Louisiana's Men's Basketball roster lists Trajan Wesley at 5-foot-9, which must be an inside joke among the Ragin' Cajuns.

With a good pair of sneakers and with a hair allowance, he might push a little past 5-foot-8.

Or maybe there's a rule that says anyone that dunks with the flair that Wesley shows can't be listed that short. Just watch him in pregame warmups when he does the bounce dunk with as much flash and power as his taller teammates.

Or maybe he looks taller because of the large white headband he sports during games, one that it so happens is a little larger than the NCAA rules allow. Official crew chief Bart Lenox told Wesley about the maximum two-inch headband rule during pregame warmups, adding that he figured no official had mentioned it all season.

"Not one time," Wesley told him.

Lenox was cool about it, only recommending he fold or tuck it in a little going forward, lest some future rules zealot bring a ruler on court.

Perhaps Lenox noticed the headband when it and Wesley's head were at rim height during those warmups.

What kind of vertical leap does the Navasota, Texas, product have, anyway?

"It's probably like 40-something," he says. "I have no clue."

Forty inches is probably a conservative guess, as anyone who's watched Louisiana over the last few years will attest. It's also what gives Wesley the impetus to drive his way inside against players a foot taller and finish. He did that four times in the Cajuns' outing against Arkansas State, on his way to a 12-point performance that helped Louisiana win in overtime in its Sun Belt Conference home opener.

Coach Bob Marlin probably cringes a little every time Wesley slips past a perimeter defender and challenges the "bigs" near the basket. It's not that Marlin doesn't believe in his abilities, but he sees Wesley's hell-bent playing style, throwing his body and hitting the floor hard multiple times every game, and he knows the value Wesley brings to his team and what it means when he's not available.

"He's that true point guard that we didn't have for the last year and a half," Marlin said. "He runs the team for us. He's obviously fought his way through a lot and he's still fighting through some injuries. We're hoping we can keep him healthy and keep him out there."

Two seasons ago, Wesley was limited to 20 games by nagging injuries, most of those absences coming when he was hurt in an early Sun Belt game against South Alabama and didn't get back on court until mid-February. That foot injury and extended rehabilitation kept him on the sidelines all of last season.

"That was tough," he said. "My teammates were doing all they could in pushing me along in rehab, but not being there with them was tough. They hold me accountable and that's something that keeps driving me."

It also took a while this season for Wesley to work his way back into action. He never played more than 10 minutes in any of Louisiana's first six games heading into a Dec. 3 home game against New Orleans, but when Brayan Au was sidelined with an ankle injury and Greg Williams left the court early with an injury against the Privateers, the Cajuns needed a point guard in the worst way.

"He (Wesley) had run the scout team in practice all week," Marlin said of the runup to the UNO game, "so he didn't get many reps with the first team. But he came out when his name was called and stepped right in and we didn't miss a beat. He really stepped up and played super. He was critical for us on both sides of the ball."

Wesley had 16 points in 25 minutes that night, including four of those driving baskets and eight of nine free throws – a mark that came as no surprise considering he shot 81.2 percent from the line in his first two seasons and is at 80 percent again this year (he ranked third in the Sun Belt in free throw percentage in league games as a freshman).

Since then, he started every game in a six-game stretch that included a seven-assist, five-rebound game in the league opener at App State. Because of injuries and COVID absences, Wesley and Kobe Julien are the only Cajuns to play in every game this season.

"Coach Marlin preaches when one man goes down, the next one has to step up," Wesley said. "I felt like I had to step up for my brothers. If I was in the same position I would want them to do the same for me."

Wesley's role was even more important on that opening App State-Coastal Carolina trip, when UL was down to nine available players due to injuries and COVID. He played a season-high 32 minutes against App State, a 71-55 victory that wasn't that close.

"When we've had guys out, other guys have stepped up and done a nice job, like on that trip," Marlin said. "We know our guys and what they can do."

Marlin hasn't had a guard as small as Wesley in his 11 Cajun seasons, but he had similar style players when he was at Pensacola Junior College and Sam Houston State. One won a national JUCO championship at PJC.

"Those guys were tough defenders, and they got the ball to the right people," Marlin said. "That's what Trajan's been doing for us. But he also finished some shots the other day (against Arkansas State), which was huge."

It's those finishes that are easily the most eye-catching part of Wesley's game. Several times this season, he's converted inside baskets while in close proximity to opponents more than a foot taller. Rarely does he get a shot blocked.

"I feel like I can jump with anybody," he said. "I feel like I'm able to use my body to protect myself, so I have no fear of going in after those people. I really feel like all the hard work I put in over the summer is finally paying off, my body's sustaining everything, so God willing I hope I can make it through the entire year."