Basketball season is upon us, and with that comes students and fans eager to cheer on their chosen teams. The Warhawks should be aware of what to expect from the ULM Men’s team, as well as updates on the recent changes within the team.
To quickly reflect on the 2024-2025 season, the Warhawks, led by coach Keith Richard, started strong with a 111–61 win over Champion Christian University. ULM’s conference record last season was 3-15, and unfortunately, the season ended with a five-game losing streak.
Since last season, junior guard Jacob Wilson, junior forward Jerry Ngopot, senior guard Devon Hancock, and junior guard Jalen Bolden left the team and entered the transfer portal. The three new members filling their shoes include: Krystian Lewis from Pearl River CC, Brentay Noel from Southern University and Dylan Diaz from Daytona State College.
ULM’s coaching staff has undergone significant changes, with a new head coach and several other new assistant coaches. ULM hired Phil Cunningham to replace Coach Richard, who retired at the end of the 2024-2025 season. Cunningham brought in Derek Zimmerman as associate head coach, assistant coaches Franklin Miskelly and Noah Stansbury, as well as a promotion for Reid Roberts.
During the interview with Coach Cunningham, when asked how he has been preparing the team for this season, he said, “They are not worried about what’s happened before. It is all about moving forward.”
Cunningham continues to say that his associate and assistant coaches make his job much easier by being very experienced and having a passion for this sport. He shares that he has known Coach Miskelly and Coach Stansbury for years and trusts them with the workload of the team.
As ULM kicks off the 2025-26 season, the Warhawks went head-to-head with the Northern Illinois Huskies on Nov. 3 with a loss of 102-82.
With many veterans out, Coach Cunningham was asked where he would look for leadership.
“Krystian Lewis, our starting point guard, has done a really good job of establishing himself as a leader,” he said. “He’s got a tremendous work ethic and is in the gym all the time.”
ULM’s sophomore Lewis plays as the team’s guard. During his freshman year at Pearl River, he averaged the third most points per game on the team with 15.5 points per game, grabbed a total of 114 rebounds, recorded 133 assists, and was named the 2024 Most Outstanding Player of the State All-Tournament team.
Lewis’ talents and hard work were carried over into the first game of the season as he stepped onto the court in confidence and led the team immensely. Lewis was on the court for 39 minutes of the game and scored a total of 22 points in favor of ULM. Within the first 20 minutes, Lewis knocked down a three to cut the lead back down to single digits. Shortly after, a foul called for NIU free throws, sending them back into the lead with double digits.
Cunningham said, “We’ve also got Dylan Diaz, a junior college transfer from one of the best JUCO programs in the country—a really good shooter with a mature, consistent approach.”
Dylan Diaz is attending ULM as a junior and will be playing guard for the Warhawks. During his freshman and sophomore year at Daytona, he played in a total of 59 games, recovered 164 rebounds, and recorded 67 assists, 47 steals and three blocks. Reports noted that Diaz knocked down three or more 3-pointers in 17 games.
Following in the lead of Lewis, Diaz played 25 minutes on the court and scored 13 points for ULM. Because of Diaz’s experience, he was able to notice a shot from beyond the arc to put the score at 43-47, Warhawks.
Unfortunately, Brentay Noel will not be able to play this season due to an ACL tear but is attending ULM as a Junior and playing on the team as a forward/ center. During Noel’s Freshman and Sophomore years at Southern, he appeared in 55 games in total, averaging 4.2 points per game as a sophomore and grabbed a total of 190 rebounds. In Noel’s freshman year, he established his position by grabbing a career high of 13 rebounds at Alabama State, and in his sophomore year recorded his first career double-double vs. Florida A&M. Noel has big expectations to meet next season.
When asked how he thinks the rest of the season will play out, Phil Cunningham said, “We still like our character and our talent. This team has a tremendous window for improvement. We’ll get better every day, every game, every week.”
Though the men’s basketball team did not get this victory under their belts, fans can be hopeful and confident that the growth of this team and the execution from the coaching staff will be one for the record books.
