Transfer guard Josiah Moore is not necessarily happy with his role off the bench for Tulane, but if he keeps playing like he did in the second half against Grambling on Tuesday, he won’t have to worry about it any longer.
He will either be starting or playing starter’s minutes.
Moore, a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Austin, Texas who averaged 27.5 minutes and 10.9 points for Oral Roberts last season, rarely left the floor after entering with 15:26 left when the Green Wave trailed 44-37. He scored seven points, came up with three steals, grabbed two rebounds and had a team-best plus-minus margin of +9 in a comeback 65-63 victory.
Tulane (6-2) will need a similar effort plus more production from the players around him to give itself a chance in Saturday’s home game (3 p.m., ESPN+) against Akron (7-2), the preseason favorite to win the Mid-American Conference. The Zips have a similar record but are in a different zip code in the initial NET rankings at No. 44 compared to the Wave’s 233.
More of Moore could make a huge difference.
“I feel like I’m battle tested mentally and physically,” he said. “Even with joining a new team, I’m prepared.”
Tulane coach Ron Hunter feels like he has eight starters. Rowan Brumbaugh, Asher Woods, Scotty Middleton, Curtis Williams and Tyler Ringgold usually go out for the opening tip, but KJ Greene, Percy Daniels and Moore can take over the lion’s share of minutes on any night.
Moore has logged 20-plus minutes in four of Tulane’s eight games, averaging 7.5 points on 12-of-21 (57.1%) shooting with seven steals in those contests. He also contributed eight points with three assists in only 10 minutes off the bench against Nicholls on Nov. 28, so he definitely is earning a bigger role.
“He’s playing to his strength,” Hunter said. “Just like most new guys early, things were going too fast for him, but it’s really slowed down and he’s becoming one of our better defenders. His shot’s getting better, but I love when he’s playing downhill and attacking the rim also.”
Moore agreed.
“I can get to the paint whenever I want to, so I can create for myself and others,” he said. “Defensively I can bring a lot to the game with steals and just shutting guys down. I watch film, know guys’ tendencies and then just play hard. Defense has a lot to do with effort.”
Although Tulane still has plenty of room for improvement, its win total is one shy of Oral Roberts’ for all of 2024-25 in what was a trying experience even though he started 24 games. Tired of losing, he considered transferring to Rice in his home state before the Wave’s third-place finish in the American Conference swayed him.
“I had never been a part of a losing season, so it was crazy,” he said. “It’s mentally draining for sure. It was a big reason why I chose here. Coach Hunter has built a winning program, and I wanted to be a part of winning, not losing again. Sion James and I signed with the same agency, so I got to talk to him and get the inside scoop on how this program was run.”
To this point, he is happy with his decision, even if it means coming off the bench.
“It’s cool for right now,” he said. “Every single day in practice and games I’m trying to earn the coaches’ trust.”
Mission accomplished according to Hunter, even if he is not ready to insert him as a starter. Hunter enjoys having enough depth that he can go with the hot hand rather than sticking with an ironman five as he has in the past, even sitting preseason American player of the year Rowan Brumbaugh for long stretches.
“What I love about it is that if you’re not playing well that day, somebody else probably is and you’re not going to keep playing, and that includes Rowan,” Hunter said. “We’ve done that once or twice. That’s the beauty of being able to play like we’re playing.”
