Mens basketball 2023-24

[HUSID80]

Polito I agree on media training...agree with Triplec that we won't change his personality but he definitel could use more polish, be more relatable to fans and give some better insights to the program for the fans.
I have mentioned this to several people in the program and I was told, "Were working on it."
As someone who has trained many top athletes and executives over the years I know that training works! It will also make him more comfortable and approachable as he gains confidence.

[Jojogunne]

Thanks for the recap, Polito. Agree with your comments, especially media training. The head men's basketball coach at Hofstra is the #1 public face of our university. That role comes with the job.

Who in the general public can name our president or provost? Probably no one, But there's a chance some people do know who Speedy Claxton is, especially after his NBA career. A little polish will go a long way.

The players could also benefit from some media training as well.

[Jojogunne]

Have you been watching the Spanning the Unispan videos with the MBB players? In the latest one, Griffin Barrouck is wearing a boot.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwnhxkbKm46/

[mikey75]

Does anyone know the nature and extent of Myles Wilmoth's injury?

[triplec2195]

Speedy mentioned this on the WRHU interview which is a lot more info. then we normally get re injuries. So with two months to go until we start the season if Speedy is saying that Myles probably won't be able to go that speaks volumes. Read between the lines. NO??

[Polito]

SMH about Barrouk - first and foremost, hope he heals up full and fast.

That said, the other side is this program doesn't need any more players eating schollys for 2+ years with no contribution - that stuff drives me nuts. Not his fault, this isn't a knock on him, more of a frustration in these situations - whether it's Zion not contributing in any meaningful way for two years or a player that can't stay healthy, in hoops with so few players and dollars the impact is significant.

Injuries of course happen, but HU does open up a high probability by recruiting injury prone players in order to hopefully hit the lotto on a few. The risk is there is limited money and opportunity, so mids have to make the most of all.

Add on Wilmoth, and some concern is rising for me to start this season. He was brought in to be a major contributer, him not being ready and seemingly not being ready for awhile is another big concern. All of this stuff hurts depth. Not a great sounding offseason frankly. (Best part as noted that I did fail to mention was the positive on Dubar - he is THE difference maker to the height of the season IMO.)

All that plus Speedy's natural low energy and short / minimal feedback with little juice and it's not very enticing at the moment. I'm excited for the season, but that's because I'm excited lol - not because of anything I'm getting from Speedy or the program right now.

He may very well make that choice tc to just 'be who he is', but that would be a choice - it's not some happenstance thing that can't be addressed. But I don't think that's Speedy. I think he has shown a willingness to change and improve, hoping that will be the case here.

Leaders carry a big responsibility - they do not get to be one dimensional or to ignore certain elements of the job - they have to work on all facets, that's being a high level leader. You're a CEO, running a high dollar business and leading an organization. That means sharpening a wide array of skills to achieve max success. I do think and hope he'll work on it.

[HUSID80]

Polito, understand where you're coming from but leaders don't necessarily need to be the rah rah type and clearly Speedy does not fit that profile.
He doesw have the attention and support of his players as they RESPECT what he has accomplished in the sport and what he has already achieved as the leader of this program.
As for injuries they happen, whether you're Number One or one of the last guys on the bench...good thing they have occurred early...still time to get ready for the season!

[mikey75]

Polito is right about this program having too many players that eat up scholarships for a year or two, contribute nothing, and then go elsewhere. Zion B comes to mind as Polito mentioned, but A. Marshall and Manyang fit that bill as well. I get it if they are being pushed but it has become a common theme.
Is Hofstra going to develop players or just cruise the portal. I suspect its the later in the new age of college sports.

[HUSID80]

Can't play 13 guys consistently...kids who don't play leave on their own or get pushed out. That's the new college sports landescape.

[Polito]

Oh I hear you HUSID, don't get me wrong here, there are many effective styles of leadership. I love that Speedy is a players coach, and noted previously that it's certainly better for him to relate to them than to me, esp on the trail. He does not need to be 'rah rah'.

I'm more making note of the media training aspect - he still needs to be a 'CEO' of the program, and unless you are Nick Saban, you haven't yet earned the right to be dry or non-engaging lol - I am hopeful that Speedy will treat himself as a work in progress and continuously improve all facets of his skill set just as he does with his players, and sure his staff as well.

When it comes to the personnel, I'm not sure this is "new" at this stage. This has been the way for years now. And that's ok - the portal is established now and is a legitimate approach to running a program. I'm actually all for it, within reason, because I think there are big benefits. And sometimes players will want bigger pastures, and if they've got the goods, hard to fault them.

My thing is the seemingly numerous flyers on players who are too much of a stretch and/or injury prone. We need to be wise with our risk taking. Not every player is going to be or needs to be a major contributor. I've said this ad nauseam about guys like Tomasco. You have to have a bench and scout players - they serve an important part of a programs success. But you can't keep wasting limited dollars on guys for multi-year stretches. If a guy like Barrouk doesn't play for another year for example, I'm sorry, that's just not helpful.

The somewhat harsh truth in the big money college game today is you need to show strong signs of your ability to earn your weight by year 2 or need to move on. Like it or not this is more of a business than its ever been, and it's about ROI. There are compassionate ways to go about this - I don't mean kick them to the curb. But this also isn't a charity. Produce or transition out so a better fit can come in.

Without football folks, HU basketball MUST become an NCAAT qualifier to bring in big funds to this U. It's literally all we have that can remotely move the $ dial. In the massively shifting landscape that is going to continue to evolve, this program absolutely has to be the flagship and the results have to match.

[Jojogunne]

Myles’ headshot is not on the roster page.

Also, in the latest Instagram photos from practice, someone is wearing #31.

[triplec2195]

bit.ly/45GHsdT Hofstra along with a lot of other colleges will play a certain number of players whether that be 5,7, 10. Other kids will not play because they probably aren't ready for the prime time(yet). These aren't wasted scholarships on these kids because even if they never show up in the box score they make valuable contributions by being part of the practice squad. They work hard and put the time and effort in. They push the starters and make them better players and are a valuable support group on the bench during games. Some of these kids will make it onto the starting rotation like last years Amare Marshall who I thought would never play much and I wasn't alone here. Who will be the next Amare maybe recruited as a practice type player who would only project as a kid who would get a few minutes. Never know!!

[triplec2195]

BTW flashback Connor Klementowicz who got a scholarship in his senior year rewarded for all his hard work for the 3 prior years.

[mikey75]

Not feeling good about the Myles W situation JoJo.

[Cards]

Myles’ headshot is not on the roster page.

Also, in the latest Instagram photos from practice, someone is wearing #31.

Looks like Parnell is wearing #31 (even though the roster lists him differently.

I did see Wilmoth (#4) in one of the photos. He was dressed as though he was ready for practice. Good news is he did not have boots, cast, or crutches.

[HUSID80]

Good to hear Cards. Starting to worry about Wilmouth myself.

[triplec2195]

I don't mean to downplay his injury but we should be strong coming out of the gate regardless of whether he's ready or not. There are people who feel that Plotnikov is going to get a lot of minutes which may mean that he will start with Carlos, Thomas and Dubar with Fritz at the 5. I think that Washington will have an important role on this team as well. Athletic and experienced.

[Polito]

The challenge IMO is, will that be enough to dethrone CofC? I'm not sure. I like the starting group, and Washington will be a steady experienced piece, but after that it's very unknown. Wilmoth was absolutely brought in to be a significant contributor. What is this team going to do when Dubar and Plotnikov get into foul trouble, which they both have had an issue with previously?

I'm not as confident in what's on the bench if both Wilmoth and Barrouk are hurt, and Sunday being a project. And not sold on German being able to handle starter minutes. I like Parnell's potential to come off the bench, but he's a backcourt guard - what help with size is going to be there on the wing/SF?

This program doesn't need to just compete, it needs to WIN. Year 3, Speedy and this staff are on the hook to show they can finish.

[Polito]

Question: What does this program do during this key recruiting period right now while most programs are hosting recruits at big football weekends?? Certainly can't host guys for soccer and volleyball games - no offense to those programs, but that's not exciting recruiting juice for prospects the way football can be.

Not a new challenge obviously, but question popped in my head this past weekend reading about major hoops recruits doing OV's at schools with football. Speedy & Co. definitely have a recruiting strategy and approach that seems to be working overall, so I'm curious what we know about it during the fall period?

[Jojogunne]

Regarding Wilmoth and Barrouk, both appear in the last batch of practice photos. I think Wilmoth is the player with red and blue shoes, and Barrouk is not wearing a boot:

Wilmoth:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=79 ... 2672741907

Barrouk (#12):

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=79 ... 2672741907