NEWARK, NJ - When the 2019-20 NJIT men's basketball team takes the court for its first game on Wednesday, November 6, they'll do so with a unique mix of four established veterans and nine underclassmen looking to break out and help the program take the next step.

Last season, the Highlanders won a program-record 22 games and earned their first-ever ASUN postseason victory on the road at Florida Gulf Coast. With the graduation of several key players, NJIT will need its underclassmen to step up and join the proven veterans to build upon last season's success. 

Leading the Way

Fourth-year Head Coach Brian Kennedy will rely on three captains to lead the Highlanders on and off the court this season. Graduate student Reilly Walsh, senior Shyquan Gibbs and junior Zach Cooks were named captains prior to the season and combine for 147 games started in their careers. 

The trio started the first three contests of the 2018-19 season, before Walsh fell victim to a season-ending injury. Gibbs and Cooks started all 35 games, with Cooks averaging a team-high 17.4ppg en route to Second Team All-ASUN honors. Gibbs put together a consistent season, averaging 8.6 ppg and led the squad in assists. 

Production, Not Potential

San Antonio Brinson started 32 games as a sophomore last year and showed plenty of promise at the forward position. Kennedy is looking for Brinson to use that experience and elevate his game as he enters the second half of his college career.

Brinson averaged 6.0 ppg and 4.1 rpg last season, which included a 15-point, 15-rebound effort in a victory at Duquense. 

No Sophomore Slumps

NJIT's three sophomores will also see a great deal of playing time this season after playing smaller roles as freshmen. Souleymane Diakite projects to be in the starting lineup for the Highlanders, while Kjell de Graaf and Diego Willis will be among the first few players off the bench. 

Diakite nearly recorded a double-double last season, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds against Binghamton. De Graff and Willis each started games at the end of the 2018-19 season.

The New Crew

Kennedy's six-player freshmen class will provide depth in both the backcourt and front court. Levar Williams and Xavier Mayo project to see the most court time early, while Byron Breland III, Caleb Matthews and Jason Murphy provide Kennedy with other capable options off the bench. A sixth freshman, Da'mir Faison, has missed most of the preseason with an injury and is out indefinitely. 

Non-Conference Slate

Kennedy calls this season's non-conference slate among the toughest since he arrived in Newark eight years ago. The Highlanders open up at reigning Patriot League Champion Colgate, before taking on Providence, an NCAA Tournament regular, three days later in Rhode Island. Contests against Rutgers, UCF and UConn also highlight the slate, which features four home games against Wagner, Binghamton, UMass-Lowell and Kean. 

Conference Play

The ASUN once again projects to be among the top mid-major conferences in that nation, with all eyes centered on last season's ASUN Tournament Champion, Liberty, as the league favorite. NJIT will welcome the Flames to the WEC for their first ASUN contest of the season on Jan. 4. The ASUN's double round-robin format gives each team a home and an away game against each conference foe. The ASUN Tournament will take place during the first week of March at the sites of each higher-seeded team.

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