As the weather continues to chill around Hempstead, the Hofstra University men’s basketball team sought to start a hot streak in the warmer climates of California and Florida. When the Pride set off for the Golden State following a win over New York Tech, the team sat at a crossroads of their season. The team would face their ultimate task of the regular season: flying to California for three games, taking a quick stop back on campus at Hofstra, heading to Florida for the Boca Raton Invitational Tournament, before ultimately returning to the Empire State.

At 2-2 and the pressure from a No. 1 preseason conference ranking, a match with the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins offered a challenging start to a cross country adventure. While UCLA is a perennial power year in and year out, the game offered a major opportunity for the Pride to put their name on the map and establish themselves as a team worthy of CAA glory and national attention.

“It brought personality to our team,” said Eli Pemberton, who contributed 15 points in the victory. “Big wins like that make the brotherhood even closer.”

With a team effort like none other this winter, the Pride downed the Bruins in a win that will be remembered as a defining moment in the history of Hofstra Basketball.

“The mood after the game was surreal” said coach Joe Mihalich. “It was one of the happiest locker rooms I was ever in.”

The win earned the Pride national attention and well-deserved respect, from highlights on SportsCenter to a congratulatory tweet from legendary coach and commentator Dick Vitale. The trip continued with a win against California State University – Fullerton and a loss at the University of San Diego.

The 2-1 trip to California provided a spark for the Pride, particularly on the offensive side of the game. The collection of top scorers diversified scoring Hofstra’s attack with players such as Desure Buie (29 points vs UCLA), Eli Pemberton (leading scorer vs Cal State Fullerton) and Jalen Ray (27 points vs UCLA), who all stepped up against top competition.

“There’s no one guy you can key in on, anyone can have a good night,” Buie said.

The diversion from one scorer creates a matchup challenge for opposing teams, who must choose whom to guard and press against a team with double digit potential across the floor.

The trip continued with two more commanding additions to the win column, besting Holy Cross University and Canisius College to capture the Boca Raton Invitational Tournament victory.
In addition to in-game success, the off-court regimen and commitment of players and coaches alike drove the road trip to new heights.

“Our strength coach came with us, icing our legs, which was so great for every game,” Ray said.

“I’ve never been through anything like it, it was 9,000 miles in 12 days and it was really hard [but] we were able to spread it out and do things you would not normally do on campus,” Mihalich added.

While basketball was the central point of the trip, the team is made up of “student” athletes, and schoolwork remained a priority for the guys. As a result, Coach Mihalich named the student advising staff as an unsung hero of the trip.

“We had academic advisor Rachel Peel with us the whole time. We had study halls every day, and the guys actually got a lot of work done academically, thanks to her.”

It feels like years ago since the 2-2 Pride went “California Dreamin.’” They now sit at a confident 7-4 winning six of their last eight contests, including the two played in Florida.

“It’s beautiful, coming home and seeing all the fans and students come out in a great atmosphere. We missed being back home, it gives us our edge” said Pemberton.

Their return to the Mack hasn’t been cake walk, as Long Island rival Stony Brook University visited Hempstead and provided a great challenge in a game that residents in Nassau and Suffolk Counties circle on their calendars each season.

Prior to the victory, Mihalich commented on the surging Stony Brook squad. “It’s a cross town rivalry game, one of those games for bragging rights. They’re a hot team, they’ve won four in a row, so hopefully our guys are ready.”

The Pride were ready and came out on top 71-63.

A recent poll among the NCAA listed Hofstra as a #14 seed with a spot in March Madness.

When Selection Sunday rolls around in a few months, the committee will certainly remember the UCLA victory and the immense travel trip that displayed the ultimate potential of the 2019-2020 Hofstra Pride Men’s basketball team.

Image Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics