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Tulsa Men’s Basketball Participates in American Athletic Conference Media Days
10/9/2023 12:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Tulsa Men's Basketball Participates in American Athletic Conference Media Days
DALLAS, Texas –– The University of Tulsa men's basketball team participated in The American Athletic Conference Media Days on Sunday and Monday at the Grand Hyatt DFW in Dallas, Texas.
It was the first time since 2019 the conference has held its media day events in person.
Seniors Cobe Williams and Keaston Willis joined second year head coach Eric Konkol to represent the Golden Hurricane. Sunday's events had the attendees take part in photo and video shoots, as well as general interviews and other activities. Monday was the live show with Coach Konkol.
Williams and Willis both join the Hurricane this season after transferring from Louisiana Tech, where they had previously played for Coach Konkol. Williams averaged a team-leading 18.8 points and 4.1 assists a year ago for the Bulldogs. He's also a two-time Conference USA all-defensive team selection.
Willis has made 295 career 3-pointers while playing at Louisiana Tech and two seasons at Incarnate Word. He was a Conference-USA honorable mention in 2022-23 and averaged 12.4 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 38 percent from deep.
In the preseason coaches poll, Tulsa was picked to finish 10th in the 14-team league. Newcomer Florida Atlantic, whose season ended on a buzzer beater in the Final Four, was selected as the preseason favorite. Last season's conference tournament champion Memphis Tigers were picked to finish second.
Tulsa will open the 2023-24 campaign with an exhibition against Oklahoma Christian on Nov. 1. The regular season begins in the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Monday, Nov. 6 against Central Arkansas. That game will tip at 7 p.m. and air on ESPN+.
2023-24 The American Preseason Coaches Poll
(First Place votes in Parenthesis)
Preseason Player of the Year
Johnell Davis, Jr., G, Florida Atlantic
Alijah Martin, Jr., G, Florida Atlantic
Preseason Rookie of the Year
Carl Cherenfant, G, Memphis
JJ Taylor, F, Memphis
Preseason All-Conference First Team
Eric Gaines, Jr., G, UAB
Johnell Davis, Jr., G, Florida Atlantic
Alijah Martin, Jr., G, Florida Atlantic
Jahvon Quinerly, Sr., G, Memphis
Jaylen Forbes, Jr., G, Tulane*
Preseason All-Conference Second Team
RJ Felton, Jr., G, East Carolina
Jordan Brown, R-Sr., F, Memphis
Max Fiedler, Sr., F, Rice
Zhuric Phelps, Jr., G, SMU
Kevin Cross, Jr., F, Tulane
* Denotes unanimous selection
DALLAS, Texas –– The University of Tulsa men's basketball team participated in The American Athletic Conference Media Days on Sunday and Monday at the Grand Hyatt DFW in Dallas, Texas.
It was the first time since 2019 the conference has held its media day events in person.
Seniors Cobe Williams and Keaston Willis joined second year head coach Eric Konkol to represent the Golden Hurricane. Sunday's events had the attendees take part in photo and video shoots, as well as general interviews and other activities. Monday was the live show with Coach Konkol.
Williams and Willis both join the Hurricane this season after transferring from Louisiana Tech, where they had previously played for Coach Konkol. Williams averaged a team-leading 18.8 points and 4.1 assists a year ago for the Bulldogs. He's also a two-time Conference USA all-defensive team selection.
Willis has made 295 career 3-pointers while playing at Louisiana Tech and two seasons at Incarnate Word. He was a Conference-USA honorable mention in 2022-23 and averaged 12.4 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 38 percent from deep.
In the preseason coaches poll, Tulsa was picked to finish 10th in the 14-team league. Newcomer Florida Atlantic, whose season ended on a buzzer beater in the Final Four, was selected as the preseason favorite. Last season's conference tournament champion Memphis Tigers were picked to finish second.
Tulsa will open the 2023-24 campaign with an exhibition against Oklahoma Christian on Nov. 1. The regular season begins in the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Monday, Nov. 6 against Central Arkansas. That game will tip at 7 p.m. and air on ESPN+.
2023-24 The American Preseason Coaches Poll
- Florida Atlantic (11) 167
- Memphis (3) 159
- Tulane 142
- UAB 128
- East Carolina 105
- North Texas 100
- SMU 97
- Wichita State 90
- South Florida 62
- Tulsa 59
- Rice 56
- Temple 49
- Charlotte 46
- UTSA 14
(First Place votes in Parenthesis)
Preseason Player of the Year
Johnell Davis, Jr., G, Florida Atlantic
Alijah Martin, Jr., G, Florida Atlantic
Preseason Rookie of the Year
Carl Cherenfant, G, Memphis
JJ Taylor, F, Memphis
Preseason All-Conference First Team
Eric Gaines, Jr., G, UAB
Johnell Davis, Jr., G, Florida Atlantic
Alijah Martin, Jr., G, Florida Atlantic
Jahvon Quinerly, Sr., G, Memphis
Jaylen Forbes, Jr., G, Tulane*
Preseason All-Conference Second Team
RJ Felton, Jr., G, East Carolina
Jordan Brown, R-Sr., F, Memphis
Max Fiedler, Sr., F, Rice
Zhuric Phelps, Jr., G, SMU
Kevin Cross, Jr., F, Tulane
* Denotes unanimous selection
Players Mentioned
G
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