JERSEY CITY, N.J. — For just the second time in program history, the New Jersey City University men's basketball team has earned a spot in the d3hoops.com Preseason Top 25 poll, which was released today, Friday, Oct. 15. The Gothic Knights — who are ranked #24 — earned the spot in the top 25 as they return the majority of last year's squad, which claimed the program's 13th New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship in program history. The first d3hoops.com poll first began prior to the 1999-2000 season.

Led by reigning NJAC Coach of the Year Marc Brown, NJCU will be led by a quartet of All-Conference honorees in 2020-21 First Team selection senior Denzel Banks (Newark, NJ/East Orange Campus), Second Team honoree junior Derryen Whyte (Irvington, N.J./Union), Honorable Mention selection and Rookie of the Year sophomore Ryan Savoy (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) and Defensive Player of the Year junior Michael Clement (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township). Banks was also selected as a First Team All-Region honoree by d3hoops.com and was a First Team All-Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) selection as well.

Jersey City opens up the season with an exhibition game on Monday evening, Nov. 1, down the road for the Battle of the Boulevard against Division I Saint Peter's University. The Gothic Knights and Peacocks will face off with the game airing live on ESPN3. The season officially gets underway that weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 6-7, for the USJ Tip-Off Tournament in West Hartford, Conn. NJCU first faces off with host and #9 University of Saint Joseph, followed by a Sunday meeting with Alvernia University.