TU Men’s Basketball Holds First Fall Practice On Friday

TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa men's basketball team began its fall practices in preparation for the 107th season of Golden Hurricane basketball on Friday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

"This time of year is always exciting," fourth-year head coach Frank Haith said. "I think the biggest thing is that we have a lot of returning guys. With that said, we also have some exciting newcomers. This team has worked so hard in the offseason. I've seen some encouraging improvements in their bodies and in their play. That gets me really excited for this season."

The Golden Hurricane welcome back four starters and 78-percent of its offense from a season ago. Among the returners is senior forward Junior Etou, who led the team with 12.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last year, along with senior guard Jaleel Wheeler and his 9.3 points and 4.3 boards per outing.

Junior point guard Sterling Taplin is back after averaging 9.2 points to go along with a team-leading 3.8 assists per game. Sophomore forward Martins Igbanu is the fourth returning starter after he cracked the starting lineup 17 times as a freshman, including the final 13 contests. Over those final 13 games, Igbanu averaged 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, including a 19-point, 10-rebound effort against Tulane.

Newcomers include junior guard/forward DaQuan Jeffries and sophomore guard Curran Scott, along with freshmen guards Darien Jackson and Elijah Joiner. Sophomore forward Jeriah Horne will sit out the campaign after transferring from Nebraska.

Tulsa will host Northwestern Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30 and officially open the season at 12 p.m. on Nov. 10 when it hosts Lamar at the Reynolds Center.

TU Men’s Basketball Holds First Fall Practice On Friday

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Players Mentioned

Junior Etou

Jeriah Horne

Martins Igbanu

Darien Jackson

DaQuan Jeffries

Elijah Joiner

Curran Scott

Sterling Taplin

Jaleel Wheeler

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