Wave looks to outrun C-USA

In head coach Dave Dickerson’s first four years at the helm of the Green Wave men’s basketball program, the former Maryland assistant has engineered an impressive turnaround. After having only one winning season in the five years prior to Dickerson’s arrival, Tulane has returned solidly to the middle of the Conference-USA pack, with consecutive winning seasons in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. The Wave has not failed to reach at least the C-USA Tournament Quarterfinals during Dickerson’s tenure.

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With nine letter winners returning to this year’s squad — including five with experience starting — it would stand to reason that Tulane basketball’s 2009 edition should continue its upward trend.

The primary issue regarding this year’s team doesn’t concern talent or experience but composition. With center Robinson Louisme’s graduation last year, Tulane won’t have the luxury of a legitimate low post presence for the first time under Dickerson. Returning senior Asim McQueen will be expected to fill that void at center, but at an undersized 6-foot-7, McQueen is more naturally suited for the power forward position. Though McQueen will be able to stretch opposing defenses with his polished perimeter skills, it will be difficult for him to establish himself as an intimidating presence defensively.

Tulane will try to counter this lack of size by playing a more up-tempo brand of basketball. Fortunately, the Wave returns two of the most explosive players in the conference, senior point guard Kevin Sims and junior swingman Kris Richard. Sims and Richard were Tulane’s two leading scorers last season, and both play an aggressive attacking style well-suited to the open court. With McQueen drawing opposing centers away from the basket with his ability to shoot the ball, Sims and Richard could potentially find more driving lanes to exploit.

While McQueen, Sims and Richard are all but guaranteed spots in the starting lineup, the shooting guard and power forward positions are still very much in question. In the frontcourt, former junior-college transfer David Booker appears to be a strong candidate. At 6-foot-7, Booker fits the mold of a traditional power forward, but if Dickerson wants to exaggerate his team’s speed advantage he could go with the smaller, quicker redshirt freshman Kendall Timmons. True freshman Terrance Beasley could also receive consideration.

In the backcourt, veterans Eric Vianney and Johnny Mayhane, along with sophomore Trent Rodgers, will all receive significant playing time. In what might be the most intriguing storyline of this year’s off-season, however, Tulane was able to land former Florida State and University of South Florida guard Aaron Holmes. Coming out of high school, Holmes was a top-50 national recruit, but things apparently went sour in both Tallahassee and St. Petersburg. If Dickerson can convert Holmes’s potential into reality, Tulane may have found Sims and Richard’s perfect backcourt compliment.

Ultimately, the success of Wave basketball this season will depend on the teams ability to play to its strengths and hide its weaknesses. With its abundance of perimeter talent, Tulane should be able to create mismatches and expose slower teams in the open floor. An extremely difficult non-conference schedule — with games against national powers like Georgetown, Miami and George Mason — won’t provide any easy wins, but will certainly help the Wave prepare for conference play. Even though the formula has changed, don’t be surprised if Dickerson leads Tulane to another strong finish in C-USA.