Tulane Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Green Wave

NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 11: Head coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. of the Tulane Green Wave reacts during the first half of a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Smoothie King Center on November 11, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

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CHAPEL HILL, NC – DECEMBER 16: Blake Paul /

After yet another underwhelming season for the Green Wave, Tulane Basketball hopes to escape the bottom of the 12-team American Athletic Conference.

Tulane basketball is undoubtedly one that lacks tradition and prestige. The Green Wave is 32-64 over their last three seasons and have only four seasons where they saw a record above .500 in the 21st century.

Tulane’s two-man game that featured guards Melvin Frazier Jr and Cameron Reynolds wasn’t very successful last season. The two were the only players to average north of 15 points per game and also led the team in rebounds and steals, but the unimpressive talent around the pair couldn’t provide much help.

Head coach Mike Dunleavy was able to put Frazier Jr. and Reynolds on NBA rosters this season. The former was the No. 35 overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft, while Reynolds managed to secure a spot on the Sacramento Kings roster as an undrafted free agent.

Tulane’s 2018 recruiting class does provide promise for the program’s future. Small forward Moses Wood, power forward Kevin Zhang, and shooting guard Connor Crabtree, all 3-star prospects, earned Tulane the No. 5 recruiting class in all of the American Athletic Conference. Mike Dunleavy, who spent 17 seasons as an NBA head coach, is seemingly building an attractive platform at Tulane largely because of his storied coaching career and eight-year career as an NBA player.

While Tulane doesn’t appear remotely talented this season, the future is promising under Dunleavy, and it will certainly be intriguing to see how Dunleavy rebuilds this struggling program. Here’s what to expect from the Green Wave this season: