Men’s Basketball Finalizes Staff for 2026-27 Season
May 1, 2026 | Men's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS – Tulane men's basketball head coach Ron Hunter announced a pair of changes to his coaching staff ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. Two-time Tulane Hall of Fame inductee Kim Lewis will return to Uptown as an assistant coach while RJ Hunter will move into a full-time assistant coach role to finalize the Green Wave coaching staff.
"We are thrilled to welcome Kim back to Uptown and keep RJ on our staff for the upcoming season," Coach Hunter said. "Coach Lewis brings a wealth of coaching experience to our staff as well as a deep connection to Tulane athletics that will be instrumental in helping us develop our student-athletes to compete at the highest level."
"Bringing RJ into a full-time role with our staff will allow him to continue to pour his experience and knowledge of the game into our student-athletes on a regular basis," Hunter said. "He has done an incredible job building relationships with the team over the past two seasons and we look forward to seeing his continued impact on the growth of our players on and off the court."
Lewis will join the Wave for his third stint on the Tulane coaching staff after serving as an assistant coach from 1997-99 and again from 2008-10. During his first run on staff with Tulane, he coached Linton Johnson who went on to win an NBA Championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005.
As a player for the Green Wave from 1990-94, Lewis set the program record for steals (242) and is tied for sixth in games played (122). He totaled 1,384 points, which ranks 14th, and helped lead Tulane to its first conference championship and first berth in the NCAA Tournament during his playing career.
A two-time member of the Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame, Lewis was inducted in 2014 as an individual and in 2020 as a member of the 1991-92 squad.
Lewis joins the Green Wave basketball staff with more than 20 years of Division I coaching experience after spending the last two seasons at Robert Morris. He has also had stints at Mercer, Richmond, Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, Centenary, Duquesne, Northeastern, McNeese, and Xavier University of Louisiana.
RJ Hunter returns for his third season with the Green Wave and his first as a full-time member of the coaching staff. He joined Tulane as a volunteer assistant coach ahead of the 2024-25 season after playing nine seasons of profession basketball across the NBA, G League, and internationally.
In his previous two seasons with the Wave Hunter was instrumental in the development of all-conference honorees Rowan Brumbaugh, Asher Woods, Kaleb Banks, and Kam Williams. Tulane has recorded 37 wins across Hunter's two seasons with the coaching staff including making the program's first postseason appearance since 2014 competing in the inaugural College Basketball Crown.
Rounding out Coach Hunter's staff for the Green Wave are Associate Head Coach Ray McCallum, Assistant Coach Gebereal Baitey, Director of Operations Nate Summers, and Assistant Director of Student Athlete Development and Video Operations Ben Miner.
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Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
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GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.
"We are thrilled to welcome Kim back to Uptown and keep RJ on our staff for the upcoming season," Coach Hunter said. "Coach Lewis brings a wealth of coaching experience to our staff as well as a deep connection to Tulane athletics that will be instrumental in helping us develop our student-athletes to compete at the highest level."
"Bringing RJ into a full-time role with our staff will allow him to continue to pour his experience and knowledge of the game into our student-athletes on a regular basis," Hunter said. "He has done an incredible job building relationships with the team over the past two seasons and we look forward to seeing his continued impact on the growth of our players on and off the court."
Lewis will join the Wave for his third stint on the Tulane coaching staff after serving as an assistant coach from 1997-99 and again from 2008-10. During his first run on staff with Tulane, he coached Linton Johnson who went on to win an NBA Championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005.
As a player for the Green Wave from 1990-94, Lewis set the program record for steals (242) and is tied for sixth in games played (122). He totaled 1,384 points, which ranks 14th, and helped lead Tulane to its first conference championship and first berth in the NCAA Tournament during his playing career.
A two-time member of the Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame, Lewis was inducted in 2014 as an individual and in 2020 as a member of the 1991-92 squad.
Lewis joins the Green Wave basketball staff with more than 20 years of Division I coaching experience after spending the last two seasons at Robert Morris. He has also had stints at Mercer, Richmond, Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, Centenary, Duquesne, Northeastern, McNeese, and Xavier University of Louisiana.
RJ Hunter returns for his third season with the Green Wave and his first as a full-time member of the coaching staff. He joined Tulane as a volunteer assistant coach ahead of the 2024-25 season after playing nine seasons of profession basketball across the NBA, G League, and internationally.
In his previous two seasons with the Wave Hunter was instrumental in the development of all-conference honorees Rowan Brumbaugh, Asher Woods, Kaleb Banks, and Kam Williams. Tulane has recorded 37 wins across Hunter's two seasons with the coaching staff including making the program's first postseason appearance since 2014 competing in the inaugural College Basketball Crown.
Rounding out Coach Hunter's staff for the Green Wave are Associate Head Coach Ray McCallum, Assistant Coach Gebereal Baitey, Director of Operations Nate Summers, and Assistant Director of Student Athlete Development and Video Operations Ben Miner.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL TULANE ATHLETICS APP
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For behind-the-scenes coverage, follow Tulane men's basketball (@GreenWaveMBB) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.
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