2022–23 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Monroe in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Warhawks, led by 13th-year head coach Keith Richard, played their home games at Fant–Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, Louisiana as members of the Sun Belt Conference.

2022–23 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks men's basketball
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Record	11–21 (7–11 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Keith Richard (13th season)
Assistant coaches	Morris Scott Alex Hausladen Ronnie Dean
Home arena	Fant–Ewing Coliseum
Seasons ← 2021–22 2023–24 →

2022–23 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Southern Miss	14	–	4		.778			25	–	8		.758
Louisiana †	13	–	5		.722			26	–	8		.765
Marshall	13	–	5		.722			24	–	8		.750
James Madison	12	–	6		.667			22	–	11		.667
Troy	11	–	7		.611			20	–	13		.606
Old Dominion	11	–	7		.611			19	–	12		.613
Georgia Southern	9	–	9		.500			17	–	16		.515
South Alabama	9	–	9		.500			19	–	16		.543
Appalachian State	9	–	9		.500			16	–	16		.500
Louisiana–Monroe	7	–	11		.389			11	–	21		.344
Texas State	6	–	12		.333			16	–	19		.457
Coastal Carolina	5	–	13		.278			11	–	20		.355
Arkansas State	4	–	14		.222			13	–	20		.394
Georgia State	3	–	15		.167			10	–	21		.323
† 2023 Sun Belt Tournament winner

Previous season

The Warhawks finished the 2021–22 season 13–18, 5–13 in Sun Belt play to finish in 11th place in the Sun Belt Conference. They lost to Arkansas State in the first round of the Sun Belt tournament.^[1]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Trey Boston	0	G	6'2'	165	Sophomore	Chicago, IL	Left Team due to personal reasons
Andre Jones	1	G	6'5"	191	GS Senior	Little Rock, AR	Graduated
Koreem Ozier	2	G	6'1"	190	Junior	Racine, WI	Graduated
Elijah Gonzales	3	G	5'11"	170	Junior	Clackamas, OR	Graduated
Reginald Gee	5	G	6'2"	230	GS Senior	Houston, TX	Graduated
D'Marcus Hall	14	G/F	6'5"	210	Freshman	Haughton, LA	Transferred to Bossier Pairsh Community College ^[2]
Luke Phillips	21	F	6'10"	220	RS Sophomore	Adelaide, Australia	Signed to play semi-professionally in Australia with Cockburn Cougars
Russell Harrison	24	G/F	6'4"	200	Senior	Lubbock, TX	Graduate transferred to Lubbock Christian University^[3]

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Jamari Blackmon	0	G	6'1"	205	Senior	Hoover, AL	North Alabama
Savion Gallion	1	G	6'4"	182	Sophomore	Washington, D.C.	South Plains College
Devon Hancock	2	G	6'3"	190	RS Sophomore	Dallas, TX	Milwaukee
Tyreke Locure	11	G	6'0"	165	Junior	New Orleans, LA	UAB
Victor Bafutto	14	C	6'10"	230	GS Senior	Brasília, Brazil	Mercer
AD Diedhiou	34	F	6'10"	240	Junior	Dakar, Senegal	UAB

Recruiting classes

2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jacob Wilson SG	Baton Rouge, LA	Liberty Magnet High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	209 lb (95 kg)	Aug 2, 2022
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Jalen Bolden SG	Zachary, LA	Zachary High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	Mar 14, 2022
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Louisiana–Monroe 2022-23 Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022. "2022-23 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.

2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Kelton Williams PG	Midloathian, TX	Midloathian High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Oct 7, 2022
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Louisiana–Monroe 2023-24 Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022. "2023-24 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.

Preseason

Preseason Sun Belt Conference poll

The Warhawks were picked to finish in last place in the conference's preseason poll.^[4] Junior forward Nika Metskhavarishvili was named preseason All-SBC Third Team.^[4]

Coaches poll
Predicted finish	Team (1st place Votes)
1	Louisiana - 190 (10)
2	Texas State - 162 (1)
3	South Alabama - 150 (1)
4	James Madison - 149 (1)
5	Georgia State - 127 (1)
6	Marshall - 122
7	App State - 120
8	Coastal Carolina - 100
9	Old Dominion - 93
10	Troy - 76
11	Georgia Southern - 69
12	Arkansas State - 48
13	Southern Miss - 34
14	ULM - 30

Roster

2022–23 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G 0 Jamari Blackmon 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Hoover, Alabama G 1 Savion Gallion 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So Washington, D.C. G 2 Devon Hancock 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) So Dallas, Texas F 4 Nika Metskhvarishvili 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Tbilisi, Georgia F 5 Jalen Bolden 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Fr Zachary, Louisiana F 10 Langston Powell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) GS West Monroe, Louisiana G 11 Tyreke Locure 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 167 lb (76 kg) Jr New Orleans, Louisiana F 13 Thomas Howell 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Natchitoches, Louisiana C 14 Victor Bafutto 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 227 lb (103 kg) GS Brasília, Brazil G 15 Jacob Wilson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) — Fr Baton Rouge, Louisiana F 22 Edwin Litolff 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Fr Livingston, Louisiana G 23 Johnnie Williams IV 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Sarasota, Florida C 34 AD Diedhiou 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 262 lb (119 kg) Jr Dakar, Senegal	Head coach Keith Richard (Louisiana–Monroe) Assistant coach(es) Morris Scott (Florida A&M) Alex Hausladen (Arkansas) Ronnie Dean (Harris–Stowe State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster Last update: January 20, 2023

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2022* 7:00 pm, SECN+		at Texas A&M	L 54–87	0–1	10 – Tied	9 – Metskhvarishvili	2 – Locure	Reed Arena (6,262) College Station, TX
November 10, 2022* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Dallas Christian	W 111–59	1–1	14 – Howell	10 – Metskhvarishvili	9 – Blackmon	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (538) Monroe, LA
November 14, 2022* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Central Baptist	W 105–56	2–1	15 – Metskhvarishvili	9 – Bafutto	4 – Tied	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (744) Monroe, LA
November 17, 2022* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at No. 15 TCU Emerald Coast Classic campus-site game	L 60–95	2–2	14 – Locure	6 – Howell	1 – Tied	Schollmaier Arena (4,959) Fort Worth, TX
November 21, 2022* 6:00 pm, CUSA.tv		at Louisiana Tech	L 58–79	2–3	18 – Locure	7 – Howell	6 – Blackmon	Thomas Assembly Center (2,214) Ruston, LA
November 25, 2022* 1:30 pm, FloHoops		vs. Omaha Emerald Coast Classic semifinal	L 56–63	2–4	15 – Blackmon	10 – Howell	3 – Tied	The Arena at NFSC (160) Niceville, FL
November 26, 2022* 10:00 am, FloHoops		vs. Loyola (MD) Emerald Coast Classic	L 64–65	2–5	20 – Bafutto	8 – Bafutto	5 – Blackmon	The Arena at NFSC (100) Niceville, FL
November 28, 2022* 6:00 pm, ESPN+		at Tulane	L 60–75	2–6	14 – Locure	11 – Howell	8 – Blackmon	Devlin Fieldhouse  New Orleans, LA
December 3, 2022* 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Champion Christian	W 101–46	3–6	20 – Bafutto	15 – Howell	7 – Locure	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (887) Monroe, LA
December 10, 2022* 3:30 pm, ESPN+		at Northwestern State	L 73–91	3–7	16 – Howell	10 – Bafutto	2 – Tied	Prather Coliseum (1,627) Natchitoches, LA
December 14, 2022* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Sam Houston	L 53–79	3–8	14 – Locure	4 – Tied	3 – Locure	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (871) Monroe, LA
December 17, 2022* 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Lamar	W 83–59	4–8	17 – Locure	10 – Baffuto	7 – Locure	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (978) Monroe, LA
December 20, 2022* 11:30 am, ESPN+		Jacksonville	L 55–66	4–9	12 – Howell	5 – Tied	2 – Tied	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (828) Monroe, LA
Sun Belt regular season
December 29, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Texas State	W 57–53	5–9 (1–0)	12 – Locure	13 – Howell	4 – Locure	Strahan Arena (1,052) San Marcos, TX
December 31, 2022 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at Arkansas State	W 84–72	6–9 (2–0)	25 – Blackmon	9 – Bafutto	4 – Tied	First National Bank Arena (2,347) Jonesboro, AR
January 5, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Georgia State	W 66–58	7–9 (3–0)	25 – Locure	8 – Howell	4 – Tied	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,208) Monroe, LA
January 7, 2023 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Southern Miss	L 60–65	7–10 (3–1)	21 – Locure	10 – Howell	5 – Blackmon	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,984) Monroe, LA
January 12, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Louisiana 2,000th Game in NLU/ULM Program History	L 73–86	7–11 (3–2)	19 – Powell	6 – Howell	5 – Howell	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (3,568) Monroe, LA
January 14, 2023 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Texas State	W 61–58	8–11 (4–2)	24 – Blackmon	6 – Howell	4 – Gallion	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (2,007) Monroe, LA
January 19, 2023 6:00 pm, ESPN+		at Georgia Southern Keith Richard's 300th Career Victory	W 72–59	9–11 (5–2)	19 – Locure	15 – Bafutto	6 – Locure	Hanner Fieldhouse (1,553) Statesboro, GA
January 21, 2023 4:00 pm, ESPN+		at Troy	L 53–77	9–12 (5–3)	14 – Howell	8 – Bafutto	3 – Tied	Trojan Arena (3,154) Troy, AL
January 26, 2023 6:00 pm, ESPN+		at Marshall	W 86–82 ^2OT	10–12 (6–3)	35 – Blackmon	15 – Howell	4 – Powell	Cam Henderson Center (4,931) Huntington, WV
January 28, 2023 3:00 pm, ESPN+		at James Madison	L 45–58	10–13 (6–4)	10 – Bafutto	7 – Tied	3 – Locure	Atlantic Union Bank Center (6,429) Harrisonburg, VA
February 2, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Coastal Carolina	W 83–70	11–13 (7–4)	35 – Blackmon	8 – Tied	7 – Blackmon	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (3,659) Monroe, LA
February 4, 2023 2:00 pm, ESPN+		South Alabama	L 64–72	11–14 (7–5)	23 – Blackmon	7 – Howell	4 – Blackmon	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (3,023) Monroe, LA
February 9, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Appalachian State	L 45–52	11–15 (7–6)	13 – Locure	16 – Howell	3 – Locure	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (3,558) Monroe, LA
February 11, 2023 2:30 pm, ESPN+		at Southern Miss	L 67–76	11–16 (7–7)	24 – Locure	10 – Howell	5 – Blackmon	Reed Green Coliseum (4,578) Hattiesburg, MS
February 16, 2023 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Louisiana	L 67–84	11–17 (7–8)	16 – Howell	6 – Tied	4 – Blackmon	Cajundome (2,948) Lafayette, LA
February 18, 2023 3:00 pm, ESPN+		at South Alabama	L 45–81	11–18 (7–9)	12 – Locure	8 – Howell	2 – Tied	Mitchell Center (1,702) Mobile, AL
February 22, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Troy	L 78–82 ^OT	11–19 (7–10)	33 – Locure	9 – Howell	2 – Tied	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (962) Monroe, LA
February 24, 2023 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Arkansas State	L 61–64	11–20 (7–11)	24 – Locure	11 – Howell	5 – Howell	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (2,286) Monroe, LA
Sun Belt tournament
March 2, 2023 7:30 pm, ESPN+	(10)	vs. (7) Georgia Southern Second Round	L 57–66	11–21	15 – Blackmon	11 – Howell	1 – Tied	Pensacola Bay Center (940) Pensacola, FL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central.

Source^[5]

References

1. "Omier's Career-High Propels Arkansas State to Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship Quarterfinals". Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
2. https://www.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2022-23/div1/teams/bossierparishcommunitycollege?view=roster
3. https://lcuchaps.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster?path=mbball
4. "Louisiana Headlines Sun Belt Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll". sunbeltsports.org. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
5. "2022-23 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Louisiana Monroe Athletics. Retrieved October 25, 2022.