Oct. 18, 2005

Back in August, it was apparent that the 2005-06 season would offer plenty of change for the Tulane Green Wave basketball program. After all, the team would be led by a new coach in former Maryland assistant Dave Dickerson, and would play in a "new" Conference USA, featuring six new programs.

Then on August 29th, Hurricane Katrina changed EVERYTHING - for the basketball team, the athletics program, the university, the city and the region. Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, forcing the university to cancel the fall semester and scattering its athletic teams to four schools across Louisiana and Texas, where they would continue to compete for Tulane University.

As the Green Wave men's basketball team re-grouped in College Station, Texas 10 days after the storm, "change" became a way of life as players adapted to a new campus and different living arrangements, and were charged with not only playing basketball, but also representing their university and their community.

The 2005-06 season will still be filled with change - including a midseason move out of College Station back to its home campus in New Orleans, where the Tulane campus, including its home court of Fogelman Arena, escaped major damage. Throughout the displacement and relocation process, one thing has remained unchanged - the upbeat and confident attitude of Dickerson, who has guided the Green Wave through the entire ordeal with a steady hand and unfailing optimism.

"I am very optimistic," Dickerson said from his temporary office on the campus of Texas A&M. "We are obviously starting under difficult circumstances, but we are taking the same attitude that our university is taking. This is a challenge and we are not backing down. If how we have handled things so far is an indication of how good we are going to be, then we have a chance to fare well this season."

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Dickerson's hire was the biggest storyline for the Tulane program this year. A veteran assistant coach with nine years and a national championship at Maryland on his resumé, Dickerson brings 15 years of coaching experience at four schools. As a coach, he has never suffered a losing season while his teams have 10 postseason appearances. He takes over a Green Wave team which went 10-17 last season, however, three of those losses were by three points or less and 10 of those losses came to teams no longer in Conference USA. Which brings up the other major change for Tulane. Conference USA has undergone a makeover which saw eight teams leave to be replaced by newcomers UCF, Marshall, Rice, SMU, UTEP and Tulsa. Dickerson's first-year coaching staff must prepare Tulane to play seven games versus "new" league teams, fully half of its conference slate. Again, Dickerson is unphased.

"This new look for the league is exciting," he said. "We have added similar schools to our own, condensed things geographically and added some potentially excellent rivalries."

Dickerson, who was hired on April 1st, directed his 13-man squad through individual workouts in the spring and extensive conditioning through the preseason, though that was interrupted by the hurricane evacuation. He is now ready to tackle a full-practice schedule at Texas A&M, prior to the team's expected return to New Orleans in December.

"After what the hurricane did to the Gulf Coast Region, we're just thankful to be a team," Dickerson said. "We are thankful for the opportunity we have to move forward and compete this season. This situation has given us perspective on how close and how tough we have to be in order to be a good team. Sure, we are behind other teams in terms of conditioning and we have not had the routine we would like, but we'll be ready to go. I won't use us being displaced as an excuse. This is a time for us to be able to look back on what we have been doing and what we're going through to help motivate us to be a better team."

Based on personnel and more importantly, on Dickerson's overall coaching philosophy, Tulane will play an up-tempo brand of basketball - looking for easy points in the open court on the offensive end while using 94-feet of defense to force opponents to work for everything. Dickerson's 2005-06 team features 10 players who have seen significant action, including four returning starters. In addition, a pair of freshmen will provide serious competition for playing time as the new head coach works to establish a rotation.

"We have a couple of seniors who I am counting on to be leaders on and off the court," Dickerson said. "And we have seven other guys who know what college basketball is all about. Some of the younger guys don't have the experience, but they are ready to go as well. There will be a lot of competition this fall; nobody has guaranteed playing time. If they want to play, they are going to have to impress the coaching staff in camp." As Dickerson puts his imprint on the program in this disjointed season, he still goes back to his original goals.

"I have said this over and over, my long-range goal for the program is for us to be as good as the school," he said. "If we are one of the top 30 schools in the country, then my [long-range] goal is for us to be a top 30 basketball program. We have a lot of experience and we have a lot of talent, but we need to bring those two things together to create wins. We're going to be judged on the number of games we win, not on the progression of the program, and I like that pressure."

CENTER

In addition to being one of the most improved players in the country over the last four years, Quincy Davis is poised to establish himself as one of the top big men in Conference USA. Long and athletic, the 6-9, 240-pound Davis has proven to be a force on the offensive and defensive end of the court. Last year, he led the Wave with 13.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He also blocked 41 shots while leading the league in field-goal percentage at 61.2 percent. Davis had six double-doubles as a junior, including a dominating 28-point, 11-rebound performance against Memphis, which went on to the NCAA Tournament.

While Dickerson is counting on increased productivity from Davis, he is also looking for another player to step up as a post presence in 2005-06. At 6-8 and 250 pounds, Kory Castine brings a lot of size to the position, but needs to improve on his numbers of 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Robinson Louisme (6-7, 265) is another bulky body in the paint who looks to make a jump statistically as a sophomore after playing in just 16 games last season.

FORWARD

Senior Vytas Tatarunas is a strong, athletic player who can score both inside and out, giving him the capability to play at both forward positions. After a breakout sophomore season (9.3 points, 7.2 rebounds), he battled an early season back injury and had an inconsistent junior campaign, finishing with 3.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. As a senior, a more dedicated and intense attitude should lift Tatarunas back into the lineup for significant stretches.

Sophomores David Gomez and Donnie Stith saw extensive playing time as freshmen and will be counted on to increase their production as well. Gomez can play both forward positions and is a hard-nosed rebounder and defender who uses his strength for easy buckets in the paint. He averaged 6.2 points and 4.3 rebounds while starting 21 games in 2004-05.

Stith, meanwhile, is a long, athletic swingman who can shoot the three while also piling up points in transition. The Virginia product showed flashes of potent scoring ability throughout the season, including a career-best 19-point performance against nationallyranked Louisville.

Freshman Daniel Puckett, a two-time all-state selection in Tennessee, joins the Green Wave this season and has already wowed teammates with his all-around abilities on the court. An excellent shooter with good size at 6-7, Puckett has also shown the athleticism necessary to compete in Conference USA. He will have the opportunity to see immediate playing time.

GUARD

Sophomore Taylor Rochestie wasted little time making his mark on the Tulane program a year ago. As a freshman, the California native started 25 games, led the team in minutes played and buried a pair of game-winning shots (against post-season teams UAB and Houston). He closed the year averaging 10.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and earned All-Freshman honors from Conference USA.

A small, but tough, point guard, Rochestie will be a key to Dickerson's up-tempo style, which relies on keeping turnovers down and maximizing opportunities in transition. He will also be looked to as a scorer. With 15 double-figure scoring games, including a career-best 22 points in a comeback win over VMI, he proved his abilities in that department as a rookie.

Veteran guard Vincent Camper returns to the lineup this fall after sitting out the second semester of 2004-05 due to academics. Camper is an intense competitor who makes things happen on the offensive end with his ability to penetrate, while showing the potential to be a lock-down defender. He averaged 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds while playing 20.2 minutes per game in 13 games last season.

Junior Chris Moore has continued to show leadership skills and outstanding shooting ability. Dickerson hopes to see increased confidence from the Texas native, who averaged 3.2 points, including 16 three-pointers, as a sophomore.

Another sophomore, Matt Wheaton, will also have significant opportunities in the backcourt for the Green Wave. After a summer concentrating on ball-handling and weight-training, Wheaton is more prepared for the rigors of college basketball in 2005- 06. He averaged 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds last year, but battled inconsistency. Another newcomer to the team who will vie for immediate playing time is freshman guard Ryan Williams. A three-time all-state choice in Arkansas, Williams led Jonesboro High in scoring for three years while establishing himself as one of the most exciting players in the country with his above the rim play.

Junior Andrew Garcia will also add depth to the backcourt. A walk-on transfer from the University of Pittsburgh, Garcia brings an excellent work ethic to the practice floor and the classroom.

While a coaching change, a new league and the hurricane displacement factor are very visible changes for the Tulane basketball program, Dickerson hopes to make other more subtle changes as well.

"One of the biggest keys is to change our mindset to not think like a 10-win team," Dickerson said. "We have to have lofty goals and be able to work to achieve those goals. I have always thought that teams decide how good they are. It is up to us to decide who we can be. I am going into the year thinking we can win every game. Whether we get there or not, I don't know, but we're going to leave everything we have on the court."