In the paint

BY STEVEN MARCUS

A debate between the candidates for President of the United States will be held at Hofstra next October. (Will presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton will declare herself a Hofstra fan?)

The debate over the merits of this season's basketball team starts very early. Saturday's game against UNC-Wilmington, usually a strong entry in the CAA, may provide a good indication of what is to come. No game this early will make or break the Pride but coach Tom Pecora did promise he was reloading, not rebuilding this season. An earlier victory against Manhattan was nice, but the loss to St. Francis was alarming. What's next? We'll see.

BY STEVEN MARCUS

Stony Brook's basketball team has has been overwhelmed by a show of support from fans in Kentucky, who learned about the medical crisis affecting the mother of senior center Emanuel Neto. SBU lost in Kentucky Tuesday. E-mails have been received offering donations to help fund a kidney transplant for Neto's mom, who lives in Angola (where transplants are not performed) and has a donor match in her twin sister. Money and a favorable ruling by the NCAA stand in the way of her receiving the transplant in the United States. One especially touching email was sent to Neto. "I want to tell you I will be praying for your mom and hope the very best for her,'' it read.

Click here to read the Neto story.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

For the third straight season St. John’s will get nothing close to a full season from arguably its best player. The last two years it was because of Daryll Hill’s knee. Now it is Anthony Mason Jr’s ankle. Mason reinjured the ankle when he stepped on the foot of Long Island University guard Jaytornah Wisseh while coming down from a rebound with 5:58 left in the last night’s 68-56 win. Also, lets not forget Lamont Hamilton missing last season's Big East tournament with a knee injury. St John's getting its top players hurt had been a stroke of bad luck that it's been unable to avoid the last three seasons, even though it had chances to last night.

"If D.J. [Kennedy] makes the first layup, he doesn't get hurt," coach Norm Roberts said. "If Justin [Burrell] makes the second layup, he doesn't get hurt. But this is life in college basketball. We have to deal with it."

As simple as it sounds Roberts is right. If you are St. John’s you put Mason out of your mind for now. He won’t be back anytime soon. You may not see Young Mase on the court until the Holiday Festival in late December. Mason missed three weeks and three games after the first injury. If they were cautious with him before they have to be extra cautious now.

Mason did not look particularly sharp on the injured ankle last night with just four points on 4 of 9 shooting from the field and 0-for-3 from three. St. John’s can survive its non-conference schedule without him as long as Larry Wright’s hip discomfort is nothing serious. They have plenty of depth at guard. Kennedy, Mason’s replacement, is averaging 13 points and 9.5 rebounds a game and looks like the real deal.

You know what you are going to get from Eugene Lawrence both in play and leadership, making his presence on the court that much more important. He can’t have too many more games like last night, playing limited minutes because of foul trouble. Even so, this long stretch without Mason has to be looked at as a major growing experience for the team’s freshmen. It is a chance for Paris Horne, Burrell and Kennedy to continue to shoulder the responsibility and the minutes left in Mason’s absence.

In 2005-06, when I was the managing editor of The Torch, the award-winning student newspaper of St. John’s University, the headline to the lead column of our annual Courtside basketball preview read: “Young Mase Sets Pace.”

Now it’s up to the team’s talented freshmen to continue their’s without him.

Taking the good with the bad

Here are some quick things to take from the game.

THE GOOD: St. John’s is now 4-0 and has proven it can earn the NEC’s automatic NCAA tournament bid come March.
THE CONCERN: St. John’s plays in the Big East.

THE GOOD: Justin Burrell posted his third straight double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
THE CONCERN: The next best performance out of the Red Storm front court was Dele Coker with two points and three rebounds and four fouls.

THE GOOD: Eugene Lawrence only turned the ball over twice.
THE CONCERN: Four fouls limited him to just six points and two assists. He shot just 2-of-8 from the field and 0-for-4 from three.

THE GOOD: D. J. Kennedy again was sensational. The freshman scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds and had five steals.
THE CONCERN: No complaints here.

BY RODERICK BOONE

Hofstra has added three players for the 2008-09 season. I wrote a story about it and it's posted on newsday.com.

It's never easy to tell how a player is going to fit in and if they will pan out to be anywhere near as talented as the coaches claim. We'll have to wait and see if these turn out to be as good as coach Tom Pecora makes them sound.

In the meantime, Hofstra (1-2) remains focused on this season and trying to find a way to beat UNC Wilmington in the CAA opener at Mack Sports Arena on Saturday.

"We need to play a complete 40 minutes the way we are capable of," Pecora said.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

St. John's senior point guard Eugene Lawrence earned his first career appearance on the weekly Big East Honor Roll for last week. Lawrence averaged 18.5 points and 8.5 assists in wins over Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson. He leads the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio, with 22 assists and just three turnovers. The captain is second in the conference in assists per game with 7.3 and sixth in free throw percentage at 83.3 percent.

Big East Awards

Big East Player of the Week

Brian Laing Seton Hall, F, Sr.

Laing averaged 20 points and 8.7 rebounds, while helping the Pirates to win three games in the Philly Hoop Group Classic, which included a 74-60 victory over nationally-ranked Virginia. In the win Laing scored a game-high 25 points and had 10 rebounds.

Big East Rookie of the Week

Donte’ Greene, Syracuse, F, Fr.

Greene earned the award for a second straight week by helping Syracuse place third in the NIT Tip-Off. Greene scored a game-high 25 points and had 10 rebounds in a 91-85 win over Washington in the third place game. He is averaging 20.6 points, second in the BIG EAST.

Big East Honor Roll

Jerel McNeal, Marquette, G, Jr.

McNeal averaged 17.7 points and 3.7 rebounds and was named to the Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team.

Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, F, So.

Harangody averaged 23.5 points, 12 rebounds and had a 55.6 field goal percentage in two wins.

Jeff Xavier, Providence, G, Jr.

Xavier had 27 points and four steals and shot 7-for-11 from three in a win over Harvard.

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, So.

Reynolds averaged 17.7 points, four assists and was named to the Old Spice Classic All-Tournament Team.

BY MARCUS HENRY

Stony Brook found a way to stay with Kentucky. I know, this isn't your father's Kentucky team that was a final four contender every year under Rick Pitino or your grandpa's team that dominated college ball under Rupp. But it's still Kentucky. And the Seawolves deserve credit for only losing 62-52. Hey, they actually trailed by six with less than six minutes to go. But as has been the case this season, the Seawolves couldn't score. Not even from the free throw line as they hit just 11 of 20 attempts.

The good news is Michael Tyree had another strong game with 13 off the bench. And he hit three from long range in the second half. Mitch Beauford had 20. The main one missing from action was Ricky Lucas. He is still the team's best player, but he hasn't been consistent scoring. He needs to start pouring it on at some point, or Stony Brook (0-6) will struggle every night.

BY RODERICK BOONE

There's no time to wallow in the disappointment of Wednesday's loss at St. Francis. Hofstra can erase those memories if it can pull off a win Saturday when the Pride host UNC Wilmington in the CAA opener for both teams.

Most conferences don't begin head-to-head action until January. But in the CAA, much like the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, that's not the case. Each team plays at least one CAA game before the ball drops in Times Square signaling a new year. It's a fact of life in a 12-team league.

"You realize how important it is, the Wilmington game," Hofstra coach Tom Pecora said. "I'm not a fan of it but we have no choice with the number of teams we have in the conference. You're not what you are yet as a team and neither is your opponent. This conference has been determined by one loss. Us not winning the championship two years ago I think was one game in the regular season. So it's horrible for a loss in December to dictate what kind of team you are in February, early March. But you've got to find a way to win the game, bottom line."

Six other CAA teams hit the court for CAA conference openers this week. George Mason, the preseason favorite hosts Drexel at 7 p.m. Thursday at 7 p.m.. Both teams are off to fast starts with 5-1 records.

Besides the Pride's game, Saturday will feature two other CAA matchups. Northeastern hosts James Madison at 1 p.m. and Old Dominion travels to the ATL for a date with Georgia State at 7:30 p.m.

Next week, Towson is at Delaware on Dec. 3 and William & Mary goes to VCU on Dec. 5.

Ready for some conference action or what?

BY MARCUS HENRY

Kia Wright returned to the lineup for the St. John's women. The Storm didn't really need her, though, as they ripped Dartmouth, 74-31, to improve to 3-1. The important thing was that everyone contributed. Six players had eight or more points. Kelly McManmon led the way with 16 and Joy McCorvey had 10 points and eight rebounds. No one played more than 27 minutes.

Dartmouth isn't exactly a world beater, but it's important that the Red Storm has a strong non-conference record heading into Big East Play. Wright played 14 minutes and finished with four points, three rebounds and two assists.

Winless in its first five games and now Stony Brook plays Kentucky at Rupp Arena. What answer will SBU have for Joe Crawford (19.5 ppg), Ramel Bradley (15.3) or Patrick Patterson (15.0)? We think none. Seawolves coach Steve Pikiell will take the monetary guarantee and the big time atmosphere for his kids and then get out of town. ``It's good in recruiting, I can really sell that to kids,'' he said. ``It is a good oportunity to get our name out there. It is a good experience for our kids, then let's get back home and get to work.'' Stony Brook figures to break the losing skid when it returns home to face Dartmouth Dec. 1.

BY MARCUS HENRY

Lack of scoring is killing Stony Brook. In Saturday's 66-46 loss to Columbia, only one member of the Seawolves scored in double figures. That was Nick Carter with 13 points. Leading scorer Ricky Lucas scored just five points. The problem was he only took five shots. Lucas needs to score 17 to 18 points per game for the Seawolves to have a shot. Even if it's a bad 17 points, he needs to be more aggressive. Shooting 2-for-5 from the field won't get it done in any league.

But I'm sure he will look at the box score and realize he needs to put up more shots.

BY MARCUS HENRY

A loss is a loss, but the Stony Brook women's team played well in a 74-68 loss to Manhattan on Saturday. The Seawolves shot 49 percent from the field. Yes, the team dropped to 2-3, but they are off to a better start than some expected. Coach Michele Cherry is getting contributions from just about every player. Jodie Plikus came off the bench for 14 points.

There will be some growing pains for the Seawolves, but the level of pain won't be that high. The Seawolves are at Quinnipiac on Thursday.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Justin Burrell needs to get used to posting double-doubles.

The St. John’s freshman had the first of his career against Sacred Heart on Wednesday night. He had 15 points and 11 rebounds, 10 and 8 of those came in the first half.

“I was not aware until we were walking up the tunnel,” Burrell said. “It does feel great, but I am happier with the win.”

If his is going to get his team more victories, he will need to produce more nights like Wednesday. With the departure of Lamont Hamilton, Burrell is thrust into the role of team’s best inside player. He struggled scoring in the post the few times he touched the ball there in the second half, but made quality moves. Dele Coker and Sean Evans did a superb job rebounding, but they are not the combination of strength, size and athleticism that Burrell is. He used those attributes to grab rebounds and earn put backs among crowds of Sacred Heart defenders. Burrell did a little lobbying for a call with the referees at times.

“We talk about it all the time, but he’s young,” Roberts said. “You can be a senior and you can lobby for a call too. He’s just got to learn to get back in transition quicker and he’ll do that. The way he played tonight he can lobby at least one or two times.”

If he continues to play that way, he may not have too.

BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI

Eugene Lawrence is playing at a higher level than St. John’s fans are accustomed to seeing from him.

While fans concern themselves more with the performances Red Storm’s freshmen, Lawrence is averaging 11 points and 6.5 assists and has committed just two turnovers in St. John's first two games. The most astounding numbers though are his shooting percentages: 50 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc. He shot 5-for-5, including three 3-pointers while scoring a game-high 17 points during a blow-out win over Sacred Heart on Wednesday.

Last season Lawrence averaged just 7.2 points, shot 38.2 percent from the field and turned the ball over 123 times, the most in his career. Yes, the first two games this season were against St. Francis College of Brooklyn and Sacred Heart of the NEC, which have far from the level of guard play Lawrence will face in the Big East.

“It doesn’t matter what conference whether it is Northeast or Big East,” Lawrence said after Sacred Heart game. “We just try to come out with the same intensity and we try to play harder than our opponents.”

No matter what the competition, you have to be encouraged.

When Lawrence arrived at St. John’s as a freshman many were unsure if he was a Big East talent. He has certainly proven he belongs. Lawrence continues to be a great passer. He is the Big East’s top returning assist man this season and is fifth on St. John's all-time list with 423 assists.

Lawrence’s turnover numbers will play a big role in St. John’s success this season. His scoring output should subside when Anthony Mason Jr. returns to the lineup, but he will remain the team’s primary ball-hander. Outside of Larry Wright the Red Storm’s other guards are unproven against Big East pressure. It is his job to help handle it and get the ball into the hands of the team’s versatile scorers.

Lawrence will give you the same high level of intensity, especially on defense, every night and is the perfect leader for a team with young talent that has so much upside.

I’m also sure he won’t mind throwing alley-oops to guys with the length and leaping ability of D. J. Kennedy, Paris Horne and Justin Burrell.

Roberts after the game on Tomas Jasiulionis’ knee tendonitis:

Roberts does not believe it is something that will keep him out for a long stretch of time. “I think his is doing ok,” Roberts said. “His knee started bothering him a little bit. He wasn’t moving well today. That is probably the reason why I didn’t put him back in. He tried to go a little bit and I said let’s get him out. He will be fine. He’s such a tough kid.”

BY RODERICK BOONE

The shock in the voice on the other end of the phone said it all.

“They lost?” the person asked incredulously.

Yes, Hofstra dropped a 60-57 decision to St. Francis (N.Y.) last night. As the players give thanks today, I’m pretty sure that turkey and stuffing isn’t going to taste as good as it would’ve had the Pride left Jay-Z’s home borough of Brooklyn with a win against the Northeast Conference foe.

Anyone who witnessed the first half and left the building early to get in some of the bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic surely had to be a little shocked when they heard the final score. It was a game Hofstra was dominating in the first half and should have won. But as Dennis Green so famously said, as rehashed in one of those funny commercials, Hofstra “let ‘em off the hook!” The Pride surely did that, watching an 11-point first-half lead whittle down to nothing in the second half.

“In the first half, we had opportunities to really extend the lead to 16,18 and we didn’t do that,” said Hofstra coach Tom Pecora, who even drew a technical foul with hopes of firing the team up after a lethargic second-half start. “That’s the sign of an immature younger team.”

Team chemistry just isn’t there. The players are still learning each other’s tendencies on the fly, but junior forward/center Dane Johnson believes it’s only a matter of time before things start clicking.

“Everybody is not familiar with certain players,” Johnson said. “But we are coming together and at the end of the season we are supposed to be a very good team.”

We’ll see if Johnson’s words ring true.

Hofstra has a long layoff until the players can get back on the court and wash the taste of last night’s bad loss out of their mouth. Ten days off, in fact, before the Pride host UNC-Wilmington in its CAA opener Dec. 1 at Mack Sports Complex.

“It’s a great opportunity just to get better,” Pecora said. “We’ll take (Thanksgiving) off, go straight through maybe take one day off during that stretch. But that’s exactly what a young team needs. We need to go in and work everyday on all those little things that make a difference.”

By ERIK BOLAND

It's not that Syracuse is playing badly, it's just that the Orange have no answer for this year's Greg Oden. Not that Kosta Koufos, Ohio State's seven-foot freshman is anywhere near the center who led the Buckeyes to the championship game last year, but he's put on a show thus far tonight. And not in the dominating, physical way Oden did last season.

Koufos is 6-for-8 from the field and has a game-best 15 points as Ohio State has grabbed a 42-34 halftime lead over Syracuse in the second semifinal of the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Garden. Included in the six field goals are, gulp, two three-pointers, the second of which had Orange coach Jim Boeheim simply shaking head.

Freshman Donte Greene leads the Orange with 12 points and Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf each have six. Some of the best young talent East of the Mississippi on the floor tonight.

By ERIK BOLAND

Four undefeated teams here at the Garden and it's unlikely many will be here to see them. Less than an hour before the tip of tonight's first semifinal of the NIT Season Tip-Off and folks aren't exactly streaming in.

Of course, the first semifinal matchup - Washington vs. No. 15 Texas A&M - probably has a lot to do with that. Presumably, New York isn't exactly a hotbed for alumni groups of either team. The second matchup - No. 21 Syracuse vs. Ohio State - might still draw a crowd, though scheduling that game at 7 instead of 9 [and it likely will tip closer to 9:40] would have helped.

Still, there will be plenty of talent on display tonight. Junior Jon Brockman, a muscular 6-7 255-pound forward, is averaging 23 points and 11.7 rebounds for Washington through three games and 6-7 junior foward Josh Carter is worth watching for the Aggies, as is 7-0 freshman center DeAndre Jordan.

Finding a contributing senior on the respective rosters of Syracuse or Ohio State is tougher than finding someone at the Garden last night not chanting "Fire Isiah" Actually, there's one for Ohio State - guard Jamar Butler - but the main Buckeyes attraction is freshman center Kosta Koufos, a 7-footer who is supposed to fill the shoes of Greg Oden, last year's No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. Koufos has done well so far, scoring 18 points in the Buckeyes season-opening victory over Wisconsin-Green Bay and adding 19 against Columbia.

Syracuse starts one junior - three-point threat Eric Devendorf - but the excitement around the Orange revolves around the two freshman in the starting lineup - guard Jonny Flynn and forward Donte Greene. Flynn set a freshman-debut record with 28 points vs. Siena and the 6-11 Greene had 26 points and nine rebounds against Fordham. Expect an up-and-down game in this one. Be back later.

BY RODERICK BOONE

Hey guys,

Here’s a look at tonight’s game for the Pride. The day of each game, I will give you the blow-by-blow right here of what to expect and how the Pride stacks up with its opponent. So check back before every game (and after for complete analysis, of course) and we’ll have a little fun. If there’s anything else you guys want to have thrown in these scouting reports, just let me know and we’ll do it.

The matchup: Hofstra (1-1) at St. Francis of N.Y. (1-2)
When: 7 p.m. today
Where: Peter Aquilone Court
Key players: Hofstra – Antoine Agudio, Sr., G (29 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.5 apg); Charles Jenkins, Fr., G (12 ppg, 7 rpg); Darren Townes, Jr., F (5 ppg, 6 rpg); St. Francis – Robert Hines, Sr., F (23 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.7 apg); Jamaal Womack, Sr., G (15.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.3 apg); Kayode Ayeni, Sr., F (11 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
All-time series: Hofstra leads 22-12
Streaks: Hofstra won 1; St. Francis lost 2
Last time out: Hofstra is coming off a 73-71 OT win over Manhattan in Saturday’s home opener. Freshman Charles Jenkins had a breakout game with 19 points, and came up with some big plays down the stretch. It was a much better, overall complete effort than the one the Pride turned in its disappointing loss at Holy Cross in the season opener.
The skinny on St. Francis: After a 62-59 season-opening win over Hartford, the Terriers have dropped their last two games – a 72-64 loss St. John’s 72-64 and to Maine 85-82 in overtime. Senior forward Robert Hines has been a monster, averaging 23.0 points and 7.3
rebounds in three games. Senior guard is playing well, too, averaging 15.3 points and a team-high 3.3 assists. The sixth man, sophomore forward Kayode Ayeni, is providing a lift off the bench.
Pecora’s keys/thoughts: “St. Francis is one of those undersized, scrappy teams. Obviously, they are going to play with great energy at home. Our glaring weakness right now is rebounding. We need to get better at rebounding the basketball. We’ve got to get a fire under our big guys and get them going out and dominating the backboards. If we can do that, defend and rebound, we’ll be in pretty good shape.”
Outlook: This is a game Hofstra should win, with an emphasis on should. St. Francis plays in the much weaker Northeast Conference, but does feature two solid players in Hines and Womack. But since most of the key players for the Pride (Agudio excluded, of course) are mostly inexperienced on the collegiate level, there’s still some mystery as to what team will show up. Will it be the one that had jitters in the sloppy loss against the Crusaders? Or the one that hung tough and pulled out a gritty win against the Jaspers? Truthfully, it needs to be the latter. Hofstra must win this game to sustain momentum going into its 10-day break. After tonight, the next time the players slip on their game uniforms, it will be Dec. 1 for a CAA game against UNC-Wilmington at Mack Sports Complex.

BY STEVEN MARCUS

There were some laughs when Stony Brook guard Mitchell Beauford said he wanted to be a doctor. That was his freshman season and his grades were suspect. He had a difficult adjustment to academic life at Stony Brook--some thought he was on the way out--but he stayed the course and the guy we've always called Doc will graduate next month and then go on to graduate school. A high school standout at basketball-rich Christ the King, Beauford never became the next Speedy Claxton on the court, but he will achieve the significant goal of a college degree.

BY RODERICK BOONE

Charles Jenkins was recognized by the CAA today. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound freshman guard from Springfield Gardens was named the conference's co-Rookie of the Week.

Jenkins netted 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting in Hofstra's 73-71 win over Manhattan in overtime Saturday. The freshman guard clinched the victory thanks to stealing an inbounds pass with 3.5 seconds left and swishing a pair of free throws. In a team-high 44 minutes, he also had five rebounds and three steals.

Could this be the first of many awards for the Queens product?

Bob Knight is going country, all the way to the Little Nashville Opry (son of the Grand Ole Opry) for what the producers are terming "motivational and anecdotal stories.'' He will appear next April and it will cost $45 minimum to hear his tales.

"Once I picked up a chair,'' is not likely to be retold. The coach is not expected to sing, but may field questions from the audience.

BY RODERICK BOONE

For those of you who might have missed it, Hofstra got off the schnide on Saturday with an exciting 73-71 overtime win against Manhattan at Mack Sports Complex.

Charles Jenkins, 6-3 guard out of Queens, played a game-high 44 minutes in his second collegiate outing and dropped in 19 points against the Jaspers. Antoine Agudio, of course, had a team-high 30, but we all know the Pride need some consistent second and third options and Jenkins' outing was a start.

So what's this mean outside of the Pride being 1-1? This is what it means: I had the opportunity to cover Manhattan the previous two years at my previous stop and have been around MAAC basketball for the past five seasons. From top to bottom, that is one of the best mid-major leagues in the country and a win against a solid Manhattan team that features good players like Antoine Pearson and Devon Austin is a good one, believe me. Don't sleep on the Pride's gutty win.

But now, it's important for the Pride to build off this win and keep the momentum going against St. Francis (N.Y.) Wednesday. With a young, mostly inexperienced team, if Hofstra can find a way to win that game, it will keep the memories of the Pride's dismal season-opening loss at Holy Cross a distant memory.

BY MARCUS HENRY

Yes, the season is only two games old for the St. John's women, but you have to be impressed. The Red Storm improved to 2-0 with a win over No.24 N.C. State at the TD Banknorth Classic. Monique McLean had 17 points and freshman Sky Linday had 10.

The two most important aspects of the game, aside from the win, was that the Storm survived against a ranked team without Kia Wright and did it on the road.

No coach likes to look ahead, but the Red Storm's next stretch of games could really get them on a roll. They have a home game against Dartmouth, Boston U, UMass, Maine and Louisiana Monroe and road games at Monmouth and Hartford. All are winnable games. No. 13 Baylor comes to Alumni Hall on December 22.

BY MARCUS HENRY

Armed with a healthy squad, save for Kia Wright, the Red Storm should be better equipped to deal with 24th-ranked N.C. State in the TD Banknorth Classic today in Vermont. A win against the Wolfpack and the Red Storm advance to the final where they will face the winner of Brown-Vermont.

Today's game presents a good opportunity for the Red Storm to show the Big East and the country that last season's 8-20 debacle was a fluke of a year that came about because of a rash of injuries. It will also give several newcomers, including Sky Lindsay, Kristin Moore and Kelly McManmon a chance to get experience filling in for Wright.

Coach Kim Barnes Arico has already seen positive contributions from them.McManmon had 13 points, Moore added 10 and Lindsay scored 7 in the Red Storm's 72-58 win at Army.

Tip is set for 2:30 p.m.at Patrick Gym in Burlington, Vermont.

BY STEVEN MARCUS

At 0-3, it would appear the Seawolves are in trouble. But non-conference games are nothing short of exhibitions, so who cares?

Better to win them, of course, but the true test will be SBU's America East schedule. Can it go .500 (for the first time in D-I conference play) and contend with Albany, Boston University, etc.

The jury will be out until after the holidays.

By ERIK BOLAND

The schedule guarantees the Hofstra Men’s basketball team will play 30 games this year.

It will lose all of them.

That’s right, the Hofstra Pride are this year’s Iona.
The opening-night reviews seemed to suggest that, at any rate.

Relax, folks.

Hofstra without question had a miserable season-opener at Holy Cross last weekend with assorted shooting clinks and clanks coming roster-wide from everyone but Antoine Agudio. But the overeaction to this snap-shot of the 2007-08 Pride has been comical.

Keep in mind Hofstra started 0-3 last season...and won 22 games. Will this year’s Pride post 22 victories? Probably not, but season-opening games, particularly for young teams such as Hofstra, are no more a predictor of future success than this year’s Jets starting 0-2.

Ok, bad example.

Still, growing pains - while cliche - are a fact for any team lacking experience. Those pains might continue Saturday against Manhattan, then again they might not. The game is important because it’s the next one on the schedule and an opportunity for some of the young talent on this team - of which there is plenty - to discover their respective roles.

What the game isn’t is some kind of statement. Statements come in late January and early February.

Not in November. Certainly not in Game 2.

BY STEVEN MARCUS

If there is anything less compelling than the NIT, it is the pre-season NIT. Excuse me, they now call it the NIT Tip-Off.

Too bad strikes by the TV writers and Broadway show union will not affect this coming to MSG next week. Whomever sells this as an exciting tournament is the Lying King.

This built for Syracuse production (that is the only name that might sell tickets) out did itself this year with New Jersey Institute of Technology (good thing it wasn't Southampton), High Point (a low point in name recognition) and Delaware State (not to be confused with the Delaware Hofstra plays).

The NIT was founded in 1938 by sportswriters. I think that was also the year they coined the term ink stained wretches.

BY MARCUS HENRY

Stony Brook's 0-2 start notwithstanding, there were several positives the team could take from its losses to Villanova and Lafayette.

First: Michael Tyree can shoot the ball. He drained three 3s and scored 18 points against Villanova. He only went 1 of 5 against Lafayette, but he came to the program with the reputation as a shooter.

Second: Emanuel Neto is 5-for-5 from the field in the first two games. He also has 18 rebounds in his first two games. If Neto can become a force offensively, Stony Brook could be dangerous. For that to happen, the Seawolves guards need to get the ball inside on a regular basis.

Third: Stony Brook got 28 points and 25 rebounds from its bench against Lafayette. That is certainly a positive.

Now for the downside. Monday's 76-68 overtime loss to Lafayette was the epitome of the 2006-2007 Seawolves. They would go into halftime with a lead only to lose by a small margin. That has to change. Stony Brook needs to start closing out games. Failing to close out games last year cost Stony Brook 5 to 7 wins. A 9-20 season could've easily been 14-15 or even 16-13.

Stony Brook fans need to keep the faith, because coach Steve Pikiell knows what he's doing.

BY MARCUS HENRY

No Kia Wright? No problem, for now. The Red Storm got off to a good start without Kia Wright in their 72-58 win at Army. Monique McLean picked up where she left off last season with 21 points. More importantly, newcomers McManmon (13 points) and Kristin Moore (11) got in on the act in the win.

Freshman Sky Lindsay scored 7 points and added four assists in the win. Recee Mitchell had nine points and Angel Tate had eight points.

You're probably asking the significance of all of this. Last year the Red Storm dressed seven players most nights for the first six week of the season. Against Army, Mitchell, Tate and Moore all came off the bench. If the Red Storm can get solid production from the bench on a consistent basis, they have a chance to get back to where they were in 2005-2006 when they went 22-8 and earned a NCAA at-large bid.

In the Red Storm's 83-74 win over the Traveling All Star's, McLean had 21 and Sky led the team with 22 points (8-for-16 shooting) off the bench.

Wright's absence the first couple of weeks of the season will allow Lindsay, Moore and McManmon to gain the experience necessary to take on a tough Big East schedule.

It's early, but things are beginning to heat up for the Storm. Yeah, I know that was an awful pun. Deal with it!

BY RODERICK BOONE

So before the season started (last Thursday to be exact) I had a chance to chat with Hofstra coach Tom Pecora. I was trying to get a feel for how the Pride would fare this season. I asked him how the team was looking and what its chances were.

Pecora said he'd tell me on Sunday. He probably had a good idea then, but didn't want to spill the beans. He understands he has a young supporting cast around star Antoine Agudio and Hofstra's expectations are going to hinge on those who are needed to step their game up a notch. Who's that you ask? Truthfully, it's everyone in the rotation. At this point, multiple options are needed and there's a "Help Wanted" sign hanging on the door. Who will pluck it down and sign up for the job?

Only time will tell.

Pecora's theme for this season is early pain and late gain. Looks like he's going to be right. The Pride will take more than its share of lumps in the early portion of its schedule. How quickly it learns from its early-season mistakes will depend on just how fast the Pride can turn things around. Obviously, the sooner, the better. Otherwise it could be a long season.

Do you guys agree or disagree?

BY MARCUS HENRY

As the Stony Brook women's basketball team put the finishing touches on their 52-47 win over Sacred Heart, I thought back to last season. The squad lost two of the all-time great players in team history in Mykeema Ford and Jessica Smith. Leah Getz and Kelly Watson also departed. So did head coach Maura McHugh.

That's four starters, including the America East Player of the Year (Ford) and first-team All-America East selection (Smith), and a coach from an 18-10 team that missed the WNIT by an inch last year.

The team started the season on a positive note with a 66-57 win over Iona last Friday. The Seawolves followed that up with a dreadful 98-35 loss to UConn on Sunday. But you have to give them a pass on that one as few teams are going to come close to beating UConn this year.

The lopsided loss to the Huskies notwithstanding, this Seawolves team could end up being better than everyone thought. The key will be consistency on offense. The last couple of years Ford and Smith carried the load. With those two gone, it's going to take everyone in the rotation to keep the team in games. And so far that has been the case. Aly Young scored 14 points against Sacred Heart and 13 points against Iona. Dana Ferraro has eclipsed double figures in each of the last two games. Jodie Plikus (11) and Joia Daniels (10) both scored in double figures against Iona.

At some point first-year head coach Michele Cherry is going to have to find a go-to player at crunch time. But the season is less than a week old, so a feeling-out process will be in effect.

BY STEVEN MARCUS

Despite his nice contract at Villanova, Jay Wright does not want to be a college coach for all eternity. I know that because he has told me so. The 76ers did not work out, so why not the Knicks?

A) How long can they keep Isiah

B) Wright wears GQ clothing at least as well as Thomas.

And, the big plus: Wright will not make advances to the MSG women, though they might not mind.

Joseph Staszewski is a 23-year-old graduate of St. Francis Prep High School. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from St. John's University. While at St. John's, Staszewski held the position of sports editor and managing editor during his four years working at The Torch, the school's award-winning student newspaper. The Middle Village resident has also freelanced for the Queens Ledger, TimesLedger and Long Island Herald newspapers. Starting his second year at Newsday, Staszewski is a die-hard Mets and Jets fan, and a former high school basketball player and assistant coach.

Marcus Henry began working for Newsday’s city edition in April 2003. He’s been a part of the Newsday high school/local college sports desk since then, covering both Long Island and New York City high schools. He has also covered the WNBA’s New York Liberty since 2006. Prior to coming to Newsday, he spent four years working for PA SportsTicker, a real-time sports newswire service. Marcus has also freelanced for the New York Amsterdam News, College and Pro Football Weekly, and the National Sports Weekly.

Steven Marcus started at Newsday in 1972 and has covered high school, college and professional sports. He has covered the local college scene for over 20 years.

Marcus, who earned the Associated Press honorable mention award for local reporting in 1974, has covered several World Series and shared an AP staff award for coverage of the 1986 World Champion Mets. He is a voting member of the Baseball Writers Association of America. His most memorable interview occurred with Yankee Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle.

A certified college hoops junkie, Roderick Boone’s love for basketball grew along with his height when he shot up several inches during his sophomore, junior and senior years at Uniondale High School. Usually, when most people meet the 32-year-old native Long Islander, the first two questions are, “How tall are you? Did you play basketball?” A late bloomer on the basketball court, he decided if he wasn’t good enough to play in college, he might as well do the next best thing: write about it.