Tulane adds Montverde Academy forward Kevin Zhang to 2018 men’s basketball signing class

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University men’s basketball head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr., has signed Kevin Zhang to a National Letter of Intent the team announced on Thursday.

A native of Shenyang, China, Zhang becomes the third member of a Green Wave freshman class that already includes guards Connor Crabtree and Moses Wood.

“We are extremely excited about bringing Kevin into our program,” Dunleavy said. “He’s a very well-rounded player who has experience playing at the highest level of high school basketball and also for the Chinese National Team. Kevin’s unique skillset of mobility, ball-handling and scoring will fit into our style of playing in space and at a fast pace.”

A 6’9 hybrid forward, Zhang joins the Green Wave after one season at the prestigious Montverde Academy in Florida under head coach Kevin Boyle and assistant coach Rae Miller, helping the team post a perfect 35-0 record that culminated in the program winning the Geico High School National Championship and closing the year as the No. 1 team in the country.

Prior to his time at Montverde, Zhang lettered three years at La Lumiere School in Indiana where he led the team to the 2017 Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Championship and the No. 1 ranking in the USA TODAY Super 25 with a 70-52 win over Montverde in the title game. La Lumiere compiled an 82-7 overall record during his three years, which also included a runner-up finish in the Dick’s Nationals and a No. 3 final ranking in 2016.

Additionally, Zhang has experience practicing with the Chinese National Team on multiple occasions and as recent as this summer. He also competed with the 12-man World Select Team that beat the U.S. at the prestigious 2018 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon in April.

Including nine North American players, Tulane’s 2018-19 roster comprises student-athletes born on four continents with French guard Ray Ona Embo (Europe), South Sudanese post players Bul Ajang and Buay Koka (Africa) and Zhang (Asia).

“The process of having an area to recruit is – pardon the pun – foreign to me,” Dunleavy said. “I’ve seen talent all over the world during my time in the NBA, but we continue to talk to people in other countries and sell what Tulane can give them from a coaching standpoint and as an educational component. I think that’s very appealing to kids and their families both nationally and internationally. We can provide them both sides of their future.”

The Green Wave begin preseason camp September 25.

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