EDMONTON, Alta – The NAIT Ooks men's basketball team, led by their head coach, Jordan Baker, take on the Augustana Vikings in their season opener on Friday, November 19th at 6:00 PM.

Last year, the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Baker said this shouldn't affect the team too much, "our job as a coaching staff is to put the players in the best possible position to be successful. We have worked hard this preseason to get everyone up to speed both mentally and physically." This season, the basketball team is young, says Baker, "with only four players who have ever worn a NAIT uniform in ACAC competition, we have a lot of players who are new to the program. We have a special opportunity to build a team culture that will empower our players to achieve at the highest level both during this season and beyond."

Due to the pandemic, this season has been deemed a transition back to play with a reduced schedule, the extra downtime has given them a chance to get back on their feet, but the team is ready to get started. Baker says, "this year's team is eager to return to the court and compete for an ACAC Championship. We have high expectations for this season, but still have lots of improving to do put ourselves in a position to reach our goals." The team isn't one dimensional, which will help them succeed this season, says Baker, "our strength is our depth. We have 6 or 7 players who can score 20+ points on any given night. The challenge for our group is to determine who will make the game-changing plays at the defensive end."

Although the NAIT Ooks have some strong talent on the team, that isn't all they have this season, says Baker, "we pride ourselves on our unselfish play. Every one of our players takes great satisfaction in seeing their teammates succeed, and we are at our best when we play hard-nosed team defense that leads to easy baskets in transition."

The NAIT Ooks men's team will play their home opener on Saturday, November 20th, at 1:00 PM against the Augustana Vikings.