ULM Warhawks

GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks visit the Central Michigan Chippewas for the first time in program history at 12 p.m. EST/11 a.m. CST Saturday at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. ULM is coming off an 84-31 loss to No. 7/6 Houston on Monday at the Fertitta Center, while CMU lost 89-59 against Oklahoma Monday at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Saturday's contest is part of the first round of the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. The first round features Sun Belt Conference schools visiting MAC schools: Troy at Ohio, James Madison at Kent State, Southern Miss at Akron, South Alabama at Buffalo, Texas State at Miami (Ohio), Arkansas State at Bowling Green, Georgia Southern at Eastern Michigan, Georgia State at Western Michigan, Old Dominion at Ball State, App State at Northern Illinois and the Ragin' Cajuns at Toledo. Marshall and Coastal Carolina are not participating in the challenge this season. The second round of the MAC/SBC Challenge is Feb. 10, when MAC schools visit SBC schools. Matchups for the Feb. 10 date will be based on the NCAA's NET rankings in January.

ULM guard Tyreke Locure was named Second-Team Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference after leading ULM 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).

SATURDAY'S GAME BASICS    
ULM and Central Michigan meet for the first time in program history at 12 p.m. EST/11 a.m. CST Saturday at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

ULM was led by senior guard Savion Gallion's eight points in Monday's 84-31 loss at No. 7/6 Houston. Senior guard Tyreke Locure added seven points. Senior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili, sophomore forward Jerry Ngopot and Locure tied with a team-best four rebounds. Locure led the Warhawks with two assists.

Saturday's game is the first time ULM head coach Keith Richard will face off with Central Michigan.

Central Michigan is coming off an 89-59 loss at Oklahoma on Monday. Anthony Pritchard led CMU with 11 points while Cayden Vasko added 10. Brian Taylor led the club with nine rebounds.

CMU head coach Tony Barbee is in his third season with the Chippewas, with previous head coaching stops at Auburn (2010-14) and UTEP (2006-10). Saturday's game is the first time Barbee has faced ULM.

Saturday's game will stream on ESPN+ with Adam Jaska (play-by-play) and Matt DeVries (analyst) on the call. The game also will air on 104.1 FM KJLO, k-104.com and the TuneIn app on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield with Ben Milam on the play-by-play.

PREVIEWING CENTRAL MICHIGAN    
The Central Michigan Chippewas enter Saturday's game at 0-1 on the season after Monday's 89-59 loss at Oklahoma. Junior guard Anthony Pritchard, a Tulsa transfer, paced CMU with 11 points. Freshman guard Cayden Vasko added 10 points. Graduate guard/forward Brian Taylor pulled in nine rebounds.

CMU finished the 2022-23 season with a 10-21 overall record and posted a 5-13 mark inside the Mid-American Conference. However, the Chippewas return just three lettermen and three starters from last year's team: Taylor, center Markus Harding and guard Max Majerle.

The 2023-24 CMU roster features 12 newcomers. Pritchard and guard Paul McMillan IV are NCAA Division I transfers, with Pritchard previously playing at Tulsa and McMillan at NJIT. Four players are transfers from junior colleges: guard Derrick Butler, forward Jemal Davis, center KJ Oduor and guard/forward Aidan Rubio.

LAST TIME OUT
No. 7 /6 Houston 84, ULM 31 on Nov. 6, 2023, in Houston, Texas – No. 7/6 Houston used a 19-1 run early in the first half to break the game open and rolled to an 84-31 win over ULM in the season opener Monday night at the Fertitta Center.

ULM led 4-3 in the early going on a bucket by Savion Gallion, but Houston unleashed the 19-1 run, closing it out with 14 straight points by Damian Dunn, putting the Cougars on top, 22-5, with 10:01 left in the first half. The Warhawks never got closer than 13, 23-10, on a 3-pointer by Tyreke Locure with 8:20 left in the first half.

ULM shot just 28% (11-of-39) from the field, 19% (3-of-16) from 3-point range and made just 6 out of 17 free-throw attempts (35%) while getting outrebounded, 46-30, and committing 25 turnovers. UH shot 43% (26-of-61) from the floor and knocked down 11 treys while turning the ball over just 11 times.

Houston's Emanuel Sharp led all scorers with 20 points, including a 4-of-8 mark from 3-point range. Dunn added 18 points. ULM was paced by eight points from Gallion and seven from Locure.

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 MOVES TO STARTING LINEUP    
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.

2023-24 SEASON PREVIEW 
By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow - Injuries ambushed ULM basketball in a big way a year ago.

Expected to be ULM's top player, Nika Metskhvarishvili started five games before he was shut down with a knee injury. UAB transfer AD Diedhiou, a 6-11 forward, was lost with a preseason knee injury in October and never played.

Preparing for the 2023-24 season, ULM head coach Keith Richard feels optimistic as he scans the court during ongoing practice sessions and sees those same players working their way back.

"That's a nice look out there," Richard said. "It just reminds me what it was like not having them last year."

ULM finished 11-21, 7-11 in the Sun Belt with its depleted roster while falling to Georgia Southern as the 10 seed in the second round of the conference tournament.

"I think we have a chance to have a good team, Richard said. "I do. I did last year until those two went out. If you think about our season last year, we went 7-11 in conference play without them. Had we had them, I believe we could have finished in the top half of the league."

Make no mistake, losing Metskhvarishvili was a huge blow.

A 6-8 forward with long-distance shooting skills, 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.

Metskhvarishvili was a third-team preseason All-Sun Belt selection last year and averaged 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in his abbreviated year.

"The knock on us is that we only have one double-digit returning scorer," Richard said. "But that's misleading because Nika was a double-digit scorer the year before. And, with all these returners and possibly some new guys, I believe somebody else is going to show themselves. If we stay healthy, I think we've got a real chance."

In all, Richard returns eight players including guards Tyreke Locure, Savion Gallion, Johnnie Williams IV, Devon Hancock, Jacob Wilson and Jalen Bolden.

"It has felt good in the spring, the summer and this fall," Richard said of his returning experience. "It feels almost like the old days when you didn't have a transfer portal. You took some lumps one year, you have a bunch of guys coming back and they've improved a lot like you want them to. That's kind of where we're at. This won't happen every year because of the transfer portal."

While not all the returnees were big-time producers a year ago, Richard rightly expects more from his core.

"Our team's success this year will be because of these eight guys," Richard said. "I believe that."

Locure started all 32 games in his first season at ULM, leading the team in scoring (14.4 points per game), steals (1.8 pg.), field goals made per game (5.0) and 3-point field goals made per game (2.1) while adding 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. A 6-0 guard who joined the program last year as a portal transfer from UAB. Locure is projected to play more at the point this season. 

"He's matured a lot," Richard said. "He knows this is his last year playing as a fifth-year guy. He's a returning double-figure scorer for us and had some good games. It's a big year for him and he's responded appropriately in the spring, summer and fall. He knows how we want to do things and he's had a good offseason."

Gallion appeared in 32 games with 12 starts, averaging 7.5 points and reaching double figures 10 times. Hancock contributed 3.7 ppg in 31 games with three starts.

"I'm banking on these guys getting better," Richard said. "I've watched them, and they have gotten better and they continue to get better. That, plus Tyreke and Nika, sprinkle in a few new guys, I think it will be enough to have a good team."

After wetting their beaks as freshmen Warhawks, Bolden and Wilson should enter the regular rotation as sophomores. 

Bolden led Zachary to back-to-back Class 5A Championships in 2021 and 2022 and averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds as a senior. The 6-4 guard was the player of the year in Class 5A and selected as the Class 5A Championship Game outstanding player.

A 6-6 guard from Liberty Magnet in Baton Rouge, Wilson was an All-State player who averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a high school senior.

"Those two guys were Louisiana high school all-stars and known within the state," Richard said. "What happened to them is exactly what happened to me when I came to college. You get smacked in the mouth. College is just different. We're extremely happy with those two and we're going to reward them by playing them. They're a little more ready now. They look like they belong."

Lengthening ULM's depth after Metskhvarishvili and Diedhiou, the Warhawks added transfers Jerry Ngopot, a 6-11 center from St. Peter's in Jersey City, New Jersey, and 6-9 forward Makai Willis from Fairfield.   

"They're good-looking kids," Richard said. "All four of them together give us enough in my opinion to really go to battle. We've got guards everywhere after that and some experience."

Ngopot spent the last two seasons at St. Peter's and redshirted on the Peacocks' 2021-22 Elite Eight team. In 2022-23, he played in 24 games for St. Peter's and played double-figure minutes eight times as a reserve. The Bangui, Central African Republic, native has a 7-1 wingspan.

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 former NBA veteran, Heisman Trophy winner and Florida State legend Charlie Ward.

"These guys are more traditional fours and fives," Richard said. "AD and Jerry are both 6-10 and about 250 – traditional centers. We can post them up, and they don't need to be doing a lot of dribble handoffs on the perimeter like we've been doing the last couple of years because we didn't really know what to do with those guys.

"Willis is a lot like Nika. He's got a lot of skill but he can also bang. We're looking at more high-low stuff, more screening action with two options – one for the big and one for the guard – as opposed to being so guard-oriented as we were over the last couple of years."

ULM's other newcomers include guard Patrick "P.D." McCraney, Tyrese Watson and Kelton Williams.

"We added a few new guys that we like who are going to need some seasoning," Richard said. "I would be shocked, if we stay healthy, if we don't have a good team this year."

The 6-1 McCraney, the all-time leading scorer in Monroe (Louisiana) Neville High School history with 2,166 points, comes to ULM with three years of eligibility remaining.

The local product 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.

"I think he'll be a nice role player for us this year," Richard said. "He was a big scorer in high school and he'll play a role here at the one and the two. What he's shown so far is, he's a really safe guy for us and picks up stuff quickly."

Watson is a 6-4 guard from Philadelphia who played the last two seasons at Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Arizona. He 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 wasn't with us this summer so he's getting started late," Richard said. "But he's a proven scorer in junior college. We need to put some weight and strength on him, but he's showing some signs out here that he can score."

Williams, a 6-1 freshman from Midlothian, Texas, scored more than 1,500 points in his high school career. As a senior, he averaged 18.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

"He's a combo guard and very talented," Richard said. "He's kind of raw but he was the all-time leading scorer at his school. He's quick and athletic and learning how to play. But he can really shoot it. He needs a little seasoning as a freshman, but he can really shoot it and he's quick as a cat."

ULM opens the season on Monday, Nov. 6, with a trip to Houston to face the Cougars in their first game as a member of the Big 12 Conference. ULM plays 14 home games, including the home opener with Louisiana Tech on Nov. 16.

Sun Belt Conference play begins with a road trip to App State to face the Mountaineers on Dec. 30. Marshall starts a four-game home stand for ULM on Jan. 3.

ULM's outlook is optimistic within the context of the Sun Belt Conference, too.

"The league lost a lot of good players, through graduation and the portal," Richard said. "We have just as good a chance to be a good team in this league as a lot of teams."