The Hofstra University women’s basketball team looks to continue the momentum it built at the end of the 2024-25 season to secure their first Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) title in program history. While the Pride finished with a 14-16 record (9-9 in conference) and sixth in the CAA, they won their last five regular season conference games.
Hofstra has their work cut out for them in non-conference play. The Pride will suit up against two ranked teams: University of Maryland (No. 10) and University of Kentucky (No. 24), as well as Fordham University, East Carolina University and University at Albany who all finished above .500 last season.
“Every single night in the CAA is a battle; it’s a battle, and it’s a test so to be battle-tested and then non-conference play is just gonna prepare us for conference,” said Hofstra head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “We’re on the road a good bit, and being on the road is just gonna continue to help us and prepare us for that conference play and tackle that brutal schedule that we all know it is in the CAA.”
There were constant ups-and-downs all year long, from starting 2-1 to falling to 3-6; from losing six conference games in a row to being 9-15; from having one of the hottest ends to a season in program history at 14-15 to being eliminated during the first round of the CAA Tournament by The College of William & Mary – the eventual CAA champions. There are clear bright spots all over the team’s roster, and the goal is to be more consistent throughout the year, even with the big lineup changes.
“One of the things that I love about this team is our maturity, our experience. We’ve got nine upperclassmen; we’ve got seven graduates and seniors on our team, and I think those multiple experiences that some of them have and come in with is only gonna help our team,” Santos said. “Wanting to come into this year and have an impact, and just really take this program to levels that it’s never seen.”
Hofstra has a much different look coming into this season. They have lost power with the graduation of their two dominant players – Ramatoulaye Keita and Zyheima Swint –as well as LaNae’ Corbett, who transferred to Elon University. The trio accounted for 48% of the Pride’s rebounding last season (19.2 per game), a number that will be difficult to replace. Yet, the Pride attempted to via the transfer portal, bringing in senior center Deivejon Harris from Texas Southern University and senior forward Sandra Magolico from Southern Methodist University in March. They will need both players to make an instant impact in the season.
“I think we’re bigger and more physical inside this year. I’m excited about that,” said Santos. “We did lose a lot of rebounding in that class last year, but I think we were able to fill those spots with a lot of talent and looking at the way [Magolico] gets in there and crashes the board with her length and athleticism, the day [Harris] gets in there and crashes the boards with her length and athleticism.”
In her junior season with the Tigers, Harris averaged 5.7 rebounds per game, which ranked third out of all players on the team last season despite being eighth in minutes. She started 20 games last year as well, so there will not be an issue if she needs to step into a bigger role.
Magolico only tallied eight minutes per game last season, down from 9.8 the season prior, but achieved career highs in points per game, rebounds per game, steals per game, blocks per game, field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Coming from a deeper SMU squad, she is expected to log good minutes with the Pride.
Although Hofstra is not quick to throw freshmen into the fire, last season some of them played important minutes. Maddie Pounds logged 20 games last season, including four games with more than 10 minutes. The freshman class for Hofstra this season includes guard Syniya Barton from South Hempstead, New York, forward Kiyanna Blacks-Stewart from Sicklerville, New Jersey and forward Olivia VanPatten from Cranston, Rhode Island. With the lack of forwards on the roster this season, Blacks-Stewart and VanPatten could get significant playing time.
The senior class will carry a lot of the load this year. It includes recent transfers, such as Harris, Nevaeh Brown and Magolico. Ayen Angoi, who played with Hofstra last season and was a major contributor when players went down, will also be graduating along with Chloe Sterling who has started every game she’s played with the Pride. There are also the homegrown seniors – Alarice Gooden and Emma Von Essen – who have been a part of the program since they first stepped foot on campus.
“I’m just so excited we get to have [Sterling] as a part of our program for another year,” said Santos. “She’s definitely going to be an impactful player for us but it’s also her leadership and the way she brings this team together and the way she demonstrates at a level and an expectation, at a level and a standard, that she brings of herself every single day. The players surely follow.”
Gooden had the hottest stretch of her career to end last season, averaging 9.3 points and shooting 48% from the field. Her fourth quarter heroics versus Stony Brook University were a highlight of last season. She scored 13 of Hofstra’s last 14 points in regulation, shooting 4-4 from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe. With the graduation of Janaia Fargo and the loss of Sabrina Larsson to the transfer portal, Gooden is expected to be more involved than last year.
Von Essen comes into this season fourth of all time in three-pointers made in Hofstra women’s basketball history with 205. Since her sophomore season, she has averaged 78 made 3-pointers per season. If she can keep that pace, she will finish second all time with 283 behind Cigi McCollin with 291. Von Essen has always been available, missing just two games in her collegiate career. She comes into this season with 94 games played. If she plays every game this season, she will finish with 126 games played.
“To see where [Von Essen] is now talking an entire practice and bringing just great leadership to our team vocally and physically. I mean, again, she’s another one that just has the discipline of a winner. She’s in the gym every single day,” said Santos. “She’s been playing in this postseason, this summer and this preseason with so much confidence. She looks like a senior out there on the floor. She’s been here 4 years, and she wants to go out seeing this program at its best.”
Hofstra’s staff has had some changes as well, bringing in Ryan Starr as the coordinator of video and player development and Natasha Holloway as the newest Director of Women’s Basketball Operations in June, as well as Keila Whittington as an assistant coach in September. Santos believes in their staff and the chemistry they have with the players; building and maintaining a consistent and healthy culture is important to this program.
“I [have to] brag on my staff. I always say I put my staff up against anybody in the country,” said Santos. “I got just a phenomenal staff in what they do and caring about these players, looking to get the most out of them on the floor and off the floor, helping them grow and develop.”
As always, the goal is to capture the program’s first CAA championship. The Pride’s hot finish to last season could be a building block.
“I thought we finished the conference season, the regular season, playing some great basketball,” said Santos. “We ran into a hot William & Mary team that finished out really well, but this team’s hungry. They’ve come back knowing that we have more to prove and also being willing to put in the work that it’ll take in order to become that championship-level team and program.”
Hofstra began its campaign on Monday, Nov. 3, against the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, at the Watsco Center. Tipoff was set for 5 p.m.
