Mihalich hopeful Hofstra's experienced core can cash in on high expectations

Joe Mihalich engineered 10-win improvement last season at Hofstra, and expectations for Pride are as high as any point since Charles Jenkins donned blue and gold. (Photo courtesy of Big Apple Buckets)

Last season, Hofstra's resurgence took its first significant step, with the Pride coming from the depths of the Colonial Athletic Association to win 20 games and return to the postseason, giving Vermont all the Catamounts could handle before losing a hard-fought opening-round CBI contest.

Four short months later, with all but two players from last year's roster back in Hempstead for an encore, the expectations are lofty; and in the eyes of the man responsible for restoring winning ways to Long Island, reasonable.

"I think we're a hungry team," head coach Joe Mihalich remarked when assessing the barometer for his third season at the helm. "You've heard this before. A lot of coaches say it, a lot of people say it, because it's true. We have high expectations of ourselves, so it's okay if other people have them, too."

With a roster that returns a trio of all-CAA selections in guards Juan'ya Green and Brian Bernardi to pair with swingman Ameen Tanksley, plus the additions of freshmen Desure Buie and Justin Wright-Foreman in the backcourt, Hofstra definitely has the horses to overcome the losses of Moussa Kone and Dion Nesmith, even if the latter of the two will be missed more than fans may realize.

"We're going to miss Dion Nesmith," Mihalich stated matter-of-factly. "What he did was, he took the pressure off Juan'ya to have to get the ball up the court, start the offense, and a lot of times, finish the offense. Dion did that, so we're going to need people to do that for him. Whether it's Denton Koon, Malik Nichols, or Desure Buie, we need a bunch of ball handlers who could take the pressure off of Juan'ya in terms of getting the offense going."

Up front, however, the look for Hofstra will be somewhat different, as Koon arrives as a graduate transfer from Princeton to see minutes alongside emerging sophomore Rokas Gustys, who has already shown improvement in the offseason.

"Believe it or not, he's just getting back to the way he was before he got hurt," said Mihalich of his Lithuanian big man. "He had a bad groin injury, and it really affected him. He basically tried to play for four weeks when he really shouldn't have played, and then he missed four weeks. He's running and jumping as good as ever, he's even shooting the ball better now, so he's getting back to where he was."

In addition to Koon and Gustys, Hofstra also welcomes back sophomore Andre Walker to the front line, and adds Clemson transfer Ibrahim Djambo, who sat out last season while completing his NCAA-mandated year in residence.

"He'll play a big part in our success," Mihalich predicted of Djambo, a native of Mali who will contest his final season of eligibility in Hofstra blue and gold. "He's 6-10, he's athletic, he's long, and he runs and jumps, and shoots the ball really well. He could be that guy who's going to step out and really stretch those post defenders. They're going to have a hard time guarding him."

Despite the cosmetic makeover in the paint, the Pride's familiarity will come from its backcourt, with Green and Tanksley back for their senior seasons alongside Staten Island junior Bernardi, looking for a final set of feathers for their respective caps after sitting out the first season of Mihalich's tenure and co-piloting a ten-win turnaround one year ago.

"I wish I had three more years with them," their coach admitted forlornly. "Those guys are special, the three of them. They've worked real hard. When the three of them sat out together that first year, they worked hard, they played hard and improved, they got the job done in the weight room and on the court; and of course last year, all three of them had very, very good years. I'm just hoping that for their sake, because they're such great guys, I'm hoping they can reap the rewards of all the sacrifices they've made."