Men's Basketball Continues Opening Weekend Play At NJIT

Sunday, November 11

Newark, NJ

2:00 pm

Brown University

NJIT

Photo by: David Silverman Photography

Men's Basketball Continues Opening Weekend Play At NJIT

11/10/2018 6:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Providence, R.I. - Brown continues its opening weekend road trip, traveling to Newark, New Jersey to take on NJIT on Sunday, November 11 at 2:00 pm at the Wellness and Events Center. Follow all the action on ESPN+ or listen to WPRV AM 790 with Scott Cordischi calling the play and Russ Tyler providing the analysis.

Opening Weekend: Brown launched its 113^th season of intercollegiate basketball on Friday evening, dropping an 83-81 decision to LIU-Brooklyn. Junior Brandon Anderson and senior Obi Okolie scored 17 points each for the Bears…Brown returns of all five starters, including the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, the Ivy League's top scoring offense (77.0 ppg), two of the league's top three scorers, and 93.5-percent of its total points, sixth most in the nation.

The Brown-NJIT Series Record:Brown and NJIT have met twice before with the series tied, 1-1. The Bears grabbed a 70-69 win over NJIT last season on 1/3/18 behind Obi Okolie's 14 points in Providence. NJIT earned a 75-73 win over the Bears on 1/4/17 in New Jersey.

Bear Facts:The Bears were picked to finish fifth in the Ivy League Preseason Poll…Brown is one of only four schools in the country to return its top five starters, who were also its top five scorers…Head coach Mike Martin '04 is the fourth Brown alumnus to coach the team…Sophomore Desmond Cambridge was the fifth player in Brown history to be named the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year…Both Cambridge and Brandon Anderson ranked third in the Ivy League in scoring with 17.3 ppg.

Obi Okolie – Veteran Scorer Returns:  Bears' senior forward Obi Okolie (Ajax, Ontario) has been a mainstay in the lineup since his freshman season, averaging 9.3 points per game in 72 career games. He opened the season with 17 points and six rebounds vs. LIU-Brooklyn. Last year, Okolie grabbed 4.0 rebounds per game and scored in double figures nine times, scoring a season high 17 points, while grabbing nine rebounds, against Princeton on the final weekend of the season.

Joshua Howard Inside:  Junior forward Joshua Howard (Charlotte, NC) earned 16 starts for the Bears a year ago and averaged 5.9 points per game. Howard had 11 points and three rebounds in Brown's season opener vs. LIU-Brooklyn. He averaged 3.2 rebounds per game and helped Brown defeat Quinnipiac with a season high 19 points.

Brandon Anderson – Ivy League's Third Leading Scorer:  Junior guard Brandon Anderson (Mahwah, NJ) ranked third in the Ivy League in scoring last season with 17.3 points per game and was second in the conference with 3.9 assists per game. Anderson scored 17 points and handed out four assists vs. LIU-Brooklyn. He has the exceptional ability to get to the rim, getting to the free throw line more times than any player in the Ivy League. He connected on 169-of-196 free throws (.862), third best in the Ivy League. His anticipation also helped his overall game, ranking second in the conference with 1.5 steals per game. He tossed in a career high 26 points against Northwestern.
Anderson's Career Points:    730
Anderson's Career Assists:   164

Cambridge- Top 10 Mid Major Prospect To Watch:  One of the most dynamic and explosive players in Brown history, sophomore forward Desmond Cambridge (Nashville, TN), who was named a Top-10 Mid-Major Prospect to Watch in 2018-19.  He opened the season with 13 points and a career high four blocked shots vs. LIU-Brooklyn. Cambridge was the unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year after setting a Brown freshman scoring record with 468 points, eclipsing the previous mark of 460 points by Brown's all-time leading scorer Earl Hunt in 2000. A six-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, Cambridge, who also earned Second Team All-Ivy honors, ranked third in the Ivy League in overall scoring with 17.3 points per game and second in conference scoring with 18.6 points per game. The only Brown player to start all 27 games, his 2.5 treys per game were fifth in the Ivy League, while his 27 blocked shots ranked sixth. He scored in double figures in 24 of Brown's 27 games and scored 20 or more points eight times, including a career high 33 points against Marist.

Hunsaker In The Backcourt:Complementing Anderson in the backcourt is junior guard and two-year captain Zack Hunsaker (North Salt Lake City, UT), who ranked third on the Brown team with 9.7 points per game last year. A savvy player with a great feel for the game, Hunsaker ranked second on the Brown team in treys (46) and assists (46).  He also paced the Bears at the free throw line, converting 42-of-45 shots (.933) from the stripe. Hunsaker, who connected on a coast-to-coast game winning shot to beat Dartmouth at the buzzer, tossed in a season high 21 points vs. Bryant, knocking down 5-of-10 treys.

Newcomers:Coach Martin welcomes four talented newcomers to College Hill, including 6-8 freshman forward Davis Franks (New York, NY), 6-9 freshman forward Jaylan Gainey (Goldsboro, NC), 6-6 freshman forward David Mitchell (Roxbury, MA) and 6-0 freshman guard Thomas Shaughnessy (Needham, MA).

Okolie, Sullivan and Hunsaker Repeat As Brown Basketball Captains:   Brown men's basketball head coach Mike Martin announced that senior Obi Okolie, senior Chris Sullivanand junior Zach Hunsaker have been elected tri-captains of the 2018-19 team for the second straight season.

Sullivan Takes Leadership Role:Senior guard and two-year team captain Chris Sullivan (Wilmette, IL) played in all 27 games a year ago and is effective coming off the bench to provide a defensive presence for the Bears.  He helped the Bears topple UMass Lowell with 11 points, connecting on 3-of-3 treys.
Choh Continues To Improve:  Sophomore forward Tamenang Choh(Lowell, MA) had a big game vs. LIU-Brooklyn with nine points, 12 rebound, six assists and three blocked shots.  He came on strong down the stretch in a starting role last, scoring a career high 23 points, while grabbing nine rebounds in Brown's final game against Penn.  A relentless rebounder, he led the Bears with 5.4 rebounds per game, 7.0 rebounds in conference play. He was Brown's fifth leading scorer (7.2 ppg) a year ago.

DeWolf Inside:  Sophomore forward Matt DeWolf's (Barrington, RI) 4.4 rebounds per game were third on the Brown team, including a career high 13 rebounds against Dartmouth. DeWolf started vs. LIU-Brooklyn and had two points and five rebounds. Last year, he posted back-to-back eight rebound performances against Providence and UMass Lowell.

Head Coach Mike Martin:Former Brown basketball standout Mike Martin '04, the 31st head men's basketball coach in the program's 111-year history, has changed the direction and culture of the program in six years as head coach of the Bears, with the building blocks in place to develop an Ivy Championship team. He has assembled a young and talented 2018-19 squad that includes Desmond Cambridge, last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Martin took over the reins of the program in 2012-13 and was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award as the nation's outstanding first-year head coach after leading the Bears to a turnaround season with a 13-15 overall record, including a fourth-place finish in the Ivy standings with a 7-7 mark after winning four of its last five games. Martin's 2013-14 team posted a 15-14 overall record and hosted Brown's first-ever postseason game, playing Holy Cross in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament at the Pizzitola Sports Center. In addition, he guided two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Cedric Kuakumensah, the Ivy League's all-time leader in blocked shots. A four-year starter at Brown, Martin was part of the winningest class in Bears' basketball history, posting a 63-45 four-year record from 2000-04. He also helped the Class of 2004 to a school-record 39-17 Ivy League mark during that period -- the best by an Ivy League team, other than Penn and Princeton, since 1970. An Agawam, Mass., native, Martin launched his coaching career at Brown as an assistant coach in 2005-06, and was an assistant coach at Penn from 2006-12.

Fuller Up:  Senior forward Travis Fuller (Encinitas, CA) earned three starts a year ago and posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds against LIU Brooklyn.  He finished the season with an average of 3.2 rebounds per game.

Shaper Looks to See Action:Bears' sophomore guard Jake Shaper (Houston, TX) saw action in two games a year ago and will look to contribute this season.

THE IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN:  Video of all home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing a monthly package for $4.99 or a yearly package for $49.99.

Bears On The Air:  Brown's entire schedule, home and away, is being broadcast on WPRV-AM 790 with Scott Cordischi, the voice of Brown basketball and football, calling all the action. Former Brown basketball star Russ Tyler '71(1,133 career points) provides the color analysis. Brown fans can also listen to the broadcast on http://www.790business.com.

Ivy League Tournament:  The 2019 Ivy League Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament will be held on the campus of Yale University at the John J. Lee Amphitheater at Payne Whitney Gymnasium March 16 and 17. The League's unique tournament format has enhanced the importance of the regular season as seven of the eight squads had an opportunity to earn a berth into the four-team tournament heading into the final week of the regular season.

Next Game:  Brown returns home for the Brown Bears Tip-Off Classic, November 16-18, at the Pizzitola Sports Center.  The Bears host UMass-Lowell on Friday, 11/16 at 7:30 pm; Sacred Heart on Saturday, 11/17 at 6:00 pm and Army on Sunday, 11/18 at 4:00 pm.