Media Thread

[Wags]

solid brief write-up, and sounds reasonably fair to me

I love the mid-to-low pre-season rankings for HU - all the better to shock everyone

My best case scenario, outside of HU going ballistic and winning the whole thing , is for UNCW to win it all again and we say buh-bye to Keatts as he is destined to move on to a big time program - 3 NCAA's in 3 yrs in the CAA with Pitino pedigree = automatic P5 job

This will blow open the door for HU to go all out the following season '17-'18 when I think the program is positioned beautifully for it's long-awaited return to the big dance

I salivate at the thought of this staff recruiting with national spotlight

Something to note over the course of this season (and a reason for optimism despite what HU has lost to graduation from last year)...

Last year: Hofstra picked 1st, UNCW 6th; they of course tied for the league regular season title.
This year: UNCW picked 1st, Hofstra 6th.

[Polito]

Hoping for the same!

JM also said so during his media day interview yesterday.

Also of note:

- Another mention of JWF and his growing talent and need for increased PT - I agree completely, and have felt he has big talent - time to unleash this fella
- Sabety sounds very promising, and a great compliment to Gustys
- EP, as many of us have felt, has the real potential to very special (if you haven't seen his MM dunk, check out HU mens ball twitter!)
- Powers is extremely FAST, per Coach Farrelly - I have said he will be the fastest guy easily on the team, and prob top 1-2 in conf - Buie is lightening quick, but Powers is straight speed - this young man is going to be a major piece this yr
- Speaking of, Powers and Buie are battling it out every day - HU will be blessed to have 2 stud PG's
- from Coach Mihalich's description, Robinson sounds like a Nichols type player, with a bit more offense ability me thinks, and will prob be used as such to provide spark off the bench
- JM mentioned that Greer had a slow summer making the transition to D1 ball, BUT in fall practice has come around is playing at a much better level - has all the tools to be a star - can literally do it all - he is the Koon type replacement


Team is going to be fun to watch develop - with the right growth and gelling, this can be a special surprise year...

[HUSID80]

Polito, missed you last night! Agree on all with a couple of additions....Greer looked very good last night; athletic, has hops and seems to be enjoying himself at Hofstra...Liking what I see in Trueheart...yes a true freshman but he has height and athletic ability...things you can't teach....I think with our overall depth and talent we will ultimately be strong contenders in the CAA with a top four finish and who knows during Tournament time

[Wags]

Liking what I see in Trueheart

If his intensity and energy level always match his surname, it'll help him a lot.

It's going to be an interesting season. But the most fascinating thing of all will be seeing where Gustys goes from here. Was his big leap forward last year largely a product of playing with Green, and will he take a step back without Green, or will he continue to be a walking double-double? The rebounding should be there regardless, since that's mainly predicated on his size and effort, which won't be going anywhere. But will he be able to get as many good looks with others, off the type of pick-and-rolls he had been developing so well with Green? Or will he be able to add other things and new moves to his offensive arsenal? Will his FT shooting improve or will that still be a big sore spot? And as an older member of the team, without guys like Green, Tanskley and Koon around anymore, will he become more of a leader (in a vocal way, simply by example, or both), or will he allow others to do that and simply play his game? All of that stuff will be interesting and fun to watch with him this season.

[Wags]

Not sure if this belongs in this thread, but I found it interesting and thought others might as well:

http://rukkus.com/blog/college-basketball-hometowns/

[Polito]

That is very cool Wags, thanks for posting

Missed being there as well HUSID, but excited to get things going with the home-opener tailgate!

[Wags]

SI's projection (which SI claims has been the most accurate in the country over the past two years) for all 351- D-I teams:

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/20 ... twitter_si

64. UNCW - 12 seed in the NCAA tourney
106. Charleston - 2nd in CAA
113. JMU - 3rd in CAA
124. W&M - 4th in CAA
130. Towson - 5th in CAA
132. Hofstra - 6th in CAA
138. Elon - 7th in CAA
Rest of the CAA: 172 (NU) and lower.

1-5, in order: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Villanova
6-10, in order: UNC, Virginia, Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Arizona

[Polito]

*buzzer* wrong-o! But keep it coming!

I don't blame anyone for thinking such based upon what HU lost / is replacing. I agree with UNCW and CoC, but I would be very surprised to see all of JMU, Towson, and W&M to all finish above HU. I think HU matches up very well with them. What most don't have a solid grasp on is what HU has ready to step right in and make their mark - same as most didn't realize what the W had last yr - a similar reversal would be fantastic

Now, to be fair, we do not know for certain yet either, but the projection for those in the know is an excitingly high potential - what would be very cool is HU balling out to a 2nd or 3rd place finish, affording them the chance to play the 1 (likely the W) in the final - a high expectation I know, and probably not a 'fair' one, BUT wow would it be awesome to play that matchup for a 3rd time ('06 and '16) and WIN!!!

I'm hopeful - who knows, this could easily be a transition type year with the following one being setup better for the big run. Or it could all come together sooner and this year is the return to the show. Either way, HU is due baby. They are just due.

[ProudofPride]

Their CAA is doing "10 teams in 10 days", previewing each school's MBB and WBB teams before the season kicks off. Today was Hofstra's day, there's some good video previews produced by the CAA, as well as interviews with Brian Bernardi and Krystal Luciano.

http://caasports.com/news/2016/11/3/MBB_1103163558.aspx
http://caasports.com/news/2016/11/3/WBB_1103161924.aspx

[Polito]

I like the idea and the piece.

Also, iluvbball covered HU's Midnight Madness, and featured JWF - they are also apparently doing a piece with him this season, which should be very cool.

If you missed this kids show during the dunk contest, do yourself a favor and clicky below - this young man has talent out the yin yang, and hops to the moon - on top of his ability to score from anywhere on the court and in nearly any way, I am SO excited to watch his progression and impact from this year forward - JWF and EP could be two of the most electrifying and high-flying players ever to suit up for HU, esp at the same time. Would love to see a CAA dunk contest - my $ would easily be on 1 of those two studs.


iluvbball Coverage - JWF
http://www.iluvbball.com/college/the-ma ... t-madness/

[ProudofPride]

Nice article on Buie

https://davesjoint.net/2016/11/07/desir ... the-pride/

[Polito]

BIG fan - talent.

Excited for his continued development and impact. Powers and Buie should be both the quickest and fastest backcourt duo in the conf - we'll need to seem some offensive firepower from them (Powers might be slightly ahead there), but I think their speed should make an immediate impact to the transition game and the ability to breakdown the full court press.

HU is very blessed to have 2 CAA-starter level PG's to fill the gap of Green. I actually think they will be able to continue the high standard and ability to run JM's O very very well. I don't envision much drop off at all. The only area that needs to be proven is their ability to provide the necessary scoring to help this team win.

2 days folks!

[ProudofPride]

NY Post makes a bold prediction, saying Gustys will lead us to a second consecutive CAA title game. One writer predicts him to win the Haggerrty.

They also broke down the teams in the area.

http://nypost.com/2016/11/10/seton-hall ... edictions/

http://nypost.com/2016/11/10/breaking-d ... a-tourney/

[Polito]

Now that right there is some gooooood stuff that I can get on board with!!

Actually, I agree with a lot of his takes, including Manhattan being tougher than it appears - I see HU's game with them being a battle. The MAAC is going to be brutal between Monmouth, Iona (who re-loaded), Siena (who I think has built a team that's ready to win), and Manhattan. This will not be an easy take for the Hawks like many think - I actually think they will have a harder time this yr than last even with Robinson being a Sr. I think opponents will start figuring them out... but we'll see.

At any rate, HU is a team that I think is now finally built for a real run...ie talent AND depth - it may take some time to gel and establish identity (plays, strategy, rotation, etc.), but they have the potential to be really good by the end of the year and for the CAAT.

If Rok continues his development and becomes a true star on a national level, combined with what I think is a true stud stable of guards, watch out. Salivating comes to mind.

[ProudofPride]

Newsday wrote a nice feature on Greer and him playing D1 basketball after recovering from being shot in the leg. http://www.newsday.com/sports/college/h ... um=twitter

[HUSID80]

Remarkable young man to persevere in that environment and recover to play for us!

[Polito]

I like Greer, I think he has a lot of potential still and should continue to improve both this year and next. He's not as polished as a Koon yet, but I think he can get there...

[ProudofPride]

In other Hofstra news, Allstate is shooting another commercial on campus, which is pretty cool. They were in the Pride Lounge in Margiotta today, and some women's lacrosse players got to meet Dean Winters who plays "Mayhem" in the commercials".
https://twitter.com/HofstraSAAC/status/ ... 3090706432

If anyone missed the last commercial they shot on campus a few years ago, here it is. There are several shots inside the Mack, and a visible Hofstra "H" on a chair in the final scene. Pretty cool!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-nWy_c7Wl8
https://www.instagram.com/p/l3bL5dy7To/

[EvanJ]

Hofstra made https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH9GSwF5uko to advertise basketball.

[HUSID80]

Hofstra made https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH9GSwF5uko to advertise basketball.

What's the media buy?