Over the past two seasons, the Tulane University men's basketball team has made a habit of proving people wrong and demonstrating to the members of Conference USA, and to the entire nation, that Green Wave is becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Last year, Tulane entered its second season under head coach Dave Dickerson and the Wave was once again picked to finish near the bottom of the C-USA race. However, much like the year before when the Wave surprised the league with a sixth-place finish, last year's Tulane team surpassed expectations and was one of the hottest in the conference, winning eight of its final 10 games en route to the Conference USA Tournament semifinals. It took the fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers to derail Tulane's late season surge with a win over the Wave in the semifinals.
Dickerson begins his third campaign at the helm of the Green Wave and has Tulane primed for what could be one of the best seasons in recent years, and what he hopes will be a banner season with a return to postseason play.
"We are very excited about the upcoming season," Dickerson said. "We have a solid group of returning players with an abundance of playing experience. Our goal is to try and recapture the momentum we found late last season and carry it over to the 2007-08 campaign. I thought we were one of the best teams in Conference USA down the stretch and were easily one of the hardest teams to beat in the league."
Tulane returns seven letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's 17-13 squad that posted the most victories since the 1999-2000 season. The Wave's 9-7 league mark was good for a fourth place finish conference play and marked the program's most conference wins since 1996-97. The finish also earned the Green Wave a first round bye in the conference tournament for the first time since 2000.
What has Dickerson chomping at the bit to get started this season is not only the fact he returns 72 percent of his scoring offense and 68 percent of his rebounding corps, but the fact the Wave will feature two talented redshirt players, who were forced to sit out last season, and a four-member newcomer class to go with his solid group of returners.
Leading the way this season will be the four returning starters of seniors David Gomez and Matt Wheaton, junior Robinson Lousime and sophomore Kevin Sims. Gomez was an All C-USA Third Team performer, while Sims was selected to the all-conference freshman team. After winning just 10 games as freshman in 2004-05, this year's senior class has helped rebuild the Green Wave with a combined record of 29 victories over the last two seasons.
Dickerson believes this will be the year the Green Wave and Conference USA will each have breakout seasons and prove to the nation the league is one of the most challenging in the nation.
"Conference USA will be one of the toughest in leagues in the nation this year and we want to take advantage of the conference being at its best in the last three years. I believe Conference USA will have multiple schools in postseason play this season and we are trying to be one of those teams," Dickerson said.
FRONTCOURT
The strength of this year's Green Wave squad lies in its frontcourt where TU returns two starters and two of its top returners. Last year, TU's inside game was responsible for a school record 182 blocks, which led all C-USA schools and ranked 10th in the country, and the paint proved to be a no trespassing zone as Tulane outscored its opponents, 902-717.
Gomez (6-8, 235) returns as the team's top scorer (13.5) and rebounder (5.8), and also led the team in field goals (148), free throws (106) and ranked second with 42 blocked shots. He started 27 of 30 games and reached the 30-point plateau twice with a career-best 32-point, 10-rebound performance at cross-town rival New Orleans and a 31-point afternoon at TCU. Gomez reached double-figure scoring in 22 games and in rebounds five times, and notched three double-doubles. He begins his senior campaign just 73 points shy of becoming the 29th player in school history to score 1,000 career points.
"I believe David Gomez is one of the best inside players in Conference USA and we will depend on him for his scoring, rebounding and leadership. We need him to take his game to the next level and become one of the top five players in our league," Dickerson said.
Senior Donnavan Stith (6-6, 215) elevated his game on both ends of the floor during his junior campaign. Stith played in 29 games and earned four starting assignments. He led the squad with 52 blocked shots, which ranked No. 5 among C-USA players, and ranked second on the team in rebounds (5.3). Stith averaged 6.6 points and 21.7 minutes per outing and shot better than 50 percent (.512) from the field. He chalked up two double-doubles and reached double figure scoring in eight games. Stith begins his senior season ranked fifth among the school's career blocked shots leaders with 103 rejections.
"Donnie is poised to have the best year of his Tulane career this season. He is smart enough to play three different spots on the floor, and will play a much bigger role on this year's team. He is a classic inside/outside player and one of the best shot-blockers in the country," Dickerson said.
One of Tulane's most productive players (in terms of production per minutes played) last season was Louisme (6-7, 265), who started 18 of 30 games and connected on a team-best 52.6 percent from the field. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and reached double figures in seven games, including a career-best 19 points, eight field goals and 11 rebounds at Rice.
"Last year was Robbie's first season of playing major college minutes, and he was one of our most productive players when he was on the floor. The challenge will be to keep him out of foul trouble and on the floor for longer stints. He had the best offseason of all our players," Dickerson said.
Sophomore Asim McQueen (6-7, 220) played in all 30 games last season as a true freshman and averaged 9.9 minutes, 2.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest. He reached the scoring column in 22 games, including a career-best seven points against Huston-Tillotson (11/28) and on the road at No. 8 Memphis (2/10).
"Asim played limited minutes last season, but may be the most skilled inside player on the team. He has gained confidence in his ability to become a good player and he will have every opportunity to prove he is as good as I think he will be," Dickerson said.
The lone newcomer to the frontcourt will be Jon Andersen (pronounced Yoon) (6-9, 219), a local product from nearby Metairie, La. Andersen, a two-time all-district performer, was named to the all-East Jefferson Parrish team as a sophomore and he led Country Day High School to a 75-32 overall record including a pair of state runner-up finishes as a sophomore and senior. During his senior campaign, he helped the Cajuns to a 29-12 overall record, including a perfect 8-0 league mark.
"Jon had a great summer and preseason. He has the best shooting touch of all our post players, which is something I believe you cannot teach, but he needs to learn to play with his back to the basket and rebound," Dickerson said.
"We outscored our opponents in the paint 80 percent of the time last year and that was a major reason we won 17 games and finished fourth in Conference USA. In order for us to find that same success again this season, we will need to dominate the paint on both ends of the floor," Dickerson said.
BACKCOURT
Tulane's backcourt has question marks and large holes to fill with the departure of seniors Chris Moore and Andrew Garcia to graduation. Moore was the team's second-leading scorer (10.3) and top outside shooting threat with 50 three-pointers, while Garcia ranked second on the team for assists with 100 and steals with 31. The group returns two starters and one letterwinner who played significant minutes a year ago.
Returning to his familiar role as the point guard for the Green Wave will be Sims (5-10, 160), who was one of the top freshman in Conference USA last season. He started 26 of 30 games and led the team in assists (102), steals (34) and free throw percentage (.815), and finished third on the team in scoring with 10 points per game and was second for three-pointers with 36. Sims averaged 28.2 minutes per game, reached the 20-point plateau twice and chalked up 16 double figure scoring games. His best game of the year came in his home state against Southern Miss where he registered a career-high 23 points and led the Wave to a win over the Golden Eagles.
"Kevin solidified his role as our point guard with his play last season. As a sophomore, we will depend on him to run the team, be our floor leader and score. We are looking for him to have a big year," Dickerson said.
A player who has evolved into a silent killer for Tulane is Wheaton (6-5, 190), who may not have gaudy stats, but has proved to be a difference maker with his gritty play. Last season, he started 21 of 30 games and averaged 4.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 20.3 minutes per game, and connected on 44.4 percent of his three-point field goal attempts (16-36). However, his biggest contributions of the year came on two different occasions when he accounted for game-winning shots. His three-pointer with 10.7 seconds remaining at UAB wrapped up a fourth-place finish and a first-round bye in the Conference USA Tournament. His first of the year was at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff when he rebounded a missed shot and banked in a jumper with one second remaining.
"The one player I am most excited about is Matt Wheaton. He is another player who had a great offseason. Matt stayed on campus and worked with our strength and conditioning coaches on improving his stamina and put in the most gym time where he refined his mid-range and three-point jump shot. He has a lot of confidence and we are counting on him and Sims for perimeter scoring this season," Dickerson said.
Junior Daniel Puckett (6-7, 190) proved to be one of the Green Wave's most consistent players last season. He started in 13 of 30 games and reached the scoring column in 29 of 30 contests. Puckett registered seven double figure games, including a career-best 17 points on the road at Marshall. He finished fourth on the team in scoring with 7.1 points per game and contributed 4.1 rebounds per contest in 20.4 minutes per outing.
"Daniel had the toughest offseason of any of our players with two surgeries, which limited his time on the court this summer and preseason. I believe he has the most potential of any player in our program. He is one of our better defenders on the perimeter and will have every opportunity to be a good player for us this season," Dickerson said.
Along with its three returners, Tulane's backcourt will feature four newcomers this season, including sophomore-transfer Eric Vianney (6-2, 205), freshman red-shirt Johnny Mayhane (6-5, 185) and a pair of true freshmen in Kris Richard (6-5, 165) and Jake Henderson (6-1, 170).
Vianney played the 2005-06 campaign at Illinois State before transferring to Tulane and sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. As a prepster senior at Picayune (Miss.) High School, he led his team to a 31-4 record and the Class 5A South State Championship, while averaging 13 points, four rebounds and eight assists per game.
Mayhane was a highly recruited player out of Alabama during his senior season of high school and signed with the Green Wave. However, a leg injury forced him to shelve his freshman campaign and he received a medical hardship. Mayhane averaged 19 points and eight rebounds per game as a senior and led Mobile's (Ala.) LeFlore High School to a 28-6 record and to the regional semifinals.
One of the most highly touted players in this year's recruiting class who could come in and earn playing minutes right away is Richard. A native of Beaumont, Texas, Richard completed his career as a four-year letterwinner at Ozen High School and was named to the all-state and all-region team after averaging 24 points per game as a senior. He led his high school to a combined record of 127-7 and a ranking of No. 3 in the state of Texas prior to his senior campaign.
Henderson, who hails from Baton Rouge and attended Parkview Baptist High School, averaged 14.6 points, 5.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. He connected on 47.6 percent of its attempts from behind the three-point line and shot 84 percent from the free-throw line during his senior season. He led PBHS to a combined record of 53-14 and a 25-3 mark in district play during his final two seasons.
"I believe with Kevin, Matt and Daniel we have one of the best backcourts Tulane has had over the last three years. Eric and Johnny will look to secure a role at shooting guard, while Kris is capable of playing multiple spots for us and has a chance to earn minutes right away in our guard rotation. He is the fastest player on the team and a capable scorer. Jake was a proven three-point shooter throughout his prep career and will need to make perimeter shots to stretch the defense and also play point guard for us," Dickerson said.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Tulane should once again be a formidable force on the inside with its experienced frontcourt, but will need its backcourt to step up and fill the void on the perimeter and in the scoring column left by Moore's departure. However, Tulane appears to have several solid candidates who will look to emerge as not only long-range shooters, but are pure scorers as well.
On the inside, the Wave boasts just two players standing at 6-8 or higher including Gomez and Andersen, but Tulane should once again be a physical team with a stingy defense inside the paint.
The last two seasons, Tulane has exceeded preseason predictions by Conference USA coaches and fans around the league with strong finishes. Last year, the Wave advanced just one game short of the C-USA Tournament title game. Dickerson has now positioned his Tulane team on both ends of the floor and looks to have the best chance of his three seasons to make a run toward a conference title and postseason bid.
"This season marks the first time since I have been here that there is a sense of normalcy in the program and the distractions have been minimal. I believe we can finally concentrate on being a great team and make Tulane fans excited about the Green Wave basketball program once again," Dickerson said.
The Green Wave's 2007-08 schedule features four 2007 postseason teams, 16 home games, including marquee matchups against preseason top-ranked Memphis and Southeastern Conference members Auburn and LSU, and trips to Hawaii and New York.
Tulane will face one NCAA Tournament (Memphis) and three postseason National Invitation Tournament (NIT) squads (Georgia, East Tennessee State, and Syracuse). Memphis advanced to the NCAA Tournament "Elite Eight" a year ago and is expected to be the top-ranked team in many preseason polls. The Green Wave will face either Georgia or East Tennessee State in the second round of the 2007 Rainbow Classic this December.
"Our schedule accomplishes our original goal two years ago when I took over which was to play a national schedule in hopes of improving our program from year-to-year," Dickerson said. "We are very excited about this year's schedule. Most importantly, with this schedule we will need support from our student body and fans to have success this season because it is very challenging."
