Season Preview: What are the next steps in Claxton's third year as head coach?
Expectations within the Hofstra University basketball program were set sky high when longtime head coach Joe Mihalich passed the torch to program legend Speedy Claxton in 2021.
In two short years under their prodigal son, the Pride has racked up a pair of 20-win seasons, a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) regular season title, back-to-back conference Player of the Year awards and a postseason win over a power conference team. Claxton’s success in Hempstead has resulted in a lucrative contract extension, causing those expectations to hit record heights as the program heads into its third year with Claxton at the helm.
Despite a significant amount of roster turnover, Hofstra enters the 2023-2024 season driven by the feeling of unfinished business, as this group aims to avenge an early tournament exit and reach their first NCAA tournament since 2001.
At the center of Claxton’s immediate success has been back-to-back CAA Player of the Year Aaron Estrada, who departed for the University of Alabama this offseason after a legendary run wearing the Pride’s blue and gold. In doing so, the Woodbury, New Jersey, product leaves a gaping hole in the middle of this Hofstra rotation.
“Estrada meant everything to us, and those shoes are going to be hard to fill,” Claxton said. “He’s definitely going to be missed, but that’s what college basketball is all about. Other guys have to get better and step up for us.”
Estrada’s departure puts fifth-year senior Tyler Thomas in position to play the hero for Hofstra. Despite playing second fiddle to Estrada throughout last season, Thomas proved to be one of the biggest hidden gems in the transfer portal, notching 16.5 points per game and posting the nation’s 90th-best effective field goal percentage after arriving at Hofstra from Sacred Heart University. Although Estrada may be playing in Tuscaloosa this season, Thomas plans to adopt key facets of his predecessor’s game as he attacks the new season.
“Most of the things I took from [Estrada] are going to be seen moving into this year,” Thomas said. “Some of his movement patterns, stop starts, his hesitations; he’s a very shifty player and I was trying to study that going into this season.”
With Estrada’s departure allowing Thomas to move up in the pecking order, junior forward Darlinstone Dubar should experience a similar phenomenon. Standing at 6 feet, 8 inches, Dubar presents an intimidating blend of size and athleticism, as he shot 38.6% from downtown last season in addition to a 60.8% conversion rate in the paint. The Iowa State University transfer will likely wear many different hats based on Hofstra’s opponents this year, as he’s demonstrated the ability to be efficient both on the wing and at the small forward spot. In preparation for his new role with the Pride, Dubar has opted to spend the offseason working on the physical side of his game.
“We’re looking for him to have a big year, and I think he will,” Claxton said.
If any player on this roster embodies “New York tough,” it’s Jaquan Carlos, a scrappy 6-foot point guard from Brooklyn that willed his way onto the CAA’s all-defensive team last season while simultaneously quarterbacking Hofstra’s offense. Carlos was used on 15.9% of possessions and took 13% of Hofstra’s shots when on the court, yet still posted averages of 6.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest. The next step in Carlos’ growth will be to improve on a subpar true shooting percentage of 47.3% to round out his offensive game. Claxton sees the point guard’s ascension to stardom to be an inevitable conclusion.
“[Carlos] has been here in the gym all summer long, and I know he’s going to take a huge jump because of it,” Claxton said.
Hofstra brought in a pair of experienced transfers to anchor their frontcourt last season, and the success of Warren Williams and Nelson Boachie-Yiadom spurred Claxton and company to go a similar route with Canisius University’s Jacco Fritz and Iona University’s Silas Sunday. Fritz presents the Pride with a unique opportunity to stretch the floor at 6-10, posting Canisius’ second-best assist rate and shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc.
“Fritz is very similar to [Boachie-Yiadom], and that’s one of the main reasons we recruited him,” Claxton said. “He’s a different kind of five that can excel on the perimeter. He’s got a high IQ, can pass the basketball and shoot it from three. He’s going to provide a brand-new dimension to our offense.”
Despite not seeing much game action at Iona last season, it’s clear to see that Sunday brings a much more physical presence to the rotation at 7 feet tall and 270 pounds. The Lucan, Ireland, native also becomes the first seven-footer to wear a Hofstra uniform since the 1992-93 season.
“[Sunday] is the type of guy that you don’t see around here,” Claxton said. “With his size and skillset, at some point in his career here, he’s going to blossom.”
While the likes of Thomas and Dubar will handle the bulk of the scoring, the wing duo of Bryce Washington and German Plotnikov are poised to provide the Pride with some strong 3-and-D minutes in support. Plotnikov, a junior college product from Minsk, Belarus, quickly established himself as one of this team’s most valuable inside-out defenders but underwhelmed with a mark of 29.2% from deep. The 6 foot, 6 inch weapon shot 40.2% from the outside at North Platte Community College two seasons ago, leaving optimism for an uptick in shooting this year.
“[Plotnikov]’s the kind of guy that gets better each and every day,” Claxton said. “He’s been shooting the basketball much better than ever before, and we’re expecting big things out of him.”
Washington, a graduate student and University of Pennsylvania transfer, played just 11 minutes per game as a senior last year but delivered when called upon, shooting 38.1% from downtown as a reliable catch and shoot piece.
“We need [Washington] here, and he’s going to be a much more important piece of the puzzle,” Claxton said. “He was our seventh man last year, and we’re going to count on him to be consistent every night.”
Hofstra rounded out their roster by adding a pair of unproven transfer options in Myles Wilmoth and Eric Parnell. Wilmoth spent the first leg of his college career at Butler University but opted to return to his home state of New York after playing sparingly. The 6 foot, 9 inch forward demonstrated fluid passing ability and a smooth stroke from downtown, giving Hofstra more opportunities in terms of spacing the floor. Parnell aims to give this group more shooting flexibility after knocking down 40% of his 3-pointers at Eastern Florida State College.
“[Wilmoth] is something we’ve never seen here at Hofstra,” Claxton said. “A guy that’s 6 [foot,] 9 [inches] and can play on the perimeter, we’ve never had that here before.”
While the level of unique talent coming to Hempstead is noticeable, Claxton understands that adding four new players from across the country presents its own set of challenges.
“We’ve got to work on our chemistry overall,” Claxton said. “We’ve got a lot of new guys, a lot of new faces, and chemistry is everything when you play the way we do.”
Expectations can be difficult to manage for a team losing its best player after falling short in the conference tournament. Hofstra didn’t receive a single first place vote in this season’s CAA preseason poll; instead, the Pride was picked to finish fourth by the conference’s coaches and media. While others may be painting a grim outlook for the Pride this season, this group remains steadfast in their pursuit of the ultimate goal.
“This is what we do here: we’re about building champions, winning championships and that’s never going to change,” Claxton said. “We fell short the last two years, but we’re confident we’ll be back stronger and compete to win a championship.”
Over the course of the last two seasons, Claxton and company have hammered down the framework to build a perennial contender in Hempstead. With a winning culture already in place and an extensive catalog of accomplishments already in the rearview, the only thing left for this team to do is prove the pundits wrong and claim that elusive ticket to the big dance.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
