The New Orleans Privateers open their 57th basketball season on Tuesday night against the LSU Tigers at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.
Privateers Open Season After Defeating Southern Miss in Exhibition
Tuesday’s matchup kicks off a new campaign as the Privateers make the trip up to Baton Rouge. New Orleans enters the contest following an 82-72 exhibition win against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Oct. 21 in Hattiesburg.
During that tune-up in Hattiesburg, Midland College junior transfer Solomon Ominu grabbed 13 rebounds and scored nine points. Canisius transfer Kahlil Singleton contributed 13 points with three 3-pointers, while Wagner transfer Nick Jones paced the squad with 19 points, three steals, and a pair of blocks. Privateer senior Kedrick Osby added 18 points, scoring 12 of them in the second half to help secure the victory over Southern Miss.
Staff Changes and Hall of Fame Leadership
The Privateer bench features several new additions and role shifts this season. Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer John Brady has joined the program as Special Advisor for Athletic Advancement and Men’s Basketball Strategy. In his dual-purpose role, Brady will collaborate with athletic administration on fundraising priorities and major gifts while supporting the basketball staff with program strategy, roster building, and long-term performance objectives. Brady previously served as head coach of the LSU Tigers from 1997 through 2008, compiling 192 wins, SEC championships in 2000 and 2006, and a Final Four appearance in 2006.
Additional staff updates include the promotions of Silvy Dominguez to Associate Head Coach and Andrew Fava to Chief of Staff. Former Tarleton State head coach Zach Settembre takes over as recruiting coordinator, while LSU New Orleans Athletics Hall of Famer and former NBA veteran Ervin Johnson has been hired to coach the big men. Grant Kemp rounds out the staff as Director of Operations and Video Coordinator after spending two seasons on Stacy Hollowell’s staff.
Tigers Hold Historical Series Advantage over New Orleans
LSU stands as the most-played SEC opponent in Privateers history, holding a 15-4 lead in the series and winning nine straight meetings since 2001. The last time New Orleans defeated LSU on the road was in 1986, which also stands as the last Privateer victory on the road against an SEC opponent.
Will Wade has returned to LSU for a second stint as head coach after one season at NC State, aiming to push his all-time record against the Privateers to 6-0. During his prior run at LSU, Wade’s teams went 105-51 in five seasons. The Tigers went 2-1 through their exhibition schedule, defeating McNeese 63-60 and UCF 85-81 before dropping an 89-87 game to Florida State in Tallahassee. Former UCLA Bruin Donovan Dent led LSU in scoring across those three games with 19.0 points per contest, while Croatian national freshman Michael Ruzic averaged a team-high 11.7 rebounds.
