There wasn’t much room for optimism for the Hofstra women’s basketball team last season, and according to those looking in from the outside, there isn’t much room for it this year either; the Pride is projected to finish last in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), according to a preseason coaches’ poll. However, for those in the Hofstra locker room, there are still plenty of reasons for the team to keep their heads up entering the new year. 

“We feel we underachieved last season, and with that, it made us hungrier,” said head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson. “Now, we feel going into this year we’ve got a chip on our shoulder. We’re hungrier.” 

There was a lot left to be desired last season as the Pride limped to an 8-20 finish while dealing with injuries to key players, along with a midseason pause due to a COVID-19 outbreak, before being unceremoniously eliminated from the CAA tournament in the first round.  

“There were so many things this past season that we just weren’t able to control,” said Santos Atkinson. “It just kind of got the best of us. There were many games we played with just six, seven or eight people, and those people are our returners. So, one of the things I think that we gained from last season was the experience of our returners heading into this year.” 

The team’s six returners will be tasked with taking charge early this season, especially since last year’s entire starting lineup has moved on, while seven new recruits adjust to the program. For senior guard Sorelle Ineza, consistency will be pivotal for the Pride if they want to exceed their preseason expectations. 

“Consistently being in the gym was the emphasis this offseason,” Ineza said. “A lot of returners have stepped up vocally and made sure that we’re on the same page.”

As new players enter the fold, the Pride are taking the opportunity to reshape their offense around sharing the ball, after averaging just 51.2 points per game as a team last season, the worst mark in the CAA. 

“I feel like everybody can score when they want,” said Brandy Thomas, a graduate transfer from Long Island University who has been named a team captain in her first year at Hofstra. “It’s just about who is the most open and what’s the best option on the court, so I feel like we have more options. It’s just about who’s killing it at the moment.”

As much as moving the ball will help, the Pride will need to be more proficient from beyond the arc. In the 2021-22 season, the Pride was by far the worst three-point shooting team in the conference, hitting just 87 of their 386 attempts. This year, they hope for a much different stat line. 

“The three is going to be a really good option for us this year,” Ineza said. “We put a lot of work into getting in the gym and getting extra shots and actually working on shooting the three. Find the open person and know our favorite spots, so we know where we can hit them consistently.”

While the team’s offense was lackluster a year ago, Hofstra was actually quite sound on the defensive end of the floor as they only surrendered an average of 61.9 points per game, third best in the conference, thanks in part to Rosi Nicholson. 

The guard was selected to the CAA all-defensive team last year after leading Hofstra with 62 steals, including seven in one game against Northeastern University on Feb. 6. Entering her first season as a graduate student, Nicholson received a preseason honorable mention.

“She has a motor that exceeds anybody that I have ever coached,” Atkinson said. “She has a competitiveness and a willingness to do whatever the team needs. When you have players like that, it raises the level of everybody around them.”

Hofstra does lack significant size in the middle of the floor this year, which could expose them to giving up easy shots underneath the rim. However, Nicholson feels the Pride can work around that problem. 

“Even though we’re undersized, we’re quick,” Nicholson said. “We have guards who can get out in transition, change speeds and still get downhill. So, we have a lot of things in our pockets. We have a lot of tricks up our sleeve that people probably aren’t expecting.”

While she will be the team’s defensive anchor, Nicholson has also made efforts to ensure her game isn’t one-dimensional. Towards the end of last year, Nicholson began to emerge as one of Hofstra’s biggest offensive weapons and has worked to expand that aspect of her game this season. 

“I’m not just someone who is all defense,” Nicholson said.  “I’m not someone who’s just an attacker and a driver. I want somebody to have to play me honestly, so that’s kind of where my headspace has been.”

A clear headspace is one of the pillars of the Hofstra women’s basketball program. Despite not posting a winning record in seven years, a strong sense of optimism still permeates from this team. 

“Optimism is a very big piece for us,” Nicholson said. “Every season, you’re going to have adversities. You’re going to have something that doesn’t go the way that you expect it to, but it’s the way that we attack it that matters. I feel like with our positive mindsets, discipline, commitment and tenacity, we can push through those things.”

Optimism has been at the center of Atkinson’s coaching philosophy since taking over the program in 2019. Even though she is yet to see the payoff, she remains optimistic that positive results will eventually come.

“When I took this job, I knew it wasn’t something we’d be able to do in one or two years,” Atkinson said. “I knew it would take us a few years to turn this thing around and get it going. I think when you are able to clearly see a vision of where it is that you’re headed, you can keep that optimism because there’s nothing along the way that is going to steer you off course. You know where you’re headed, and you know where you’re going. All you got to do is stay the course, and you will get there.”

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics