SAN FRANCISCO – Tipoff for the 2017-18 season is just days away and the Academy of Art men's basketball team enters the season with a fresh look and 10 new faces to energize the team.
 
After finishing the 2016-17 season in 11th-place (7-19 overall, 6-14 PacWest), the year begins anew on November 10 with the PacWest/CCAA Challenge against cross-town rival, SF State. The Urban Knights will look for their first-ever victory against the Gators before turning around to face Stanislaus State the following day. ART U will continue their non-conference play with two more tournaments including a pair of games in Nampa, Idaho and two more against Saint Martins and Missouri S&T at the CBU Thanksgiving Classic.
 
The PacWest-schedule begins on the road when the Urban Knights head to Azusa Pacific and Dixie State before their home opener on December 6 against Notre Dame de Namur. To view the rest of the 2017-18 men's basketball schedule, click here.
 
Leading the way for Academy of Art this season will be six returners including two seniors guards: Uchenna Okeneme and Kendall Brown. After transferring from Mt. San Jacinto College in 2016, Brown was second on the team last year with an average 9.0 points per game while posting 4.3 rebounds as well. Meanwhile, Okeneme was seventh in conference with 1.61 steals per game (42 overall) while also adding an average 8.3 points and 2.5 revounds. They will head a team with 10 newcomers made up of three freshmen and seven transfers. For a complete look at the 2017-18 men's basketball roster, click here.
 
"I am looking forward to this year because we have a new group of kids represented with a new set of challenges," said head coach Julius Barnes. "We're excited to see how good we can become in a really competitive conference."