Howard Kicks Off 2013-14 Season at Home

The Howard University men's basketball team kicks off its 2013-14 season with a home contest against Washington College tonight at 7 pm in Burr Gymnasium.

The Bison will unveil its "Frantic 40" style of play that features an up-tempo of fullcourt pressure defense on both ends of the floor.

While Howard will not have the advantage of a lot of experience to employ the new system, it does have the depth and talent.

"I am excited about this group and what they are capable of doing," says Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry, who is entering his fourth season at the helm. "This is the first real college game for most of them, so there is bound to be some nerves and jitters. There will be some ebbs and flows but that is to be expected.

The Bison will feature 10 new players who will be playing their first game in a Howard uniform. It is arguably the most talented recruiting class in recent years at the Hilltop. Prince Okoroh, the 6-5 junior forward has the most experience among the few returning players that make up the roster and he will be expected to provide leadership along with red-shirt sophomore center Oliver Ellison, who missed all of last season with an injury.

"The goal is to establish our pace early in the game," says Nickelberry, who won his 100th game last season. "We will play a lot of people to see what kind of chemistry we have. This game and our game at home on Sunday (versus Gwynedd Mercy College) will help us see where we are when we take to the road."

Following the game on Sunday, the Bison will take on Old Dominion (Nov. 13), Harvard (November 15), Pitt (November 17) and Houston (November 21) during a challenging nine-day road swing.

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