MONROE, La. – ULM opens the 2023-24 basketball season at 7 p.m. Monday against No. 7/6 Houston at the Fertitta Center.
The Warhawks return just one starter from last year’s 11-21 squad, but eight letterwinners overall. Senior guard Tyreke Locure leads the way as the lone returning starter, and is joined by fellow senior guard Savion Gallion and forward Nika Metskhvarishvili. Junior guards Devon Hancock and Johnnie Williams IV also return. The sophomore group features guards Jalen Bolden and Jacob Wilson and forward Edwin Litolff.
It is the third-straight season that ULM has opened the season on the road against an opponent from an Autonomy Five conference. Last year, the Warhawks lost at Texas A&M, 87-54, and in 2021, ULM fell at LSU, 101-39. ULM last won a season opener in 2019-20, when the Warhawks defeated Louisiana Christian, 64-41.
ULM is 5-8 in season openers with head coach Keith Richard, which includes seven games against teams from an Autonomy Five conference. The Warhawks are 2-8 under Richard when opening the season on the road, with the last road season opening win coming in 2018-19 at Jackson State, 75-66. The matchup agains the Top-10 ranked Cougars is the second time a ULM team led by Richard opens with a Top-10 opponent. The Warhawks lost at No. 5 Kansas, 80-63, to open the 2013-14 season.
Senior guard Tyreke Locure is a Second-Team Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection. He returns for his second season at ULM after leading the team in scoring (14.4 points per game), steals (1.8 pg.), field goals made per game (5.0 pg.) and 3-point field goals made per game (2.1 pg.) in 2022-23. He added 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He ranked fourth in the SBC in steals per game, sixth in 3-point field goals made per game, eighth in scoring, 14th in free-throw percentage (.762) and minutes per game (31.9) and 15th in assists per game and 3-point field goal percentage (.370). He scored in double figures 26 times and topped 20 points five times. He scored a career high 33 points vs. Troy on Feb. 22. His numbers improved inside of SBC play to 15.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while adding 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He shot 41% (43-of-104) from the 3-point line and 83% (53-of-64) from the free throw line in SBC action.
MONDAY’S GAME BASICS
ULM and Houston meet for the sixth time at 7 p.m. Monday at the Fertitta Center in Houston to tip off the 2023-24 men’s basketball season. Houston leads the series, 3-2, after a 76-64 win on Nov. 28, 2015, at the Fertitta Center.
The Warhawks are 0-3 all-time against the Cougars in Houston. ULM also lost to Houston, 85-83, on Feb. 16, 1974, and 98-64 on Dec. 28, 1995, in the most lopsided game in the series. The Warhawks won a pair of home games against Houston, 83-80 on Dec. 28, 1996, and 82-81 on Dec. 15, 1999.
ULM head coach Keith Richard has only met Houston once, on Nov. 28, 2015, in his head coaching career.
Richard will face off with Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson for the third time, with Sampson winning the first two meetings. In addition to the ULM/Houston clash on Nov. 28, 2015, the pair faced off on Dec. 8, 2002, when Oklahoma defeated Louisiana Tech, 71-67, in Norman, Oklahoma. Samspon is 3-0 against ULM, earning two victories while at Oklahoma against the Warhawks.
Monday’s game will stream on Big 12 NOW on ESPN+ with Matt Pederson (play-by-play), Reid Gettys (analyst) and Abby Christopherson (sideline reporter) on the call. The game will also air on 105.3 FM KLIP, la105.com and the TuneIn app on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield with Mike Hammett on the play-by-play.
PREVIEWING HOUSTON
The No. 7/6 Houston Cougars are ranked in the preseason for the fourth-straight year under the leadership of head coach Kelvin Sampson. The Cougars are No. 7 in the first Associated Press Top 25 of the season, while they are No. 6 in the first USA TODAY Sports Coaches’ Poll.
Monday’s game marks Houston’s first men’s basketball game as a member of the Big 12 Conference, after joining the league from the American Athletic Conference.
Houston finished the 2022-23 season with a 33-4 mark and was the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, falling in the Sweet 16 to No. 5 seed, and eventual Final Four team, Miami (Florida), 89-75. It was UH’s fourth-straight Sweet 16 appearance after winning its fourth AAC regular season championship.
The Cougars return two starters, senior guard Jamal Shead and senior forward J’Wan Roberts. Shead is the reigning AAC Defensive Player of the Year and was named Second-Team All-AAC. He averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game for UH in 2022-23. Roberts was named the AAC’s Most Improved Player and Second-Team All-AAC after averaging 10.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 2022-23.
ULM AND NORTHEAST LOUISIANA/HOUSTON CONNECTIONS
There is one connection between a Houston student-athlete to ULM and a few other connections between the Cougars and Northeast Louisiana.
Houston true freshman Joseph Tugler was born in Monroe, but moved to the Houston area and played high school basketball at Cypress Falls High School. He has twin older sisters, Alexar Tugler and Elexar Tugler, who played for the ULM women’s basketball program from 2010-14 after attending Carroll High School in Monroe. Alexar Tugler played in 122 games for the Warhawks over her four seasons, averaging 7.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. She averaged double figures as a junior and senior, and was named Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team ahead of the 2013-14 season. Elexar Tugler played in 114 games over her four-year career, averaging 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
There are a pair of connections to Northeast Louisana, and both link back to Rayville, located just over 20 miles east of Monroe on Interstate 20. Houston fifth-year senior guard Mylik Wilson was born in Monroe but grew up in Rayville and attended Rayville High School, helping the Hornets win back-to-back state championships and was a two-time Class 2A state player of the year. Additionally, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and UH radio analyst Elvin Hayes grew up in Rayville and played at Britton High School. Hayes was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and was voted to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
LAST TIME VS. HOUSTON
Houston 76, ULM 64 on Nov. 28, 2015, in Houston, Texas – Tied at 49 in the second half, Houston went on a 13-0 run to pull away and ultimately earn a 76-64 result over the ULM men’s basketball program on Saturday at Hofheinz Pavillion.
Freshman Travis Munnings posted a career-high 18 points and went 8-12 from the field and also pulled down six rebounds. Junior Nick Coppola poured in a season-high 15 points for ULM (2-2) on 6-11 shooting.
Houston (3-0) was led by Rob Gray Jr.’s 22 points off the bench. LeRon Barnes aided the attack with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Ronnie Johnson had 13 points.
The Warhawks got off to a hot start and led 11-6 early after making five of their first eight shots. After the Cougars cut it to 15-14, ULM used a 6-0 run to go back up 21-14 after a fast-break bucket from senior Mack Foster at the 10-minute mark.
Still up 23-16, Houston came back with a 7-0 run to tie it, 23-23 with 5:48 remaining. ULM went back up, 27-23 after a pair of free throws by junior Prince Cooper and a strong move by Munnings.
The Warhawks led 32-30 with a minute left when Barnes hit a three-pointer and Galen Robinson Jr. hit a jumper at the buzzer to give the Cougars a 35-32 edge at half.
The Cougars extended their lead to 40-32 early in the second, but ULM came back and pulled to within one, 42-41 with 15:08 to go after a jumper by senior Majok Deng. The Warhawks tied it, 49-49 after senior Justin Roberson drove and found Munnings underneath for the lay-in with 11:36 remaining.
UH responded with back-to-back three-pointers as ULM called a timeout trailing 55-49 at the 10:40 mark. The Cougars kept it going and made it a 13-0 run to lead 62-49 with 8:33 left.
Four straight points from Coppola got the deficit down to single digits for the last time, 69-60 with 1:34 to go.
LOCURE NAMED PRESEASON THIRD-TEAM ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE
ULM senior guard Tyreke Locure was named Preseason Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference following a vote of the league’s head coaches, the conference announced Oct. 16.
Locure returns for his second season at ULM after leading the team in scoring (14.4 points per game), steals (1.8 pg.), field goals made per game (5.0 pg.) and 3-point field goals made per game (2.1 pg.) in 2022-23. He added 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He ranked fourth in the SBC in steals per game, sixth in 3-point field goals made per game, eighth in scoring, 14th in free-throw percentage (.762) and minutes per game (31.9) and 15th in assists per game and 3-point field goal percentage (.370). He scored in double figures 26 times and topped 20 points five times. He scored a career high 33 points vs. Troy on Feb. 22. His numbers improved inside of SBC play to 15.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while adding 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He shot 41% (43-of-104) from the 3-point line and 83% (53-of-64) from the free throw line in SBC action.
GALLION PROVIDES BOOST OFF BENCH
ULM senior guard Savion Gallion returns after playing a pivotal role off the bench and as a spot starter in 2022-23. He played in all 32 games with 12 starts in his first season at ULM and averaged a career-best 7.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while adding 32 assists and 19 steals. He shot 38% (78-of-204) from the field and 26% (20-of-73) from 3-point range while knocking down 72% (65-of-90) from the free-throw line. He reached double figures 10 times.
Gallion scored a career-high 15 points (3-of-5 3-point field-goal attempts) while adding three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block while playing 34 minutes for the second time in his career vs. Troy on Feb. 22. He scored eight points and added a career-high tying five rebounds vs. South Alabama on Feb. 4. Gallion matched his career-high with five rebounds and added four points (4-of-4 free-throw attempts) at Marshall on Jan. 26. He came off the bench to play 34 minutes for the first time in his career, scoring 11 points with a career-high matching four assists vs. Texas State on Jan. 14. He once again scored 13 points (5-of-8 field-goal attempts) vs. Ragin’ Cajuns on Jan. 12. He came off the bench for nine points, including 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch, to open SBC play at Texas State on Dec. 29.
Gallion picked up 11 points with four rebounds and two assists vs. Jacksonville on Dec. 20 to wrap up non-conference action. He tallied 11 points with four assists, one steal and one block vs. Lamar on Dec. 17. He collected 13 points (3-of-4 3-point field-goal attempts) with two rebounds and two assists at Northwestern State on Dec. 10. He scored eight points with four rebounds and added a career-high matching three steals vs. Champion Christian on Dec. 3. He hit two 3-pointers in one game for the first time in his career, finishing with eight points and two rebounds at Tulane on Nov. 28. He tallied 11 points with four rebounds, two assists and one steal in return to starting lineup vs. Loyola Maryland on Nov. 26. He picked up a career-high three assists vs. Omaha on Nov. 25. Gallion had a career-high five rebounds to go with five points at TCU on Nov. 17. He picked up 13 points and three rebounds vs. Central Baptist on Nov. 14. He had his first double-figure scoring game with 12 points and two assists vs. Dallas Christian on Nov. 10. Gallion made his ULM debut, scoring nine points (7-of-8 free-throw shooting) with one rebound at Texas A&M on Nov. 7.
METSKHVARISHVILI RETURNS FROM INJURY
Senior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili was cleared to return to action just before the start of official practice in late September, and returns to the Warhawk lineup after missing all but five games in the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury.
When he left the lineup after five games last season, Metskhvarishvili was second on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game and rebounding at 5.8 boards per game. The Tbilisi, Georgia, native opened the season with 10 points and nine rebounds on Nov. 7 at Texas A&M before following it up with a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds on Nov. 10 against Dallas Christian. He added a team-high 15 points with five rebounds against Central Baptist on Nov. 14. He had nine points, four rebounds and two blocks at No. 15/18 TCU on Nov. 17. He was named a Preseason Third-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection prior to the 2022-23 season.
Metskhvarishvili appeared in 28 games with five starts in his first season at ULM as a second-year sophomore in 2021-22, averaging 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He totaled 12 double-figure scoring games, including four games with 20-or-more points and had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards at Texas State. He scored a career-high 23 points while playing 40 minutes at UT Arlington on Jan. 15. He scored in double figures in five consecutive games from Jan. 8-22, and improved inside SBC action, averaging 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
WATSON, WILLIS, NGOPOT, McCRANEY TRANSFER IN TO ULM
ULM head coach Keith Richard added six newcomers to his 2023-24 group, with returning forward AD Diedhiou making a seventh newcomer after missing all of 2022-23 with an injury. Four of the six newcomers are transfers to the ULM program, including guard Tyreese Watson, forward Makai Willis, forward Jerry Ngopot and guard P.D. McCraney.
Watson is a 6-4 guard from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played the last two seasons at Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Cochise finished the 2022-23 season with a 29-3 record, which included a 27-game winning streak, and finished ranked No. 11 in the NJCAA poll. The Apaches compiled a 58-7 record over Watson’s two seasons.
Watson led the team in scoring with 19.6 points per game and increased his scoring average to 20.6 points per game in conference play. He totaled 20 or more points 18 times and posted a season-high of 36 points. Watson scored 1,077 points over his two seasons at Cochise. He added 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 37% from the 3-point line. He shot 42% from deep inside conference play.
Watson is the brother of former Creighton standout and current professional player Maurice Watson, Jr. He played high school basketball at Monsignor Bonner High School.
Willis is a 6-9 forward from Tallahassee, Florida, and a transfer from Fairfield after previously attending Florida State School. He posted career highs of 14 points and eight rebounds with the Stags, while his freshman season was shortened due to injury.
Willis was a promising prospect coming out of the Florida prep ranks, where he was a state champion in one of the top classifications. He played for legendary coach, former NBA veteran, Heisman Trophy winner and Florida State legend Charlie Ward.
Willis is expected to add bulk, length and depth to ULM’s frontcourt.
Ngopot spent the last two seasons at Saint Peter’s in Jersey City, New Jersey, and redshirted on the Peacocks’ 2021-22 Elite Eight team. In 2022-23, he played in 24 games for Saint Peter’s and played double-figure minutes eight times as a reserve.
The Bangui, Central African Republic, native adds size, length and depth to the Warhawk front court. He has a wingspan measured at 7-1. He has participated in NBA’s Basketball Without Borders and NBA Academy Africa.
Ngopot is one of seven siblings.
McCraney, the all-time leading scorer in Neville High School history with 2,166 points, comes to ULM with three years of eligibility remaining.
McCraney played the 2022-23 season at Hinds Community College in Utica, Mississippi. He was a Second-Team All-MACCC selection as a freshman for the Bulldogs after averaging 21.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He shot 49.4% from the field and 81.6% from the free-throw line. He compiled a team-high 31 steals on the season.
While playing at Neville, McCraney became the only Tiger to eclipse 2,000 points in his high school career. He led NHS to the quarterfinals of the Class 4A State Tournament and 24 wins as a senior in 2022. He was a First-Team All-State selection, averaging 22.4 points, six rebounds and five assists per game for the Tigers. He was the Ouachita Citizen’s 2022 Boys Basketball Player of the Year. In addition to his on-court accolades, McCraney was an Academic All-State selection.
RICHARD EARNS 300TH CAREER WIN, TIED FOR SECOND IN SBC CAREER WINS
ULM head coach Keith Richard earned his 300th career win in the 72-59 victory for the Warhawks at Georgia Southern on Jan. 19, 2023.
Richard is in his 14th season as the head coach at his alma mater. The win against Georgia Southern also marked his 150th victory as the head coach at ULM, making it an even split in career victories with another 150 wins over nine seasons at Louisiana Tech from 1998-99 to 2007-08.
He has won 117 Sun Belt Conference games as a head coach, with 85 at ULM and 32 over his first three seasons at LA Tech before the Bulldogs joined the Western Athletic Conference in 2001-02. He is tied with former Middle Tennesse coach and current Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis for the second-most SBC wins by a head coach.
He has been involved in 726 of the 2,012 games in ULM program history either as a player, graduate assistant, assistant coach or head coach.
