Photo by: Parker Waters
On the Wave: Reynolds Sets New Standard for Future of Tulane Basketball
Feb 28, 2018 | Men's Basketball
By Adam Miller
Tulane Athletics
NEW ORLEANS – In five years as a Tulane men's basketball student-athlete, Cameron Reynolds has pretty much seen it all. He's seen winning streaks. He's endured losing streaks. He's experienced a coaching change. He's bounced back from injuries. It's those events that have prepared him for life after college and established a leader possessing maturity beyond his years.
Reynolds arrived on campus as one of eight freshmen – a lanky, 6-foot-6, 195-pound kid from a town just outside of Houston – and on Senior Night, he will be the only member of that class to hear his name called as part of the ceremony.
Reynolds was born with basketball in his blood from his father, Billy, who is a Louisiana Basketball Hall of Famer and 1977 NBA Draft pick by the Seattle SuperSonics, and growing up next to a brother, Justin, who played at the Division I level and professionally on four continents. The genetics have always been there, but the development of his talent, and his success that followed, are products of his own efforts.
"On the court, the game has slowed down a lot," Reynolds said. "When I first got to college, there was a lot I didn't know about basketball, especially with coverages on the defensive end. Offense has always been one of my strong suits, but the game doesn't move as fast anymore and I can thank all of my coaches for that."
Obstacles weren't easy on Reynolds: he played all 34 games and made one start as a freshman in 2013-14; and his sophomore season ended after just nine games when he suffered a broken left thumb against Savannah State. The Green Wave improved to 8-1 with a win that night and won their next game against Jackson State, but Reynolds missed the subsequent eight weeks before opting to take a medical redshirt and preserve a year of NCAA eligibility.
"Sitting out, I looked at the game differently," Reynolds said. "I could sit back and watch. As a freshman, I didn't get to do much watching and that's when I learned the importance of film. I saw the sweet spots on the floor and how the offense should look when I am on the court. It gave me a whole new perspective of the game."
The left thumb healed and he was a third-year sophomore for the 2015-16 campaign, but it didn't start the way anyone would have expected. During a scrimmage contest on Halloween - exactly two weeks before the start of the season - he broke the thumb on his right hand and was sidelined for an additional five weeks. Fortunately, he missed just four games and played the final 30.
He enjoyed mild success, making eight starts while averaging 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and shot 35 percent in just over 20 minutes per game. It was a go-ahead 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining in the quarterfinals of the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship against Houston at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, that sent Tulane to the semifinals, much to the surprise of everyone and Reynolds' star was born.
His season ended one day later with a loss to Memphis, but another era came to close as well. His coaching staff was relieved of their duties and the future for everyone else in the program became unknown.
"Personally, I always knew I was capable of playing at a high level," Reynolds said. "After we lost in the conference tournament in 2016 and our previous coaching staff left, I made up my mind that I wasn't going to go a single day without going into the gym. I treated it like I was starting college all over again. I felt like I was interviewing for my spot because it was time to show whoever our new coaches would be that I was serious. I went into the gym with zeroes on my mind. Everything, like my stats, was a zero. It was a clean slate."
Mike Dunleavy Sr., took over as head coach just a few weeks later and those zeroes blossomed into something much greater. He became the focal point of the offense to the tune of 17 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while making 42 percent of his shots, 39 percent of his 3-pointers and his 78 treys were the second most in a single season in program history. He was honored as the American Athletic Conference Most Improved Player of the Year.
Even with his growth as a player, Reynolds never felt satisfied and complacency was never an option. He made an effort to learn from his teammates, took mental notes and applied them to his game.
"Lou Dabney showed me what it meant to play hard," Reynolds said. "He treated every play like it was last. He had an ACL injury in his knee coming into college and never took anything for granted. Jay Hook was one of the top shooters in Tulane history and he always told me you can't make every shot. He said if I miss one, you make it up by making the next one and you're 50 percent every time. That's what I took away from some of the older guys who played here."
Reynolds doesn't have regrets or one particular moment he wishes he could go back and change, but he prefers to offer advice reflecting on the fruits of his hard labor. In his mind, the moment you're tired and think the workout is finished, it's time to keep going because you have to do more. Dunleavy didn't demand that of him, but he did find a place in Reynolds' memory that he'll take with him as long as he's dribbling a basketball.
"You have to be able to make plays," Reynolds said. "He always preaches about reading and knowing the game inside and out. He prepared me for every possible situation that could arise during a game. His best quote was 'Don't forget your own play.'"
Reynolds is a product of the new era of Tulane Basketball, but like many others invested in the program – inside and outside – the job is not done and the vision is the same. Seeing the program continue to climb to new heights and reach the Big Dance is what he wants to come back and see when he returns to campus.
"I want to see this program in the NCAA Tournament, and I think we're already going in that direction," Reynolds said. "I want to see (Fogelman Arena in the) Devlin Fieldhouse sold out every game like it is at other schools in our league. I want Tulane to be a powerhouse in this conference and strike fear into people who come here for a road game. People know that now because they don't take us lightly, but I want us to be dominant. I look forward to coming back and seeing those differences."
Tulane Athletics
NEW ORLEANS – In five years as a Tulane men's basketball student-athlete, Cameron Reynolds has pretty much seen it all. He's seen winning streaks. He's endured losing streaks. He's experienced a coaching change. He's bounced back from injuries. It's those events that have prepared him for life after college and established a leader possessing maturity beyond his years.
Reynolds arrived on campus as one of eight freshmen – a lanky, 6-foot-6, 195-pound kid from a town just outside of Houston – and on Senior Night, he will be the only member of that class to hear his name called as part of the ceremony.
Reynolds was born with basketball in his blood from his father, Billy, who is a Louisiana Basketball Hall of Famer and 1977 NBA Draft pick by the Seattle SuperSonics, and growing up next to a brother, Justin, who played at the Division I level and professionally on four continents. The genetics have always been there, but the development of his talent, and his success that followed, are products of his own efforts.
"On the court, the game has slowed down a lot," Reynolds said. "When I first got to college, there was a lot I didn't know about basketball, especially with coverages on the defensive end. Offense has always been one of my strong suits, but the game doesn't move as fast anymore and I can thank all of my coaches for that."
Obstacles weren't easy on Reynolds: he played all 34 games and made one start as a freshman in 2013-14; and his sophomore season ended after just nine games when he suffered a broken left thumb against Savannah State. The Green Wave improved to 8-1 with a win that night and won their next game against Jackson State, but Reynolds missed the subsequent eight weeks before opting to take a medical redshirt and preserve a year of NCAA eligibility.
"Sitting out, I looked at the game differently," Reynolds said. "I could sit back and watch. As a freshman, I didn't get to do much watching and that's when I learned the importance of film. I saw the sweet spots on the floor and how the offense should look when I am on the court. It gave me a whole new perspective of the game."
The left thumb healed and he was a third-year sophomore for the 2015-16 campaign, but it didn't start the way anyone would have expected. During a scrimmage contest on Halloween - exactly two weeks before the start of the season - he broke the thumb on his right hand and was sidelined for an additional five weeks. Fortunately, he missed just four games and played the final 30.
He enjoyed mild success, making eight starts while averaging 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and shot 35 percent in just over 20 minutes per game. It was a go-ahead 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining in the quarterfinals of the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship against Houston at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, that sent Tulane to the semifinals, much to the surprise of everyone and Reynolds' star was born.
His season ended one day later with a loss to Memphis, but another era came to close as well. His coaching staff was relieved of their duties and the future for everyone else in the program became unknown.
"Personally, I always knew I was capable of playing at a high level," Reynolds said. "After we lost in the conference tournament in 2016 and our previous coaching staff left, I made up my mind that I wasn't going to go a single day without going into the gym. I treated it like I was starting college all over again. I felt like I was interviewing for my spot because it was time to show whoever our new coaches would be that I was serious. I went into the gym with zeroes on my mind. Everything, like my stats, was a zero. It was a clean slate."
Mike Dunleavy Sr., took over as head coach just a few weeks later and those zeroes blossomed into something much greater. He became the focal point of the offense to the tune of 17 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while making 42 percent of his shots, 39 percent of his 3-pointers and his 78 treys were the second most in a single season in program history. He was honored as the American Athletic Conference Most Improved Player of the Year.
Even with his growth as a player, Reynolds never felt satisfied and complacency was never an option. He made an effort to learn from his teammates, took mental notes and applied them to his game.
"Lou Dabney showed me what it meant to play hard," Reynolds said. "He treated every play like it was last. He had an ACL injury in his knee coming into college and never took anything for granted. Jay Hook was one of the top shooters in Tulane history and he always told me you can't make every shot. He said if I miss one, you make it up by making the next one and you're 50 percent every time. That's what I took away from some of the older guys who played here."
Reynolds doesn't have regrets or one particular moment he wishes he could go back and change, but he prefers to offer advice reflecting on the fruits of his hard labor. In his mind, the moment you're tired and think the workout is finished, it's time to keep going because you have to do more. Dunleavy didn't demand that of him, but he did find a place in Reynolds' memory that he'll take with him as long as he's dribbling a basketball.
"You have to be able to make plays," Reynolds said. "He always preaches about reading and knowing the game inside and out. He prepared me for every possible situation that could arise during a game. His best quote was 'Don't forget your own play.'"
Reynolds is a product of the new era of Tulane Basketball, but like many others invested in the program – inside and outside – the job is not done and the vision is the same. Seeing the program continue to climb to new heights and reach the Big Dance is what he wants to come back and see when he returns to campus.
"I want to see this program in the NCAA Tournament, and I think we're already going in that direction," Reynolds said. "I want to see (Fogelman Arena in the) Devlin Fieldhouse sold out every game like it is at other schools in our league. I want Tulane to be a powerhouse in this conference and strike fear into people who come here for a road game. People know that now because they don't take us lightly, but I want us to be dominant. I look forward to coming back and seeing those differences."
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballPostgame: MBB vs Tugaloo - 12/10/25
Thursday, December 11
Postgame: Men's Basketball vs Grambling - 12/2/25
Wednesday, December 03
Postgame: Men's Basketball vs Nicholls - 11/28/25
Friday, November 28
Postgame: Men's Basketball vs UNO | Nov. 14, 2025
Saturday, November 15
