NJIT PRESEASON VIDEO


The third-year of the "BK Era" at NJIT could very well be described as an episode of the Young and the Restless.
 
Head Coach Brian Kennedy possesses a roster composed of seven (50%) underclassmen, yet features five seniors (36%) who are looking to guide the Highlanders to their first all-time ASUN Tournament victory – as well as a loftier goal of earning a conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in their last hurrah.
 
The overwhelmingly good news for last season's fourth-place finisher is that NJIT returns 10 players – including four starters -- while bringing in three talented freshmen. The only bad news is that the one starter lost was Anthony Tarke, an ASUN First-Team All-Conference selection.
 
The result is perhaps the deepest team the Highlanders have ever assembled in program history.
 
"I'm presented with a very good challenge this year," said the third-year head coach when asked about his rotation with all the talent up and down the roster. Yet, he leaves no doubt who will lead the way.
 
"We have a big senior class this year. We have five seniors and they've all brought great attributes to the program," Kennedy said. "I expect big things from this senior class."
 
Senior forward Abdul Lewis is expected to serve as the team's Guiding Light. NJIT's lone representative on the ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team was arguably the league's best big man last season. The Newark native stamped his 2018 Second-Team selection by leading the ASUN in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and offensive rebounding (3.2 o-rpg). He averaged 12.1 points per game and a more impressive 15.1 ppg in league play.
 
"Abdul has really grown his game. He's worked really hard in the weight room and has put himself in a great position for a great senior year," Kennedy said.
 
Lewis is also impressed by the talent around him.
 
"I feel like we're going to be playing a lot of guys this year. We have a lot of guys who can do a lot of things," said Lewis, a Newark native who transferred to NJIT after one season at University of South Alabama. "I think we're very versatile this year. We have a lot of weapons."
 
One of those weapons is sophomore guard Zach Cooks, one of the underclassmen on the roster who is expected to hold a starring role in Kennedy's version of All My Children.
 
Despite his five-foot-nine frame, the Lawrenceville, Ga., native proved huge in his freshman season. Cooks finished as the fifth-leading freshman scorer in ASUN at 8.5 ppg – a figure that increased to 10.3 ppg in conference play. Able to score in a variety of ways, Cooks finished third in the ASUN in three-point field-goal percentage (.432).
 
"I wish I would've known how fast the game was; how much stronger I needed to be," said the ASUN All-Freshmen selection Cooks, reflecting back on his initial campaign. "This coming year, I know what I have to do, so I think I'll be a much better player and a much better teammate."
 
Cooks is just one member of a three-man sophomore class that garnered significant, on-the-job experience last season – a class that comes back with high expectations.
 
"Our sophomores have a lot of weight on their shoulders. It's an important year for them," said Kennedy, who has helped orchestrate NJIT to a 95-92 overall record since he joined the program as an assistant coach in 2012. "While they all had great freshman years, they're expected to make that jump. It's an important time for all of them. I can' t be happier with that class in San Antonio [Brinson], Zach [Cooks] and Shawndale [Jones]."
 
Many coaches at the mid-major level would agree that it is generally difficult to rely on first-year players, as the Division-I level is Another World. That said, NJIT has three highly skilled freshmen who are all expected to be an immediate part of the rotation in forwards Souleymane Diakite (6'9") and Kjell de Graaf (6'10") and guard Diego Willis (6'3"). In fact, all three are international players who arrive in Newark with impressive resumes after spending a majority of their high school careers in the Canary Islands (Spain).
 
Diakite, a native of Bamako, Mali, played three seasons at Canterbury H.S. – averaging 17.6 ppg and 11.2 rpg as a junior. Originally signed to play at Oklahoma State, Diakite spent last season at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark – guiding the team to a 28-2 campaign on the court while earning an Academic Achievement Award presented by Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka for his efforts off the court.
 
De Graaf, a native of Rotterdam, Netherlands, played two seasons for the Canarias Basketball Academy. As a senior, he averaged 14.5 ppg and 7.2 rpg while shooting 45 percent from three-point territory for the Elite A Team.
 
Willis, who hails from Hermosillo, Mexico, was the starting guard at the Canarias Basketball Academy. He averaged 18.2 ppg and 4.6 rpg while connecting at a 44-percent rate from deep in 2017-18.
 
"The new kids have the lights on and are bright-eyed, and a lot of stuff is coming at them fast," Kennedy said. "But I'm very very pleased with the progress the freshmen have made. They've all been terrific this preseason."
 
FRONTCOURT
 
"We probably have the largest amount of talented big men we've ever had here at NJIT – certainly in my era," Kennedy said.
 
While Abdul Lewis expected to be the focal point in the paint, six-foot-nine senior Mohamed Bendary continues to make strides and push for more minutes. In fact, in two starts last season when Lewis did not suit up, the Jersey City native averaged an impressive 6.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 5.0 assists per game. He also holds an eye-popping .669 career field-goal percentage.
 
Additionally, the very athletic Souleymane Diakite figures to carve out significant minutes out of the gates.
 
"Souley is a problem [for opponents]," said junior co-captain Shyquan Gibbs, NJIT's starting point guard. "He protects the rim. He rebounds. He's physical."
 
San Antonio Brinson, a six-foot-eight forward, figures to see a significant up-tick in minutes after appearing in 23 games as a freshman. Just last year, he entered NJIT as the highest-rated recruit in program history. His ability was showcased when he led NJIT in points (15) and rebounds (9) in the ASUN Tournament quarterfinals loss to North Florida.
 
Senior co-captain Reilly Walsh, a guard by nature, will also share some time in the frontcourt along with another swingman in Shawndale Jones.
 
Walsh, who provides physical play and all the intangibles, was voted by fans as the ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Jones was the ASUN's sixth-leading freshman scorer (6.4 ppg) last season.
 
Junior Taj Price, a six-foot-seven product of Newark East Side H.S., is also finally healthy. Price has shown flashes in limited playing time, scoring a season-high eight points in three contests a year ago.
 
BACKCOURT
 
Shyquan Gibbs, who joined Walsh as an ASUN All-Academic selection last year, is a cerebral point guard who started all 30 games as a sophomore last season and only turned the ball over 29 times. His goals are clear.
 
"Be a leader and facilitator for everyone else. Just keep the team whole," said Gibbs, who would have ranked second in ASUN in three-point percentage (.500; 24-48) if he had enough attempts to qualify. "I feel like mentally the game has slowed down. Physically, I'm still getting faster. I see things way differently than I did a year ago, two years ago."
 
The corps of guards features other prolific scorers than just Zach Cooks
 
Senior Diandre Wilson is averaging 17.4 ppg in his collegiate career between Mott Community College (NJCAA) and NJIT. He finished his first Division-I season ranked ninth in the ASUN in three-point percentage (.394) and 25th in ppg (10.2).
 
After battling injury to start his NJIT career, senior Donovan Greer exploded down the stretch in 2017-18. The San Jacinto College-Central (TX) transfer averaged 10.2 ppg in the final five affairs and finished fourth in three-point percentage (.438) during ASUN conference play.
 
Adding Walsh, Jones and Willis into the mix may not leave many minutes for sophomore walk-on Patrick Jamison. That said, the five-foot-nine native of West Orange, N.J., was once honored as the Best Three-Point Shooter in New Jersey by NJ.com in 2016.
 
INTANGIBLES
 
Will all these pieces fit As the World Turns for NJIT this season? There are reasons for optimism.
 
"I feel like we have a lot of good chemistry," Bendary said. "It's really exciting to have good, unselfish players. I think that's going to be a big deal for us this year. Just moving the ball, forcing teams to guard us. Having good bigs. Having good shooters."
 
There is also a high level of commitment.
 
"What they [fans] will see is a group of really hard-working young men that do things the right way; that are here first as students; that are true student-athletes," Kennedy said. "They'll see a great product on the court as far as their effort, intensity and love of the game."
 
Additionally, the sting of a first-round exit from the conference tournament has fostered hunger and confidence from the Bold and the Beautiful.
 
"It shouldn't have ended like that," Gibbs said. "But new year, new team. Same goal. We want to finish. We want to win. And that's what's going to happen."
 
Lewis added, "It's going to be an exciting year. It's going to be something NJIT basketball hasn't seen before. I want to go out with a bang, I hope we make a run in the ASUN Tournament and March Madness."
 
If all goes according to plan, this season could make for the most exciting Days of Our Lives for Highlanders basketball fans.