Tulane transfer Collin Holloway said he chose school because he wants to play in NCAA tourney

Versatile wing Collin Holloway said the main reason he chose Tulane out of the transfer portal when he left Georgetown was his desire to make it to the NCAA tournament.

Let that answer sink in as you contemplate the sea change coach Ron Hunter has caused entering his fourth season with the Green Wave, which opens its 2022-23 basketball campaign with a 6 p.m. exhibition against Spring Hill on Wednesday night at home.

Tulane’s last taste of the tournament came in 1995, but Holloway savors the opportunity to end that 27-year drought alongside fellow Baton Rouge-area product Jalen Cook (Walker). Cook led the Wave in scoring and was a first-team All-American Athletic Conference pick last season after transferring from LSU.

Holloway, a 6-foot-6 forward who played for Port Allen, believes he can be an important cog for a team that rose to fourth place in the AAC and reached the semifinals of the league tournament after years and years near the bottom.

“I’ve been watching Jalen, and I saw they needed a few more pieces and I could help out,” Holloway said. “We have a really good roster. I played against some really good teams in the Big East last year, and I honestly think this team has a legit chance of not only getting to the tournament but winning games in the tournament. I can’t wait to see how we play.”

Holloway started 20 games last year as a sophomore at Georgetown, averaging 9.2 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 45.3%. The Hoyas went 0-18 in the Big East, and he wanted to win.

He is joining a team with one first-team all-conference pick (Cook) and two second-team selections (Jaylen Forbes and Kevin Cross) — a trio that produced 48.4 ppg a year ago.

“They have three dudes that were all-conference and can score,” Holloway said. “I want to kind of do it all— help with scoring, rebound and play defense.”

Hunter envisioned Holloway as his definitive fifth starter along with the big three and versatile junior guard Sion James, but minor injuries have clouded the picture a bit for Holloway entering the exhibition. When totally healthy, he can provide quality minutes on the wing all the way to center in Hunter’s small-ball lineup.

“He gives us that physicality and he can really finish inside,” Hunter said. “Outside of Cross, he’s a big-time finisher inside. He gives us another presence.

“Now what you’ll see is we can physically maintain on the glass when we play Houston and some of those teams. We need him to get going. He’s been out for a couple of weeks now.”

Hunter recruited Holloway out of high school, where he averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds as a senior while leading Port Allen to its first state championship (Class 2A). That relationship helped when a second opportunity to get him presented itself.

“We do that purposefully,” Hunter said. “If you’re a top player in the state, we are going to recruit you whether you are coming here or not because there’s a 67% chance you’re probably coming back home anyway.”

Playing for the energetic Hunter has been eye-opening for Holloway.

“The man’s crazy,” Holloway said. “He’s fun, though. He makes your day during practice, and he knows what he’s talking about.”

Hunter said Cook tweaked a hamstring on the first day of preseason practice and will be on a minutes restriction against Spring Hill. He added guard Jadan Coleman was getting a shot in his foot and would be a game-time decision, and freshman Percy Daniels will sit out with a lingering groin injury. Everyone else is healthy.

Tulane beat Spring Hill 93-55 in Hunter’s first game with the Wave in 2019, so he will be looking at factors other than the outcome.

“We’ll have to handle the crowd and the officials and get the heart rates going and get that game feeling again,” he said. “Really, I’m looking at the new guys — both Collin and Tre’ (Williams, an Oregon State transfer who also spent two seasons at Minnesota).”