LIVE VIDEO  //  LIVE STATS

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The 58th season in program history opens for the Christopher Newport University men's basketball team Friday night as the Captains travel to the Keystone State to take on Penn State Altoona. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m. at Adler Arena in Altoona, Pa. The game will be the first-ever meeting of the schools, and will also be the season opener for the Lions.

"I really like our group heading into the season," Head Coach John Krikorian said as he and his team headed north. "We've had a really good summer and start to the semester, and our roster features a lot of guys who have played plenty of minutes in a Captains uniform. I think our depth and experience will be key factors for us."

Krikorian will be opening his 15th season on the sideline for the Captains, and has a career mark of 337-78 (.812) in 415 games guiding the CNU program. Krikorian was named the Coach of the Year in the C2C last year, and his overall coaching record, including four seasons at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, is now 402-120 (.770). Krikorian was named the National Coach of the Year by the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) after leading CNU to its first National Championship in 2023. Krikorian has led the Captains to 11 NCAA's in 14 years since taking over. He has also guided CNU to three NCAA Final Fours.

Christopher Newport has a lone senior on its roster, Collin Hines, who has been a solid contributor over the last three seasons and averaged eight points and seven rebounds per game last season. Also returning are junior guards Toa Hollenbeck, who averaged 14 points per game last year, and Tyson Henderson, who tallied nine points, five assists, and three rebounds per game a year ago. Big man Ethan Ward, now also a junior, returns after scoring nine points and pulling down six boards per game last season.

The Captains are ranked ninth in the country in the pre-season poll from D3hoops.com, and are also picked to win the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) in its pre-season poll of coaches. CNU was 23-6 a year ago, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The trip to the tourney was the ninth straight NCAA Tournament for the Captains, which is the longest active consecutive streak in the country. It also marked the 28th all-time tourney in program history.

The Lions of Penn State Altoona also had a successful season a year ago, finishing with a mark of 18-10. Altoona lost to Pitt-Bradford in the Championship game of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) tournament last year to end the season and stop a run that saw the Lions win seven of eight down the stretch. 

"They're a really good program," Krikorian continued. "I'm happy we're starting this series, this will be a really solid test for us. They do things the right way, they're well coached, and I'm sure we will be challenged."

Links are provided at the top of the story to access the live video of the game that will be produced by Penn State Altoona, and also the live stats of the season opener.

Following Friday night's road opener, Christopher Newport will open at home this Wednesday, November 12th, against Randolph-Macon College at the Freeman Center. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. The Yellow Jacket of R-MC are slotted second in the nation in the pre-season poll from D3hoops.com.