New Orleans is a city of ghosts and rhythms. If you walk down Elysian Fields Avenue, past the Gentilly neighborhoods and toward the lake, you’ll find a basketball program that has spent decades punching above its weight class. University of New Orleans basketball isn't just a mid-major program. It’s a survival story. Most people think of the Big Easy as a football town or a place where the Pelicans reign supreme, but the Privateers have a gritty, blue-collar history that most casual fans completely overlook.
Basketball here feels different. It's louder. It's sweatier. It’s more personal.
The Lakefront Arena and the Shadow of the Past
The Lakefront Arena is one of the most underrated venues in the South. Period. When it’s rocking, you can feel the floorboards vibrate under your feet, but the road to keeping those doors open hasn't been easy. After Hurricane Katrina, many people—even those inside the university system—thought University of New Orleans basketball was finished. Gone. Done for. There was a massive push to move the entire athletic department down to Division II. It was a dark time. The community fought back because the Privateers represent a specific kind of New Orleans resilience that doesn't exist in the NBA or even at the bigger state schools.
They stayed D1. They fought through the Southland Conference. They kept the lights on.
The history of this program is anchored by names that true hoop heads know by heart. We're talking about Ervin Johnson. Not Magic. The other Ervin Johnson. The one who went from working in a supermarket to becoming a first-round NBA draft pick after dominating the paint for the Privateers in the early 90s. His jersey hangs in the rafters for a reason. He’s the physical embodiment of what UNO basketball is: raw talent that finds a way to shine regardless of the spotlight.
Why the Mark Slessinger Era Redefined the Privateers
You can’t talk about University of New Orleans basketball today without talking about Mark Slessinger. He's the longest-tenured coach in the program's history. Since taking over in 2011, he didn't just coach games; he basically rebuilt the entire culture from scratch after the post-Katrina uncertainty.
The 2016-2017 season was the peak of that rebirth.
🔗 Read more: Inter Miami vs Toronto: What Really Happened in Their Recent Clashes
That year, the Privateers went 20-12 and won both the Southland Conference regular-season and tournament titles. It was a miracle on the lake. Watching them play in the NCAA Tournament against Mt. St. Mary’s in the First Four was a moment of pure catharsis for the city. They lost a heartbreaker, 67-66, but the score didn't matter as much as the fact that they were back on the national stage.
Slessinger’s style is high-energy. It’s frantic. It’s New Orleans. He recruits kids who have a chip on their shoulder, the ones who were overlooked by the SEC or the Big 12. He looks for the guys who are willing to dive for a loose ball on a Tuesday night in an empty gym. That’s the "Privateer Way."
The Roster Dynamics and Transfer Portal Chaos
In 2026, the landscape of college hoops is basically the Wild West. The University of New Orleans basketball program has to navigate the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) era with a significantly smaller war chest than the giants. It's tough. You find a gem, they average 18 points a game, and suddenly a Power 5 school is knocking on their door with a suitcase full of cash.
How do you compete with that?
Honestly, you don't compete by outspending them. You compete by being a family. The Privateers rely on the "human" element. They sell the city. New Orleans is a recruiting tool that no one else has. You aren't just playing basketball; you're living in one of the most culturally significant cities on the planet. For a kid from rural Texas or overseas, that’s a huge draw.
The 2024-2025 season showed some of those growing pains. The team struggled with consistency, finishing toward the bottom of the Southland standings. But that’s the nature of the mid-major grind. You cycle through talent, you hit a slump, and then you find that one point guard who changes everything.
💡 You might also like: Matthew Berry Positional Rankings: Why They Still Run the Fantasy Industry
Misconceptions About the Southland Conference
A lot of folks assume the Southland is a "weak" conference. That is a massive mistake. It’s a track meet.
If you watch a University of New Orleans basketball game against an opponent like McNeese or Southeastern Louisiana, you aren't going to see slow, methodical Big Ten basketball. You’re going to see 94 feet of pressure. You’re going to see athletes who can jump out of the gym. The Privateers have to play a specific brand of "chaos ball" to stay competitive.
- Defense: They prioritize turnovers. If you can't handle the ball, the Privateers will eat you alive.
- Tempo: The goal is usually to get the shot off in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock.
- The Crowd: The student section, though smaller than what you'd see at LSU, is notoriously hostile toward visiting teams.
The Southland is a one-bid league. This means the regular season is essentially a long preamble to three days of absolute madness in March. You could win every game in the regular season and lose in the conference tournament, and your season is over. That pressure creates a specific type of mental toughness in these players.
The Financial Reality of Mid-Major Hoops
Let’s be real for a second. The University of New Orleans isn't swimming in money. The athletic department has had to make hard choices over the years. This means the basketball program relies heavily on "guarantee games."
These are the games where UNO travels to a place like Ohio State or Kansas at the beginning of the season. They get paid a few hundred thousand dollars just to show up. Usually, they lose. But every once in a while, they pull off an upset that shocks the system. These games fund the scholarships, the travel, and the equipment. It’s a grind that the blue-bloods never have to worry about, but it builds a certain kind of character.
What to Expect Moving Forward
If you're looking to follow University of New Orleans basketball, you have to be ready for an emotional roller coaster. This isn't a program for bandwagon fans. It's for people who love the underdog.
📖 Related: What Time Did the Cubs Game End Today? The Truth About the Off-Season
The current focus is on recruiting "positionless" players—guys who are 6'6" and can guard any spot on the floor. This is a trend across all of basketball, but it's especially vital in the Southland where versatility is king. Coach Slessinger and his staff are currently leaning heavily into the international market, finding players from Europe and Australia who bring a high basketball IQ to the Lakefront.
How to Support and Follow the Privateers
If you're in New Orleans, or even if you're just a fan of the game, there are a few ways to actually engage with this program beyond just checking scores on your phone.
- Go to the Lakefront Arena. Tickets are dirt cheap compared to NBA games, and you’re actually close to the action. You can hear the coaches yelling and the sneakers squeaking.
- Watch on ESPN+. Most Southland games are broadcast there. It’s the best way to keep up with the conference race in January and February.
- Follow the NIL Collective. If you want the Privateers to keep their best players, they need local support. The "Privateer Swamp" and other local initiatives are trying to bridge the gap between mid-major budgets and the new reality of college sports.
- Check the Mid-Major Rankings. Don't just look at the AP Top 25. Look at the Mid-Major Top 25 polls to see where UNO sits relative to their actual peers.
The University of New Orleans basketball program is a survivor. It has survived natural disasters, budget cuts, and the constant threat of being overshadowed by bigger neighbors. It remains a vital part of the city's sports identity because it represents the grind. It's not always pretty, but it's always New Orleans.
To stay truly updated, pay attention to the late-season surges. The Privateers are notorious for starting slow and peaking right as the conference tournament begins in Lake Charles. That’s when the real magic happens.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check the current Southland Conference standings to see where the Privateers are positioned for the upcoming tournament seedings.
- Review the team's official roster on the UNOPrivateers website to identify the "homegrown" New Orleans talent versus the international recruits.
- Look up the Lakefront Arena schedule if you are visiting the city; a weeknight game offers a completely different, more intimate vibe than a weekend matchup.