ULM head men’s basketball coach Ryan Cross has announced four new members of his staff for the 2026-27 season, in addition to a staffing change.
Jermaine Johnson, Assistant Coach
Jermaine Johnson arrives in Monroe after five seasons at Memphis. He joined the Memphis staff as an assistant prior to the 2020-21 season, later moved into the Director of Player Development role midway through the 2021-22 campaign. He coached multiple All-AAC honorees in his time with the Tigers.
In 2024-25, Johnson guided the Tigers to a 29-6 record, an American Athletic Conference (AAC) tournament title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The 2022-23 season brought similar accolades in a 26-9 record, defeating #1 Houston for the AAC crown and a trip to the Big Dance.
Johnson came to Memphis after serving as an assistant coach at Troy in 2019-20. He was also a member of UT Martin’s coaching staff from 2014-19. He began his time in Martin as an assistant and was promoted to associate head coach his final two seasons. With Johnson on the bench, UT Martin won the program’s first two Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) West Division championships and rolled up five CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) victories. In addition, Johnson helped oversee 73 wins from 2014-15 to 2017-18.
Johnson joined the Skyhawks from Georgia Southern, where he helped the Eagles to the Southern Conference (SoCon) Tournament semifinals in 2013-14.
Before moving to the collegiate coaching ranks, Johnson made a name for himself as the Melrose High School head coach in Memphis from 2007-13. In developing Melrose into a national top 25 program, Johnson led the Golden Wildcats to five straight District 16 AAA championships. In 2010, he guided Melrose to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Class 3A state crown, the program’s first state title since 1983. Johnson posted a 353-91 record as a high school head coach.
Johnson graduated from United States Sports Academy in 2007, receiving a master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration in 2014.
Noah Dartmann, Assistant Coach
Noah Dartmann returns to Monroe after four seasons as the Director of Basketball Administration at UAB. The 2024-25 season saw a stunning 24-13 record as the Blazers made it to the AAC championship game, also going on a three-game run in the NIT.
The Omaha, Neb., native spent two previous seasons with the Blazers as a graduate assistant and as the video coordinator. In his opening two years at UAB, the Blazers captured the 2022 C-USA tournament title and competed in the NCAA Tournament, setting a program record with 27 wins.
Prior to his time as a graduate assistant, Dartmann was a student manager for the ULM men’s basketball team under head coach Keith Richard. Dartmann received his bachelor’s degree from ULM in 2020.
Chris Forbes, Assistant Coach
Chris Forbes is welcomed to ULM after six seasons with the Wake Forest basketball staff as the video coordinator. Forbes was hired in 2020, playing a key role in the day-to-day operations of the men’s basketball staff, both on and off the court. He assisted in scouting, film analysis and team travel for the Demon Deacons while also creating social media content, as well as producing graphics and videos.
He served as a manager at East Tennessee State for four seasons and as a graduate assistant for two years. Forbes started as an intern in the ETSU Athletics Communications office where he created social media content, produced feature stories and assisted in historical research.
Forbes earned his bachelor’s degree from ETSU in 2018 and his master’s degree in 2020.
Glen Mayo, Assistant Coach
Glen Mayo arrives in Monroe after three seasons at South Plains College as an assistant coach. In his three seasons with the Texans, South Plains went 85-18, including a 32-3 season in 2023-24. Mayo’s helped the team to multiple appearances in the NJCAA Division I tournament.
At the University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie, Mayo spent two years as the head men’s basketball coach. During his tenure, he led the Indians of Salkehatchie to two consecutive Region 10 tournament appearances. In both years, the University received national recognition making the Top 25 NJCAA Rankings under his guidance.
Before his time as the head men’s coach, Glen Mayo served as the head women’s basketball coach at the University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie. During his two-year tenure, the Lady Indians qualified for the Region 10 Tournament both years. Each year the University received national recognition making the Top 25 NJCAA Rankings, with their highest ranking reaching #13 in the country.
Furthermore, Mayo’s coaching journey includes several years of assistant coaching experience at the junior college level, namely Northwest Florida State College and Chipola College. He was a part of multiple teams that won the Region 8 Tournament and attended the National Junior College Tournament.
Mayo graduated from Chipley High School in 2010. He pursued higher education at Chipola College, where he obtained both his associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree in business administration management.
Parker Doak, Director of Basketball Operations
Parker Doak returns for a third year with the Warhawks after spending the last two seasons as a graduate assistant. In his time with ULM men’s basketball, Doak has assisted with the team operations, earning him the promotion of director of operations.
“I am excited to add Jermaine, Noah, Chris, and Glen to our basketball family. I am also happy to promote Parker to the position of Director of Basketball Operations,” said Cross. “In assembling this staff, I am confident that we check a lot of boxes. Each has unique experiences that will work together to provide our university and student-athletes with a positive experience. I am looking forward to working with this group as we put together a program that will immediately compete in the Sun Belt Conference.”
https://ulmwarhawks.com/news/2026/4/14/mens-basketball-cross-announces-2026-27-coaching-staff.aspx
