TIP-OFF

• The ULM men's basketball team (1-3) returns to Monroe after a three-game road trip and wil welcome Ecclesia (0-5) on Thursday (Nov. 14) night. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Warhawks are looking to bounce back against Ecclesia after losing their last three matches on the road.

SERIES HISTORY –

ULM and Ecclesia will meet for the second time in history. ULM won its only previous meeting 103-74 last season.

SCOUTING THE ROYALS –

Ecclesia has dropped its first five games of the 2024-25 season and was defeated by Spurgeon College 55-105 on Tuesday while shooting 20-58 from the field.

Justin Reaves leads the Royals with 16.0 points per game and scored 23 vs. Randall (11/5) shooting 4-9 from three.

Jaden Bates recorded a double-double vs. Randall (11/5) putting up 10 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Bates is leading the Royals in both total rebounds (25) and rebounds per game averaging  6.3.

RICHARD IN CHARGE–

The 2024-25 season marks the 15th year of Keith Richard leading ULM men's basketball and his 24th season overall as a head coach. Richard inherited a program saddled with APR sanctions and guided the Warhawks to four postseason appearances in five years. Richard's historic turnaround of the ULM program began in 2014-15, which was his first season without APR sanctions. 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.

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, AD Diedhiou and P.D. McCraney 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. Sondors and Young both led the Warhawks with 17 points each in Friday's game at Tulane.

Additionaly, Phil Cunningham was introduced as an assistant head coach during the offseason. No stranger to the Sun Belt Conference, Cunningham was the head coach at Troy for six seasons and brings over 25 years of collegiate coaching experience at the Division I level.

BOLDEN'S CAREER NIGHT –

Junior guard Jalen Bolden shined for ULM on Wednesday night at LSU after dropping a career-high 25 points. Playing 30 minutes away from his hometown of Zachary, Louisiana, Bolden scored 14 points in the first half and 11 down the stretch in his career performance. Bolden's three-point shot at the buzzer in the first half was also featured on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays from Wednesday.
 

UP NEXT –

The Warhawks will face Southeastern Louisiana for the first time since 2017 on Monday (Nov. 18) night in Monroe at 6:30 p.m.