Shemiye McLendon has clutch touch for Hofstra men's basketball

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

Hofstra men’s basketball freshman guard Shemiye McLendon has turned into quite the clutch player early in his collegiate career.

The Vero Beach, Fla. native played a crucial role in Saturday’s 78-75 comeback win over Northeastern in which the Pride scored the game’s final 10 points. McLendon calmly hit two free throws to put Hofstra up 76-76 with 1:56 left. The Vero Beach Academy graduate then helped the Pride seal the huge Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) victory when he connected on two additional free throws with six seconds left to give the Pride a 78-75 lead.

McLendon's clutch performance at the end of the Northeastern game was the fourth time he had knocked down pivotal free throws down the stretch to help the Pride win key conference games. In a 75-69 win at Drexel on Jan. 3 McLendon hit two free throws with 1:55 left to gave the Pride the lead to stay and on Jan. 22 the freshman guard connected on two foul shots with less than two seconds left to put Hofstra ahead by three in a victory at William & Mary on Jan. 22. On Jan. 24 in a dramatic 92-90 overtime win against James Madison, McLendon sank two foul shots with 17.2 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to the extra session.

Hofstra men's basketball vs. Northeastern in-game blog

The Hofstra men’s basketball team will look to snap a three-game losing streak in a pivotal Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) game against Notheastern.

Despite dropping its last three games, Hofstra (14-9, 8-4 in CAA) is still very much in the mix to finish in the top four in the league in order to receive a crucial first round bye in the conference tournament next month. The Pride enter Saturday’s game in fourth place in the CAA one game up on James Madison and Drexel. Northeastern began the season 4-15 but has won four in a row including a shocking upset over first place Virginia Commonwealth on Thursday.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra-Northeastern game 15 minutes before tip-off Saturday at 3:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-match blog.

Jenkins credits man he broke for scoring mark to guiding his career

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

In Saturday's 65-60 loss to Drexel Charles Jenkins became the all-time leading scorer in Hofstra men's basketball history and senior guard credits the man he passed for this milestone Antoine Agudio for helping to guide his heralded Pride career.

"He took me under his wing when I first got here," said Jenkins of Agudio, who he played with as a freshman during the 2007/08 season. "It means a lot me just to be mentioned in the same breath as him because I remember how much buzz he had when he was here."

After red-shirting during the 2006/07 season Jenkins began his Hofstra career the next year and saw Agudio break the 43-year old program scoring record that had been held by Steve Nisenson. The one year Jenkins and Aguido were teammates Hofstra endured a disappointing 12-18 season after having made three straight trips to the NIT, but three years later the Pride are in prime position to finish in the top four in the Colonial Athletic Association and make a run at a conference title. As much of an accomplishment as breaking the Hofstra scoring mark is Jenkins is only concerned with winning and getting the Pride to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade.

"The season is what is most important to me," said Jenkins. "When I leave Hofstra and I come back then this record will mean a lot to me but right now I've just got to worry about winning."

Hofstra men's basketball vs. Drexel in-game blog

History is poised to be made during Saturday’s Hofstra-Drexel men’s basketball game at the Mack Sports Complex with Pride senior guard Charles Jenkins just 16 points away from becoming the program’s all-time scoring leader.

Jenkins enters Saturday’s game with 2,261 career points, the highest total for any active player in the nation. Jenkins is set to break the Hofstra record currently held by his former Pride teammate Antoine Agudio, who played from 2004-08.

The Hofstra-Drexel game is of crucial significance in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Hofstra (14-7, 8-2 ) enter the game coming off an 82-67 loss at Virginia Commonwealth Thursday that dropped the Pride a game behind the Rams for first place in the conference standings. Drexel (13-7, 5-5 in CAA) enters the Mack Sports Complex coming off a 60-52 loss to James Madison Wednesday.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra-Drexel game starting 15 minutes before tip-off Saturday at 3:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra men's basketball vs. James Madison in-game blog

The Hofstra men’s basketball team will look to keep its hold on first place in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) on Monday night at home against James Madison.

Hofstra (13-6, 7-1 in the CAA) enters Monday’s game coming off a hard-fought 67-64 road win at William & Mary Saturday and are tied with Virginia Commonwealth atop the CAA standings. James Madison (15-5,. 5-3 in the CAA) is coming off two straight losses including a defeat to George Mason on Saturday.

James Madison will present quite the challenge for Hofstra in the paint with its 6’10 offensive force Denzel Bowles coming into Monday averaging 17.3 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game. As a team James Madison is averaging 73 points per game and is shooting 46.5 percent from the floor.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of this crucial CAA game starting 15 minutes before tip-off Monday at 6:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra men's basketball vs. UNC Wilmington in-game blog

The Hofstra men's basketball team will try and rebound from its first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) loss to Old Dominion this past Saturday and stay atop the conference standings in a home game against UNC Wilmington on Wednesday night.

Hofstra enters the UNC Wilmington game at 5-1 in the CAA and in a three-way tie for first place with James Madison and Virginia Commonwealth. UNC Wilmington enters play Wednesday 9-8 overall and 3-3 in the CAA.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of the Hofstra-UNC Wilmington game 15 minutes before tip-off Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra men's basketball vs. Old Dominion in-game blog

The first place Hofstra men's basketball team has a huge opportunity Saturday before its home fans to put some distance between itself and the defending Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) champions and pre-season conference favorites Old Dominion.

Hofstra (11-5, 5-0 in CAA) has a two game edge on Old Dominion (12-4, 3-2 in CAA) in the conference standings and is looking for its first ever 6-0 start to conference play. A major reason for Hofstra's hot start to conference play is the play of guards Charles Jenkins and Mike Moore, who combined for 40 points in a 74-60 win at Towson on Wednesday.

Old Dominion is arriving on Long Island hungry after a 62-57 loss at Drexel on Thursday. The Monarchs are a veteran-laiden team with its top six scorers comprised of four seniors and two juniors. Leading the balanced scoring effort is senior forward Frank Hassell with 12.6 points per game.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of Hofstra's quest to take a three game lead on Old Dominion in the CAA standings 15 minutes before tip-off Saturday at 3:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra men's basketball vs. George Mason in-game blog

The Hofstra-George Mason men's basketball rivalry will be taken up a notch Wednesday night at the Mack Sports Complex with both team's entering the early-season Colonial Athletic Association contest at 2-0 in the conference.

Hofstra and George Mason have had many fierce battles in the CAA during the last decade with the Patriots holding a 10-7 advantage in the series. What stands out most for Hofstra fans in this rivalry is 2006 when the Pride defeated George Mason twice in 10 days but it was the Patriots who instead earned an at-large NCAA Tournament berth on their way to a Cinderella run to the Final Four.

Hofstra (8-5) enters Wednesday's home tilt with George Mason fresh off an impressive 72-69 win at Drexel. George Mason (9-2) arrives on Long Island after a 75-66 win over Delaware, also on Monday evening.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of what should be a very competitive Hofstra-George Mason game starting 15 minutes before tip-off Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Hofstra men's basketball vs. Florida Atlantic in-game blog

The long awaited Hofstra debut of versatile guard Brad Kelleher will take place late Saturday afternoon at the Mack Sports Complex when the Pride battle Florida Atlantic.

Kelleher's debut with the Pride comes after having to sit out all of last season and the first eight games of the 2010-11 campaign while serving a penalty from the NCAA amateurism clearinghouse. The Victoria, Australia native transferred to Hofstra from Midland College in Texas, where he averaged 9.5 points and 3.3 assists per game during the 2008-09 season.

Kelleher will give Hofatra even more depth in its backcourt, which saw guards Charles Jenkins and Mike Moore explode for 40 and 28 points, respectively in Wednesday's 89-85 overtime win at Binghamton. Hofstra (5-3) will be looking for its fifth straight victory against Florida Atlantic (5-4), which has won two in a row against Mississippi State of the SEC and South Florida of the Big East. The game will be a New York City area homecoming for Florida Atlantic head coach Mike Jarvis, who coached St. John's from 1998-2003 and led the Red Storm to the Elite Eight in 1999.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of Kelleher's debut with Hofstra and the Pride's attempt to win its fifth straight game 15 minutes before tipoff at 3:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

Cassara putting heavy emphasis on free throw shooting

New Hofstra men's basketball head coach Mo Cassara constantly reminds his players about the importance of free throw shooting and how in each game it can be the difference between winning or losing. His players certainly for the message this past Saturday when the Pride shot a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe in a 74-62 win over Towson in the Colonial Athletic Association opener.

Saturday was the first time Hofstra was perfect from the free throw line since going 10-for-10 against St. John's on Dec. 29, 2006 in the Aeropostale Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. "I talk about [the importance of free throws] all the time and they are sick of hearing me say it," joked Cassara in the post-game press conference after Saturday's win over Towson. "We've been working on it and working on it."

Coach Cassara would not doubt like to see the Pride's season free throw shooting average of 67 percent improve the remainder of the season, but Saturday's perfect showing in the start of conference play is certainly a start. Last season Hofstra shot 73 percent from the charity stripe.

Hofstra men's basketball vs. Towson in-game blog

The Hofstra men's basketball team will be looking for its third straight win late Saturday afternoon in its Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener against Towson.

Hofstra (3-3) has rebounded nicely from an 0-3 trip in the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off, which included a heartbreaking loss to Western Kentucky where the Pride let a 14-point slip away in the last five minutes, with back-to-back wins over Wagner and Rider. Towson enters the Mack Sports Complex 2-3 but sky high after rallying from a 15-point deficit to defeat Western Michigan at the buzzer 75-73 on Wednesday night. Hofstra's newly implemented zone defense will be tested against Towson's front court of 6'8 Braxton Dupree and 6'7 Isaiah Philmore, who are both averaging double figures coming into Saturday's game.

Check in with "Inside the Pride" for live updates of Hofstra's attempt to get off to a fast start in CAA play starting 15 minutes before tip-off Saturday at 3:45 p.m. Comments and questions are also welcome and encouraged during the live in-game blog.

New Hofstra men's basketball head coach Mo Cassara in full court press mode this summer

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

The summer of 2010 has been far from a relaxing one for new Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Mo Cassara who spent a 25 day stretch in July and early August attending camps and AAU tournaments in Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Augusta, Ga., Miami, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix and New York City. Cassara has returned to Long Island from his aggressive recruiting journey around the country and continues to focus on the future of the Pride program while gearing up for the 2010/2011 season.

“It was a busy, busy month for our whole staff,” said Cassara, a St. Lawrence University graduate who arrived at Hofstra after serving as an assistant coach at Boston College for the past four seasons. “We’re getting our feet on the ground.”

Hofstra men's lacrosse looks for bigger accomplishments in 2011

The 2010 Hofstra men’s lacrosse season was filled with many twists and turns culminating in a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and head coach Seth Tierney already has his mind on accomplishing more in 2011.

With Shuart Stadium being the site of one of the NCAA Quarterfinal doubleheaders in May 2011 Hofstra will have a chance to make a post season splash on its home field but  this opportunity also presents some pressure, according to Tierney. “We know the pressure of having the quarterfinals here,” said Tierney. “It is such a positive to have the quarterfinals at your site because if you can make it you’re guaranteed to play home.”

In addition to trying to make the NCAAs for a fourth straight season, another major goal is to have a strong enough regular season to earn a first round home game. This would present the Pride with an opportunity to earn its first Final Four appearance by winning two games at Shuart Stadium, a place Hofstra was 7-0 in 2010.

New Hofstra men's basketball era underway with hiring of Tim Welsh

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications
Hofstra University's national arboretum campus was in full bloom Thursday on a perfect spring day with hardly a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the 60's. The setting was just as sunny inside David S. Mack Hall when university officials kicked off a new era of Hofstra men's basketball with a press conference unveiling its new head coach Tim Welsh.

There was a feeling of immense optimism inside Mack Hall as the former Providence and Iona head coach was introduced to the Hofstra community for the first time just one week after longtime head coach Tom Pecora accepted a head coaching position at Fordham.  While coaching at the Big East level from 1998-2008 Welsh, 49, led Providence to two NCAA Tournament appearances and developed Ryan Golmes, who now plays for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves . The Massena, N.Y native and 1984 SUNY Potsdam graduate also had success in his three years as head coach at Iona leading the Gaels to a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and NCAA Tournament berth in 1998.

In addition to his 13 years of head coaching experience Welsh also gained valuable knowledge of what it takes to succeed as a college basketball program as an assistant at Syracuse from 1988-1991 under the legendary Jim Boeheim. "It is a great day for Hofstra athletics because this marks our hiring of Tim Welsh, who I truly believe will enable us to move our basketball success to the next level," said Hofstra University president Stuart Rabinowitz during the press conference.

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.”