ULM (13-18 overall, 5-13 Sun Belt Conference in 2021-22) at Texas A&M (27-13 overall, 9-9 Southeastern Conference in 2021-22)
7 p.m. Monday, November 7, 2022 | Reed Arena (12,989) | College Station, Texas
WATCH: SEC Network+ | LISTEN: 105.3 FM KLIP | LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES
MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks open the 2022-23 season at 7 p.m. Monday against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.
It is the second time in the last four seasons that ULM has made the trip to face the Aggies. On Nov. 11, 2019, Texas A&M rallied from a 10-point deficit to defeat ULM, 63-57, at Reed Arena. The game featured eight ties and five lead changes. Michael Ertel led ULM with 25 points. Jay Jay Chandler led the Aggies with 17 points.
ULM returns just one starter, forward
Thomas Howell, and four total letterwinners from last year's 13-18 team. Howell averaged 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He was one of two Warhawks (
Russell Harrison) to play in all 31 games and made 30 starts.
Forward Nika Metskhvarishvili is a Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team selection after playing in 28 games last year, averaging 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
MONDAY'S GAME BASICS
ULM opens the 2022-23 season at 7 p.m. Monday night at Texas A&M. The Warhawks are coming off a 13-18 season in 2021-22, including a 5-13 mark in Sun Belt Conference play.
The Warhawks return one starter, forward
Thomas Howell, and four total letterwinners from the 2021-22 team. Howell was one of two players to appear in all 31 games (
Russell Harrison) and made 30 starts, averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He is joined in the returning group by Nika Metskhvarishvili, a Preseason Third-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, who averaged 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 28 contests last year. ULM has nine newcomers, including six players with previous NCAA Division I experience.
Texas A&M is coming off a 27-13 season in 2021-22, including a 9-9 record in SEC play. The Aggies advanced to the championship game of the NIT before falling to Xavier, 73-72. The Aggies averaged 72.7 points per game last season while allowing 66.1 points per game. Texas A&M won 12 of its final 14 games last season.
Monday's game will air on SEC Network+ with Will Johnson on play-by-play and Tap Bentz as the analyst. 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 TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M finished 27-13 overall last season with a 9-9 mark in the SEC. The Aggies won 11 of their last 13 games, finishing runner-up in the National Invitation Tournament to Xavier.
The Aggies return four starters from last season, including Henry Coleman III, Tyrece Radford, Andre Gordon and Manny Obaseki. Coleman averaged 11.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while appearing in 39 contests with 36 starts for Texas A&M, while Radford averaged 10.9 points and 6.2 boards while starting all 40 games. Wade Taylor IV returns after finishing second on the team with 87 assists.
Coleman ranked 88th in NCAA Division I and fifth in the SEC in offensive rebounds per game at 2.62 and was 92nd nationally and seventh in the SEC in free throw attempts at 159. Radford was 40th nationally and led the SEC in total minutes at 1202:48 and was 99th nationally and eighth in the SEC in total rebounds at 249.
As a team, Texas A&M led the nation in total steals (399), ranked second nationally and second in the SEC in free-throw attempts (825), fourth nationally and second in the SEC in free throws made (580), sixth nationally and second in the SEC in steals per game (10.0), seventh nationally and first in the SEC in total rebounds (1,423), 12th nationally and second in the SEC in turnovers forced (16.88), 15th nationally and first in the SEC in turnover margin (3.8), 19th nationally and third in the SEC in total assists (541) and 29th nationally and fifth in the SEC in offensive rebounds per game (12.10).
The Aggies have won their last 20 season openers, dating back to a loss in the 2000-01 season opener at George Washington, which the Colonials won 94-74 on Nov. 18, 2000. The contest at GW was Texas A&M's last season opener away from Reed Arena. The Aggies have won 21 consecutive home openers, dating back to Nov. 27, 1999 (North Carolina A&T, 94-77).
METSKHVARISHVILI NAMED PRESEASON THIRD-TEAM ALL-SUN BELT
ULM junior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference Preseason Third Team following a vote of the conference's head coaches.
A potential breakout player, Metskhvarishvili appeared in 28 games with five starts in his first season at ULM as a second-year sophomore, 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.
"We need Nika to have a really good year," ULM head coach
Keith Richard said. "We think he can and he wants to. He could be an all-conference player in this league."
HOWELL RETURNS FOR THIRD SEASON INSIDE
ULM sophomore forward
Thomas Howell is back for his third season with the Warhawks in 2022-23. He is the only returning starter from the 2021-22 team.
Howell came into the program as a freshman and has steadily evolved his game. He started 30 of 31 games as a second-year freshman in 2021-22, averaging 8.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 59.4 percent (107-of-180) from the field, ranking as the sixth-best field-goal percentage in a single season in program history. Howell led the Warhawks with 44 offensive rebounds and scored in double figures 10 times.
"I just want Thomas to progress like he has the past two years," ULM head coach
Keith Richard said. "If you look from high school to his freshman year, he improved. If you look from his freshman year to the next year, he improved. I want him to take another step and I think he will. Without putting undue pressure on him, he doesn't have to be anybody but himself and keep improving. In this day and time when you get guys three years in your program, that's a luxury now."
POWELL, WILLIAMS PART OF RETURNING GROUP
ULM senior guard
Langston Powell and sophomore guard
Johnnie Williams IV complete the group of four returning players for the 2022-23 squad.
A local product from West Monroe High School, Powell has battled injuries throughout his career. Last year, he played in 27 games with nine starts as a second-year junior, averaging 4.1 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game
"Before his second injury, he's finally starting to look like he looked then, which is a really athletic player who knows how to play on the floor," ULM head coach
Keith Richard said. "He knows who he is as a player. He's a good returner to have back, and he's done well out here in the preseason."
A native of Sarasota, Florida, Williams played in 12 games with one start last season, averaging 1.3 points and 1.0 rebounds per game.
SIX TRANSFERS HIGHLIGHT NEWCOMERS
Nine newcomers have arrived to bolster the 2022-23 Warhawks team, with six of them having previous NCAA Division I experience including 6-10 center Victor Bafutto (Mercer transfer), 6-0 guard Jamari Blackmon (North Alabama transfer), 6-11 forward AD Diedhiou (UAB transfer), 6-4 guard Savion Gallion (South Plains College/Buffalo transfer), 6-3 guard Devon Hancock (Milwaukee transfer) and 6-0 guard Tyreke Locure (UAB transfer).
ULM expects big things from the new additions, especially the combo guard Locure. He spent last season at UAB but began his collegiate career at Sun Belt Conference rival South Alabama, where he started 34 of 49 games over two seasons. As a sophomore in 2020-21, Locure started 25 of 26 games and averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
"He's already averaged double figures at South Alabama two years ago," ULM head coach
Keith Richard said. "He's proven that he can score in this league."
Locure has speed and a versatile offensive skillset that can fill up a box score.
"He's a scoring guard, make no mistake about it," Richard said. "It's all about scoring with him. He can bounce around from two to one."
Blackmon will supplement ULM's options at point guard. He played four seasons at North Alabama, ranking as the sixth all-time leading scorer in UNA history with 1,346 points after starting 111 of 113 career games from 2018-22.
"He gives us a different point guard than Elijah," Richard said. "He's a great defender, a good scorer. At North Alabama, I think he scored over 1,300 points. He's a scorer and gets to the foul line a lot, as opposed to Elijah, who is more run the team and shoot 3-point shots; this kid is more physical defensively. He gets fouled a lot and can knock down the occasional three. It gives us another guy up there."
Bafutto and Diedhiou bring size to the roster that ULM was missing a year ago.
"We're going to need it," Richard said. "There were games last year where Thomas or Nika at the five was not good in that particular game. It wasn't every game, but there were some where the other team's players were just bigger and stronger and they got that offensive rebound, just because they were bigger and taller.
"So, we signed both those kids with the thought that we don't want that to happen anymore."
Bafutto has already made his presence felt in practice.
"He's 6-10, not a big jumper, but he has a 7-3 wingspan," Richard said. "Just those arms have bothered some of our guys in practice. We get both of them out there, it just gives us a stronger team."
Richard identified Hancock and Gallion as "key players" because of their experience and ability.
"They are two good-looking guards, who look like what we play against in the Sun Belt," Richard said. "They're both here for a reason, just like a lot of guys when they transfer. They're here because for whatever reason, it didn't work out as well as they wanted it to at their other place. If both of them can work out here, if this is the spot that was good, we have a chance to have a good team. It gives us really good depth on the perimeter and multiple guards we can throw out there."
THREE FRESHMEN ROUND OUT NEWCOMER GROUP
Three true freshmen complete the nine-player newcomer group for ULM in 2022-23, including 6-4 guard Jalen Bolden (Zachary High School), 6-5 guard Jacob Wilson (Liberty Magnet High School ) and 6-7 walk-on forward Edwin Litolff (Doyle High School).
Bolden led Zachary to back-to-back Class 5A Championships in 2021 and '22 and averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds as a senior. He was the Class 5A Player of the Year in and selected the Outstanding Player in the Class 5A Championship Game after posting 23 points and 11 rebounds in an 84-63 victory over Northshore.
"He's coming here with a Sun Belt body," ULM head coach
Keith Richard said. "He's strong, one of the things that happens to freshmen sometimes, is the players are stronger than they thought it would be or even ready for physically. Because of his body, he's a strong player. That's going to give him the opportunity to play earlier."
Wilson was a First-Team All-State Class 4A selection by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and Second-Team All-State by the Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association after averaging 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a high school senior. He was selected to play in the Louisiana East-West All-Star Game.
Wilson scored 1,875 career points, pulled down 646 rebounds, handed out 469 assists and totaled 272 steals, helping the Liberty Magnet Patriots to a Division II state semifinals appearance in 2021 and a state runner-up finish in 2022.
"Adding Jacob is an intriguing addition to our program," Richard said. "He is a 6-5 player who handles the ball well and can play multiple positions who we think can help us. It was widely recognized that Jacob and Jalen were two of the top senior high school prospects in the state last year."
Litolff finished his high school career as a small forward at Doyle after playing three seasons at Holden High School.
