CAA Basketball Media Day 10/15/26

[triplec2195]

I wonder what a LOT OF YOU GUYS FEEL about us getting pre-season awards meaning who will get some recognition and how the team will fare as a whole. I hope we see Decady get some kind of recognition I feel that this will be his breakout year. He has already been recognized Defensively but can he real up his O game. Guys like Moore, Tavarez and Tanner Thomas I feel should get some recognition so we'll have to wait and see. Most of the time these predictions are far from reality but funny to see what goes down.

[cactus]

Speedy talks first today after the 10 am preseason team reveal.

Streaming live on Flo or the field of 68 YouTube channel here https://www.youtube.com/live/NgyZ1cba9e ... 4almYkfVf3

[Jojogunne]

https://gohofstra.com/news/2026/10/15/m ... onors.aspx

Not a great interview, but here are a couple of takeaways:

Nick Jefferson has impressed Speedy the most in practice.

Carlos Lopez and Deywilk Tavarez are both hurt, but should be ready by December.

No comments about anyone else.

[triplec2195]

He did mention briefly that he was very impressed with all 3 of his 7' players early in the interview. I'm kinda surprised that Tanner didn't at least pick up an honorable mention here but not all that important. People r high on UNCW with Wessler and Luster returning. It looks like there will probably be a lot of parity with us Charleston UNCW battling to win this conference along with Towson in the mix. Maybe we'll see a lot of Nic Jefferson possibly starting in place of Tavarez at least at the opening of the season.

[cactus]

Was surprised by the NIck Jefferson mention, bummed about the injuries. They never talk about injuries so was surprised he mentioned them.
Speedy will never be the gregarious type but he's getting better with media appearances.

[triplec2195]

Yes Speedy is always better in a question and answer format of an interview. He's not a great speaker.

[dutchPride86]

Very interesting to hear about Jefferson. Hes a guy I hadn't given any thought to at all. Bishop Gorman (where he went) is a powerhouse high school, maybe they got a nice diamond in the rough with him.

Obviously major bummer with Lopez and Tavarez. Tavarez's injuries sound more concerning, but with Lopez's injury history man just so hard to trust in him. We were already gonna need a ton of patience in the non conference with almost an entirely new roster, even more so now with 2 key guards missing time.

Speedy did also say Justin Moore coming along great. Very excited for him if they can best the best out of him. Kid really passed the eye test when he was at Drexel, happy to see him get preseason 1st team nod.

[Polito]

The Lopez injury is ridiculous - I'm sorry, but this is insane - December???? This kid must be made of glass - 2 1/2 years of absolutely NOTHING from him, IF he even plays. Really hoping he was going to be ready for primetime, we need some ROI from this guy at this point. He 100% needs to play this year, or it's time to process him out. It's enough already. The best ability is availability, and he doesn't have it. Shape up Lopez, or free up a spot.

Tavarez out stinks too. Definitely not how we want to start the year as defending champs. This OOC is going to be tough. Optimistic, but we may take some lumps. Team needs to gel quickly. Some nice opportunities to make our name, but have to show up. Big coaching job ahead for the staff.

Counter that with it's great to hear about Jefferson, Moore, and the centers. High hopes for all of them, and we are going to really need DeCady and Tanner be the real deal. Just pre-season, but feels to me like those 2 are major keys to this season's chances for success.

The W is likely to be legit - talented team, good staff, and highly motivated after last years letdown. UNCW, CofC, HU, and 1 other will battle it out. Gonna be a grind - the OOC is awesome and will either toughen this squad up for a real run, or demoralize them into a broken locker room.

Getting antsy, season is around the corner - a lot of eyes on HU this year and this staff - can they follow up a historic year with a back to back year of success with the added pressure, brand new roster, challenging OOC, replacing Parrotta, and new expectations of being a champion???

[Jojogunne]

Lopez has a broken finger.

[HUSID74]

He can't play with a broken finger? Last I heard they have braces for it even if it's his shooting hand.

[cactus]

Lopez probably fits as the backup pg. Do we really want him on the court vs teams like lsu with a broken finger? And if it’s next to Moore, you want a shooter playing there and his shot would be affected by the injury. Jefferson is apparently impressing, let him take those minutes for now. They have depth to work with.

[triplec2195]

We will all be fine Lopez will be back in December and Tavarez maybe sooner that that. We may take our lumps initially but we will get other kids minutes that they normally wouldn't get and this could make us stronger down the stretch.

[dutchPride86]

we are going to really need DeCady and Tanner be the real deal. Just pre-season, but feels to me like those 2 are major keys to this season's chances for success.

Totally agree here. Seems like Thomas almost flying under the radar after things didnt work out for him at LMU... Will he be an all-conference level player or just a guy? Plus, those 2 project as the only non-centers in the rotation taller than 6'4. Obviously expect both to start and think that one of DeCady or Thomas needs to be on the court at all times, with both likely averaging mid 30s in minutes.

The 2 things I'm most interested to see that i think determine this team's ceiling...

1. Will Justin Moore live up to 1st team all conference billing as next great Hofstra guard?
2. Can one, if not both of DeCady or Thomas play at an all league level?