Tuesday, November 5
9 p.m. ET  – Kennesaw State (0-0, 0-0) at Creighton (0-0, 0-0)
Location: Omaha, Neb. | CHI Health Center Omaha
Links: FSN | Live Stats 
Game Notes: KSU | Creighton

KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State Men's Basketball team returns to the court this season with new expectations and new faces. 

KSU welcomed new Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim to the nest over the summer. Growing up just down the street, Abdur-Rahim is no stranger to the game with 13 years of experience under his belt. With stints at Texas A&M, Georgia and Murray State he has been a part of multiple championship teams and has helped mentor two NBA draft picks in Robert Williams III and Isaiah Canaan.  

He takes over a program that could not quite get the pieces to fall in place last year as the Owls finished eighth in the conference with an overall record of 6-26 and 3-13 in league play. KSU finished the season leading the conference in offensive rebounds, averaging 12.1 a game, and ranked second in free throw percentage (.731) while getting some stellar performances from guard Tyler Hooker.

Hooker will be looked upon to lead the Owls as one of two key returning veterans including redshirt senior Bryson Lockley. Named to the ASUN all-conference second team a year ago, Hooker finished the regular season ranked second in the league averaging 19 points per game, a mark that ranks fifth all-time in KSU DI single-season history. He also led the conference with 153 made free throws while ranked fourth with an 83.2 shooting percentage from the stripe. Off the ball, the Simpsonville, S.C., native ranked fifth for both total assists (92) and total steals (47). He finished off the season becoming the newest member of the 1,000-career points club at KSU. 

Lockley ran the boards for the Owls, appearing in all 32 games and leading the team in total rebounds with 225, placing him seventh in the conference. For offensive rebounds alone, he was ranked fourth in the conference, averaging 2.7 a game. He finished the season second on the team with 53 assists and was one of two players to capture at least 20 steals (21) and blocks (21).  

The two seniors will be relied on heavily as KSU lost five members from last year to graduation or transfer. The Owls replenished their ranks with seven new members to the squad, adding four transfers and three hometown freshmen who all look to make an impact. This year's team will be one of the youngest in recent memory with 10 out of the 16 players either freshman or sophomores.  

Look for those freshmen to make an impact right away as newcomers Armani Harris and Terrell Burden enter the collegiate level coming off major prep careers. Harris was named First-Team All-Region and All-State his senior year at Newton High School, leading the Rams to a 22-8 overall record. The local talent averaged 19.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game during his senior campaign.

Burden, a four-year letter winner at Campbell High School out of Smyrna, Ga., was named the 2019 Region 2-7A Co-Player of the Year after averaging 23.2 points, 5.8 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game.

The new look Owls were slated to finish 8th in the ASUN Preseason Coaches and Media polls with Hooker being named to the preseason all-conference team. 

KSU will have a long and difficult road before they hit conference play though with seven NCAA Tournament teams on the schedule, including four who made it to the second round of play. The 2019-20 slate also includes nine teams who finished last year in the top-100 RPI, six in the top-50, as well as 10 teams who won 20 or more games.

With 18 of 11 games on the road this year, the Owls will get their travel legs under them right away beginning the 2019-2020 campaign in Omaha, squaring off against Creighton at 9 p.m. ET to open the season before taking the short trip east to face Drake Thursday at 8 p.m. 

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