Hofstra ended a successful 2004-2005 campaign with a loss to
St. Joe’s in the NIT. This year they are looking for a little
deeper run in a post season tournament. Head coach Tom Pecora
returns a talented squad into a talented conference.
Who’s Out:
Nobody departing started over 14 games last year, so the Pride
are well equipped to handle the losses. Wendell Gibson averaged
9.1 points and a team high 6.3 rebounds. The 6-7 forward played
in only 18 contests, starting 14 of those. Swingman Mike
Radziejewski started 11 contests, averaging 6.9 points and 3.4
boards. Woody Souffrant averaged 12.3 minutes per outing,
averaging 2.1 points.
Who’s In:
Power forwards Arminus Urbutis, Robert Hines and Chris Gadley
could make the biggest impact this year for Hofstra. Urbutis
played at the Montverde Academy in Florida after coming to the
states from his native Lithuania. The 6-9 forward is a solid
rebounder and will be expected to fill in off the bench
immediately. Hines is undersized at 6-5, but with 250 pounds of
muscle, the junior college transfer out of Arizona Western will
battle underneath. Gadley is surprisingly quick for a 6-8, 250
pound power forward. Center Dane Johnson will add even more
young depth to the frontcourt. The backcourt picks up a true
point guard in Greg “Playstation” Johnson. He’s a terrific
passer but has a tendency to get careless with the basketball.
He’ll get some lessons on taking care of the ball learning
behind a deep and talented returning backcourt.
Who to Watch:
Loren Stokes, Antoine Agudio and Carlos
Rivera makes a very daunting backcourt, but it will be the
performance of the frontcourt that will be the difference
between a good and great year in Hempstead, NY. Much of that
will fall on the performance of Adrian Uter. The 6-8 senior
forward averaged 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds a season ago. Uter
played in all 30 games, starting 16 of those, but will be asked
to contribute more minutes.
Projected Conference Rank:
Tough is one way to describe the CAA this
year. George Mason, UNC Wilmington and seemingly many others
will be fighting to get into the top half of the conference. A 5th
place finish isn’t as bad as it sounds in the Colonial this
year, which will put the Pride close to another trip to the NIT.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected Starting Five:
Loren Stokes, Junior, Guard, 18.3 points per game
Antoine Agudio, Sophomore, Guard, 15.1 points per game
Carlos Rivera, Junior, Guard, 7.4 points per game
Aurimas Kieza, Senior, Forward, 7.8 points per game
Adrian Uter, Senior, Center, 6.2 points per game
