The Hofstra men’s basketball team has been without star forward Rokas Gustys since Jan. 26 due to a lower body injury. The junior was averaging 8.8 points and 12 rebounds per game before missing the last three games.
Junior forward Hunter Sabety has started in Gustys place, and has filled the void successfully.
Sabety was playing around 10 minutes a game while averaging just 3.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.
Since slipping into the starting role, the 6-foot-9-inch forward has played 29.3 minutes per game.
He has taken advantage of the extra minutes, putting up 11.3 points and grabbing nine rebounds per game in his three starts.
Hofstra head coach Joe Mihalich said last week that “You’re going to get an opportunity, and Hunter took advantage of [his].”
Sabety has also electrified the crowds and his teammates on both ends of the floor with slam dunks and big-time blocks.
The Hofstra crowds have gotten to see how much this role player can contribute when given the chance.
He notched his first career double-double in Thursday’s win over Delaware, scoring 14 points and grabbing 15 rebounds over 32 minutes.
The Achilles’ heel that comes with the added minutes is Sabety’s tendency to foul.
In the Pride’s comeback win over Drexel on Saturday night, he fouled out with five minutes left in a close game.
If Sabety can eliminate the unnecessary fouls, he can continue to play valuable minutes even after Gustys returns.
One area where Sabety provides a huge improvement over Gustys is free throw shooting.
Gustys has struggled at the line all season, shooting a woeful 24.7 percent. Sabety, on the other hand, has been able to make 59 percent of his chances from the charity stripe.
The injury to Gustys has given Sabety a chance to find his game and become a valuable contributor to this year’s team.
Asked about his success, Sabety said “I knew whenever I had the opportunity I was going to be able to step up to the plate … [the success] feels good, but the wins feel better.”
Sabety has proven himself to his team and the fans.
If and when Gustys returns to the lineup, look for Sabety to possibly have a bigger role than before and continue to contribute.
