TIP-OFF

• The ULM men's basketball team will begin the 2024-25 season at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 4 with a matchup versus Champion Christian. This is the first time since 2019 the Warhawks open the season at home, with the last season home opener being a 64-41 victory against Louisiana College on Nov. 5, 2019. The Warhawks are 10-4 in home openers under Head Coach Keith Richard.

SERIES HISTORY –

The Warhawks and the Tigers will meet for the fifth time in series history with the Warhawks holding a 4-0 record. The last meeting was on December 5, 2023 in Fant-Ewing Coliseum with ULM cruising to a 110-63 victory.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS –

Located in Hot Springs, Ark., Champion Christian College competes in the NCCAA Division II. The Tigers went 16-11 last season and advanced to the NCCAA Southwest Region Championship, where they fell in overtime to Arlington Baptist University.

Returning to the Tigers' roster is 6-8 senior center Malik Laurent from Bellevue Chopin, Dominica. Laurent led the NCCAA in field goal percentage of 65% on 79-for-122 shooting averaging 6.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Champion Christian College alumnus Mo Capaci begins his fifth season at the helm of Champion Christian hoops.

RICHARD IN CHARGE–

Monday's opener marks the 15th season of Keith Richard leading ULM men's basketball and24th season overall as a head coach. He 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.

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.

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.

WARHAWK OLYMPIAN –

Former ULM men's basketball standout Majok Deng represented South Sudan at the Olympic Games in Paris this past summer. Deng is the first ULM player since Glynn Saulters to participate in the Olympic Games. Saulters, the only former ULM men's player in program history to have his jersey retired, competed at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and won a gold medal with the United States national basketball team.
 

UP NEXT –

ULM's first road game of the season is set for Wednesday (Nov. 6) at LSU with tipoff slated for 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.