TIP-OFF

The ULM men's basketball team (4-9) kicks off Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday (Dec. 21) at Fant-Ewing Coliseum versus Old Dominion on ESPN+ at 2 p.m.

The Warhawks will wrap up a two-game homestand and conclude 2024 on their home floor welcoming the Monarchs to Monroe for the first time ever. 

SERIES HISTORY –

The Warhawks and Monarchs squared off for the first time in series history in January with ULM coming home with an 80-73 road win in Norfolk. Tyreke Locure led the Warhawks with 20 points while Makai Willis, Tyreese Watson and Jalen Bolden all netted double figures in the win.

SCOUTING THE MONARCHS –

After starting December with an 88-83 home win over William & Mary, the Monarchs lost two-straight home games to George Washington and Northeastern by single digit point margins. Entering Saturday's game, the Monarchs rank second in the Sun Belt and 24th in the nation with 14.1 offensive rebounds per game. The Monarchs' top two rebounders lead the conference in offensive rebounding with Sean Durugordan averaging 3.7 offensive boards per game and Stephaun Walker grabbing 3.2 offensive rebounds per game. Sharpshooter Robert Davis Jr. leads ODU with 12.7 points per game and ranks 28th in the country with 3.3 made 3-pointers per game.

First-year head coach Mike Jones is a former ODU player and was previously an assistant coach at Virginia Tech and Maryland before serving as the head coach at DeMatha Catholic High School for 19 seasons.

RICHARD ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AT CONCLUSION OF SEASON–

ULM men's basketball coach Keith Richard announced on Friday (Dec. 20) his intention to retire at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. Richard will complete his 15th season as the head coach of ULM men's basketball. Richard inherited a program saddled with APR sanctions and guided the Warhawks to four postseason appearances in five years. 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 and has accumulated over 300 victories as a 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 and AD Diedhiou 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. Cunningham brings over 25 years of collegiate coaching experience at the Division I level.

UAPB STANDOUT PERFORMANCES –

Two Warhawks notched career-highs in Wednesday night's win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Leading the Way for ULM was Jackson State transfer Coltie Young, who finished with 28 points and AD Diedhiou, who registered a career-high 16 points. Tyreese Watson passed a career-high 11 assists and recorded a double-double with 16 points.

LOOKING AHEAD –

ULM begins 2025 on a four-game conference road trip starting on Jan. 2 at Georgia Southern.