A Gift That Keeps on Giving

Four years ago today, I got one of the best birthday presents of my life.  Behind "The Wolf", as Jerry Beach affectionately calls him, Charles Jenkins hit not one but TWO buzzer beaters to defeat William and Mary in overtime.   It was during that magical 2010-11 Hofstra season which provided Hofstra fans with so many memories, especially of the best player ever to don a Pride/Flying Dutchmen uniform.

That Hofstra team really never gets its true due.  They won fourteen regular season games in the CAA that season, tied for most ever for the Hofstra program in Colonial Athletic Conference play.  The Pride finished third in conference in regular season, a conference where three other teams; VCU, George Mason and Old Dominion made the NCAA Tournament.  We all know what VCU did, but Mason won a second round game against Villanova and Old Dominion had Butler on the ropes before losing on a buzzer beater.

The Pride accomplished that 14-4 conference record and 21 win season arguably with lesser talent than the season before, as CAA All Rookie team members Chaz Williams and Halil Kanacevic tranferred after the 2009-10 season.  It was due in large part to Jenkins, a better team effort and better coaching by first year coach Mo Cassara.  I will say to my last dying day that what Cassara did that season was one of the best coaching jobs I had ever seen.

But what happened that day February 15, 2011 didn't end with that season.   On that night four years ago, I got the gift that keeps on giving.  That was the first Hofstra basketball game I brought my then five year old son Matthew to  that night.   For the longest time, my older son Matthew didn't want to go with me to Hofstra games.   I finally convinced him to go as a favor to his dad for his birthday that night.

Matthew got hooked on basketball that night.  He thought basketball was the most exciting sport next to his beloved baseball

Matthew would start going with me to basketball games.  A lot of basketball games.  In fact, the next season that I covered fifty nine Division I games for my site and the Mid Majority, Matthew went to thirty three of them with me.  He was my ever present sidekick along with his little brother at Iona Women's basketball games.  The kid rooted for Hofstra, Iona (loves Scott Machado) and VCU.

But it was not just watching basketball, Matthew played basketball.  He would go home and dribble a ball until he went to bed.  He would play in the back yard.  He loved going on the Hofstra court after the game.

When we moved to South Carolina, Matthew became very involved in his first love, baseball. He has played baseball ten months of the season for the past two years.  It's left him little other time for other hobbies and passions like basketball.

 Matthew has become a very, very good baseball player, who has made his Little League All Star team twice.  He also won a Minors Championship for his team I co-head coached last Spring by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning of a truly fantastic championship game that we won 4-3. He started that bottom of the sixth inning with a hard double down the third base line.   As a dad, there is no prouder moment than having your son cross the plate to win a championship and then having him jump into your arms.

But that night of February 15, 2011 is equally a proud moment.   And four years later, Matthew finally got to play basketball in a league.  He plays for the Upward Bound basketball program at Shandon Baptist Church here in Columbia, South Carolina.   Matthew actually plays with one of his travel ball teammates, Wil on his basketball team.  They were also teammates on the District 3 Champion Coach Pitch All Star team last Spring.  

In his first season of playing basketball, Matthew was not as experienced as some of his teammates.  But he caught up very quickly due to his athleticism, which he certainly didn't get from his Dad.  Matt is one of the better defenders on his team, likes to set picks and he loves to pass.  So much so, his coach has Matthew bring the ball up the court now.

So I have a nine year old point guard.  How cool is that?

But until yesterday, Matthew had not scored in a game all season.  Matthew had numerous opportunities, but his shots wouldn't go in.  A few unkind rims and a few rushed opportunities.

But yesterday was different.  Almost four years ago to the day where he got introduced to his love of basketball.  Matthew stole a pass and went coast to coast.  He laid the ball up and kissed it off the glass for his first basket.  Someone jumped up from his seat, pumped his fist and yelled "YEAH!" for everyone to hear.  You can guess who...


Matthew wasn't done however.  He would hit three more baskets, one on a pretty feed from his teammate Mark that found Matthew all alone in the paint for the easy deuce off the glass.   Matt finished his day with another coast to coast layup.  He had eight points, a few assists and one very proud mom and dad.  The video is Matthew getting a pass from a teammate and hitting a jumper for two of his eight points.   His team won going away and his friend Will added twelve points.  A good day for the Columbia Thunder baseball teammates.

Matthew works at basketball every day.  We bought him a basketball hoop for Christmas and it stands off to the side in the driveway.  When Matthew  was younger, we would play H-O-R-S-E with a smaller hoop in the backyard of our house in North Bellmore.   Because I wanted him to learn the right way and earn his victories, or because I guess I am too competitive, I would beat Matthew in that game just about all the time.

Not anymore.  Matthew beats me regularly.    After the game yesterday, we drove home.  As his younger brother Jonny and his mom went inside, Matthew grabbed a basketball and hit a layup on his home court hoop.    H-O-R-S-E game on.

Matthew and I traded baskets for the next twenty minutes.  I was having a good shooting day. But with three exceptions, Matt equaled me whenever I hit a shot.   And three times, Matt nailed shots then I missed.   We were tied at H-O-R.   But after playing thirty six minutes of basketball (Upward Bound Basketball plays eighteen minute halves, only stopping for fouls and substitution breaks after six minutes) and then another twenty minutes with this game of H-O-R-S-E, Matthew was spent.   Plus we had baseball practice at 1:00 PM.   So we went inside and called it even.

Four years ago today I got a birthday gift that has kept on giving, my older son's love of basketball.  It's a gift that I hope keeps on giving for a long, long time.

Charles Jenkins, Mo Cassara - Thanks.

PS - It was a birthday Tweet from Jaden Daly which included a reference to the Feb 15, 2011 game that inspired me to write this post.   Thanks so much, Jaden, for the inspiration.  Yesterday made it come full circle for me.

For Hofstra Fans, It's Not As Bad As It Seems

If you are one of my marines, aka the few, the proud, the readers of my site (or my now 300 plus Twitter followers), even though I make Columbia, South Carolina my home, you know I bleed blue and gold.  I still have my Pride season tickets and I was in Brooklyn last weekend for their Barclays Center debut.

It's been a very rough last couple of months for the Hofstra Pride.  First their two best players, Taran Buie and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel were suspended for violation of team rules, which sparked concerns about their previous problems at other schools.  Second there was of course the arrests of the four players, two starters and two key reserves, on burglary charges. Right now, there is currently the eight game losing streak, punctuated by a 20-0 Tulane second half run at the Barclays Center last Saturday.  Finally, when maybe his return would spark some hope with the Pride faithful, it was learned last Friday that Coombs-McDaniel would be out for the season (and perhaps longer) due to problems with his micro-fracture surgery on his knee.

Some might tell you, like the Statler to my Waldorf, aka Defiantly Dutch, that Hofstra has no luck at all. You could say the Pig Pen dark cloud years started with the NCAA Tournament snubbing of Hofstra in 2006, when our "arch rival", the team the Pride beat convincingly both times that season, George Mason, made it as an large team while Hofstra had to settle for the NIT and Tom O'Connor conspiracy theories.

Then the Patriots proceeded to twist the knife in that wound by making the Final Four that season.  Until Florida knocked off Mason in the semis, Hofstra was the last team to have beaten them that season.  It was followed up by the next season, where Hofstra, the preseason favorite to win the CAA, went down in flames to "arch rival" George Mason and a late game vapor lock by Greg "Playstation" Johnson in the CAA Tournament quarterfinals.

Then there was Tom Pecora in 2011 leaving behind a successful team that had Charles Jenkins for a bigger payday and finally achieving his goal of being in the A-10 by taking the Fordham head coaching position. This resulted in the abdication of Hofstra by two All CAA Rookies in Chaz Williams and Halil Kanacevic.  Then there was the infamous thirty days of  Tim Welsh as coach of the Pride until a DWI arrest and failure to let the then athletic director Jack Hayes know about the arrest resulted in his resignation.  

Despite what turned out to be a heroic aftermath of the 2010-11 season led by new coach Mo Cassara and Charles Jenkins that resulted in 21 wins, a third place finish in the CAA (where the other top three teams made the NCAA Tournament) and their first CAA Tournament semifinal appearance since 2006, there was always a "What if" had Kanacevic and Williams stayed.   That was followed with an ugly 10-22 record last season which included a 3-15 conference record, topped with a drubbing by Georgia State in the first round of the CAA Tournament.  Which leads us to all that has happened with this season.

Heck, you could even say that the dark years started after the last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001, when Jay Wright packed up and left for Villanova, which turned out to be a great move for him.  Yes, Hofstra hasn't made a NCAA Tournament appearance since Wright's departure.

Well, when I was reviewing the draft of Alan Kelly's  George Mason vs. Richmond recap article, the idea for this article hit me.  Despite all the bad that has seemingly happened the last six, heck even eleven years, Hofstra has had it good compared to many other teams, including many in the CAA.  

Let's look at some facts since the start of the 2001-02 season. 

1. Hofstra has had six winning seasons and five seasons of twenty or more wins. Compare that to Tom Pecora's Fordham, who has had one winning season over the past eleven seasons, the 2006-07 season when the Rams were 18-12 and no twenty win seasons.  St John's has had five winning seasons, three with 20 or more wins. Stony Brook has had three winning seasons during that time,  two seasons with twenty or more wins. Manhattan has had six winning seasons, four with twenty or more win seasons. Iona has had four winning seasons, all with twenty plus wins. LIU Brooklyn has had three winning seasons, two twenty plus win seasons.
   
   As far as CAA comparisons, Drexel has had seven winning seasons since the start of the 2001-02 season, but only three times with twenty or more wins. James Madison has had two winning seasons, both with twenty or more wins. Northeastern has had six winning seasons, two times with twenty or more wins. William and Mary has had  two winning seasons with one twenty plus winning season. Delaware has had three winning seasons, but no twenty or more win seasons. Towson has had no winning seasons in the past eleven seasons.
2. Hofstra has three NIT appearances since 2001-02 season. St John's has two NCAA appearances and one NIT championship. Manhattan has two NCAA tournament appearances and one NIT appearance.  Iona has two NCAA Tournament appearances.  LIU Brooklyn has two NCAA tournament appearances.  Drexel has five NIT appearances. Stony Brook has two NIT appearances.  Northeastern has two NIT appearances. William and Mary has one NIT appearance.  Delaware, James Madison and Towson have no NIT appearances.
3. Hofstra has one player in the NBA, Charles Jenkins (who sealed Golden State's seven point win last night over Philadelphia with a steal and two free throws with eleven seconds left).  Of the current other CAA teams, only ODU (Kent Bazemore, Jenkins' teammate on Golden State), Northeastern (Minnesota's Jose Juan Barea) and Towson (San Antonio's Gary Neal) have NBA players as well.
4. Hofstra has made at least the CAA Tournament semifinals three times including their inaugural 2001-02 season.  Drexel has made at least the CAA Tournament semifinals three times as well.  Since they joined the Colonial in the 2005-2006 season, Northeastern has made the CAA Tournament semifinals twice, while since 2001-02 Delaware and William and Mary have each made the semis twice (with William and Mary also making the finals twice as well) and Towson made it once.  James Madison has never made the CAA Tournament semifinals in the last eleven seasons.

I did not include for comparison purposes George Mason, ODU and UNC Wilmington, because, in fairness, they have each made at least three NCAA tournament appearances in that time frame - UNCW has three NCAA appearances - 2002, 2003, 2006. ODU has four NCAA appearances - 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011 and an NIT appearance in 2006.  George Mason's NCAA appearances were of course 2006, 2008 and 2011.

So if you look at the numbers, you can say that Hofstra may not have the number of NCAA tournament appearances of several teams CAA teams like Mason, ODU or UNCW or local teams like St John's, Manhattan, Iona and even LIU Brooklyn.  But as far as winning seasons, twenty or more win seasons and NIT appearances, they are on par or ahead of most CAA and local teams.  

Then if you look at the big picture of other national major, mid major or low major teams that have struggled for years, things look brighter for Hofstra.  For example, until this season, Canisius hasn't had a winning season in this century.  Since they joined Division I in the 2005-06 season, Kennesaw State hasn't had a winning season and including so far this season, the Owls have won a total twelve games since the beginning of the 2010-11 season. 

USF has a legendary history as far as NCAA championships, thanks to Bill Russell.  San Francisco won two national championships in 1956 and 1957 with Russell and made an additional Final Four appearance in 1958. Yet, despite having five winning seasons since 2001-02, the Dons have had only one twenty or more win season in the past eleven seasons and haven't made the NCAA Tournament since 1998.

Providence has made the NCAA Tournament fifteen times and made the Final Four twice in their storied history.  Yet since the 2001-02 season, the Friars have made the NCAA Tournament only once, have three NIT appearances and only one twenty plus win season among their four winning seasons in that time frame.

DePaul has twenty two NCAA Tournament appearances and two Final Four appearances.  Yet they only have one NCAA appearance since the 2001-02 season (2004), three NIT appearances (defeated Hofstra in 2007) and three twenty or more win seasons during that time frame.  The Blue Demons have not had a winning season since the 2006-07 season.

These are just a few examples of colleges with struggling programs.  Several such as Providence (who lost to Brown last night), DePaul and San Francisco have long, storied programs.  There are many other schools that would love to have had six winning seasons, five twenty plus win seasons and three NIT appearances the past eleven seasons.

Yes, Hofstra is struggling right now and that is mainly due to injuries and suspensions, not to lack of talent - see their win over South Dakota State, the only team to have defeated New Mexico and that was at the Pit.  Will it take some time for Hofstra to regain its footing in the CAA?  Likely.  But it may not take the four seasons that it took Tom Pecora to turn Hofstra into a winning program.

Despite the last season and a half, Hofstra fans need to look at the longer body of work of this basketball program.  Compared to a lot of other Division I programs over the past eleven seasons, there is a lot to be thankful for if you are a Pride fan.  It just may not look that way right now. 

Celebrating 12/12/12 The Charles Jenkins Way

I was trying to find a college basketball way of celebrating 12/12/12, the last time we will see the same numbers for a month, day and year EVER.

Well, I decided to celebrate by remembering one of my most favorite moments in college basketball ever, Charles Jenkins game tying and game winning shots on my 45th birthday against William and Mary.  It was made even more special by the presence of my seven year old son, Matthew.  It was during this game that he got hooked on college basketball and became "my color analyst".

My seventh year of writing this blog has been in some parts my most difficult one.  Having been away for the better part of four months in Columbia, South Carolina, I miss my family very much.  I have season tickets to South Carolina games now.  Watching games without my son sitting next to me is just not the same.

I will be back up in New York for eleven days starting next Thursday night.  But hopefully it's the next to last time I have to fly up there.   With a little luck, the house in New York will close soon and my family will finally be down here with me.  Then I will be permanently reunited with "my color analyst" and our new basketball adventures below the Mason-Dixon line can begin.

Also, I think celebrating Charles Jenkins' heroics in a conference game is appropriate given the news that the CAA Tournament is moving to Baltimore, one of my favorite cities, starting in 2013-14.  Plain and simple, as much as enjoyed my memories of the tournament in Richmond, Baltimore is a better venue all around.

Finally, this also goes out to the basketball folks at Hofstra.  I know it's been a rough few weeks.  Hang in there and hopefully this will bring some good fortune your way.

Without further ado, "The Wolf", Charles Jenkins. Happy 12/12/12 everyone!

Correction to Previous Post on Hofstra Senior Day.

I want to correct a mistake I made on my Hofstra Senior Day post.  As an anonymous viewer pointed out to me, it was Athletic Director Jack Hayes that presented the ball to Charles Jenkins not Coach Mo Cassara.  As my way of saying "I'm sorry", here's also his video of the Jenkins presentation.  Enjoy.  See you in Richmond, Hofstra.

James Madison vs. Hofstra Preview

As noted in my previous post, it's the first day of CAA conference play.  Outside of VCU and UNCW, all ten other teams are playing against each other today.  And in Hempstead, we have a rematch of the classic overtime thriller from last season where Hofstra rallied in regulation against James Madison and won in overtime 92-90.  When the Pride joined the CAA in the 2001-02 season, the Dukes won the first three games in the series.  Since then, Hofstra has won twelve straight.   Here are seven things to look for in today's game.

1. Expect a High Scoring, Close Game - First you have JMU who leads the CAA in scoring and is next to last in scoring defense.  Second, you have Hofstra who is third in the CAA in FG percentage at 44.3, but is also next to last in the CAA in FG percentage defense at 46.6 percent.  The Pride are allowing a stunning 54.6 percent of two point field goals attempted.
   
   Third, when the Dukes and the Pride get together at the Mack Center, there is a history of high scoring, overtime games.  There have been three overtime games in the past six years where the winning team, Hofstra, has scored in the 90's; the aforementioned game from January, a 99-96 double overtime game in February 2009 and the all time gem, a 95-88 triple overtime game in February 2005.
2. JMU Star Transfer Part Deux - Matt Brady has lots of success with transfers.  First Denzel Bowles, now A.J. Davis. Davis, a transfer from Wyoming, is averaging 22 points per game. Hofstra's best player, Mike Moore will likely be responsible for guarding Davis.  Should be an interesting matchup.
3. Rise and Fire - Two of the top three point field goal shooting teams in the CAA play today.  The Dukes hit as many three pointers, ten, as the Pride attempt in a game (sixty nine three point attempts in seven games).  James Madison leads the CAA, shooting nearly 47 percent from the field, while Hofstra is second at 43.5 percent.  The Dukes have four of the top ten three point percentage shooters in the Colonial; Davis at a ridiculous 59 percent, Humpty Hitchens at 51.7 percent , Andrey Semenov and Julius Wells.
   
   Mike Moore is third in the CAA in three point FG percentage, shooting 48.4 percent (15 of 31). But, as noted by John Templon earlier this week, Hofstra should try attempting more three point attempts.  In fact, the Pride are averaging seven less attempts per game than last season. Hofstra is actually very good at defending the three, allowing only 32 percent of three point field goals attempted.
4. Charity Begins at the Line - As mentioned in my CAA Notes from earlier today, Hofstra is averaging twenty nine free throw attempts per game, more than double what Drexel averages per game.  The Pride have 204 free throw attempts.  Georgia State is next with 161 free throw attempts.  When you are hitting seventy percent of those attempts, you tend to stay in games.
   
   Meanwhile, James Madison is only ninth in the CAA in free throw attempts, with one hundred less attempts than Hofstra. This may be due in large part to their three point shooting prowess.  The advantage goes to Hofstra in this category.
5. Paging Nathaniel Lester - In two games vs. LIU and Rhode Island, Lester scored a total of fifty five points.  In his other five games combined, Lester has scored a total of forty five points. Though he is averaging a respectable 14.3 points per game, he is struggling from the field, shooting 36 percent from the field and 21 percent from beyond the arc.  In fact, after going 3 of 4 from three against LIU, he has missed his last ten three point attempts.  Against Florida Atlantic and Boston University, in the two games combined, he only hit one field goal in twenty two attempts.  Simply put, Lester has to be more consistent.
     
6. Ball Possession - James Madison is first in the CAA in assists, averaging 14.2 per game with Hitchens leading the CAA at 6.0 assists per game, as well as assists to turnovers per game at 2.1.  Hofstra's Dwan McMillan is third at 4.0 assists per game and fifth with .6 assists to turnovers per game.  The problem is Steve Mejia is the starting point guard for the Pride and he is not in the top fourteen in either category in the CAA.  In fact, Hofstra is tenth in the CAA in assists per game at 9.9.  Advantage James Madison.
7. Pride Must Avoid a Shooting Drought - The Pride had two substantial leads in their games vs. Florida Atlantic and Boston University.  In both games, they went cold from the field in the second half and lost both games.  Against the Owls, after being up 36-27, the Pride shot 3 of 18 from the field over an eleven minute period in the second half.  Against the Terriers, after being up 52-45 with ten minutes left, the Pride shot 2 of 15 from the field for the rest of the game.  They can't afford that against the Dukes.

How willl this game turnout?   Well, using lines from TV shows and movies: 

• If Hofstra Coach Mo Cassara yells "THEM DUKES! THEM DUKES!" like Boss Hogg from "The Dukes of Hazzard", it's a good day for James Madison.  
• If  James Madison Coach Matt Brady yells "Come on Julius, get in front of the damn ball! Don't give me this "olé" bulls___" like Lou Brown from "Major League", then it's a good day for Hofstra.

Either way, expect a very close, high scoring game.  History often repeats itself in this series.