NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University opens the 2021-2022 men's basketball season this weekend, with a pair of games at the Freeman Center on the CNU campus. The Captains host the Shoremen of Washington College (Md.) Friday night in the season opener, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The Captains return to C.J. Woollum Court on Sunday, hosting 14th-ranked Blue Jays of Johns Hopkins in a 4:00 p.m. start.

The upcoming season will be the 54th in CNU men's basketball history. John Krikorian's squad played a schedule of exhibition games last season due to the pandemic, and will be returning to action for the first time since the NCAA Division III Tournament in March of 2019. The Captains had advanced to the Sweet 16 of the tourney when the NCAA canceled the remaining games due to Covid-19. Christopher Newport was 23-6 at the time, had won two games in the Hoboken, N.J., regional, and were preparing for a home NCAA game vs. Hobart when the plug was pulled.

"It's been quite a while since we've been out there in a meaningful game with the crowd and the band and all of the excitement that goes into a college basketball game," Krikorian said. "I'd say we're more motivated to get the season started than we normally would be. We had a great group of seniors on that team, and we'll be thinking of them a lot this year. We're going to be facing a really challenging schedule, and we'll be tested every time we hit the floor." 

The Captains head into the new campaign with a roster of 19 student-athletes, featuring a balance of veterans and newcomers to the program. The squad has been busy in the pre-season, traveling to Canada for three exhibition games in October and hosting a tune-up with Richard Bland last Saturday.

"The trip to Canada was enormously beneficial," Krikorian continued. "We were able to bond as a team and face some really tough competition. I'm so grateful we were able to have that experience, and I know our student-athletes learned a great deal from it. We have a diverse group of young men with a lot of talent, who are here for the right reasons, and now just have to come together and play as a team."

Fifth-year senior Jason Aigner enters the season with 1,096 points in 91 career games (12.0 points per game). He went over the 1,000-point mark for his career on February 15, 2019, with 23 points against Salisbury becoming just the 33rd Captain to reach the plateau in 53 seasons of Christopher Newport basketball.  Aigner, a native of Fairfax, is 28th on the all-time scoring list and is five points shy of Jeff McLean for 27th on the list. He has already set a new school mark for career three-pointers with 271.

Captains season tickets are available by visiting the Freeman Center Ticket Office, and tickets for both games this weekend will be available prior to tipoff. Fans are asked to wear a mask while inside the Freeman Center.

All Captains games are broadcast live on the Christopher Newport/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM) with the pre-game show beginning 20 minutes prior to tipoff. Live video of the games will be available by clicking HERE.

Live stats for the games this weekend will also be available by clicking HERE.