Tulane Women's Basketball Inks a Pair of Guards for 2026-27 Season
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Tulane University head women’s basketball coach Ashley Langford has inked a pair of future freshmen who will join the Green Wave program next season. Jae Smith and Kennedy Simpson make up the latest Wave signing class for the 2026-27 campaign.
Jae Smith is a native of Huntsville, Alabama. The 5-8 guard attends Bob Jones High School and has already scored over 1,000 points in her high school career through just three seasons. Smith was tabbed as Newcomer of the Year in 2023 while also netting a 41-point game. She twice earned all-state honors. She has played both point and shooting guard and led her team to three playoffs wins. Smith intends to major in sports management or finance at Tulane with aspirations of becoming a basketball coach.
“Jae is an athletic, versatile guard who can play multiple positions and score at all three levels,” said Langford. “Her basketball IQ, love for the game, and strong work ethic make her a perfect fit for our culture.”
Kennedy Simpson is a native of Houston, Texas, and attends Summer Creek High School. A 5-8 guard, she is a three-time First-Team All-District selection. Simpson has also garnered multiple all-region honors. As a junior, she was named all-state and received the 21-6A District MVP award. Her team has won back-to-back region titles, and last year she was recognized as the 6A State MVP with her squad winning the state championship. As a freshman, Simpson earned 21-6A Defensive Player of the Year honors. Simpson intends to major in communications and aspires to play pro basketball, go into the media side of sports, or coach.
“Kennedy is a proven winner and dynamic guard who impacts the game on both ends,” said Langford. “Her ability to create for herself and her teammates fits our style of play, and her defensive instincts will make her a great addition to our backcourt.”
The duo are set to join the Green Wave for the 2026-27 campaign.
Tulane is 2-1 to begin this season with its next contest coming this Monday, November 17, against No. 5 LSU at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse. The in-state battle will be aired on ESPNU at 6:00 p.m.
Courtesy Tulane Athletics
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.