NEWARK, NJ– The NJIT men's basketball team continues its season-opening three-game road trip this weekend with a pair of games in California. The Highlanders will take on California Baptist on Friday evening and San Diego on Sunday before returning to New Jersey ahead of next weekend's home opener. 

Game Information
Tipoff is slated for 7pm inside the CBU Events Center on the campus of California Baptist. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with in-game statistics available as well through CBU's website.

Last Time Out
The NJIT men's basketball team fell into an early hole in Monday's season opener at Saint Peters and ultimately were defeated 73-59 by the Peacocks in Run Baby Run Arena.

Saint Peter's scored the first 17 points of the game over the first 5:55 and never looked back, leading by as many as 27 before ultimately winning by the 14-point margin.

Veteran big man Souleymane Diakite was a bright spot for the Highlanders, leading three NJIT scorers in double-digits with a 16-point effort on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. 

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS
*   Friday's matchup between NJIT and California Baptist is the first all-time. The Highlanders are playing their first game in California since Jan. 10, 2012 when they lost 71-70 at CSU Bakersfield.
*    Miles Coleman is the only returner among the America East's top 10 scorers from a season ago. The senior averaged 15.6 ppg last season, which ranked fifth in the league. Coleman also averaged 5.7 rpg in 2021-22, the seventh-best mark in the league.
*    NJIT returns seven players from its 2021-22 squad and welcomed seven newcomers to this year's team. The Highlanders brought in four graduate transfers and three freshmen.
*    Six of the NJIT's 14 players have completed their undergraduate degrees and are working towards their Master's. Souleymane Diakite and Kjell de Graaf graduated from NJIT last May, while Justin Anderson (Bloomsburg), Adam Hess (E. New Mexico St.), Kevin Osawe (Arkansas-Little Rock), and Raheim Sullivan (Marist) come to NJIT from other institutions.
*    Paul McMillan IV is the highest-rated recruit to sign with the Highlanders. The 2021-22 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year was ranked 126th in the Rivals.com rankings.
*    Souleymane Diakite and Kjell de Graaf are both in their fifth seasons with the Highlanders. Da'Mir Faison is the next longest tenured player as he is on the roster for the fourth season.
*    Keeshawn Mason was named to the America East All-Rookie Team last season, marking the second-straight season an NJIT player recieved the honor. Mekhi Gray was named to the All-Rookie Team in 2020-21.

On the Sidelines
Seventh-year Head Coach Brian Kennedy added two new members to his staff during the offseason in Art Luptowski and Mike Hamlin. Luptowski, who coached more than 20 seasons at the Division II level, spent the last nine seasons serving as an advance scout for several NBA organizations. Hamlin is the team's new Director of Basketball Operations and comes to NJIT after being an assistant coach at his alma mater Bloomsburg for more than a decade. Danny Manuel, who served as the program's Director of Basketball Operations the past three seasons, was promoted to assistant coach, joining Luptowski and Ricardo Rush Jr. in that role. 

New Foes
NJIT will play six new opponents this season - California Baptist, San Diego, American, Cincinnati, Bucknell, and Niagara.

Like Fine Wine
NJIT will feature one of the oldest rosters in the country this season as the team's average age on opening night is 22.7 years old. Kevin Osawe and Adam Hess both turned 24 prior to the season, while Souleymane Diakite, Kjell de Graaf, Justin Anderson, Raheim Sullivan, and Miles Coleman are all 23.

America East Conference 
NJIT is in its third season in the America East and will play a schedule of 16 conference games against the other eight schools.  The Highlanders became the 10th full member of the America East on July 1, 2020.

Bryant will be a new face to the America East this season, while Hartford and Stony Brook have departed. 

Next Up
Following Friday's game, the Highlanders will drive south to San Diego ahead of a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Toreros. Tip-off is scheduled for 5pm ET/2pm PT at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Stay Connected
Stay up to date during the NJIT Men's Basketball season by following @NJITHoops on Twitter and Instagram and liking the NJIT Men's Basketball page on Facebook.