If you’ve ever stepped foot inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum on a humid Louisiana night, you know it isn't just about a game. It's about a feeling. The University of Louisiana Monroe basketball program—better known as the ULM Warhawks—occupies a strange, beautiful, and sometimes frustrating space in the college hoops landscape. They aren't the blue bloods. They aren't the "flashy" program with a private jet for every recruit. Honestly, they’re the program that works twice as hard for half the recognition, and that’s exactly why people in Monroe care so much.
But lately, things have been changing. Fast.
We’re in 2026 now, and if you haven’t kept up, the era of Keith Richard has officially transitioned into the Phil Cunningham chapter. Richard, an alum who poured 15 years into the head coaching role, retired in March 2025. He left behind 170 wins and a legacy of dragging a program through the mud of APR sanctions back into respectability. Now, Cunningham is the guy holding the clipboard.
The New Era at Fant-Ewing
It’s been a rough transition, if we’re being real. The 2025-26 season has seen the Warhawks struggling to find a rhythm. They currently sit at a 3-15 overall record as of mid-January. It’s the kind of season that tests a fan base. You see flashes of brilliance—like Krystian Lewis dropping 29 points in a double-overtime heartbreaker against South Alabama—but the wins haven't followed the effort yet.
Cunningham isn't a stranger to the Sun Belt, though. He took Troy to the Big Dance back in 2017. He knows the recruiting trails in the South like the back of his hand. But the University of Louisiana Monroe basketball roster he’s working with is young. You've got guys like Lavell Brodnex, a senior who’s been the emotional anchor, leading the team in rebounds and often in scoring. Then there’s the international flavor: Przemek Hartman from Poland and Renars Sondors from Latvia.
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It's a melting pot in Monroe.
Why Fant-Ewing Still Rocks
A lot of people think the arena is just an old building. They're wrong. Built in 1971, Fant-Ewing Coliseum has a capacity of just over 7,000. When it’s full—like it was back in the 70s and 80s for those legendary matchups against Louisiana Tech—the place is a pressure cooker.
The history is literally written on the walls.
- Lenny Fant: The man the building is named after. He coached from 1957 to 1978 and basically built the foundation of what ULM hoops is.
- The "Hawk’s Nest": The student section that tries its best to make life miserable for visiting Sun Belt teams.
- The Maple Floor: It’s classic. It’s loud. It’s home.
The Ghosts of Greatness: Calvin Natt and Beyond
To understand where the program is going, you have to look at where it’s been. Most casual fans don't realize that ULM (then Northeast Louisiana) produced one of the most dominant forces in college basketball history: Calvin Natt.
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Natt was a beast. He didn't just play; he bullied people. He’s the only player in school history to have his jersey retired, and for good reason. He led the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1979. After Monroe, he went on to be an NBA All-Star.
Then you had the Mike Vining era. Vining is the G.O.A.T. of ULM coaching. He took the team to seven NCAA Tournaments. Seven! Between 1982 and 1996, ULM was a regular guest at the Big Dance. They never got that elusive first-round win—sitting at 0-7 all-time in the tournament—but they were always a team nobody wanted to see on their bracket.
Notable Names You Should Know
- Wojciech Myrda: The "Polish Rifle." He still holds shot-blocking records that make modern defenders look lazy. He had 172 blocks in a single season (2001-02). That’s not a typo.
- Carlos Funchess: A high-flyer who won the 1991 NCAA Slam Dunk Contest. He put ULM on the map for pure athleticism.
- Majok Deng: A more recent star who showed that ULM could still recruit and develop NBA-level talent, eventually carving out a massive career in the NBL.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Warhawks
The biggest misconception is that ULM is a "football school" or that basketball is an afterthought. While the football team gets the big Saturday crowds, the basketball program has historically been the more consistent winner on the national stage.
The Sun Belt Conference is a grind. It’s a "one-bid league" most years, meaning you can have a stellar regular season and lose it all in one bad night in Pensacola. That’s what happened in the 2024-25 season—a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Ragin' Cajuns in the tournament ended the Keith Richard era on a somber note.
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The rivalry with the University of Louisiana (Lafayette) is as real as it gets. In Monroe, we don't just want to win; we want to beat the Cajuns. It’s about pride, recruiting territory, and bragging rights at every gas station from here to the Gulf.
The 2026 Outlook: Survival and Growth
Right now, the University of Louisiana Monroe basketball program is in a rebuilding phase. There’s no sugar-coating a 0-6 start in conference play. But look closer at the box scores.
Cunningham is playing the long game.
He’s giving massive minutes to sophomores like Micah Caster and Krystian Lewis. He’s betting that the "trial by fire" in 2026 will pay dividends in 2027. The team is averaging about 73 points per game, which isn't terrible, but the defense is giving up over 82. That’s the hurdle. You can’t win in the Sun Belt if you can’t stop the dribble-drive.
Your Warhawk Action Plan
If you’re a fan or a student, don't give up on this season. Here is how to actually support and track this team as they navigate the rest of the 2026 calendar:
- Show up for the "Lil Warhawk" Days: The atmosphere changes when the community is involved. The school has been pushing mid-week games with local elementary schools, and the energy in the building actually helps the players.
- Watch the Guard Play: Keep your eyes on MJ Russell and Krystian Lewis. They are the future. If they stay through the transfer portal era, ULM will be a contender again within two seasons.
- Check the Stats: Don't just look at the W-L record. Watch the "Defensive Rebound Percentage." For the Warhawks to pull off upsets, they have to limit second-chance points. Lavell Brodnex is currently doing the heavy lifting there, but he needs help from the freshmen.
- Support the Hall of Fame: Visit the south entrance of Fant-Ewing. They’ve got the Hall of Fame plaques there. Understanding the history of guys like Glynn Saulters and Roger Stockton makes the current struggle feel like just another chapter in a much longer story.
The road back to the NCAA Tournament is long. It’s been since 1996. That’s a lifetime in sports. But for the University of Louisiana Monroe basketball team, the grit is still there. It's just waiting for the right spark.