CBI gives Hofstra seniors chance to shine
Hofstra's Charles Jenkins will very likely pass the 2,500-point mark in his career during the Pride's CBI opener against Evansville on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Hofstra did not make the NCAA Tournament or the NIT, but its inclusion in the College Basketball Invitational will be like the Senior Ball.
Charles Jenkins, Greg Washington and Brad Kelleher hope to end their careers in style. And their younger teammates hope to assist starting Tuesday night, when Hofstra (21-11) plays at Evansville (15-15) in a first-round game.
Jenkins, Hofstra's all-time leader in career points with 2,499, is poised to become only the 62nd player in NCAA history to reach 2,500. (He seemed likely to become the 61st before BYU's Jimmer Fredette scored 82 points in his last two games to get to 2,501.) "I'm happy he has the opportunity and I'm going to be there to help him," sophomore David Imes said.
For Hofstra, the CBI was a last chance at postseason play. "I felt we had an NIT resume," coach Mo Cassara said. "But that tournament has gotten tough. It is more difficult than it used to be with 14 teams getting [automatic] bids."
Evansville plays in the Missouri Valley Conference, which Cassara equated to the Colonial Athletic Association, in which Hofstra was eliminated in the tournament semifinals by eventual champion Old Dominion.
"Our guys are still excited to play,'' he said. "For Charles, [reaching 2,500] will be an incredible accomplishment, another feather in his cap.''
Jenkins is raring to go, saying: "This is another great opportunity for me to put the Hofstra jersey on again. I'm happy for what we've done. We've got an inexperienced team that won 21 games. The opportunity to play in a postseason again is definitely a great accomplishment."
Jenkins, who usually downplays his statistics, is ready to embrace his point total. He didn't know how close he was until Kelleher told him recently. "I'm able to separate myself from a lot of people," he said. "That is definitely great for me and the program."
