It was a tale of two seasons for the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns men’s and women’s basketball programs.
For Bob Marlin’s team, it was the second-best season in the head coach’s tenure while he won 26 games and brought the Cajuns to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in the last 15 seasons.
Meanwhile, Garry Brodhead’s team went through a turbulent season with highs and lows due to injuries and lack of experience. Brodhead’s team managed 16 wins and bowed out in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
Heading into 2023’s season, both programs are looking to have success. The men’s team wants to continue defending their home court and repeat as conference champions while the women’s side is refreshed, healthy, and ready to redeem themselves.
Let’s take a look at the respective teams:
Men’s Basketball
The Louisiana Men’s Basketball team comes into this season with one of the rarest feats: there isn’t a single senior on the roster.
However, even though there isn’t a senior, this group is very experienced, as eight members of the 2023 squad were on the roster last season when the Cajuns appeared in the NCAA Tournament and nearly took Tennessee to its breaking point.
“It’s a really nice thing to have guys back that have played a lot and done a good job,” Marlin said earlier this week. “As I said earlier, I think if we step our game up a little bit more we got to experience but just having that doesn’t do it. So we need to use that experience to our advantage because we know what to expect. We’ve been in these situations before and hopefully it’ll help.”
Themus Fulks is back as the key piece from a year ago at the point guard position. The preseason First-Team All-Sun Belt selection led the league in assists a season ago with six assists per game. The transfer from Dodge City Community College was fourth in scoring on the team with 9.2 points per game to go along with that assist total. Beside him will be Joe Charles and Kobe Julien, two key pieces from the forward spot, especially down the stretch of the season last year. Julien has struggled with injuries most of his career in Lafayette, so the Cajuns will have to be careful not to overwork him or have him get injured again.
One newcomer that Louisiana will have to depend on is Hosana Kitenge, a 6-8, 270-pound forward from Crawley, England and Three Rivers Community College. Kitenge spent two seasons at Coastal Carolina but had his breakout last year for the Raiders. He averaged 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds a game while securing 20 double-doubles.
The schedule includes home nonconference games against Youngstown State and Eastern Kentucky while playing in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida against Wright State, Hofstra, and Buffalo. Other key matchups include on the road at Samford, Louisiana Tech, and renewing the Bob Marlin/Will Wade rivalry at McNeese on December 17.
Women’s Basketball
2022 was a tough year for Brodhead’s team, losing their star guard Brandi Williams during the preseason after she had played just three games in 2021. However, that didn’t keep the team down as Lanay Wheaton, Tamera Johnson, and Destiny Rice were just a few of the key contributors for the Cajuns.
Now in 2023, those key contributors are back along with Williams so the confidence and expectations are high.
“The confidence is pretty high for us right now,” Brodhead said. “Our kids are really believing in themselves and one another, and I think that’s a big part of being a really good team. The last time I can remember that it was like that in 2021 I thought we had some kids, it wasn’t just about talent, it was about their work ethic and how they believed in one another. and you get that same feeling this season.
“We talked about being a player-led team and we’re working toward that,” Brodhead continued. “It’s exciting to see those types of kids show up and actually represent this university, not just on a court, but in a community.”
Along with Williams, Wheaton, Johnson, and Rice will be returners like Moriah Stewart, Jaylyn James, and Alicia Blanton among others. This very experienced group will provide a whole new identity in 2023 as Brodhead’s group will compete for the Sun Belt title once again.
Their schedule in 2023 includes a trip to the Plains of Auburn, battling UNO and the defending national champion LSU Tigers on the road, and welcoming Lamar and North Texas to the Cajundome. Critical conference matchups with Troy, Texas State, South Alabama, and Southern Miss will create a competitive Sun Belt West in what should be a very fun season of women’s basketball.
Even with the success that the men’s basketball team had last season, both programs come into the 2023 season with a level of energy and confidence that, when placed with good coaching and execution, should allow both teams to make a run at March Madness in the spring of 2024.