It’s been awhile since The College of New Jersey men’s basketball team took the floor, but after a solid appearance in the Jay Bilas Classic and the holiday break it’s looking to do some damage in the conference.
The Lions (8-4, 3-2 NJAC) resume the league slate against rival Rowan (2-10, 2-3 NJAC) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Glassboro. Then on Saturday they host Rutgers-Newark (3-9, 0-5 NJAC) with a 3 p.m. start.
It has been 18 days since TCNJ last played but first-year coach Evan Elberg believes that they have used the time well and are prepared.
“We have made good use of the time off,’’ stated Elberg. “Really focusing on us and getting back to our culture and our toughness. Our guys have done a good job of stacking days, competing, and working hard during the stretch of practice.’’
The first half of the season was a bit of a learning experience.
They got off to a 5-1 start and were nationally ranked, then the schedule got tougher and the always difficult NJAC games played a factor in a 3-3 mark since the hot start.
“We had a tough week losing two NJAC games in a row at Stockton and home against Kean,’’ recalled Elberg. “I’m proud of the way we responded and bounced back, winning two straight in the NJAC and beating a very talented and well coached team in Denison in the Jay Bilas Classic.’’
TCNJ is a veteran tested team that won the conference in 2023-24 and has been to the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons.
So, don’t expect it to look past either Rowan or Newark.
“Rowan and Newark will be great challenges for us,’’ said Elberg. “Both are very well coached and talented teams who are fully capable of beating us if we do not come ready for a 40 minute battle. They are better than their records show in our opinion. Rowan runs a tough zone and Newark is always tough, scrappy, and extremely well prepared.’’
Nick Koch, the reigning NJAC Player of the Week, leads the Lions with 19.3 points a game and that is fourth best in the conference. Jonathan Okocha comes in with 12.8 points and Matt Solomon is close to averaging a double-double with 12.2 points and an NJAC-best 9.5 rebounds.
Everyone in the league is chasing No. 10 Montclair State, which is off to an 11-0 and 5-0 NJAC record, so it’s never too early to start boxing out for playoff positioning.
Despite the veteran lineup, there’s always a learning period for the players and for a new coach.
“Always learning and growing, even in the wins,’’ Elberg stated. “Our group and staff have a growth mindset and we are always trying to get better each and every day. Try and focus on the process and not the end results. We have a really fun group to work with and compete with. We are looking forward to the rest of the NJAC play and starting the second half of the season strong.’’
It’ll be nice to shake off the dust from the holiday break and get back to winning basketball.