Wave Guard Named American Preseason Player of the Year in Men's Basketball

Tulane men's basketball redshirt junior guard Rowan Brumbaugh was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year in the American Conference as the Green Wave was voted to place third in the league 2025-26 coaches' poll, the conference office released Thursday.

Brumbaugh was named the Preseason Player of the Year and a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Conference First Team after helping lead Tulane to 19-15 record including 12-6 in the league. He returns for his second season with the Green Wave as the highest scoring returner in the American after averaging 15.53 points per game in 2024-25. Brumbaugh also enters his second year in the conference as the leading returner in assists after averaging 4.8 per game.

The Georgetown transfer recorded 31 games scoring in double figures during his first season in Uptown including nine 20-point performances and a pair of double-doubles. He tallied 17 games with at least five assists and another nine games with at least three steals as well.

Senior guard Asher Woods also garnered preseason honors from the league as he was named to the Preseason All-Conference Second Team. Woods finished the 2024-25 campaign third in scoring for the Wave averaging 11.5 points per game. The senior guard posted 20 games with double figures in scoring for the Green Wave last season including four performances with at least 20 points. He also paced Tulane from the charity stripe connecting at an 85.4 percent clip from the free throw line which ranked fourth in the conference.

Tulane was voted to place third in the American Preseason Coaches' Poll after finishing fourth in the league a season ago. Coaches voted Memphis as their preseason favorites to win it all, with South Florida picked 2nd.

The Green Wave returns seven players from last year's squad including Brumbaugh and Woods. Other key returners who saw the court for the Wave last season include senior Percy Daniels, redshirt sophomore Tyler Ringgold, and sophomore KJ Greene.

Meanwhile, during the offseason the Green Wave loaded the rest of the roster with talent from the transfer portal and the 2025 recruiting class. The newcomers for Tulane are highlighted by transfers Davion Bradford (ETSU), Scotty Middleton (Seton Hall), Josiah Moore (Oral Roberts), and Curtis Williams Jr. (Georgetown). Meanwhile, the incoming freshmen for the Wave include Robert Moore from Charleston, South Carolina, and Vasilije Kuridza of Banja Luka, Bosnia.

Tulane opens the 2025-26 season with an exhibition game against Centenary College on October 28 before starting the regular season at home against Samford on November 3. Conference play will begin on December 31 for the Green Wave at East Carolina.