HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY MEN S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES

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1 HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY MEN S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES Hofstra (1-0) vs. La Salle (0-1) Wednesday, Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m. Hempstead, NY Hofstra Arena (5,124) TV/Radio: WRHU (88.7 FM) Streaks, Stats, and Storylines: Hofstra won its season opener for the fourth time in the last five years on Sunday with a win at Florida International and will try to go 2-0 to start the season for the first time since Sophomore guard Loren Stokes had the game-winning basket with five seconds left in Sunday s season-opening win over Florida International. Stokes finished the game with 16 points and has now scored in double figures in 16 straight games, and 21 of 22 after becoming a full-time starter on Dec. 23. Freshman guard Antoine Agudio scored 20 points on Sunday in his college debut, hitting five three-pointers (four in the second half). It was the highest scoring debut for a Pride player in the last four seasons. He also fell one shy of the school record for three-pointers by a freshman, set last season by Carlos Rivera. Hofstra is hosting an Atlantic 10 Conference team for the first time since the season, when Fordham visited the old Physical Fitness Center. Senior forward Michael Radziejewski became the 11 th player in Hofstra history with 100 three-pointers in a career when he hit a shot from beyond the arc midway through the first half on Sunday. Hofstra needs 17 more wins this season to reach 1,000 in the history of the program. Pride s Tentative Starters (with stats) Po. No. Name Ht. Cl. PPG RPG APG G 1 Loren Stokes 6-3 So G 13 Antoine Agudio 6-3 Fr G 31 Carlos Rivera 6-2 So F 25 Aurimas Kieza 6-8 Jr F 23 Kenny Harris 6-9 Jr Off The Bench G 5 Jorge Lebron 6-2 Fr G 11 Gibran Washington 6-0 Jr G 12 Woody Souffrant 5-11 Sr F 24 Michael Radziejewski 6-5 Sr F 33 Adrian Uter 6-7 Jr C 42 Wendell Gibson 6-7 Sr Hofstra La Salle Quick Facts Series Record: La Salle leads 14-3 Last Meeting: : La Salle 78, Hofstra 62 Hofstra Coach: Tom Pecora (4th year), (35-56 overall) La Salle Coach: Dr. John Giannini (1st year), 0-1 ( ) HOFSTRA MEN S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE/RESULTS (1-0, 0-0 CAA) November 21 at Florida International W LA SALLE^ 7:30 p.m. 27 at Binghamton 7 p.m. December 1 COLUMBIA 7 p.m. 4 at James Madison* 7 p.m. 6 at Longwood 7 p.m. 11 ST. JOHN S (Fox-TV) 4 p.m. 17 at Dartmouth 7 p.m. 27 at Stony Brook 7 p.m. 30 at Syracuse 7 p.m. January 5 at William & Mary* 7 p.m. 8 DREXEL* 4 p.m. 12 at UNC Wilmington* 7 p.m. 15 at Virginia Commonwealth* (Fox-TV) 4 p.m. 19 OLD DOMINION* 7 p.m. 22 DELAWARE* (Fox-TV) 4 p.m. 26 at George Mason* 7 p.m. 29 at Towson* 4 p.m. 31 WILLIAM & MARY* 7 p.m. February 2 VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH* 7 p.m. 5 at Drexel* (Fox-TV) 8 p.m. 9 JAMES MADISON* 7 p.m. 12 UNC WILMINGTON* 4 p.m. 16 TOWSON* 7 p.m. 19 at Delaware* (MSG-TV) 2 p.m. 23 at Old Dominion* 7 p.m. 26 GEORGE MASON* 4 p.m. March CAA Tournament (at Richmond, VA) 4 Opening Round TBA 5 Quarterfinals TBA 6 Semifinals TBA 7 Championship (ESPN TV) TBA HOME GAMES IN ALL CAPS * CAA game ^ Doubleheader with Hofstra Women s team 1

2 Scouting La Salle: The Explorers come to Hofstra Arena with an 0-1 record after falling in its opening game to James Madison on Saturday. Junior forward Steven Smith, the squad s top returning player from a year ago, led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds. Guards Darnell Harris (12 points) and Jermaine Thomas (11 points) were also in double figures for the Explorers, who were outrebounded and shot only 29.6 percent from the floor (16-54) for the game. La Salle is coached by Dr. John Giannini, who battled Hofstra for several years as the head coach at the University of Maine, which was an old America East Conference rival of the Pride from Hofstra vs. La Salle: The two teams have played each other 17 times overall, with the Explorers holding a 14-3 edge in the series. However, this is the first meeting between the schools in 22 years. The last time La Salle and Hofstra played each other was all the way back in the campaign, with the Explorers capturing a win. Hofstra s last win in the series came in , when it earned a victory on its way to a 23-7 season. Hofstra-La Salle By the Numbers ( Stats) Hofstra La Salle 1-0 Record Points Per Game Opps. Points Per Game Scoring Margin Rebounds Per Game Opps. Rebs Per Game Rebounding Margin Assists Per Game Steals Per Game Turnovers Per Game Blocks Per Game Field Goal Pct Opps. FG Pct Pt. Field Goal Pct Opps. 3-Pt. FG Pct Free Throw Pct La Salle s Tentative Starters (with stats) Po. No. Name Ht. Cl. PPG RPG APG G 11 Darnell Harris 6-1 Fr G 23 Jermaine Thomas 6-2 Jr F 42 Mike St. John 6-8 So F 30 Steven Smith 6-8 Jr F 21 Lewis Fadipe 6-10 Jr Off The Bench G 14 Tabby Cunningham 5-8 Fr F 40 Matt Smith 6-5 Sr F/C 50 Roman Narmbaye 6-10 Fr Last Game Recap (Hofstra 69, Florida Int l 67): Sophomore guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) hit a running jumper in the lane with five seconds left in regulation to break a tie and give the Hofstra Men s Basketball team a win over Florida International in its season opener on Sunday in Miami. The game winning play was set up following a bank shot by Florida International s Ivan Almonte (game-high 21 points, 14 rebounds) with 36.9 seconds left. The Pride called a time-out, and isolated Stokes at the top of the key. Stokes beat his man off the dribble, got into the lane, and put up a floating jumper from 10 feet just before the help defense could arrive. The ball hit softly off the rim, then off the backboard before dropping through the net to give the Pride the victory. Stokes then came up big on the other end of the floor as well, harassing Antonio Jones into turning the ball over near midcourt before the Golden Panthers could get off a potential tying or winning shot. Hofstra trailed for almost the entire second half, after falling behind at intermission. The Pride shot only 8-of-32 in the first half (25.0 percent) but came alive offensively in the second stanza. Redshirt freshman Antoine Agudio (Huntington Station, NY) helped get Hofstra jump-started with four second half three-pointers on his way to a team-high 20 points. It was also his hustle play that gave the Pride the lead for the first time in the second half, when he lunged to save an offensive rebound from going out of bounds, and flipped a pass to Stokes for a lay-up with 3:14 to go, putting Hofstra ahead After an exchange of foul shots, Almonte scored in the paint to tie the score and set up Stokes late heroics. Sophomore guard Carlos Rivera (San German, PR), who was returning to the city where he starred at Miami Christian High School from , also was in double figures for the Pride with 13 points. Hofstra shot 51.9 percent and scored 47 points in the second half. A Homecoming Celebration: The season-opening win over Florida International on Sunday was especially pleasing for the Pride, which has five players on its roster who previously played basketball in Florida. Junior forward Aurimas Kieza is a native of Marijampole, Lithuania, but played for one year at Florida Air Academy in Melbourne before coming to Hofstra. Junior guard Gibran Washington starred at Mandarin High School in his native Jacksonville, while junior forward Adrian Uter (Queens, NY) played for two seasons at Broward Community College before joining the Pride this season. Sophomore guard Carlos Rivera (San German, Puerto Rico) was returning closest to his alma mater, after starring for two seasons at Miami Christian High School from Finally, freshman guard Jorge Lebron (San German, Puerto Rico), attended Florida Prep Academy in Lake Suzy before coming to Hofstra. 2

3 Picking Up Where He Left Off: Sophomore guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) had a bit of an off day shooting for the Pride in its season-opener against Florida International on Sunday (6-of-17), but came up big when it counted most. Stokes, who was named to the CAA All-Rookie team a year ago, scored four baskets in the final six minutes of the game, including the game-winner with five seconds to go. Stokes finished the game with 16 points, four rebounds and five assists. Stoke-ing The Fire: Sophomore guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) began his college career last season by averaging 4.6 points in his first eight games coming off the bench. Since becoming a starter (on Dec. 23), he has raised his game to another level, averaging 16.0 points in the last 22 games. He scored in double figures the last 15 games in a row to end last season, and extended that streak to 16 in a row with his 16-point effort on Sunday against Florida International. He has been in double figures in 21 of his 22 career starts, with the only exception an eight-point game at Old Dominion on Jan. 10. He bounced back, though, to average 24.5 points in the next two meetings with the Monarchs later in the year, including a career-high 26 at Hofstra Arena on Feb. 7. What has been most remarkable about Stokes performance as a starter has been his consistency: in his 22 games in the opening line-up, he scored between points 17 times. Loren Stokes As A Starter: Opponent (Date) P-R-A (points-rebs-assists) St. Peter's (12/23) Manhattan (12/31) Delaware (1/3) VCU (1/5) Towson (1/7) Old Dominion (1/10) George Mason (1/14) UNCW (1/17) JMU (1/21) William & Mary (1/24) Drexel (1/28) VCU (1/31) Delaware (2/4) Old Dominion (2/7) Drexel (2/11) William & Mary (2/14) George Mason (2/18) James Madison (2/21) Towson (2/25) UNCW (2/28) Old Dominion (3/6) Florida Int l (11/21) PPG RPG APG Totals (22 games) Off the bench (8 games) Stokes Named Team MVP In : Sophomore guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) earned a rare honor for a freshman last season when he was named the Hofstra Men s Basketball Most Valuable Player at the team s year-end awards banquet. Stokes averaged 12.9 points per game overall, but really came on in the second half of the year and was a key part of Hofstra s 6-2 finish to the regular season. Stokes averaged 16.0 points after becoming a starter nine games into the year (see note at left) and led the Pride with 23 points in its CAA Tournament loss to Old Dominion. Stokes In Conference: Sophomore guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) finished the regular season averaging 15.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in CAA games. He ranked third in scoring in the entire CAA in conference games, trailing only William & Mary senior forward Adam Hess (20.0 ppg) and VCU senior guard Domonic Jones (16.3 ppg), both of whom have graduated. Stokes also ranked in the top 15 in rebounding (14th) in CAA games and in the top 10 in assists (8th), joining Hess as the only two players in the CAA to rank in the top 15 in each of the three major statistical categories in league play. Stokes was first among CAA freshmen in scoring, third in rebounding and third in assists in conference games. Family Ties: Sophomore guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) may be a familiar name to those who follow the college basketball scene. His older brother, Leonard, was a four-year player at Cincinnati, where he earned second-team All-Conference USA honors as a senior. Leonard finished his Cincinnati career with 1,318 points, ranking him 17th in Bearcat history, including a careerhigh 39 in an NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA as a junior in Agudio Off To A Good Start: Redshirt freshman guard Antoine Agudio (Huntington Station, NY) has already proven to be a potent addition to the Hofstra line-up. Agudio struck for a team-high 20 points in the Pride s season-opening win over Florida International on Sunday, including 15 in the second half. He hit on four three-pointers in the second half and five for the game, leaving him one shy of the Hofstra record for threepointers by a freshman. That record was set just last season by current sophomore Carlos Rivera (San German, PR) in a win over eventual CAA Champion Virginia Commonwealth. Agudio s 20 points were also the most for a Hofstra player in his debut game since the season, when former guard Joel Suarez had 22 points in a season-opening win over Northern Illinois. Coincidentally, that game was also held at Florida International, in the opening round of the 2000 FIU Tip- Off Classic. 3

4 An Omen?: Hofstra hopes that its season-opening win over Florida International on Sunday is the start of history repeating itself. The last time Hofstra opened the season with a win at Florida International was in the season, when it defeated Northern Illinois and the host Golden Panthers to capture the championship of the FIU Tip-Off Classic. The Pride went on to finish that season with a 26-5 record, its best ever in Division I, and an America East Conference Championship. Starting Off On A Winning Note: The Pride has performed very well on opening day in recent seasons, although it hasn t always been easy. Hofstra has gone 4-1 in its season-opener in the last five years, including 3-1 under current Head Coach Tom Pecora. The only blemish in that stretch was a defeat to nationally ranked Gonzaga in the season opener, in which the Pride trailed by five with the ball in the final minute but could come no closer. The three opening day wins under Pecora have all come down to the final seconds. In Pecora s coaching debut in , Hofstra defeated Florida Atlantic when the Owls missed a buzzerbeater that would have forced overtime. A year ago, the Pride defeated Marist in the opening round of the Preseason NIT, when the game was in doubt until a three-point miss by the Red Foxes in the final five seconds. This year, Hofstra s Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) scored the game-winner with five seconds remaining in regulation, then forced a turnover on the ensuing possession, as the Pride earned the two-point win. Kieza Steps Up: Sophomore guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) wasn t the only Pride player to come on strong at the end of last season. Junior forward Aurimas Kieza (Marijampole, Lithuania) came off the bench for the first 20 games of the campaign, averaging 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest. However, injuries began to take their toll, and Kieza was pressed into starting duty for the first time on Feb. 4 against Delaware. From that point on, Kieza started the final nine games, helping the Pride to a 6-3 record. He averaged 15.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in those nine games, and earned the CAA Player of the Week Award on Monday, Feb. 23 after averaging 19.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in a 2-0 week. He also came up big in the clutch on several occasions, scoring 10 points in the final 3:26 of regulation to lead Hofstra to a win over Delaware on Feb. 4. He knocked down consecutive threes to turn a tie into a Pride lead, and then shot 4-of-4 from the foul line in the fin26 seconds of the game to help seal the win. He then hit a huge threepointer with 1:30 left in the Pride s comeback win over Old Dominion, cutting the lead to Against Towson on Feb. 25, Kieza scored eight points in a pivotal 11-2 Hofstra run that gave the Pride its largest lead at with 2:30 to play. Radziejewski Reaches 100 Threes: Senior forward Michael Radziejewski (Jackson Heights, NY) entered the season with 99 three-pointers in his career, and became the 11 th player in school history to record 100 three-pointers when he knocked down a shot from beyond the arc with just over 10 minutes left in the first half. He added his 101 st three-pointer in the second half and needs five more treys to reach the top 10 on the school s all-time list, tying Anthony Davis, who played from Norman Richardson ( ) holds the all-time record with 192 (see chart below). Radziejewski is the last link to Hofstra s NCAA Tournament team, which finished Radziejewski redshirted that season as a freshman. Hofstra All-Time Three-Point FG Leaders Name Years 3FG 1) Norm Richardson ) Rick Apodaca ) Jason Hernandez ) Tim Beckett ) Frank Walker ) Demetrius Dudley ) Carlos Dicenta ) John Mavroukas ) Errol Flanigan ) Anthony Davis ) Michael Radziejewski 2001-pres. 101 Changing Roles: Senior forward Michael Radziejewski (Jackson Heights, NY) began the season as the Pride s starting shooting guard, before eventually sliding over to the small forward position. This year, he is likely going to see substantial time at power forward in some smaller line-ups, at least until senior center Wendell Gibson (Far Rockaway, NY) comes back from the knee injury which ended his season after only 19 games. A Quick Starter: Sophomore guard Carlos Rivera (San German, PR/Miami Christian) started his first 21 collegiate games before being injured in a Feb. 4 win over Delaware last season. To find the last freshman to begin his career as a regular starter, you have to go back to current Golden State Warrior Speedy Claxton in Rivera scored a personal-best 23 points on Monday, Jan. 5 against VCU, shooting 6-of-9 from threepoint territory, setting a Hofstra freshman record for three-pointers in a game. Rivera finished the season averaging 10.8 points per game before his injury. Redshirt freshman Antoine Agudio (Huntington Station, NY) also became an opening day starter as a freshman when he took the floor at the beginning of the Pride s season-opening win over Florida International on Sunday. 4

5 Souffrant Sixth In Assists: Senior point guard Woody Souffrant (Brooklyn, NY) currently ranks sixth all-time at Hofstra in career assists with 321. He needs 34 more to move into a tie for fifth place with Rich Laurel ( ). The all-time record of 660 is held by Craig Speedy Claxton (see chart below): Hofstra All-Time Assist Leaders Name Years Assists 1) Craig Claxton ) Robby Weingard ) Darius Burton ) Frank Walker ) Rich Laurel ) Woody Souffrant 2001-pres ) Leroy Allen ) Eric Harvey ) Rick Apodaca ) Jason Hernandez M*A*S*H* Unit: One of the first objectives for the Hofstra Men s Basketball team this season is to simply get everyone close to healthy again. A year ago, the Pride lost starters Carlos Rivera (San German, PR) and Wendell Gibson (Far Rockaway, NY) to season-ending knee injuries within one week of each other. Rivera returned to the line-up on Sunday against Florida International after missing the Pride s exhibition game and scored 13 points in the opening day win over Florida International. However, Gibson remained on the sidelines and remains day-to-day. Last year, Hofstra players missed 78 games as a result of illness or injuries, while in , members of the Pride combined to miss 103 games. Gibson Injury Derails Strong Season: Senior center Wendell Gibson (Far Rockaway, NY) was on his way to an All-CAA caliber season in before he was lost for the year with a knee injury on Jan 28. Gibson was hurt with 31 seconds left in a home loss to Drexel on Jan. 28 after matching his career high with 26 points before the injury. He had really stepped up his play during the season, leading the Pride in scoring (14.3 ppg) and field goal percentage (60.7 percent). His production across the board also visibly improved from his first two seasons, particularly in field goal percentage (see following note): Wendell Gibson's Career Statistics Year PPG RPG FG% FT% Gibson From The Field: Senior center Wendell Gibson (Far Rockaway, NY) not only put up impressive scoring numbers last year prior to his injury, but he also did so in extremely efficient fashion. Gibson shot 60 percent or better from the floor in 12 of his 19 games, including nine games of 70 percent or better. Gibson ranked third in the CAA and 12 th in the nation in field goal percentage (.607) at the time of his injury. Gibson On The Boards: Senior center Wendell Gibson (Far Rockaway, NY) averaged 6.2 rebounds per game before his season-ending injury a year ago, but his impact went far beyond his individual numbers. At the time of his injury, Hofstra ranked fifth in the country in rebounding margin (+8.2 per game). His absence has clearly taken its toll. In the 11 games since his injury (10 last year, one this year), Hofstra has been outrebounded by almost one board per game, including by 10 in its win over Florida International on Sunday. The Sixth Borough?: Sophomore guard Carlos Rivera (San German, PR) and freshman guard Jorge Lebron (San German, PR) have continued a recent Hofstra lineage of Puerto Rican guards. In , shooting guard Rick Apodaca, a current member of the Puerto Rican national team, concluded a career which saw him finish ninth at Hofstra in scoring (1,422 points). In , Hofstra started an All-Puerto Rican backcourt of Apodaca and Jason Hernandez, who also scored over 1,000 career points (at both UNH and Hofstra), on its way to a 26-5 final record. That Hernadez-Apodaca backcourt started together for Hofstra in its last meeting with FIU in that season. Rivera and Lebron grew up in the same neighborhood of San German and have known each other since they were in grade school. Guarded Condition: Hofstra has relied on a deep frontcourt for the last several seasons, leading its conference in rebounding margin in each of the last four years (three in the CAA, one in the America East). However, if opening day is any indication, many of those old scouting tapes will need to be thrown out. Hofstra utilized numerous small line-ups and saw all three members of its three-guard attack of Antoine Agudio (20 points), Loren Stokes (16 points) and Carlos Rivera (13 points) in double figures. The three guards combined for 71.0 percent of the Pride s scoring in its win over Florida International, which outrebounded the Pride by ten. Of course, great guard play isn t a new phenomenon at Hofstra. Former perimeter players Speedy Claxton (Warriors, Spurs, 76ers) and Norman Richardson (Bulls, Pacers) have played in the NBA in recent seasons, while former guard Rick Apodaca is a member of the Puerto Rican National team which competed in the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece this summer. 5

6 Chairmen Of The Boards: The Pride has developed a reputation as an exceptionally strong rebounding team in recent years. Hofstra has led the CAA in rebounding margin in each of its first three seasons in the league (+4.0 in , +6.1 in , +5.5 in ), after also leading the America East Conference the previous year. Hofstra has only been outrebounded seven times in each of the last two seasons, while winning the battle of the boards a combined 42 times. Since the start of the Tom Pecora era in , Hofstra has been outrebounded only 23 times in 91 games (25.3 percent of the time). Since the start of the season, Hofstra has been outrebounded only 29 times in 122 games (23.8 percent of the time). Hofstra s Battle Of the Boards ( ) Year Games HU Opp. Even Totals Dominating The Glass: There have been 18 games in the last two years when Hofstra has held a double-digit rebounding advantage, including nine times in (eight in CAA games). Hofstra went through a stretch last January where it outrebounded its opponent by 10 or more six times in eight games. Here is a list of the double-digit rebounding margins for the Pride in the season: Date Opponent Rebounds Result 2/21 James Madison (+14) W /18 George Mason (+15) W /28 Drexel (+19) L /24 William & Mary (+18) W /21 at JMU (+19) W /10 at Old Dominion (+19) L /7 Towson (+24) W /5 VCU (+11) W /23 Saint Peter's (+23) W The Newest Board Member: If Hofstra is going to continue its recent dominance in the rebounding department, it will need to rely heavily on incoming junior college power forward Adrian Uter (Queens, NY). Uter led the entire nation in rebounding last year at Broward Community College in Florida, averaging 15.7 boards to go along with his 18.2 points per contest. He was saddled with foul trouble in the win over Florida International on Sunday, and ended up with two rebounds in 15 minutes of work. CAA Standings: Here are the final Colonial Athletic Association standings from the season: Team Conf. Streak Overall Streak VCU 14-4 W L1 Drexel 13-5 L L3 George Mason 12-6 W L1 Old Dominion 11-7 L L1 Hofstra 10-8 L L2 Delaware 10-8 W L1 UNC Wilmington 9-9 W L1 Towson 4-14 W L1 William & Mary 4-14 L L3 James Madison 3-15 L L7 CAA Preseason Poll: Hofstra was picked to finish seventh in the preseason Colonial Athletic Association media poll, which was voted on at CAA Media Day on Oct. 29 in Richmond, Virginia. Old Dominion was picked to win the conference, while four schools received firstplace votes. Sophomore guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) was chosen to the Preseason All-CAA Second Team CAA Men s Basketball Preseason Poll School (First Place Votes) Points 1. Old Dominion (13) Drexel (5) George Mason (4) Virginia Commonwealth (2) Delaware UNC Wilmington Hofstra William & Mary James Madison Towson 38 Agudio, Stokes Win Gold: One boost to the Pride s line-up this season is the return of redshirt freshman Antoine Agudio (Huntington Station, NY), who missed all of last season with an injury suffered in a preseason game. Agudio and sophomore guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY) were the top two scorers on the Long Island team that captured the gold medal at the 2004 Empire State games this summer. Agudio averaged 22.8 points per game at the Empire States, while Stokes averaged 21.5 points. Current Hofstra assistant David Duke was the coach of the Long Island team as well. Next Up: The Pride is next in action when it travels to Binghamton on Saturday for a 7 p.m. contest. It will next play at home at Hofstra Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 1 when it takes on Columbia and former Pride assistant coach Joe Jones. Jones and Pride coach Tom Pecora were assistants together at Hofstra under former coach Jay Wright. 6

7 Odds And Ends: Some strange, unusual, and sometimes relevant facts regarding Hofstra basketball: Loving The Sunshine State: Hofstra has won the last six road games that it has played in Florida, including its seasonopening win over Florida International on Sunday. Hofstra opened up the season with wins at Florida International and at Florida Atlantic. Hofstra also swept an early-season road trip to FIU and FAU in , and captured the Stetson Hatter Classic in with a win over Stetson (before beating Mississippi in the championship game). Hofstra did drop two neutral site games at South Florida s tournament in (against Illinois-Chicago and Bucknell). Defense Tells The Story: Hofstra has won 36 straight games when holding opponents to less than 60 points, dating back to a loss to Rutgers at the Postseason NIT in Last year, the Pride was 3-0 when keeping its opponents below the 60-point mark. Then Again, So Does Offense: The Pride is 25-1 the last 26 times it has scored 80 or more points, and is also 25-1 the last 26 times it has or shot 50 percent from the field or better. The Pride lost to Drexel last season on Jan. 28, the first time it had scored 80 and lost since an defeat to Delaware on Jan. 9, Closing Time: It has proven to be very difficult for opponents to come from behind late against the Pride in recent years. Since the start of the campaign, Hofstra is 79-2 when leading with 2:00 left in the game (including 11-0 last year and 1-0 this season). The Pride managed to come back and win twice last year when trailing with 2:00 left. Beyond The Arc: Hofstra has made at least one three-pointer in 229 straight games, dating back to a loss at Boston University in Beyond The Arc (Part II): A telltale sign in the season was the Pride's three-point shooting. Hofstra shot 39.9 percent from beyond the arc in its 13 wins, but only 27.1 percent in its losses. As a team, Hofstra was a perfect 7-0 last year in games when it shot 40 percent or better from threepoint land. Working Overtime: The Pride has won its last eight overtime games, dating back to a loss to Boston University in Mom Always Said It Was Good To Share: Hofstra finished 7-1 last season when it had 15 or more assists. The Pride is also 18-7 under head coach Tom Pecora when its assist-to-turnover ratio is an even 1:1 or higher. The Comforts Of Home: The Pride clearly preferred the friendly confines of Hofstra Arena last year. Hofstra scored 80 or more points five times at home, and only once on the road (at St. John s, which was a 20-mile road trip). Hofstra averaged 75.8 points at home on the year and 67.5 points on the road, a trend which continued when the Pride tallied 69 points in Sunday s win over Florida International. Hofstra Signs Seven: The Hofstra Men s Basketball program signed seven high school players to national letters of intent during the fall signing period. The seven players include: Chris Gadley, 6-8, F/C (Amherst, NY/Amherst Central HS) Dane Johnson, 6-8, F/C (Brooklyn, NY/Robeson HS) Greg Johnson, 6-0, G (Harlem, NY/Holderness (NH) School) Vic Morris, 5-11, G (Queens, NY/Cardozo HS) Sal Patricio, 6-2, G (Queens, NY/Florida Prep Academy) Arminas Urbutis, 6-9, F (Kaunas, Lithuania/Montverde (FL) Greg Washington, 6-9, C (Islip, NY/Florida Air Academy) Chris Gadley is a 6-8 power forward from Amherst, NY (outside of Buffalo). He averaged 18 points, 12.5 rebounds and six blocks a game for Amherst Central High School last season, while earning fourth-team All-Western New York honors from the Buffalo News. He is ranked 21st among the best scholastic prospects in all of New York State by Insiders Report. Dane Johnson is a 6-8 center at Paul Robeson High School in Brooklyn, NY, where he averaged 13 points and eight rebounds per game in Among his highlights last season were a pair of buzzer-beaters in big tournament victories, including a dramatic follow-up dunk at the buzzer to upset top-seeded Grady High School in the second overtime at the Brooklyn Borough Championship Tournament. Greg Johnson, a native of Harlem, NY, has played the last three years at The Holderness School in New Hampshire, where he led his team to a New England Prep School Class C Championship last season. A 6-0 point guard, he averaged 14 points and six assists a game as a junior, while reaching the 1,000-point plateau in only two and a half years. He scored 24 points in the Class C Championship game last winter. Vic Morris, a 5-11 point guard, averaged 18 points per game for Cardozo High School last winter, and was chosen the New York Public School Athletic League (PSAL) Preseason Player of the Year by Real Scout Basketball. He was an honorablemention All-Queens selection by the Daily News. Sal Patricio, a 6-2 shooting guard, is playing this season at Florida Prep Academy after starring a year ago at Bryant High School in Queens. Patricio averaged 30 points per game at Bryant, while earning second-team All-Queens honors from the Daily News. Arminas Urbutis is a 6-9 combination forward who traveled from his native Lithuania last season to star at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. He averaged 17.5 points and 12.3 rebounds last season for Montverde, which enters the campaign ranked 21st in the nation by USA Today. Greg Washington is a 6-9 center who will be attending Florida Air Academy this season. He previously played at nearby Central Islip High School on Long Island. He was ranked among the top 300 recruits in the nation by Hoop Scoop and was chosen to represent Suffolk County in the Coaches vs. Cancer All-Star game last summer. 7

8 Hofstra University Men's Basketball Roster Numerical No. Player Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School/JuCo or Prep School 1 Loren Stokes G So Buffalo, NY/Turner-Carroll/St. Thomas More 3 Justin Jones G So Alpharetta, GA/Maine Central Institute 5 Jorge Lebron G Fr San German, PR/Florida Prep Academy 11 Gibran Washington G Jr Jacksonville, FL/Mandarin 12 Woody Souffrant G Sr Brooklyn, NY/William E. Grady 13 Antoine Agudio G/F Fr Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman 21 Ryan Johnson G/F Fr Massapequa, NY/St. John the Baptist/St. Thomas More 23 Kenny Harris F Jr Bronx, NY/St. John the Baptist/L.A. CC 24 Michael Radziejewski F Sr Jackson Heights, NY/Christ the King 25 Aurimas Kieza F Jr Marijampole, Lithuania/Florida Air Academy 31 Carlos Rivera G So San German, PR/Miami Christian/Bridgton Academy 32 Brian Sisti F/C Fr Northport, NY/Northport 33 Adrian Uter F/C Jr Queens, NY/Springfield Gardens/Broward CC 42 Wendell Gibson C Sr Far Rockaway, NY/Archbishop Molloy Head Coach: Tom Pecora Assistant Coaches: Tom Parrotta, Van Macon, David Duke Alphabetical No. Player Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School/JuCo or Prep School 13 Antoine Agudio G/F Fr Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman 42 Wendell Gibson F/C Sr Far Rockaway, NY/Archbishop Molloy 23 Kenny Harris F Jr Bronx, NY/St. John the Baptist/L.A. CC 21 Ryan Johnson G/F Fr Massapequa, NY/St. John the Baptist/St. Thomas More 3 Justin Jones G So Alpharetta, GA/Maine Central Institute 25 Aurimas Kieza F Jr Marijampole, Lithuania/Florida Air Academy 5 Jorge Lebron G Fr San German, PR/Florida Prep Academy 24 Michael Radziejewski F Sr Jackson Heights, NY/Christ the King 31 Carlos Rivera G So San German, PR/Miami Christian/Bridgton Academy 32 Brian Sisti F/C Fr Northport, NY/Northport 12 Woody Souffrant G Sr Brooklyn, NY/William E. Grady 1 Loren Stokes G So Buffalo, NY/Turner-Carroll/St. Thomas More 33 Adrian Uter F/C Jr Queens, NY/Springfield Gardens/Broward CC 11 Gibran Washington G Jr Jacksonville, FL/Mandarin Head Coach: Tom Pecora Assistant Coaches: Tom Parrotta, Van Macon, David Duke PRONUNCIATION GUIDE 5 Jorge Lebron HOR-hay luh-bron 11 Gibran Washington jib-ron 12 Woody Souffrant soo-frahnt 13 Antoine Agudio uh-goo-dee-oh 24 Michael Radziejewski RAD-jee-ESS-kee 25 Aurimas Kieza or-eem-is key-asia (like the continent) 33 Adrian Uter YOU-ter 42 Wendell Gibson when-dell Coach Tom Pecora puh-core-uh 8