NJAC poll

Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey men's basketball team is primed for a fresh start as they open the 2013-14 season this coming Monday at City College of New York at 7 p.m.

The Lions return eight players from last year's squad and will lean on the experience of those individuals to take command on the court. TCNJ posted a 5-20 record a season ago and is determined to produce greater success on the hardwood this year.

Junior Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) returns after being named to the All-New Jersey Athletic Conference Honorable Mention squad in his first season with the Lions. Johnson averaged 11.5 points per game. He started all 25 games and dropped in a season-best 24 points against league champion Ramapo College.

TCNJ also returns its second leading scorer in junior Alex Fox (Washington, NJ/Westwood). He registered 10.2 points per game last season and added 3.8 rebounds each contest. Fox enjoyed a phenomenal game last year, netting 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting in a 63-53 win at Kean University.

Joining Fox on offense will be junior Skyelar Ettin (Princeton, NJ/Princeton). Ettin has demonstrated the ability to take over a game offensively when he gets a hot hand. He scored 20-plus points on four occasions last year, including a 25-point performance on 9-of-14 shooting in a home victory over the Cougars. Ettin started in 22 of the 23 games he was healthy.

Another junior, point guard Emmanuel Matlock (Trenton, NJ/Solebury), returns for his third season in blue and gold. Matlock suffered an injury early in the season, but was healthy for 15 games to engineer the offense. He averaged 5.9 points and 2.5 assists in 19.2 minutes per game in 2012-13.

The lone senior on the Lions is forward Joe Kane (Cinnaminson, NJ/Holy Cross). He played in 23 games, averaged 3.1 rebounds and blocked a team-high seven shots.

Head coach Kelly Williams, who enters his sixth season in charge, will also look to some fresh faces to provide a shot in the arm. Sophomore transfer Bobby Brackett (Lawrence, NJ/Lawrence), who stands at 6' 6", should provide the Lions with a strong inside presence that boasts athleticism and a shooter's touch. Brackett comes from Bloomfield College after enjoying a terrific career at local Lawrence High School.

Juniors Jason Chalmers (Oakland, NJ/Indian Hills) and Darius Griffin, Jr. (Piscataway, NJ/Bishop George Ahr), along with sophomore Mitch Miller (Ringoes, NJ/Hunterdon Central) will also be depended on to get TCNJ off to a quick start. Following their game against CCNY, the Lions square off against Western Connecticut State University in the home opener on Wednesday, November 20 at 8 p.m. They follow that with their conference opener in Packer Hall against William Paterson University on Saturday, November 23.