Tulane Green Wave Star Guard Stepping Up As No. 2 Option Behind Kaleb Banks

The Tulane Green Wave are getting some much-needed offensive production from a star guard behind Kaleb Banks.

Mar 5, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Georgetown Hoyas guard Rowan Brumbaugh (1) drives to the basket as Providence Friars guard Jayden Pierre (1) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Tulane Green Wave men’s basketball team knew that it would take a little bit of time for everything to gel and come together.

Lacking much experience, as there are zero seniors on the roster and an entirely new rotation, patience needs to be exhibited. With American Athletic Conference play well underway, some of those things are starting to come together.

With their victory over the Florida Atlantic Owls on Wednesday night, Tulane is now 10-8 overall and 4-1 in the conference, one victory away from matching their total from a disappointing 2023-24 campaign.

The defense has been the name of the game so far. Ron Hunter’s matchup scheme, which he has admitted is difficult to pick up as it uses man and zone principles, has been bought into by his players.

But, to win games, you still need to score points.

Early on, it became clear who the go-to scoring option for the team would be.

Kaleb Banks, a transfer from the Indiana Hoosiers, assumed the No. 1 role and has thrived in it, leading the team with 18.5 points per game, while grabbing 7.7 rebounds and blocking 1.2 shots, which are also tops on the squad.

He has been efficient, making 52.8% of his shots overall, 35.8% percent from 3-point range and a tidy 81.2% from the charity stripe. 33 points against the Florida State Seminoles is his career high, as he has reached the 20-point plateau on eight occasions.

It is certainly nice knowing where the ball is going when the team needs a bucket, but for Tulane to find more consistent success, someone else needed to emerge as a reliable source of offense.

During AAC play, that person has been point guard Rowan Brumaugh.

Easily the biggest need Hunter had coming into the 2024-25 campaign was point guard. Running the offense was a mess at points last season without one and the Georgetown Hoyas transfer has certainly helped settle things down.

He is averaging a team-leading 4.8 assists per game with only 2.0 turnovers, an impressive ratio when taking into consideration how much the ball is in his hands.

While his playmaking has been beneficial, it is his scoring over the last few weeks that has really helped get the team on track.

In five AAC games, Brumbaugh hasn’t seen much of an increase in his shot volume; he is averaging 11.2 per game, compared to 11.1 on the season.

Where he has improved is his efficiency, as he is making 48.2% of his shot attempts overall and 41.7% from 3-point range. Averaging 17.2 points per game, he has become a reliable second option behind Banks, helping take some of the scoring pressure off of his shoulders.

Brumbaugh has scored in double-figures in 14 consecutive games and has scored at least 19 in three out of five conference contests.

If he can keep up that level of efficiency, the Green Wave is going to continue surprising opponents in the AAC, as they are no longer the cellar-dwellers they were last year.