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IRVING, Texas – Defending American Athletic Conference champion UAB has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2024-25 American men’s basketball title in voting done by the league’s head coaches, the conference announced Friday, October 11.

UAB received nine first-place votes and a total of 141 points to be named first, while Memphis, which earned four first-place votes, was selected second with 136 points. South Florida, the 2023-24 American regular season champion, was picked third with 108 points, followed by Wichita State in fourth place with 102 points. Florida Atlantic was picked fifth with 97 points, followed by Temple (86), North Texas (83), Charlotte (65), East Carolina (63), Tulsa (44), UTSA (35), Tulane (35) and Rice (18).

UAB senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who was the 2024 American Men’s Basketball Championship Most Outstanding Player, was voted as The American’s Preseason Player of the Year and was the lone unanimously selected member of the Preseason All-Conference First Team. Memphis guard Jared Harris was selected as the Preseason Freshman of the Year.

Lendeborg was selected to the first-team All-AAC team in 2023-24 and was picked as the Defensive Player of the Year. He broke the UAB and AAC record for rebounds in a single season with 370 and the school record for double-doubles with 19. He averaged a double-double with 13.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest in his first year with the Blazers.

Lendeborg was joined on the Preseason All-Conference First Team by East Carolina senior guard RJ Felton, a 2023-24 All-AAC Third-Team member, and Memphis redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty, the 2023-24 AAC Freshman of the Year while playing for Tulsa. Two transfers into the conference rounded out the First Team, including Memphis senior guard Tyrese Hunter (11.1 ppg and 4.1 apg at Texas) and Temple graduate student guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. (14.1 ppg at New Mexico).

Senior guard Alejandro Vasquez and junior guard Efrem ‘Butta’ Johnson return for the defending champion Blazers and were named to the Preseason All-Conference Second Team, alongside Florida Atlantic graduate student guard KyKy Tandy, Memphis redshirt senior guard Colby Rogers and South Florida sophomore guard Jayden Reid.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team or student-athletes.

The 2024 American Men’s Basketball Championship will be held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, March 12-16.

AAC preseason coaches’ poll and preseason honors:

1. UAB
2. Memphis
3. South Florida
4. Wichita State
5. Florida Atlantic
6. Temple
7. North Texas
8. Charlotte
9. East Carolina
10. Tulsa
11. UTSA
12. Tulane
13. Rice

Preseason Player of the Year
Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB

Preseason Freshman of the Year
Jared Harris, G, Memphis

Preseason All-Conference First Team
Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB*
RJ Felton, Sr., G, East Carolina
PJ Haggerty, R-So., G, Memphis
Tyrese Hunter, Sr., G, Memphis
Jamal Mashburn Jr., Gr., G, Temple

Preseason All-Conference Second Team
Efrem ‘Butta’ Johnson, Jr., G, UAB
Alejandro Vasquez, Sr., G, UAB
KyKy Tandy, Gr., G, Florida Atlantic
Colby Rogers, R-Sr., G, Memphis
Jayden Reid, So., G, South Florida

I talked to Tristan Lawyer briefly after he attended a TU camp in June. Since he committed to Tulsa a few weeks ago, our staff has not been able to get in touch with him, so we went ahead and threw out this brief story...

6-4 and 225-pound LB Tristan Lawyer recently chose Tulsa over offers from Washington State, Baylor and others.

6-4 and 225-pound LB Tristan Lawyer recently chose Tulsa over offers from Washington State, Baylor and others.

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My goodness that burned my eyes to watch this

6-foot-7 and 300-pound offensive lineman Maddox Huber picked up an offer from Tulsa in August and took an official visit to TU on the weekend of October 4. Afterward, he had plenty of good things to say about the Golden Hurricane.

6-foot-7 and 300-pound offensive lineman Maddox Huber picked up an offer from Tulsa in August and took an official visit to TU on the weekend of October 4. Afterward, he had plenty of good things to say about the Golden Hurricane.

Really thought we were going to be done with these discussions for awhile but here we go again

Beat #22 Arkansas tonight 3-2. TU is now 8-1 (lone loss may have been to Baylor at their tournament). I can't pronounce or spell the coach's name but the new AD needs to get her locked up.

In today's transfer portal landscape, a good indicator of a team is often what it has coming back. Even without some outstanding newcomers, TU basketball was already in strong shape coming off a 16-15 season. There is a lot to build on.

The Royals sign Japanese Reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta who sported a 2.73 era last season. This frees up Greinke to start.

In other Marjor League Baseball news it is being reported that the Royals are close to a contract with Jose Guillen.

No news out of the inferior National League yet.

On Eye of the Hurricane Podcast, MBB Coach Eric Konkol and WBB Coach Angie Nelp update us on their progress less than a month away from the start of the season:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

MBB coach Eric Konkol and WBB Coach Angie Nelp discuss their teams progress on the latest edition of Eye of the Hurricane Podcast:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

In today's transfer portal landscape, a good indicator of a team is often what it has coming back. Even without some outstanding newcomers, TU basketball was already in strong shape coming off a 16-15 season. There is a lot to build on.

HOPEWELL, N.J. — Returning University of Tulsa All-American Delanie Crawford was named to the 2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Watch list, presented by Her Hoop Stats Wednesday. She is the first Golden Hurricane hooper to represent Tulsa on any Hammon Award watch list.

A senior guard from Piedmont, Okla., Crawford is coming off a tremendous 2023-24 season where she started in all 35 games and averaged 19.0 points (665), 5.7 rebounds (201), 2.7 assists (95) and 1.1 steals (39) per contest. She finished 33 games with 10 or more points, 15 games over 20 points, and three games scoring over 30. On defense, she added five double-figure rebounding contests to earn five double-doubles.

By the end of last year, Crawford had set the program record for most three-point buckets in a season with 99, third for total points (665) and field goals made (219) and fourth for points per game (19.0).

Crawford's accolades began to pile up as she dominated the court week in and week out a year ago. She was named Tulsa's fourth all-time WBCA Coaches' All-American, for which she took home Honorable Mention status and was a Region 3 finalist. In The American, she was named the league's Most Improved Player of the Year and Second Team All-Conference following six AAC weekly honor roll awards and one Player of the Week honor.


ADVERTISING

"Delanie Crawford's hard work and dedication truly deserve this recognition," Head Coach Angie Nelpsaid. "Her commitment not only elevates her own performance but also inspires our team to strive for excellence. We're grateful to see her accomplishments acknowledged with such a prestigious watch list, and this recognition is an honor for our entire team."

The Golden Hurricane women will start their season at home Nov. 6 in the Donald W. Reynolds Center against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. 2024-25 tip-off times will be announced next week.

2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Watch List
Chellia Watson, Buffalo, Gr., G
Emma Ronsiek, Colorado St., Gr., F
Katie Dinnebier, Drake, Sr., G
Megan McConnell, Duquesne, Sr., G
Meghan Andersen, Fairfield, So., RR
Janelle Brown, Fairfield, Gr., G
Emani Jefferson, FGCU, R-Sr., S
Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga, Gr., F
Harmoni Turner, Harvard, Sr., G
Akasha Davis, Lamar, Sr., F/C
Bella Smuda, Liberty, R-Sr., C
Adrianna Smith, Maine, Sr., F
DeeDee Hagemann, Memphis, Sr., G
Anastasiia Boldyreva, Middle Tenn., Sr., C
Katelyn Young, Murray St., Gr., F
Diamond Johnson, Norfolk St., Gr., G
Kierra Wheeler, Norfolk St., Sr., F
Ny'Ceara Pryor, Sacred Heart, Jr., G
Grace Larkins, South Dakota, Sr., G
Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota St., Sr., F
Paige Meyer, South Dakota St., Sr., G
Delanie Crawford, Tulsa, Sr., G
Jordyn Jenkins, UTSA, R-Sr., F
Rachael Rose, Wofford, Sr., G
Allyson Fertig, Wyoming, Sr., C

I like watching football. I don’t like watching this team play football.

The better team won. By a lot. Our coach didn’t do anything to put this team in a better position to win. We made bad decisions. The punt on 4th to start the game was emblematic of what was to come. Most of his play calls suck. Dumping the ball to a covered running back on third and long is not good football.

Wilson seems to think if we can’t win his way, we aren’t good enough. It’s probably time to move on.

New Gallup poll: Ratings of healthcare providers.. Nurses come in ahead of docs. Insurance companies tank.

On Eye of the Hurricane Podcast, VB Coach Lauren Ramatowski discusses her team's hot start (11-5, 3-1 AAC) and bigtime upcoming matches this weekend v. FAU and USF. This is a fun team to watch at the Reynolds Center:

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/2019/8/26/eye-of-the-hurricane-podcast

Got it all on film
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This was originally posted in the Army Game Thread…

State of the Tulsa Football Program:

1. Tailgating/Game Day Experience: 9/10 Tailgating and the overall atmosphere on game days have been great. It’s one of the few things we can consistently count on to deliver a solid experience.
2. Academic Improvement: 9/10 The academic side of the program continues to be a bright spot. The team is performing well in the classroom, and that’s definitely something we can be proud of.
3. Recruiting: 7/10 Recruiting has improved, but it’s not where we need it to be if we want to compete at a higher level. We’re getting some decent talent, but we need too develop them, especially with our current struggles on the field.
4. Player Development: 4/10 This is a huge area of concern. We’re not seeing enough improvement from players over their time here. There’s potential on the roster, but it feels like they’re not getting the coaching or development they need to reach the next level.
5. Coaching/Game Planning: 4/10 I’m scratching my head at some of the decisions being made. For example, in the Army game why go for it on 4th down on our own side of the field on our first possession? There’s a lack of coherent strategy and situational awareness that’s costing us.
6. Coaching Adjustments: 3/10 This might be the most frustrating part. Once the opposing team adjusts to our game plan, it’s over. We don’t counter well, and that’s leading to blowouts. It feels like we’re getting outcoached every week.
7. Strength of Schedule (Second Half): 4/10 The remaining schedule isn’t daunting, but with teams like Temple and UAB, we’ve got some potential wins. However, if we don’t fix the above issues, even these games could slip away from us.
8. Fan Enthusiasm for Coaching Staff: 3/10 Let’s be honest, the fanbase is losing faith and some would rate this a zero. Even those who have been optimistic are starting to see that we might need a change in leadership. If the team doesn’t start winning and showing some life, it’s going to be hard to justify sticking with the current staff.

Overall, the program has some positives, but the negatives are piling up, especially in terms of coaching and player development. It’s time for a serious evaluation of where we’re headed.

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This is the Cambridge Analytics of voter deterrence that Ch. 4 in the UK did. It’s been hard to get ahold of in the states but I think it should be seen.

I’m sure someone’s going to bring up the project veritas issue as well, so before you do, I’ll say that I think anyone democratic or republican involved in voter disenfranchisement, I think they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Same script. Different opponent. Hang with them for the first quarter or a little longer, then fall apart. Predictably, Army, a far superior team at this point this season, torched Tulsa for a 49-7 win on Saturday afternoon in front of 24,409 fans at H.A. Chapman Stadium.