BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Rod Strickland's first full recruiting class since taking the helm of the LIU men's basketball team promises to further energize the program.

The newcomers for the 2023-24 season include freshmen Eric Acker, Gezim Bajrami, Nikola Djapa, Greg Kenney, Tre'shawn Sheppard and Jason Steele and transfers Tana Kopa, Tai Strickland and Terell Strickland.

The Sharks begin formal summer workouts on Wednesday.

Among the storylines:

• The Stricklands arrive with solid resumes to complete their collegiate careers playing for their father.

• Acker and Sheppard remain teammates at the collegiate level after leading their Eagle Academy for Young Men II prep team in Brooklyn to a city championship.

• Four freshmen sign on with the Sharks from New York City and its suburbs, with Acker (East New York) and Sheppard (Brooklyn) joined by Kenney (Williston Park) and Steele (Flushing).

• Bajrami and Djapa arrive from Europe as centers.

Acker, a 6-foot-2 guard, earned MVP honors at the city championship. He led the PSAL in assists and assists per game this past season en route to being selected all-state.

Bajrami, a 6-9 center, arrives from Finland, and has represented his native country at the FIBA U16 and U20 European Championships.

Djapa, a 7-0 forward, has experience with the Serbian national team. He played prep basketball with the Hoosac School in upstate New York.

Kenney, a 6-6 forward, did a postgrad year at The Frederick Gunn School in Washington, Conn. He previously attended Kellenberg Memorial High School on Long Island, where he was an all-state selection.

Sheppard, a 6-6 guard/forward, is a two-time all-state selection. He averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds per game as a senior and was selected team MVP with Eagle Academy.

Steele, a 6-6 forward, graduated from Our Savior Lutheran School in the Bronx.

As for the transfers, Kopa joins LIU as a junior after a pair of stellar seasons at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala. A 6-6 guard/forward from Perth, Western Australia, Kopa averaged 13.9 points per game with the Division II school over two seasons.

Tai Strickland, a 6-2 guard, earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Temple and most recently played as a grad student at Georgia Southern. He has amassed 439 points, 141 rebounds, 67 assists and 54 steals in 74 collegiate games.

Tai's brother Terrell, a 6-0 guard, played the past three seasons with James Madison, averaging 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game and tallying 95 assists and 65 steals in 50 games. As a freshman, he broke the JMU and Colonial Athletic Association single-game steals record with 10, which he accomplished against Limestone.

The LIU men's basketball team begins six weeks of official summer workouts on Wednesday at the Steinberg Wellness Center.

"It's a brand new start," Coach Strickland said. "… We want to win an NEC title. We want to get to the NEC Tournament. Eventually we want to dominate the conference. Eventually, I want any talent that wants to come to the NEC to say they want to come to us. I've got a staff of developers — natural developers. Our interactions between coaches and players will always be great. This is just the start of it."