TIP-OFF
The ULM men’s basketball team (4-10, 0-1) will ring in the new year with a four-game Sun Belt Conference road trip starting on Thursday night (Jan. 2) at Georgia Southern on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. CT
The Warhawks will aim to snap a three-game losing streak following an 80-75 overtime defeat to Old Dominion in the team’s SBC opener. Jacob Wilson scored a career-high 23 points and Makai Willis picked up a double-double in the first conference matchup of the season.
SERIES HISTORY –
Thursday’s meeting will be the 30th all-time matchup between the Warhawks and the Eagles on the hardwood, with Georgia Southern holding a 16-13 edge. The Warhawks won the last battle in Statesboro in 2023 with a final score of 72-59. Georgia Southern has won the previous two games following a win in the 2023 SBC Tournament and a 2024 win in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Keith Richard is 5-14 in his career versus the Eagles.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES –
Georgia Southern enters Thursday’s game having lost four of its previous six games. In the Eagles’ Sun Belt Conference opener, both Bradley Douglas and Nakavieon White reached double figures but Georgia Southern fell at Texas State, 83-61. In Georgia Southern’s win over Gardner-Webb, Douglas scored a career-high 31 points to lead the Eagles to victory.
As a team, the Eagles feature a deep scoring attack and lead the Sun Belt Conference and rank 17th in the nation with 33.4 bench points per game. Douglas and White have played in each of Georgia Southern’s 13 games this season and average above 10 points per game. Tyson Brown is the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 4.9 boards per game. Both White and Dontae Horne have passed 2.5 assists per game while Douglas paces the Eagles with 1.5 steals per game.
Charlie Henry is in his second season leading Georgia Southern men’s basketball after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Alabama under Nate Oats. Henry coached with Oats at Romulus High School before stints with Iowa State, the Chicago Bulls and the Windy City Bulls.
RICHARD ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AT CONCLUSION OF SEASON–
ULM men’s basketball coach Keith Richard announced on Friday (Dec. 20) his intention to retire at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. Richard will complete his 15th season as the head coach of ULM men’s basketball. Richard inherited a program saddled with APR sanctions and guided the Warhawks to four postseason appearances in five years. Richard previously served as the head coach of Louisiana Tech from 1998-2007 and was an assistant at LSU from 2008-10 before being named ULM’s head coach and has accumulated over 300 victories as a head coach.
FAMILIAR FACES –
The Warhawks welcome back 10 players from the 2023-24 roster including starters Tyreese Watson, Jalen Bolden and Jerry Ngopot. Key role players including Jacob Wilson, Makai Willis and AD Diedhiou are also back after playing in more than 10 games last season.
KEY ADDITIONS –
The 2024 ULM men’s basketball signing class featured four new Warhawks to the 2024-25 roster. ULM signed two high school prospects (Micah Caster & Renars Sondors), one four-year transfer (Coltie Young) and one junior college transfer (Ta’Zir Smith) in the 2024 class. Additionaly, Phil Cunningham was introduced as an assistant head coach during the offseason. Cunningham brings over 25 years of collegiate coaching experience at the Division I level.
LOOKING AHEAD –
ULM continues its road trip on Saturday (Jan. 4) at Coastal Carolina with tip-off set for 2 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. CT.
