Pecora leaves behind proud era of Hofstra basketball

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

The Tom Pecora era at Hofstra drew to a close today when the longtime men's basketball coach accepted the head coaching position at Fordham. While this day is filled with much sadness from many Pride fans it is important to reflect on what Pecora has meant to Hofstra men's basketball and the university as a whole since first arriving in Hempstead 16 years ago.

When Pecora's stint began before the 1994/95 season as Jay Wright's top assistant the then Flying Dutchmen were ranked one of the lowest teams in Division I. Five years later thanks to tireless recruiting by Pecora to land future NBA players Craig "Speedy" Claxton and Norman Richardson, Hofstra made the national spotlight with back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament after capturing America East titles held before packed home crowds on ESPN in 2000 and 2001.

After the Pride's 2001 NCAA run that included a near upset of UCLA in the first round, Wright landed at Big East power Villanova and Pecora was handed the keys to the program that only returned one starter and was about to enter a more challenging conference in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Hofstra was under .500 the first three years of the Pecora era but by the 2004/2005 season the Pride were CAA contenders and made its first of three straight NIT appearances.   

Hofstra men's basketball season ends with first round CBI loss to IUPUI

Hofstra’s hot end to the 2009/2010 regular season that included winning 10 of 11 games before dropping a double overtime heartbreaker to Northeastern in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) quarterfinals fizzled Wednesday night in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) against IUPUI. The Pride were never able to recover from falling into an early 21-2 hole and saw its season end with a 74-60 loss in its first ever CBI game held before a tiny crowd of 952 fans at the Mack Sports Complex.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever come out that flat in all my time here,” said ninth year Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora. “Once the momentum is going in the other direction it’s hard to get it to stop.”

IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) held momentum for nearly the entire game with Hofstra (19-15) never getting any closer than six while shooting 36-percent including 2-19 from three-point range. The Pride were without the services of junior power forward Greg Washington due to an ankle injury.

IUPUI’s win over Hofstra moves the Jaguars onto the CBI quarterfinals to face Princeton on Monday March 22.

Hofstra men's basketball team stays hot heading into CAA Tourney with win over Georgia State

The Hofstra men’s basketball team’s 2-7 start to Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play last month seems like a distant memory after the Pride completed the regular season Saturday with its eighth win in nine games over Georgia State 87-74. Hofstra finished its red hot February with its fourth 80 plus performance of the month and enters next weekends CAA Tournament Richmond clicking on all cylinders.

Hofstra (18-13, 10-8 in CAA) will enter the CAA Tournament as the seventh seed and play Friday night at 6 p.m. versus Georgia State, with a win pitting the Pride against second-seeded Northeastern in the quarterfinals Saturday. In order for Hofstra to capture the CAA title and get the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001 it will need to win four games in four days, something that has never been done in the history of the conference.

“No one has ever won all four but hey, I’ve never had a team go nine out of 10 down the stretch before so maybe this is kismet,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora after the Pride defeated Georgia State in front of 3,964 fans at the Mack Sports Complex.

Hofstra men's basketball keeps momentum with Bracketbuster win over Rider in OT

The Hofstra men’s basketball team’s ESPN Bracketbuster game against Rider Saturday did not have any bearing on post-season implications as the Pride’s only path to March Madness will be winning the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, but picking up a 92-89 overtime win was still important to maintain the team’s recent momentum.

With Saturday’s hard fought overtime win Hofstra (16-13) has won seven of eight and is hot at the right time of season with only two games remaining before heading to Richmond for the CAA Tournament starting March 5. No matter what happens in the Pride’s final two conference games at Northeastern Tuesday and home versus Georgia State on Feb. 27, Hofstra (8-8 in the CAA) is locked into the seventh seed for its opening game at the Richmond Coliseum.

“Even though we might be locked in at that seven spot our goal is to go 10-8 in the conference and see if we could be in a three-way tie for fifth, sixth and seventh and play in the seven spot….. and then just have our mojo going, going into the tournament,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora.

Hofstra student section in full force to see Wednesday's blizzard win over Drexel

With the Long Island area blitzed by blizzard conditions the Mack Sports Complex was largely empty for Wednesday’s Hofstra-Drexel men’s basketball game, but the student section was still in full force creating a hostile road environment for the Pride’s longtime conference rival dating back to the days of the America East. The over 100 hundred Hofstra students that crawled across the Hempstead campus amidst the winter elements created a sixth man and aided Hofstra to a 75-64 victory for the Pride’s fourth win in five games.

"God bless the fans who came out,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora of the few hundred supporters who found their way to the Mack Sports Complex during a blizzard that dumped over a foot of snow around much of the New York City region. “The students were good, they were noisy."

With the win Hofstra is now 13-13 and 6-8 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Official attendance was listed as 893 but the enthusiastic student section made it seem like a few thousand. “It was fun that the students came through the weather," said Hofstra junior forward Greg Washington. “The turnout was good.”

Hofstra offense hits 2nd half wall in home loss to Northeastern

As Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora stepped to the microphone for his post game press conference Saturday following a 75-55 home loss to Northeastern one would have expected much anger and frustration to be expressed after the Pride were outscored 45-23 in the second half. Instead the ninth year Hofstra head coach showed a relatively calm demeanor despite just watching his team shoot 25 percent to allow the Huskies to run away with an easy win on the Pride’s home floor.

“There are teams in the past I might ride real hard for two days but I think we’re too far down the line for that with this group,” said Pecora of why he does not plan to yell and scream at his players on the practice floor after they only scored 12 points in the first 16 minutes of the second half to quickly turn a 32-30 halftime lead into a rare blowout loss at the Mack Sports Complex. “They have to have some pride in the fact that somebody came in here and beat their tales pretty good.”

Delaware free throw struggles help aid Hofstra win

With 4:32 left in Saturday’s Hofstra-Delaware men’s basketball game and the Pride clinging to a 58-56 lead after leading by as many as 13 in the second half, the Blue Hen's Jamelle Hagins stepped to the foul line with a chance to knot the score. He would only make one his two attempts, which summed up Delaware’s day from the charity stripe that included 14 misses and was a huge factor in a 77-67 Pride victory.

Hofstra (11-12, 4-7 in Colonial Athletic Association) led wire to wire before a large crowd of 4,019 at the Mack Sports Complex but had Delaware shot better than 24-38 (63 percent) from the free throw line the game would have been far different. The Blue Hens (6-16, 2-9 in CAA) also struggled shooting from the floor (35 percent) but managed to stick around for much of the game before the Pride iced the game in the final minute from the free throw line to make the 77-67 final score a bit misleading. Hofstra allowed Delaware to stay in the game due in large part to shooting 43 percent from the floor and being outrebounded 41-36, including giving up 19 offensive boards.

“The longer you let teams hang around, you know they are going to come up with a run at some point,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora of his team’s inability to put Delaware away earlier despite their shooting woes.

Hofstra men's basketball breaks out of slump with blowout of UNC-Wilmington

The Hofstra and UNC-Wilmington men’s basketball programs have played in several classics including at least one overtime game every year since the 2006/07 season.  Wednesday night at the Mack Sports Complex was not one of these memorable close games however as the Pride jumped out to as big as a 28 point first half lead and rolled to a 93-54 win to snap a five game losing streak.

“We haven’t had one of those in it feels like 100 years,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora after the Pride picked up its first win since a 77-61 victory over Towson on Jan. 6 to improve to 10-7 and 3-7 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

After jumping to a 54-25 halftime lead Hofstra’s lead ballooned to as high as 42 in the second half with the Pride shooting 57 percent for the game. The 54 points in the game’s first 20 minutes was Hofstra’s highest scoring first half since Pecora took over as head coach in the 2001/02 season. 

Hofstra men's basketball team's defensive struggles continue in loss to George Mason

In a 73-66 loss at William & Mary on Saturday the Hofstra men’s basketball team were outscored 25-11 in the final 9:14. The defensive struggles continued for the Pride three nights later against George Mason with its Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival shooting 56 percent in a 90-72 win to send Hofstra further to the bottom of the standings near the midway part of the conference season.

With Tuesday night’s loss before 2,573 at the Mack Sports Complex., Hofstra (9-11, 2-6 in the CAA) has now lost six of seven games to start the new year and finds itself in10th place in the conference standings. “I obviously have not been getting through to these guys in regards to what I need them to do and the energy I need them to play with,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora. “I will not sleep with a team giving up 90 points.”

In the first half George Mason was lights out from three point range nailing six of 10 from behind the arc (60 percent) to take a 38-30 lead into the locker room. In the second half the Patriots were hot from all areas of the floor shooting 67 percent. It was the first the Pride had given up 90 points in regulation at home since a 93-75 loss to Manhattan on Dec. 23, 2002.

Kelleher staying positive despite NCAA ruling

Despite the frustration of not getting cleared to play for the 2009/2010 season, Hofstra men's basketball shooting guard Brad Kelleher has been handling the news with class, Pride head coach Tom Pecora stated during Monday morning’s weekly Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Teleconference.

The NCAA declared Kelleher ineligible for the remainder of the season last week citing an application he signed with a professional team in his native Australia five years ago being equal to a contract. However despite the bad news that came down last week, the transfer from Midland College in Texas has been doing his best to keep a positive attitude in the midst of his frustration and confusion over the NCAA’s decision.

“He’s been tremendous,” said Coach Pecora during the weekly CAA Teleconference of Kelleher’s attitude in the wake of not getting cleared to play by the NCAA. “He is a class young guy.”

Prior to the start of the 2009/2010 season the 6’0 Kelleher was slated to start at shooting guard for the Pride and be a key offensive weapon on the perimeter. During his freshman season at Midland the 6’0 Kelleher was sixth in the nation in three-point shooting percentage, connecting on 44 percent from beyond the arc.

VCU offense proves too much for shorthanded Hofstra men's basketball

Tuesday night concluded a grueling five-game in 10-day stretch to begin Colonial Athletic Association play for the Hofstra men’s basketball team and the task of defeating the defending conference champion Virginia Commonwealth was made even more challenging without the services of guard Chaz Williams and forward David Imes.

With only seven scholarship players available for Hofstra due to ankle injuries suffered by Williams and Imes in a loss at Old Dominion last Saturday, VCU’s up-tempo offense proved too much to handle in an 81-68 loss before 2,224 fans at the Mack Sports Complex. It was Hofstra’s fourth loss in five conference games to begin the new decade and drops the Pride to 9-9 and 2-4 in the CAA.

Despite playing so many games in a short period and being shorthanded, Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora said after the loss that those factors are no excuse for a performance that included committing 17 turnovers and only getting to the foul line 12 times.  “We’re beyond excuses,” said Pecora. “We are what we are right now. We’re a .500 team, we’re 2-4 in the conference and we better find a way to win the next one.”

Hofstra men's basketball misses golden chance at signature win in heartbreaking loss to William & Mary

It is not everyday that one gets to chance to knock off a team ranked sixth in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index but that is just what Hofstra had in front of them Saturday afternoon against William & Mary. The Pride never trailed until the waning seconds off what would turn out to be a heartbreaking 48-47 loss in what was not only a key early-season Colonial Athletic Association game but also a major missed opportunity for a signature win that could have enhanced Hofstra’s post-season chances come March.

“It sure does sting because you only get so many opportunities in life and when you’re young sometimes you don’t realize that, but when you’re old like me you realize it,” said Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora of how his team had a chance to knock off a team as highly ranked as William & Mary.” You realize that when you get a chance to win a big game like this you better take advantage of it because they may not come along that often.”

Hofstra (8-6, 1-1 in CAA) never trailed until Kendrix Brown converted a three-point play with 17 seconds remaining for his only points of the game to give William & Mary a 48-47 lead. Hofstra had a chance to win on its final procession but Nathaniel Lester was unable to get a shot off in time when he pulled down a weak-side rebound from a missed long-range three pointer by Halil Kanacevic. Lester appeared to get fouled at the buzzer and Pecora screamed for a call but the referees instead said the game was over and so was Hofstra’s chance to knock off a top 10 RPI team.

Hofstra offense brightened in win over UNH

What a difference one game can make. In a 44-39 win over Manhattan Wednesday the Hofstra men’s basketball team’s offense was a cloud of dust but Saturday afternoon the Pride shooting was a ray of sunshine in a 75-58 triumph over New Hampshire at the Mack Sports Complex.

In the ugly offensive struggle against Manhattan Hofstra only shot 35%, but versus UNH the Pride connected on 47% of their shots including 67% from three-point range to post its fourth victory in a row and improve to 7-3 on the young season. Hofstra nearly equaled its entire scoring from the Manhattan game in the first half in taking a 43-31 lead into the locker room and were never seriously threatened in the second half with its lead growing to as many as 24.

“I think [UNH] is one of the best teams in the America East from what everyone has told me, so it is a good win,” said Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora in the post-game press conference. “We can definitely build off of it.”

Jenkins-Lester duo propels Hofstra to huge win over Fairfield

Monday night was the Charles Jenkins-Nathaniel Lester show with the dynamic scoring duo combing for 67% of Hofstra’s offense in a critical 84-80 win over Fairfield.

Jenkins scored a career-high 38 points including 26 in the second half while Lester tallied 18 to propel Hofstra to come-from-behind second-half win over the Stags. Both veterans hit big second half shots and perhaps no basket was bigger than when Jenkins drained a three-pointer with the shock clock winding down and 1:20 left that gave Hofstra an 82-77 lead. It was one of  five treys he drained in seven attempts.

“Jenkins and Lester] responded,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora in the post-game press conference. “It was nice to see a couple of the veterans step up.”

Inability to rebound in key spots dooms Pride in loss to Charlotte

After outrebounding its opponents the last four games including against 12th ranked Connecticut last week, the Hofstra men’s basketball team lost the battle of the boards Tuesday night against Charlotte and it proved a huge factor in a 80-72 home loss to the Atlantic 10 school.

Charlotte (4-1) outrebounded Hofstra (3-3) 46-37 and picked up some key offensive boards in the second half including one off a missed three-pointer with 1:06 left and the Pride trailing 71-68 that led to a RaShad Coleman lay-up to extend the 49er lead to five. In its four games since losing at number-one ranked Kansas to start the season, Hofstra had controlled the glass 173 to 121 but Tuesday the Pride lost the battle for second chance points with Chris Braswell and Coleman leading the 49ers with 11 rebounds and nine boards respectively.

“They rebounded the heck out of the basketball,” said Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora in the post game press conference. "We did not go put bodies on people and we did not go get the basketball.”

The lack of pulling down rebounds offset some positives from the Pride, including 25 points from junior guard Charles Jenkins, a career-high 18 points from power forward Greg Washington and only committing six turnovers. Hofstra led a back-and-forth first half affair 41-39 at halftime and was up 49-48 seven minutes into the second half before the 49ers went on a 13-4 run over the next five minutes to begin to take control of the game. Trailing 71-63 with 3:45 left, the Pride scored five straight and had two possessions with a chance to potentially tie the game, but were unable to convert on both trips.

Hofstra men’s basketball could be shorthanded at #1 Kansas

The Hofstra men’s basketball team’s much-hyped season opening game at top-ranked Kansas this Friday appears like it will become even more of a mountain to climb with the possibility of not having the services of highly-touted newcomers Brad Kelleher and David Imes.

Kelleher may not be available for this Friday’s game at Phog Allen Fieldhouse due to some NCAA clearinghouses issues while Imes is nursing an ankle injury he suffered in a scrimmage against Columbia this past Saturday. After today’s practice Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora said he is still awaiting a ruling from the NCAA over if Kelleher, a versatile 6'0 guard, will have to miss any action to start the season because of games he played in his native Australia prior to arriving at Hofstra. While he is still holding out some hope the NCAA will clear Kelleher, he is realistic that the transfer from Midland College in Texas will likely have to miss at least one or two games.

“I know the way the NCAA works and they are usually overly officious when it comes to issues like this,” said Pecora of his realism that Kelleher likely will not get cleared to play at Kansas.

The decision on whether the 6’7 230 pound Imes’s availability for Kansas will be a game-time decision depending on how fast his injury heels. Imes, a freshman forward from Brooklyn who prepped last year at Winchendon School in Massachusetts, had a boot on his injured ankle at today’s practice.

Hofstra men's basketball pre-season practice update

A dozen days since Hofstra men’s basketball’s first official practice and two weeks before the Pride get set to open the season at national powerhouse Kansas, head coach Tom Pecora is satisfied with the progress of his many younger players, who will help provide a deep bench in 2009/2010.

After today’s hour and a half practice concluded Coach Pecora told “Inside the Pride” that he anticipates playing a nine possibly 10-deep lineup that will have the ability to run the floor more than previous teams. The prospects of being a heavy transition team are made possible by having a deeper bench and the early progress of new guards Chaz Williams and Brad Kelleher, which will allow junior Charles Jenkins to play off the ball for longer stretches. “We’re going to play at a little bit of a quicker pace,” said Pecora.

Jenkins, who averaged 19.7 points per game as a sophomore, has shown a serious focus in the early practices and is a perfect example for younger players to follow on and off the court, according to Pecora.  “He is on the right page and he is definitely focused and he is doing a great job being a good leader,” said Pecora of Jenkins, who earned Colonial Athletic Association pre-season player of the year honors after winning last year's Haggerty Award given to the best player in the New York City metropolitan region.