Hofstra preview: Playing transition game

Hofstra men's basketball is in a period of transition. Although the Pride has veteran players, second-year coach Mo Cassara sees a team that will progress as new teammates get used to working with one other.

It's "a team that is going to work hard and get better as the season goes on,'' he said. "Last year was a new system, new staff, and it took a while to adapt, and I think we're going to see a little bit of that this year, certainly. There's no guy out there that we know can go and get us 25 points any night that he really wants to.''

Charles Jenkins, the latest guard to lead the Pride's offense, has graduated. Beginning with the Speedy Claxton era more than a decade ago, guards have dominated Hofstra basketball. Now there is no household name emerging, only guarded optimism.

The point guard will be Rhode Island transfer Stevie Mejia, a quarterback who will set up points, not produce them.

Said Cassara, "Adding a veteran point guard [Mejia] who has never played with these guys before and asking a guy like Mike Moore to go from being the second guy to the top guy, there's a transition here for a lot of these players.''

"At Hofstra, we say in guards we trust,'' 6-5 senior Moore said. "I'm going to try and carry on that legacy, be the best player I can be.''

Moore can produce points, but can he dominate in the manner of a Jenkins or Claxton or Antoine Agudio? "I'm more of a Norman Richardson type,'' he said of the terrific player from the Claxton years, "a tall, lanky guard on the wing.''

"There's no pressure to be a great player,'' Mejia said. "I just want to win. I feel like we do have enough experience and talent to be successful. I bring intensity, getting guys open, running the team.''

The guard position will be bolstered by Dwan McMillan and Shemiye McLendon, who will come off the bench.

Think frontcourt, because that is what Cassara will be concentrating on going forward in his recruiting. "Certainly there have been great guards that have played here,'' he said. "But I really feel like we have to have great frontcourt players in this league. We have to get better, more athletic frontcourt kids to go with great guards to be able to really win in this league.''

Therein lies the key to the transition. Cassara is anxious to see the progress of David Imes and Stephen Nwaukoni and thinks now-healthy swingman Nathaniel Lester can combine with Moore to score points.

He's really excited about two of his own recruits. There's 6-7 freshman Moussa Kane, who has the potential, given some time, to be an impact scoring and rebounding forward. And 6-10 Bryant Crowder, who transferred from the College of Southern Utah, could fill the shot-blocking void left by Greg Washington, who graduated with Jenkins.