The Northern Essex Community College men’s basketball team will start their season ranked number 5 in the National Junior College Athletic Association preseason poll.

This is the 28th consecutive time the Knights have been included in the national rankings.

The back-to-back Region 21 Champions will feature a new look in the new season, as they return just three players with previous experience in the Knights uniform.

However, a talented and deep roster should have the Knights in contention for a third straight trip to the national tournament.

Javien Kirmil (Lowell) who appeared in 33 games last season with 18 starts is back with Karl Wolfgang (Douala, Cameroon) who saw action in 30 games with 13 starts. They will be be joined by Ryan Pacy (Salem, New Hampshire) who returns from the 2022-23 team where he averages 8.8 points per game in 21 appearances while battling through injury.

Kirmil and Wolfgang combined for 14.4 points a game last season. The Knights have combined to go 65-4 over the last two years and have been unbeaten in league play during that time.

A trio of former Merrimack Valley stars in Joendy Rosario (Lawrence), Jeremy Valdez (Haverhill) and Alejandro Delgado (Haverhill) join the mix this season. Also joining the team and expected to make an immediate impact are Christian Sanders (East Boston) andYunosuke Matsuda (Tokyo, Japan).

The Knights are set to open up their season on Saturday, November 2nd against Monroe-Bronx in Lincroft, New Jersey, at the Brookdale Basketball Classic. The first home game is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 7.