TORONTO- The Ryerson Rams men's basketball team kick-off their 2012-13 preseason by playing the first ever game at the new Mattamy Athletic Centre on August 16, when they take the court against former NBA first overall pick Danny Manning and his Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

The Rams are coming off their most successful season in program history, reaching the CIS Final 8 and finishing sixth in the country. The team looks to build off last year's accomplishments with a strong young core that includes OUA all-stars Jahmal Jones (Mississauga, Ont.) and Jordon Gauthier (Windsor, Ont.), conference all-rookie Aaron Best (Scarborough, Ont.) and big-man Bjorn Michaelson (Otterburn Park, Que.). With the addition of five new recruits, the Rams are gearing up for another run to the national championships.

The Hurricane are coming off a 17-14 season that ended in the quarter-finals of the Conference USA tournament. Manning, who spent the last six seasons as an assistant with his alma mater Kansas and won a national title in 2008, has taken over the reins in Tulsa. This will be his first head coaching stint in the NCAA.

With eight underclassmen including six rookies the Hurricane are a relatively young team looking for experience on this trip to Canada. As well as playing Ryerson, the Hurricane will take on Brock University and Seneca College before their final game of the road trip against A-Game Hoops.

This is the first of four games against NCAA schools for the Rams, which includes another home match against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday October 20 as well as two road games against the Dayton Flyers and Detroit Titans.

Head Coach Roy Rana believes that bringing NCAA action to the city of Toronto is important in continuing to create a culture of basketball excellence at Ryerson.

"No question having Tulsa and Wake Forest coming to play in our new facility is great for the basketball community and more importantly speaks to where are program has come in a short time," said Rana. "We will continue to try and provide our athletes with the most competitive schedule possible."

The Rams started last season against the nationally-ranked Baylor Bears in a game that ignited winning seasons for both teams.

"Having NCAA programs on our schedule exposes us to another level of competition, provides our athletes with a different experience and also adds to the profile of our program" said Rana.

Ryerson went 13-9 in a 2011-12 campaign full of peaks and valleys. After overcoming early season injuries the team rallied to finish second overall in the division and clinch a first round playoff bye. They followed that up by defeating Ottawa in the OUA quarter- final which served as the last game at Kerr Hall Gymnasium.

The Rams went 2-3 in the post-season, beating No. 2 Lakehead in the OUA Final Four semifinal as well as registering the program's first win at nationals by beating the Concordia Stingers.

"I think our whole team is excited to begin our 2012-13 journey," said Rana. "Our past season was a roller coaster but ended with a magical second half run that went from Christmas and ended at the national championships in Halifax. We are looking forward to this season and the challenges it will bring."

Coach Rana and his team are hoping that the momentum built from last year's successes will carry into the new season as they make the move to the Mattamy Athletic Centre. The new 1,000 seat Coca-Cola Court will serve as the primary home court for Ryerson's basketball and volleyball teams. The Rams will also play select contests in the Mattamy Home Ice arena.

The Rams and Hurricane will debut the Coca-Cola Court on Thursday evening, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m.

All Ryerson students are free with their One Card I.D.  Tickets can be purchased at the door  approximately one hour before tip-off.

Ticket Prices
Adults $12
Ryerson Staff & faculty $8
Ryerson Alumni $8
Non-Ryerson Students and Seniors $12
Children (under 8) FREE