2024–25 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks men's basketball team

2024–25 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks men's basketball
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Record	7–25 (3–15 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Keith Richard (15th season)
Assistant coaches	Phil Cunningham Christopher Woodall Ronnie Dean
Home arena	Fant–Ewing Coliseum

2024–25 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
South Alabama	13	–	5		.722			21	–	11		.656
James Madison	13	–	5		.722			20	–	12		.625
Troy †	13	–	5		.722			23	–	11		.676
Arkansas State	13	–	5		.722			25	–	11		.694
Marshall	12	–	6		.667			20	–	13		.606
Appalachian State	10	–	8		.556			17	–	14		.548
Texas State	9	–	9		.500			16	–	16		.500
Georgia State	8	–	10		.444			14	–	19		.424
Georgia Southern	8	–	10		.444			17	–	16		.515
Old Dominion	8	–	10		.444			15	–	20		.429
Louisiana	8	–	10		.444			12	–	21		.364
Southern Miss	5	–	13		.278			11	–	22		.333
Coastal Carolina	3	–	15		.167			10	–	22		.313
Louisiana–Monroe	3	–	15		.167			7	–	25		.219
† 2025 Sun Belt tournament winner

The 2024–25 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Monroe during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Warhawks, led by 15th-year head coach Keith Richard, played their home games at Fant–Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, Louisiana, as members of the Sun Belt Conference.

On December 20, 2024, Richard announced his retirement effective at the end of the season.[1]

Previous season

The Warhawks finished the 2023–24 season 11–19, 6–12 in Sun Belt play to finish in twelfth place.[2] They were defeated by Coastal Carolina in the first round of the Sun Belt tournament.[3]

Offseason

Departures

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Savion Gallion	1	G	6'4"	192	Senior	Washington, D.C.	Graduated
Tyreke Locure	3	G	6'0"	167	Senior	New Orleans, Louisiana	Graduated
Nika Metskhvarishvili	4	F	6'8"	240	Senior	Tbilisi, Georgia	Transferred to Charlotte
Edwin Litolff	22	F	6'7"	189	Sophomore	Livingston, Louisiana
Johnnie Williams IV	23	G	6'5"	180	Junior	Sarasota, Florida	Entered the transfer portal

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Ta'Zir Smith	3	G	6'3"	182	Sophomore	Woodbridge, Virginia	Pearl River Community College
Coltie Young	24	G	6'3"	210	Senior	Starkville, Mississippi	Jackson State

Recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Micah Caster G	Jackson, Alabama	Jackson High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	180 lb (82 kg)
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Renars Sondors F	Riga, Latvia	Marupe SC	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	189 lb (86 kg)
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Preseason

Preseason Sun Belt Conference poll

The Warhawks were picked to finish in last place in the conference's preseason poll.[4]

Coaches poll
Predicted finish	Team (1st place Votes)
1	Arkansas State - 193 (12)
2	James Madison - 170 (1)
3	Troy - 155 (1)
4	Louisiana - 144
5	Southern Miss - 133
6	App State - 122
7	Texas State - 89
T8	Georgia Southern - 85
T8	Old Dominion - 85
10	Marshall - 79
11	South Alabama - 78
12	Georgia State - 75
13	Coastal Carolina - 34
14	ULM - 28

Roster

2024–25 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Jacob Wilson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Jr Liberty Magnet High School Baton Rouge, Louisiana G 1 P.D. McCraney 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 176 lb (80 kg) Jr Hinds Community College Monroe, Louisiana G 2 Devon Hancock 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Milwaukee Dallas, Texas G 3 Ta'Zir Smith 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So Pearl River Community College Woodbridge, Virginia G 4 Micah Caster 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Jackson High School Jackson, Alabama G 5 Jalen Bolden 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Jr Zachary High School Zachary, Louisiana G 10 Tyreese Watson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Cochise College Philadelphia, Pennsylvania G 11 Kelton Williams 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 176 lb (80 kg) So Midlothian High School Midlothian, Texas F 13 Makai Willis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Fairfield Tallahassee, Florida F 14 Jerry Ngopot 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Saint Peter's Bangui, Central African Republic G 21 Ajay Tew 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Jonesboro-Hodge High School Jonesboro, Louisiana F 22 Renars Sondors 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Fr Marupe SC Riga, Latvia G 24 Coltie Young 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Jackson State Starkville, Mississippi F 34 AD Diedhiou 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Sr UAB Dakar, Senegal	Head coach Keith Richard (Louisiana–Monroe) Assistant coach(es) Phil Cunningham (Campbellsville) Christopher Woodall (William Carey) Ronnie Dean (Harris–Stowe State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: December 5, 2024

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 4, 2024* 7:30 pm, ESPN+		Champion Christian	W 111–61	1–0	16 – Ngopot	14 – Sondors	6 – Watson	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,028) Monroe, LA
November 6, 2024* 7:00 pm, SECN+/ESPN+		at LSU	L 60–95	1–1	25 – Bolden	6 – Ngopot	2 – Tied	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,043) Baton Rouge, LA
November 8, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		at Tulane	L 64–80	1–2	17 – Tied	9 – Diedhiou	5 – Young	Devlin Fieldhouse (1,447) New Orleans, LA
November 12, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Rice	L 50–66	1–3	12 – Tied	8 – Bolden	3 – Watson	Tudor Fieldhouse (1,096) Houston, TX
November 14, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Ecclesia	W 110–48	2–3	18 – Willis	9 – Sondors	6 – Tied	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (517) Monroe, LA
November 18, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Southeastern Louisiana	L 67–70	2–4	19 – Young	6 – Willis	4 – Tied	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,190) Monroe, LA
November 22, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		at Northwestern State City of Lights Classic	W 65–63	3–4	16 – Watson	6 – Tied	3 – Tied	Prather Coliseum (388) Natchitoches, LA
November 23, 2024* 4:00 pm		vs. North Alabama City of Lights Classic	L 62–74	3–5	16 – Bolden	11 – Ngopot	5 – Watson	Prather Coliseum (112) Natchitoches, LA
November 29, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Stephen F. Austin	L 60–68	3–6	15 – Bolden	5 – Tied	4 – Bolden	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,336) Monroe, LA
December 2, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		UT Arlington	L 70–84	3–7	16 – Tied	11 – Bolden	2 – Tied	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (947) Monroe, LA
December 11, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Arkansas–Pine Bluff	W 89–73	4–7	28 – Young	12 – Willis	11 – Watson	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,032) Monroe, LA
December 14, 2024* 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at UT Arlington	L 68–77	4–8	18 – Willis	15 – Bolden	7 – Bolden	College Park Center (1,369) Arlington, TX
December 17, 2024* 7:30 pm, ESPN+		Houston Christian	L 68–74	4–9	21 – Bolden	10 – Bolden	4 – Watson	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,212) Monroe, LA
Sun Belt regular season
December 21, 2024 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Old Dominion	L 75–80 ^OT	4–10 (0–1)	23 – Wilson	11 – Willis	6 – Watson	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,058) Monroe, LA
January 2, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+		at Georgia Southern	L 82–90	4–11 (0–2)	20 – Young	7 – Bolden	5 – Tied	Hill Convocation Center (1,357) Statesboro, GA
January 4, 2025 1:00 pm, ESPN+		at Coastal Carolina	L 51–70	4–12 (0–3)	14 – Tied	5 – Tied	5 – Bolden	HTC Center (1,457) Conway, SC
January 9, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Southern Miss	L 67–84	4–13 (0–4)	17 – Bolden	10 – Willis	4 – Watson	Reed Green Coliseum (2,805) Hattiesburg, MS
January 11, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Louisiana	L 68–71	4–14 (0–5)	17 – Willis	9 – Bolden	5 – Young	Cajundome (2,005) Lafayette, LA
January 15, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Troy	L 58–77	4–15 (0–6)	16 – Tied	8 – Willis	5 – Watson	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,154) Monroe, LA
January 18, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Louisiana	L 60–65	4–16 (0–7)	16 – Bolden	7 – Tied	2 – Tied	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,514) Monroe, LA
January 25, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Appalachian State	L 58–66	4–17 (0–8)	12 – Bolden	11 – Willis	5 – Watson	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,505) Monroe, LA
January 27, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+		South Alabama Rescheduled from January 23[5]	W 77–66	5–17 (1–8)	27 – Young	8 – Wilson	9 – Watson	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,027) Monroe, LA
January 30, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at South Alabama	W 62–58	6–17 (2–8)	22 – Watson	9 – Willis	5 – Watson	Mitchell Center (2,085) Mobile, AL
February 1, 2025 3:33 pm, ESPN+		at Troy	L 50–87	6–18 (2–9)	15 – Willis	10 – Bolden	3 – Tied	Trojan Arena (3,672) Troy, AL
February 5, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+		at Georgia State	L 64–97	6–19 (2–10)	19 – Young	8 – Diedhiou	6 – Bolden	GSU Convocation Center (1,441) Atlanta, GA
February 13, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Texas State	L 60–72	6–20 (2–11)	20 – Bolden	8 – Ngopot	3 – Caster	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,135) Monroe, LA
February 15, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Southern Miss	W 81–74	7–20 (3–11)	24 – Bolden	9 – Willis	10 – Watson	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,398) Monroe, LA
February 19, 2025 7:30 pm, ESPN+		at Texas State	L 63–80	7–21 (3–12)	18 – Young	10 – Willis	3 – Watson	Strahan Arena (1,691) San Marcos, TX
February 22, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at Arkansas State	L 70–95	7–22 (3–13)	21 – Willis	9 – Diedhiou	4 – Watson	First National Bank Arena (6,273) Jonesboro, AR
February 25, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+		James Madison	L 79–85	7–23 (3–14)	26 – Watson	16 – Willis	3 – Watson	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,483) Monroe, LA
February 28, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Arkansas State	L 67–94	7–24 (3–15)	19 – Watson	14 – Willis	7 – Watson	Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,574) Monroe, LA
Sun Belt tournament
March 4, 2025 7:30 pm, ESPN+	(14)	vs. (11) Louisiana First round	L 69–73 ^OT	7–25	21 – Bolden	7 – Willis	3 – Watson	Pensacola Bay Center (868) Pensacola, FL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central.

Sources:[6][7]

References

1. "ULM Men's Basketball Head Coach Keith Richard to Retire at Conclusion of 2024-25 Season" (Press release). Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. December 20, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
2. "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
3. "Meyer scores 32, Coastal Carolina beats UL Monroe 75-71 in Sun Belt Conference Tournament". FOX Sports. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
4. "Arkansas State Tops 2024-25 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
5. "ULM Men's Basketball Game Versus South Alabama Moved to Monday Due to Weather". ulmwarhawks.com. January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
6. "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Louisiana Monroe Athletics. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
7. "UL Monroe Warhawks 2024-25 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved December 5, 2024.