By Ed Morrone
By the time this story finds most hands, Loren Stokes will probably have already surpassed the 2,000-point mark-that’s how close he came to it his last time out.
Stokes scored 21 points in Saturday’s 82-66 win over Northeastern (giving him the not so pretty number of 1,999 in his storied Hofstra career), helping his team avenge a Jan. 13 loss to the rebuilding yet feisty Huskies. Stokes will have to wait until tonight’s game against Drexel (a big enough game in its own right) to become the fifth player in school history to reach the magical mark of 2,000. Still, even though the milestone was literally within his fingertips-he missed two free throws in the game-the quiet and humble senior from Buffalo, N.Y., wasn’t too concerned with personal accolades.
“No, I just wanted to get a win,” Stokes insisted with a smile. “I’m just trying to put us in a good position so we can go into the [CAA] Tournament and win it.”When pressed, Stokes still wouldn’t give in.
“It’s a great feeling because it just shows how much better this program is getting,” he said. “It [2,000 points] shows me that all the hard work this team has done is paying off. It’s not me individually, it’s a whole team effort.”
Despite the dismay the sellout crowd felt when Stokes fell short and made them wait an extra five days to witness history, the fans were undoubtedly pleased about the solid efforts of some of Stokes’ teammates.
Carlos Rivera, who has been slowed by some nagging injuries and uncharacteristic struggles from the field (40 percent on the season), had his best all-around game yet against the Huskies, notching 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Forward Mike Davis-Sabb, often a scapegoat for Pride fans who unfairly expect both he and Chris Gadley to fill the shoes of Adrian Uter and Aurimas Kieza, had one of his best games of the season in grabbing 13 rebounds.
“He [Davis-Sabb] tries so hard to be perfect that it often gets in the way of him having good nights,” head coach Tom Pecora said. “But hopefully this is a step-13 rebounds is big time, we haven’t had one of our forwards do that in a long time.”
Since day one, the forwards, not the guards, have been the key to Hofstra’s success. This is certainly a debatable argument, but Hofstra knows what it’s getting every night out with its backcourt. Together Stokes, Rivera and Antoine Agudio average about 51 points per game, a number that can rival, if not trump any team in the country. But after losing Kieza and Uter’s offensive production as well as their senior leadership, an oversized burden has been put on the inexperienced frontcourt, and it has shown a lot more than it hasn’t.
Both Davis-Sabb and Gadley have shown flashes, but the growing pains are evident after both have been thrown in the fire after not playing much as freshmen last season. Saturday’s game was probably the best combined effort the team has received from both players.
Davis-Sabb had seven points in addition to his 13 rebounds and stayed out of foul trouble (only two in 29 minutes). Gadley only played 16 minutes, but looked confident when he was on the floor, notching six points and three boards.
“I thought our baseline players stepped up and had a presence,” Pecora said. “Whenever that happens, that’s great for us.”
Hofstra (18-6, 11-2 CAA) will need all the help it can get from its frontcourt as the team is getting ready to embark on a brutal three-game stretch against Drexel (tonight), at George Mason (Saturday) and at Old Dominion (Tuesday). All three are teams the Pride can expect to see in next month’s CAA Tournament.
“This can really define our season,” Pecora said. “If you want to win the CAA championship then these are the games you find a way to win.”
