Experienced roster expected to help ULM men’s basketball squad bounce back

Ask ULM basketball coach Keith Richard about his 12th edition of the Warhawks and a smile creases his face.

With three of the top five scorers returning, young talent rising and several impact newcomers joining the fray, Richard has a roster that makes him feel hopeful about the 2021-22 campaign.

“I really like this team,” Richard said. “I really like them a lot. Eight returning players and it feels like it, that they’ve been here. The experience has shown and they’ve gotten better. And four new guys who all are going to contribute and help. Mix it all together and it looks good so far.”

ULM finished 7-19 overall and 5-13 in the Sun Belt Conference a year ago as Richard tried to blend a team filled with eight new players while navigating the myriad challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Adding to his chore, none of those newcomers had played Division I basketball.

“We had such an inexperienced team last year,” Richard said. “We said it all the time. Now, we’ve got an experienced team.”

ULM now has a nucleus of productive returnees in Russell Harrison, Koreem Ozier and Elijah Gonzales, who combined to average nearly 31 points per game.

Harrison led ULM in scoring (12.5 points per game), rebounding (6.1 rpg.) and 3-point field goals made (42). The 6-foot-7 forward scored in double figures 19 times while leading the Warhawks in scoring in 11 games and rebounding 11 times.

“Russell Harrison has really learned how to let the game come to him more,” Richard said. “He’s been more confident and he’s been more efficient, and that comes with experience.

The versatile Harrison ranked among the Sun Belt Conference’s Top 20 in four different statistical categories: seventh in free-throw percentage (.786), 11th in rebounding, 15th in 3-point field goals made (1.8 pg.) and 20th in scoring. He produced his fourth double-double with 13 points and 13 boards against South Alabama in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship.

Ozier ranked second on the team in scoring (11.4 points per game), 3-point field goals made (38), rebounding (4.0 rpg.), assists (70) and steals (33). The 6-foot-1 guard was listed among the Sun Belt Conference leaders in minutes played (tied ninth at 32.8 pg.) and scoring (26th).

Ozier, who started 24 of 25 games, posted double figures 14 times, including seven straight during one stretch. He scored a season-high 28 points in ULM’s 66-55 victory over SFA, hitting 9-of-13 shots from the floor, including 4-of-5 3-pointers, and all six free-throw attempts.

Gonzales led the Warhawks in assists (99), steals (53) and 3-point field-goal percentage (.450; 27-of-60). The 5-foot-11 guard ranked among the Sun Belt Conference’s Top 5 in 3-point field-goal percentage (second), assist-to-turnover ratio (third at 2.1), steals (tied for fourth at 2.0 per game) and assists (fifth at 3.8 pg.).

Gonzales posted double figures in scoring eight times.

Thomas Howell, a 6-8, 235-pound forward, started four of his 26 games while averaging 4.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in his freshman season.

“Thomas Howell has gotten a lot better,” Richard said. “We’ve put him in a position this year on offense that I think will really help him. He’s a lot more confident. Confidence is the big key for Thomas. Sometimes, as a freshman last year, he wasn’t sure what to do at times. Should he go try to make a play or should he make this pass? That’s kind of all gone out now.”

ULM’s cast of returnees also includes Langston Powell (2.5 ppg.) and Luke Phillips (4.0 ppg., 2.4 rpg.). A West Monroe (La.) High School product, Powell appeared in just six games last year after returning from an injury.

“All these returning players have gained experience last year and in practice and through summer,” Richard said. “And it shows on the floor”.

ULM added pair of well-seasoned transfer guards in Andre Jones from Nicholls State and Reginald Gee from Austin Peay.

“You can’t believe how much Division I basketball they’ve already played,” Richard said. “This is their fifth year. So there are a lot of Division I minutes on our team.”

Jones started 32 games over the last two seasons at Nicholls. In 2020-21, the 6-5, 191-pounder started 18 of 22 games and averaged 10.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He reached double figures in 14 games, including two 20-point outings.

“Andre, I saw him in high school five or six years ago,” Richard said. “I was actually in Las Vegas and reached over to my assistant and said, ‘Now, that’s athletic.’”

In 2019-20, Jones averaged 12.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor to finish third in the Southland Conference in field-goal percentage.

Jones also has Sun Belt experience after starting his collegiate career at Little Rock, averaging 12.3 points and 4.6 rebounds while starting 22 of 23 games in 2017-18.

“He’s a good player now, and you don’t hear me say that all the time,” Richard said. “I let them prove it a lot of times before I say something. He’s a good player and our fans are really going to enjoy watching him. He’s 6-5 and can play the one, two or three. He’s very athletic, very skilled and can dribble and pass. Great energy. I really like him a lot.”

Gee started 12 of 22 games in 2020-21 and contributed 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game at Austin Peay. Gee posted double figures in 12 games, including three 20-point efforts.

“He’s come in here and done really well,” Richard said. “A scoring wing player. He’s 6-3, 230 pounds. Now, I’ve been griping about skinny guys for about three years. And I got me a big guard. When he drives it in there, you feel him now.”

Gee missed most of the 2019-20 season with a lower-body injury. Before transferring to Austin Peay, Gee was a three-year starter at Alabama State where he led the Hornets in scoring each of the last two seasons. In 2018-19, he earned second-team All-SWAC honors after averaging 13.0 points per game.

Nika Metskhvarishvili, 6-8, 225-pound forward, joined the team as a transfer from Ranger College.

“He can dribble, pass and shoot at that size, which is nice,” Richard said. “We’re spreading him out on the floor some, and he’s getting used to the speed and strength of Division I.”

ULM added another junior college guard in Trey Boston from Casper College.

Put it all together and Richard expects a team capable of playing at a faster pace with more offensive firepower than the 2020-21 model that averaged 64. 2 ppg. It’s a team fans should enjoy watching compete at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

“This could be a fast team, much like we had three years ago with Daishon Smith’s senior year,” Richard said. “That team was very fast, athletic. This team has a lot of those attributes, but they’re a little bigger at the guard spots and a little stronger. I think we’re going to be able to put some points on the board and that always makes the coach happy.”

ULM opens the season on Nov. 9 at LSU and will make its home debut on Nov. 16 against Champion Christian. The Warhawks begin Sun Belt play at Coastal Carolina on Dec. 30.