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 Wednesday, March 14, 2001
Much Pride around Hofstra these days
By Marc Connolly
ABC Sports Online
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Before the college basketball world was hip to exactly what a Speedy Claxton was, or where a place called Hofstra University was located, Jay Wright strolled across campus with a friend visiting from the University of Florida one morning after finishing up his usual morning practice.
As they passed students scurrying around between classes, not a single gesture was made in Wright's direction. No awkward waves from nervous freshmen, no, "Hey, Coach" quips from upperclassmen. Nothing.
|  | | Hofstra's Jay Wright is quite the hot commodity these days. |
Once they reached the Physical Fitness Center, the pseudo-high school gym where the basketball team used to play before a 5,124-seat, modern arena was erected last winter, Wright's friend shook his head in amazement.
"If Billy Donovan ever walked around campus on Florida," he said, "the kids would be going crazy."
Oh, how things have changed.
With Wright clasping the reigns of the America East juggernaut, his senior-laden squad is making its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the East's 13th seed with the nation's longest winning streak at 18 games (26-4 overall). And Wright's squad couldn't go unnoticed if they tried.
"Usually I like to blend in, but it's hard to now," said senior guard Jason Hernandez, who will shadow Earl Watson when the Pride faces No. 4 UCLA on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C. "Everyone is just so excited about us and they feel a part of it since we're a small school. No matter where you go -- the deli, the barber shop or the 7-Eleven -- people are talking about Hofstra and our bracket."
"It's been so exciting," said senior forward Norman Richardson, Hofstra's meal ticket, averaging 17.7 points per game. "All the students are talking about us -- even the faculty is having fun with it and asking us about UCLA."
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Hoftstra's game plan:
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Before jetting off to Greensboro, Hofstra conducted its usual 8 a.m. morning practice. For a team that prides itself on man-to-man defense, Jay Wright's troops spent time working on a matchup zone. Noting UCLA's superior athleticism and quickness, all Wright would confirm is that they would show the Bruins a little bit of both. With UCLA's Steve Lavin being a close friend of Wright from their days as assistants in the early '90s at UCLA and UNLV respectively, the 39-year-old coach knows he'll have to mix things up.
"He knows everything about our team," said Wright, who could pass for Lavin's brother. "He called me yesterday and gave me the whole scouting report. He's been following us all year. He was letting me know he's seen every tape and every game, and that they have great respect for us. We won't sneak up on them, I can tell you that."
Wright has been watching the Bruins all season long as well. So he believes he knows what it takes to beat them.
"Their press is very effective, but what is very important is that after they make you turn the ball over, they score quickly," said Wright. "Some teams make you turn it over, but they don't score. I think that's going to be the major key. If our guards can handle pressure and make shots, we'll give them a game."
--- Marc Connolly
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What's the big deal? Of course, their hoops team is being treated like Gods for giving them a bigger reason to feel a part of March Madness than by simply being in a bracket pool. It's the same thing that's taking place in college towns with names like Lawrence, Chestnut Hill, College Park and Lexington. The major difference is that no one on the grounds of this 240-acre campus situated 25 miles east of Manhattan, or anywhere near Long Island, cared about Hofstra basketball a mere three or four years ago.
Bisected by the jam-packed Hempstead Turnpike, Hofstra's spread-out campus is made up of 12,800-plus students. With 75 percent of the students commuting from all over the Island, most of the grounds are dominated by parking lots, non-descript cement buildings and traffic jams rather than dormitories and scenic quads.
On this drab and rainy day, one can make out plenty of blue-and-gold paraphernalia despite the overloaded presence of raincoats and North Face gear. A conglomerate of students gathered around the University Club to provide a small but proud sendoff for their boys as they boarded the bus for nearby LaGuardia Airport. Most were eager to reminisce about the overnight transformation of Hofstra hoops.
"It's all over the papers now and everyone talks about them," said David Taylor, a senior. "It used to be so low-profile. Now, when you say you go to Hofstra, people mention the basketball team. It's also a lot more professional now."
A lot of that has to do with its move last December to the state-of-the-art, $15 million Hofstra University Arena, located in the center of campus. It doesn't compare to an end-all, be-all dream facility like the Dean Dome. Nor does it have a student section that rivals schools in conferences like the Big Ten, SEC or the Pac-10. But it is one of the reasons many a commuter has decided to stay on campus on a cold midwinter night or fight weekend traffic on the deathly Long Island Expressway to catch the Pride.
"We used to sit on these wooden seats in the Fitness Center. It didn't feel like a college game," joked Harley Rice, a junior on the baseball team. "The new stadium changed everything."
Coach Wright made sure that the team's new home contained a student section behind one of the baskets where they could gather free of charge. It took off right away, better than expected.
"A bunch of us started painting faces and bodies and just doing all the fun stuff other kids seem to have at bigger schools when they go to games," said Jayce Riley, a sophomore. "The guys on the team seem to love it."
So much so that a new postgame ritual developed.
|  | | Hofstra senior forward Norman Richardson was named an honorable mention for AP All-American on Tuesday. |
"The players go up and shake all their hands after the game, which is a nice tradition that's been built," said Wright of his group that features four senior starters. "There's really a pride that's developed now."
Since Thursday's game is in North Carolina, only one packed Greyhound of Pride faithful will be road-tripping down to support the team outside of the players' families and close friends. But expect Bogart's, a popular sports bar and grill, to be as loud as the Nassau Coliseum across the street, which will host the East Region's other subregionals this weekend.
"I came to Hofstra in '91 and only 50 people went to games," said owner Matt Prince, who spent the day decorating his establishment with various signs with slogans such as "Make U.C.L.A. look U.G.L.Y." "Now we have sellouts, TV games and we're playing John Wooden's team. It's hard to believe. We'll be going crazy in here come Thursday."
No matter what happens against the Bruins, getting back to Bracketville and seeing the school's athletic reputation change from being simply "Wayne Chrebet's school" to, dare anyone say, a basketball school, is a promise made good for those who have built it.
"When I first signed with Hofstra, a lot of people criticized me," said Richardson, who grew up playing ball with Stephon Marbury in Coney Island. "They said Hofstra would never be good. I wanted to help turn things around, and with guys like Speedy Claxton and the other seniors on the team, we did that. I think that's why we've become so appreciated, because we came here before there was a reason to play for Hofstra."
"When we recruited these seniors, we had to explain to them what Hofstra was," explained Wright, whose squad now becomes "New York's team" with St. John's not being in the field. "The last few years in the metropolitan area, we didn't have to explain who we are and where we are. The only thing that builds tradition is time and accomplishments, and we're starting to do that now."
Marc Connolly is a senior writer for ABC Sports Online.
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