Men's Basketball Heads to New Orleans for Exhibition Game at Lakefront Arena

Tuesday, October 22

New Orleans, LA

7 PM

Southern Miss

New Orleans (EXHIBITION)

Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com

Men's Basketball Heads to New Orleans for Exhibition Game at Lakefront Arena

10/21/2024 4:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Live Stats G1 New Orleans

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss men's basketball unofficially kicks off its 2024-25 season on Tuesday night when it travels to New Orleans for an exhibition contest. The game is slated for 7 p.m. at Lakefront Arena and will not be streamed.

Exhibition 1: Southern Miss (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) at New Orleans (0-0, 0-0 Southland)
Tuesday, October 22 at 7 p.m. CT
TV: None | Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network
Lakefront Arena (10,000)

Fans can listen on the Southern Miss Radio Network, Southern Miss Game Day App, or their local Southern Miss Network affiliate to hear John Cox on the call.

The Opening Tip
- Southern Miss returns six players that saw action last season, while only Cobie Montgomery and Tegra Izay saw limited starts
- Neftali Alvarez — sat out last season due to injury — and Denijay Harris are both back in the Black & Gold this season. Harris suited up for Arkansas last season after playing a key role in the '22-23 Sun Belt regular season title
- Eight players will suit up for the Golden Eagles this season that ever never donned the Golden Eagle logo. That list included Alfred Worrell Jr., DeAntoni Gordon, Brewer Carruth, Jett Montgomery, Christian Watson, John Wade III, Christian Reid, and Lieb Yat

About the Privateers
- Stacy Hollowell is in his first year leading New Orleans after spending the 2023-24 season at Texas Southern as an assistant coach
- Hollowell previously spent time at Ole Miss (2022-23) and Loyola New Orleans (2014-22). He guided Loyola New Orleans to the 2021-22 NAIA National Title and coached Luke Ladner, son of Southern Miss head coach Jay Ladner, on the title team
- Jamond Vincent is the top returning scorer for the Privateers after averaging 8.4 points per game last season. New Orleans lost its top four scorers from last year's 10-23 team. Vincent and Jah Short are the lone starters that return to the lineup from last season
- Vincent's three double-doubles last season led the team
- New Orleans opens the season at Kansas State on Nov. 5

History Between the Two
- There's no question about the all-time series between Southern Miss and New Orleans as Tuesday is the 24^th meeting between the two
- The series dates back to the 1969-70 season when New Orleans won 91-84 in Hattiesburg
- The last meeting came in 2009 when Southern Miss won 78-58 on a neutral court in Gulfport
- Ladner, a former Southland Conference head coach at Southeastern, is 7-4 against New Orleans in his 10 years of Division I coaching

Dipping into the Portal
- The Golden Eagles once again loaded up on veteran talent in the transfer portal after adding four players with Division I experience
- The four additions are DeAntoni Gordon (Little Rock), Christian Watson (Miami), John Wade III (Stanislaus State) and Denijay Harris (Arkansas)
- Gordon brings the beefiest resume after earning All-OVC honors at Little Rock while leading the Trojans in nearly every category at some point during his three-year career. Gordon played his first season of college basketball at Wichita State
- Watson and Harris have both played on the biggest stages during their careers at Miami (Fla.) and Arkansas, respectively. Watson was a member of the Hurricanes' 2022-23 Final Four team and logged minutes in NCAA Tournament
- Wade III had a stop at Cal State Northridge during the 2022-23 season but played at Stanislaus State last season. While at CSUN, Wade III played in only 10 games
- Ladner added Alfred Worrell Jr. comes to Southern Miss after playing JUCO ball at John A. Logan college

The Youngsters are Back
- Brewer Carruth, Jett Montgomery, and Christian Reid are the first freshman Ladner has signed since the 2021-22 season
- Current senior Trey Alfonso was the last freshman Southern Miss had
- Carruth prepped at Parklane Academy in McComb, while Reid played at Mater Lakes Academy. Montgomery enjoyed a standout career at Independence High School, but is no stranger to Southern Miss has his father, Mark, was a standout wide receiver for the Golden Eagles

Exhibition History
- The Golden Eagles are 50-7 all-time in exhibition games
- It's their first road exhibition game since playing Nippon Mining in Tokyo on Dec. 18, 1988
- Southern Miss is 4-1 under Ladner in the tune-up games

Preseason Accolades
- Redshirt senior Andre Curbelo was tabbed Preseason Third Team All-Sun Belt by the league's coaches
- Curbelo appeared in 12 games last season while waiting for a NCAA waiver and later battling injuries
- He recorded the second triple-double in program history when he had 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against Georgia State last season
- Southern Miss was picked to finish fifth in the preseason league poll

60 Years at Reed Green Coliseum
- The 2024-25 season marks the 60^th season of Golden Eagle basketball at Reed Green Coliseum
- Southern Miss officially moved into The Greenhouse ahead of the 1965-66 season and played Alabama on Dec. 11 in the arena's dedication game
- The Golde Eagles are 522-239 on their home court and have had three undefeated seasons at Reed Green Coliseum

Single game and season tickets are available via SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK or visiting the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office during normal business hours.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE SINGLE GAME TICKETS
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS

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