“Wonderful.” 

That is the first word that comes to Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Joe Mihalich’s mind when asked to describe his tenure at the University. Currently in the heat of his seventh season with the Pride, Mihalich’s career has been nothing short of wonderful. He just celebrated his 400th win as a coach and is leading a powerhouse team headed for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament. 

Humbly, Mihalich is quick to contribute his success to the players. 

“It’s been a fun year and it’s really a good group of guys,” Mihalich said. “You know, when you’re a teacher or a coach, the pleasure comes in the people that you work with. I’m lucky to be with a good bunch of guys and so we enjoy every day.”

The tight-knit bond and brotherhood among the team members is largely due to Mihalich’s leadership. Promoting effective communication, he starts every single practice by going around and saying hello to each team member and asking how they are. 

“I think we always have to be aware that everyone is different, and you can help motivate them in different ways and it’s really all about communication,” he said. “I go around 14 times [and] say, ‘Hey, how are you doing? How was your day?’ And you know sometimes you can tell, ‘Hey, maybe he’s in a bad mood…’ so then you can act accordingly just to keep everyone’s morale up and keep them motivated.” 

The strong connection on and off the court can also be attributed to Mihalich’s unique approach to recruitment. 

“People always say, ‘What are you looking for, when you go look at the high school players?’ and I think they think you’re going to say, ‘Well, we need a seven-footer and someone who is really fast and somebody who can jump high,’ but I always talk about six things,” Mihalich said. “[Are you a] good player, good person, good student and then do you love the game? Do you hate to lose? And will you work hard?”

Mihalich believes these criteria are a major component to the program’s success. 

“When you throw those six things together and everybody has those things in common, then everything kind of falls into place,” Mihalich said.

His coaching career began in Hyattsville, Maryland at DeMatha Catholic High School. In 1981, Mihalich made the leap to college basketball, serving as the assistant coach at La Salle University until 1998. 

“I was an assistant coach for a long time,” Mihalich said. “I always said when I get my chance, I know what I want to look for, I know what I don’t want to look for.” 

Prior to coming to Hofstra, Mihalich led the Purple Eagles at Niagara University, where he received numerous accolades for his coaching and drove the team to 265 victories, three appearances at the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths. 

Now, sitting in the top of the CAA, the Hofstra men’s basketball team is a force to be reckoned with under Mihalich. The season has been successful thus far, but Mihalich and the team are focused on staying strong and staying motivated.

“In a way, we’re always preparing for those three days in March,” Mihalich said. “We use that expression, ‘Three days in March, three days in March,’ all the time. I’ve said it since July.”

He emphasized that this mentality continues off the court too, making sure the players are sleeping enough, eating right and getting stronger in the weight room. 

“You’re always preparing for it,” Mihalich said.

Mihalich played collegiately at La Salle from 1974 to 1978 and served as team captain in 1978. Drawing from his own experiences on the court as a student athlete, Mihalich is able to optimize his coaching strategies. 

“I think we all learn from experience, it’s the only way to learn. … We all learn on the job,” Mihalich said. “Through the years, I’ve learned [about coaching] by being around great teams and I’ve learned [about coaching] by being around teams that weren’t so good.” 

As an experienced coach, Mihalich emphasized that he is continuously learning. 

“I learn more from the players than they learn from me, and I think coaches learn from each other,” Mihalich said. “If you want to be good, you always have to have that mentality that you can learn something new every day.” 

Mihalich gets the opportunity to learn from other exceptional coaches every day right within his own family. His three sons all coach on the collegiate level: Joe is an assistant coach for the University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team; Matt is an assistant coach for the University of Hartford men’s basketball team and Tony is an assistant coach for the cross country and track and field programs at George Mason University. 

But rest assured, it’s always friendly competition among the family. 

“We just root so hard for each other. Because we love each other, we’re not upset if one guy does better than the other. We hurt more for the loss when somebody loses a game,” Mihalich said. 

“We do commiserate and compare and talk,” he said. “Whether it’s a recruiting story or a bad practice, good practice, bad game, good game … we do always share notes and so forth.” 

Over the course of his time with the Pride, Mihalich has brought the team to postseason play three times. Last season, he was named the CAA Coach of the Year after a historic 2018-19 season and a 16-game win streak. He became the first Hofstra coach to receive such recognition since the University joined the CAA. 

“I’ve had so many great memories,” Mihalich said. “All the memories would eventually lead to the special times I’ve had with special guys. I love them all.”

For Mihalich, some moments that stand out personally in his career at Hofstra, are winning the regular season championship in 2016 and beating UCLA this year. 

“It’s hard to pick out one,” Mihalich said. 

It is no doubt that Mihalich has changed Hofstra men’s basketball and will be known as one of the greatest coaches in its history. His immeasurable impact spreads into the entire Hofstra community and is more than the team’s astonishing records or star players. The true legacy is in Mihalich’s kindness, determination, his passion and his dedication to the team on and off the court. 

“[Hofstra is] a fabulous place. My experience here has been [with] great people, I just feel so lucky to be here at a place like this,” Mihalich said. “It’s a world class institution. We have incredible leadership … and I just feel lucky to be here, I really do.” 

And Hofstra is lucky to have him. 

Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics