continue at wide receiver and Nata move to running back for Tulane. It will be interesting to hear what the staff's plans are for the two of them.

Roll Wave!!!

On Official Roster #78 is Trace Oldner who apparently was a 3 star HS recruit who went to Navy and played on their prep team this past year.

Guerry, do you have any info? Can he play immediately and does he have 4 years left.

Any news? He is on the team.

The 2020 recruiting season is well on the way with many teams logging a dozen or more commitments. So far, the Wave has four, but I’m very happy with them. The early signing period is a little over six months away (December 18) with final signing period beginning February 6, 2020.

By my count, the Wave currently has 81 players on scholarship (4 openings) and 14 seniors, meaning we should have at least 18 spots for incoming players. We’ve also got 7 redshirt juniors who could graduate and leave or transfer elsewhere without sitting out a year. I expect at least one of those to depart. We also have several players who have played little or none in 2 or more years at Tulane due to illness, injury, or simply not being ready to contribute. For good or ill, we’ll probably see a couple of them drop football. Finally, as often happens, players depart for a variety of personal reasons. We haven’t had the academic problems under Coach Fritz that were too common under CJ, but that can always pop up. In the end I’d expect us to have between 22 and the maximum, 25, openings.

Each year, over 2,500 high school players receive football scholarships to BCS (Division 1A) schools. In a normal year, Louisiana provides roughly 100 of those players (4%). However, last year, only 81 high school kids from the state received such scholarships—a truly down year. To compete for the AAC championship and against P5 schools not named Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, or Oklahoma, Tulane needs to sign players from the top half of those who receive 1A scholarships. So for Louisiana that means top 40 to 50. Of course such rankings are subjective and two highly competent and diligent coaches could have very different views of the same player; such is recruiting. So, maybe a consensus #60 or #70 might be the guy we really want. Much lower than that and we’re destined to compete with the ULLs and ULMs of the world. I doubt many Tulane fans would settle for that.

Under Coach Fritz, Tulane has expanded our recruiting area from the Gulf South to the East Coast, Mid-West, and even California. Yet, I think Louisiana needs to be our focal point. Getting 7-8 players (as a minimum) out of the top 50 or so in the state should be, in the short term, an annual goal in my view. For Tulane, Louisiana provides a great opportunity while presenting some significant challenges. Our academic reputation cuts two ways in the state. Peer pressure and the LSU factor are a problem. Family, friends, and classmates tend to be SEC-focused and our conference, schedule, and facilities can’t compare to that of SEC schools. Yet, the players are there and the draw of staying close to home can be significant. In analyzing our Louisiana potential, I think it unlikely that we will sign kids offered by LSU, Alabama, and the like. It could happen and I think we should offer them, but, as fans, we shouldn’t be too disappointed when they sign elsewhere. I think our recent commitment, Angelo Anderson, is a “top 20” player in the state and could lead to more in the Olive and Blue. But for our core signee pool, we should probably expect to get kids in the 30-70 range who the staff believes have potential for greater things. We can’t go back to the CJ/Rollins era when we signed kids at or below the BCS “Cut off” line (#90 and below).

(Continued)

RON HUNTER

Tylan Pope had signed with Stephen F. Austin before signing here. What allowed him to get a release?

“When they signed him, he was a non-qualifier and then he qualified. I’m not sure what happened, but he go out of it. I know there were a lot of schools in our league trying to get him. For us it was a great pickup late.”

The word on him is extremely physical and a hard worker without a ton of athletic ability. How good of a fit is he for your system?

“He’ll be perfect. We need that. We brought a lot of skill guys in and you have to be that guy, especially in this league on that backside to rebound and do what we want to do. I couldn’t imagine we could get a guy of his talent that late. Just to add to the guys we brought in, he was kind of the final piece for us.”

Eight of your 13 scholarship players are newcomers and only three played last year. How do you like the makeup of the team?

“I love it. To be honest with you I cannot imagine after my press conference and watching these guys the first day that all of a sudden the transformation would have happened so quickly, but it looks like one of our basketball teams. This week we’ve had our first workouts and it looks like one of my teams. I really like the energy of the team. I like the balance of what we’re doing, but the athleticism and shooting are two things that we had to improve and we did that.”

You thought Samir Sehic might return but he is not back. What happened?

“Again, what happens at the end is whether a guy really wants to do it or not. That’s one thing. You have to really want to be here, and if not, then you should just leave. I gave him some time to really think about that. Especially when you graduate, do you really want to come back that fifth year with a new coach, new system and then, more importantly, you have to earn minutes. Right now, I don’t know who is going to start. Everybody has a clean slate from the walk-ons, everyone. He decided to go elsewhere, and it’s probably best for him. It’s been good for us because it allowed us to pick up (Tylan Pope) what we picked up. This is something we were going to try to recruit next year. Being able to pick Pope up has been great.”

How healthy is Ray Ona Embo?

“He’s probably right now about 75 to 80 percent, and I just say that in a sense conditioning-wise. The knee (patellar tendinitis) is a 100 percent, and he looks really good. He’s bouncy out here right now. He’s gone two hard days. I wanted to kind of see if he could get through that and he did, so his is just mostly going to be conditioning, but he’s a really good player.”

What are your overall impressions after two days?

“I’ll be honest with you, I’m trying to contain my excitement. I really am. I didn’t believe this was the team I was going to coach in June based on what we have. What I love is we’ve got a lot of older guys. A lot of times you come in here and there’s a lot of deer in the headlights. We don’t have that. You got K.J. (Lawson), who’s been here before. Christion (Thompson) from Rhode Island has been here. Ray and a lot of those guys have been through this stuff before, so they are helping the freshmen through it. Although the system we’re putting in is new for a lot of the guys, they’ve been through this before, and so that really helps.”

I know Zhang is with the Chinese national team. Who else isn’t here?

“Nobal Days gets here Friday. He graduates this weekend, so he’ll get here this weekend. The same with Tylan. He’ll get in this week also. The high school guys have to finish up.”

What do you like about Christion Thompson?

“He just knows how to play. He’s built like a middle linebacker. He’s got the toughness of a middle linebacker. I just absolutely love the way he plays. I could play him at four or five different positions. He’s an unbelievable, great kid. I’m trying to find a way to get him another four years. He’s really good.”

So no particular position?

“He’s a basketball player. That’s what I love about him. I’m going to play him at 1, 2, 3 and 4. He’ll play all over the place. You have to have guys who are scorers, but you gotta have that one guy that’s a glue guy. I probably won’t take him off the floor. I can play him at different positions and do a lot of things with him. That’s what I love about him. He’s so versatile.”

What about Nic Thomas?

“One thing we had to do is this team was probably one of the worst in the country at 3-point shooting. That won’t happen next year. With Nic and Christion and K.J., we’ve got some guys who can really make shots. That’s what Nic does. Nic is a specialist. He can really make shots and is another tough kid. All of these kids have a chip on their shoulder like their coach. They practice wih a chip on their shoulder.”

The last time K.J. Lawson was in the AAC, he was named rookie of the year (at Memphis in 2016-17).

“What’s great for K.J. is he feels he has something to prove based on what happened with his brother (Dedric) and his dad and him. He had such a great start to his career and then in the middle it kind of got a little muddy and so now he gets to finish it where it started.

When will you know whether Teshaun Hightower (who transferred from Georgia) will be eligible this year?

“We’ll start that process probably sometime next week. I feel good about it, though. I feel good about it, though. To be honest with you, I’ll be shocked if he’s not (granted immediate eligibility), but that’s a process. We probably won’t know that until September just with the way the NCAA looks at those things.”

What do you think enabled you to attract this type of talent so quickly?

“It’s funny. I was thinking the other day, from five weeks ago to now, just the transformation. You can get nine new players, but nine really good players that fit the system and fit what we want to do this late in the year? My staff did a great job. I’m not taking credit for this. They did an unbelievable job. Kevin (Johnson) did an unbelievable job of getting those guys. My staff was big time on this.”


K.J. LAWSON

What are your thoughts coming back to the AAC after playing at Memphis?

"When I was here a couple of years, it was a different conference and I’m just glad to come back and be a part of an up-and-coming organization. I’m just glad to be here and reinvent myself and be a new player. It’s just great to be under coach Hunter."

What was the main attraction of Tulane for you?

"I knew that my strengths could be made perfect and weakness, a lot of people probably thought I would go and join up size and go to the big schools like Oregon or Arkansas or even stay at Kansas, but it wasn’t really about the basketball at that time. It was about me being happy and about me choosing a place where I can go and show people what I really can do. I didn’t really want o be one of many. If you look at my interviews from the past, even with the 10 great me tos in Memphis, that’s what I always said. That’s why I didn’t choose a Louisville or another big school because I really wanted to go somewhere I could develop and be a player and not get lost in the mix."

You didn’t get as much playing time as you expected at Kansas, but how did the year go for you?

“It was a great year. I took a lot of learning experience from it and they definitely got me better. It’s a lot of credit to them. I’m KU alumni and I love their program, but it just wasn’t a perfect time for me. I couldn’t fit in the program because a lot of young guys and I was the odd man out. The cards fall that way some time. You just have to take it and move on.”

What were the other schools you considered the most?

“I was just considering schools where I could go and make an impact, and I really looked at going and playing. I was looking at San Diego. I wanted the schools that wanted to say that I was their guy and they weren’t recruiting a secondary guy. The academic institution here, that I really didn’t know about, drove me to come here, too.”

How would you describe your game?

“Now I would describe it, I’m a three-level scorer. I can play on both sides of the ball. Long, agile, can play multiple positions, high I.Q, can guard multiple positions. I have more feel now, more experience, am a more polished player, can shoot the ball well, can shoot mid range, got mid post. I really feel like I’m a complete player and I just really have to show it and go out there and prove it.”

What do you think about your teammates?

“They are just a great group of guys, from Jordan Walker to Nic Thomas to Christion Thompson to Ray (Ona Embo), to all the guys that transferred in here. They had a big deal for us to come here and want to do it together and get on one accord. It’s great being with people who embrace each other’s game because we all can do it individually, but doing it as a team is what’s going to add up.”

Hey Guerry, any chance you'll be able to snag an interview with Mr. Anderson regarding his Tulane commitment and his "strong-ass tweet" about players from the 504 building the 504's team?