2023 NIT

[Wags]

It was a good year. But it was far from great or some 'dream' season. That's what FDU has had.

I don't disagree with how you're characterizing the season for HU, but whoa, this was not by any stretch a dream SEASON for FDU. They didn't even qualify for the NCAAT. They got there by default. They went 10-6 in one of America's weakest leagues. They lost to 5-23 Hartford, which is an independent on its way to D-III soon. They had a dream GAME, an all-time historic game that will forever have its special place in history, but nonetheless a GAME. And the nation will now knows them and will always remember them for that game. But their SEASON was not only that GAME.

[HofstraPride1]

It was a good year. But it was far from great or some 'dream' season. That's what FDU has had.

I don't disagree with how you're characterizing the season for HU, but whoa, this was not by any stretch a dream SEASON for FDU. They didn't even qualify for the NCAAT. They got there by default. They went 10-6 in one of America's weakest leagues. They lost to 5-23 Hartford, which is an independent on its way to D-III soon. They had a dream GAME, an all-time historic game that will forever have its special place in history, but nonetheless a GAME. And the nation will now knows them and will always remember them for that game. But their SEASON was not only that GAME.

All that is irrelevant though as season will be known as dream because of making ncaas and having one of the more historic wins ever. No doubt this is a dream season and then some for FDU! I doubt any fan there cares one bit about not winning NEC regular season or conference titles. I know I certainly wouldn’t if Hofstra was fortunate to have this fate!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wags]

It was a good year. But it was far from great or some 'dream' season. That's what FDU has had.

I don't disagree with how you're characterizing the season for HU, but whoa, this was not by any stretch a dream SEASON for FDU. They didn't even qualify for the NCAAT. They got there by default. They went 10-6 in one of America's weakest leagues. They lost to 5-23 Hartford, which is an independent on its way to D-III soon. They had a dream GAME, an all-time historic game that will forever have its special place in history, but nonetheless a GAME. And the nation will now knows them and will always remember them for that game. But their SEASON was not only that GAME.

All that is irrelevant though as season will be known as dream because of making ncaas and having one of the more historic wins ever. No doubt this is a dream season and then some for FDU! I doubt any fan there cares one bit about not winning NEC regular season or conference titles. I know I certainly wouldn’t if Hofstra was fortunate to have this fate!

Not one person will remember it as a dream FDU season. They will remember it for exactly what it was, FDU's one shining moment and an historic upset. But let's not judge that yet either because they could still win again on Sunday (though I don't think they will because FAU is legit and poised to get to the Sweet Sixteen).

[Pride97]

Regarding the crowd it seemed like more people than the attendance figure states. Agree it was the best and loudest crowd of the season - it’s not even close.

However, it was nowhere near what the Rutgers crowd that I was at on Tuesday. That was rowdy start to finish.

That said, I don’t think you can expect this Hofstra crowd - many of whom were probably at their first game of the season - to rival Rutgers, UNCW, or Charleston. Those fan bases have been at that level for years.

This was a good crowd by Hofstra’s standards and something I was hoping they could build on - don’t think the loss helped unfortunately. If they could get that amount consistently, then maybe you build a fan base that gives you the home court advantage we all want. But it’s not going to happen in one game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HofstraPride1]

I don't disagree with how you're characterizing the season for HU, but whoa, this was not by any stretch a dream SEASON for FDU. They didn't even qualify for the NCAAT. They got there by default. They went 10-6 in one of America's weakest leagues. They lost to 5-23 Hartford, which is an independent on its way to D-III soon. They had a dream GAME, an all-time historic game that will forever have its special place in history, but nonetheless a GAME. And the nation will now knows them and will always remember them for that game. But their SEASON was not only that GAME.

All that is irrelevant though as season will be known as dream because of making ncaas and having one of the more historic wins ever. No doubt this is a dream season and then some for FDU! I doubt any fan there cares one bit about not winning NEC regular season or conference titles. I know I certainly wouldn’t if Hofstra was fortunate to have this fate!

Not one person will remember it as a dream FDU season. They will remember it for exactly what it was, FDU's one shining moment and an historic upset. But let's not judge that yet either because they could still win again on Sunday (though I don't think they will because FAU is legit and poised to get to the Sweet Sixteen).

By your faulty logic the 2004 Red Sox season was not a “dream season” since they didn’t win the American League East and Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t have a “dream season” in 2020 since they didn’t win NFC South. Nobody cares about regular season achievements and is all who he postseason. This is beyond a dream season for FDU hoops just like it was in 04 for Red Sox and 2020 for Bucs en route to championships. To think otherwise is beyond foolish.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Shadow]

Very good article by our friend Wags on the UC-HU game on the NY Sports Day website. Good insight into the game, season, and possible team for 23-24.

[triplec2195]

https://www.nysportsday.com/2023/03/18/ ... ond-round/ A nice article by Jon but what we haven't mentioned and Jon touched on it the question that was directed at Tyler about it being his last game. It did seem like Speedy let the cat out of the bag by saying it's not his last game here. Whether or not this is etched in stone remains to be seen. It does seem like Thomas will be coming back stay tuned!!

[HUSID80]

You've all pretty much summed up my feelings...without an on fire Estrada it was a huge challenge for us to beat Cincinnati.
Tehy bottled up out two top scorers and dared our other pieces to beat them which they could not.
All in all I'd say it was a VERY GOOD YEAR, but we expect more and hopefully Speedy can deliver it next year.
Would be AWESOME if TYLER comes back next year but we need to add numerous pieces. If were' going to compete at a higher level we need to get some bigs who can score and REBOUND; that was our greatest weakness this year...
With college basketball becoming everything about the portal, surely Speedy will find some great additions to our core...

[triplec2195]

In regards to the FDU question about their season and who could diminish what they accomplished in just that one game which will define their season. Did they have a great regular season no but does that so much matter. It kind of reminds me of the year we didn't get into the NCAA as an at large team and we complained we deserved it more then George Mason a team we had beaten twice recently. But then they go on to make it to the final 4 which will be what they are remembered for that year clearly a great accomplishment for them. So not a great regular season but one helluva upset of a #1 seed.

[Dooku25]

I don’t think I’ve posted all year but just wanted to say thanks to the team for a great season. This team is in the conversation for my top 5 favorite teams (2000, 2001, 2006, 2016, 2020). Of course the CAA tournament didn’t end the way we all wanted, but they gave us a NIT victory for the ages and a bonus home game against probably the most talented team we have ever faced at the Mack. Nebraska in ‘06, St John’s in ’05 and any CAA team over the last 20 years, did not have the talent that Cincinnati put on display yesterday. I thought they played a great game and did not take Hofstra lightly at all. I’m also surprised at the attendance figure, it definitely felt like we had 3k there. Aside from the student section, this was the most engaged crowd I’ve seen in awhile. There wasn’t much to cheer about in the 2nd half but I thought when we made our run in the first half, the crowd was pretty electric. Yesterday’s crowd was better than the 2006 NIT game vs Nebraska from what I remember. I know the ODU game that followed was a sellout or close to and that crowd was enthusiastic probably because at that point George Mason was well on their way to the Final 4 and the national buzz was Hofstra beat them twice and was snubbed. It was also a game against a conference rival and the winner went to MSG for the NIT final 4. Much higher stakes than yesterday’s game.

It was also nice to see most of the fans had HU colors on yesterday. I think Hofstra has done a better job selling team gear and they need to continue to have the team shop open in the lobby after games and inside the arena by the pride club/kid zone area. I went to the Rutgers game and it was a sea of red which definitely creates an intimidating atmosphere and had our team rattled in the early stages. I don’t think we should be comparing crowds however. Rutgers has 5 times the amount of alumni that Hofstra has and they basically represent the state of NJ when it comes to college athletics. They must put something in the drinking water over there because somehow they have this delusion that being in the Big Ten will lead to winning national championships in basketball and football. They have a rabid fanbase and I do give them credit for creating such a home court advantage. It made the victory that much sweeter and it was awesome to celebrate with all of the HU fans after the game.

We are just little old Hofstra. We do not represent the state of New York. We don’t even have a football team anymore. We compete to get the average sports fans attention since there are 9 or 10 pro sports teams in the area along with bigger college programs as well. It’s been 20+ years of trying to achieve what a school like FDU seemingly has accomplished overnight. It’s long overdue for Hofstra to experience something like that. I think 2020 was the year but we know the kind of luck Hofstra has. If there is one person who can get us over the hump and bring the program to the level we all know it can get to, it is Speedy. He is the man to complete the mission and nobody loves HU more than this guy. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. I leave this season feeling optimistic that he will be able to acquire the caliber of talent needed to dominate the CAA for years to come and bring HU to the promised land. Along with bringing in the talent, Speedy has been learning from his mistakes from a coaching perspective. I think he has the will and desire to get this thing done.

If we ever want to see a rabid fanbase, Hofstra needs to consistently make the NCAA tournament like Iona does or one year go on a run to the Sweet 16 or better like a VCU or George Mason, so they can establish and sustain a belief on campus and in the community that this is a big time winner and not just a team that might win 20 games and have a player of the year but never wins the big one. This is a big offseason for Speedy. We have a lot of question marks on who is leaving, who is returning and who will be the new players brought in. I’m confident when the dust settles, we will have a roster capable of having their name announced on Selection Sunday. It is time for that to finally happen.

[Wags]

By your faulty logic the 2004 Red Sox season was not a “dream season” since they didn’t win the American League East and Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t have a “dream season” in 2020 since they didn’t win NFC South. Nobody cares about regular season achievements and is all who he postseason. This is beyond a dream season for FDU hoops just like it was in 04 for Red Sox and 2020 for Bucs en route to championships. To think otherwise is beyond foolish.

Sorry, did I miss the part where FDU won a national championship? That’s a monumental leap with those comparisons.

We have to call things for what they are, the season and the postseason or failures to reach the postseason.

This is unfortunately what it has come to with March. We incorrectly allow March to define everything.

March failures shouldn’t completely invalidate everything that was good before it and shouldn’t complete uphold a season of mediocre play before that. They should be judged separately for what they are.

Did Hofstra have the same season as Elon or Hampton because they all failed to reach the NCAA tournament. Same failed goals in the end, sure, but there are clear, major distinctions. Otherwise, no one would ever accept a bid to the NIT.

Did Merrimack have a worse season than FDU?

[Wags]

All in all I'd say it was a VERY GOOD YEAR, but we expect more and hopefully Speedy can deliver it next year.

I think sometimes with our passion about the team, we take staunch all-or-nothing sides with this statement when both are and can be true.

If were' going to compete at a higher level we need to get some bigs who can score and REBOUND; that was our greatest weakness this year...

How do we know Lual Manyang won't become this?

[Wags]

I don’t think I’ve posted all year but just wanted to say thanks to the team for a great season. This team is in the conversation for my top 5 favorite teams (2000, 2001, 2006, 2016, 2020). Of course the CAA tournament didn’t end the way we all wanted, but they gave us a NIT victory for the ages and a bonus home game against probably the most talented team we have ever faced at the Mack. Nebraska in ‘06, St John’s in ’05 and any CAA team over the last 20 years, did not have the talent that Cincinnati put on display yesterday. I thought they played a great game and did not take Hofstra lightly at all. I’m also surprised at the attendance figure, it definitely felt like we had 3k there. Aside from the student section, this was the most engaged crowd I’ve seen in awhile. There wasn’t much to cheer about in the 2nd half but I thought when we made our run in the first half, the crowd was pretty electric. Yesterday’s crowd was better than the 2006 NIT game vs Nebraska from what I remember. I know the ODU game that followed was a sellout or close to and that crowd was enthusiastic probably because at that point George Mason was well on their way to the Final 4 and the national buzz was Hofstra beat them twice and was snubbed. It was also a game against a conference rival and the winner went to MSG for the NIT final 4. Much higher stakes than yesterday’s game.

It was also nice to see most of the fans had HU colors on yesterday. I think Hofstra has done a better job selling team gear and they need to continue to have the team shop open in the lobby after games and inside the arena by the pride club/kid zone area. I went to the Rutgers game and it was a sea of red which definitely creates an intimidating atmosphere and had our team rattled in the early stages. I don’t think we should be comparing crowds however. Rutgers has 5 times the amount of alumni that Hofstra has and they basically represent the state of NJ when it comes to college athletics. They must put something in the drinking water over there because somehow they have this delusion that being in the Big Ten will lead to winning national championships in basketball and football. They have a rabid fanbase and I do give them credit for creating such a home court advantage. It made the victory that much sweeter and it was awesome to celebrate with all of the HU fans after the game.

We are just little old Hofstra. We do not represent the state of New York. We don’t even have a football team anymore. We compete to get the average sports fans attention since there are 9 or 10 pro sports teams in the area along with bigger college programs as well. It’s been 20+ years of trying to achieve what a school like FDU seemingly has accomplished overnight. It’s long overdue for Hofstra to experience something like that. I think 2020 was the year but we know the kind of luck Hofstra has. If there is one person who can get us over the hump and bring the program to the level we all know it can get to, it is Speedy. He is the man to complete the mission and nobody loves HU more than this guy. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. I leave this season feeling optimistic that he will be able to acquire the caliber of talent needed to dominate the CAA for years to come and bring HU to the promised land. Along with bringing in the talent, Speedy has been learning from his mistakes from a coaching perspective. I think he has the will and desire to get this thing done.

If we ever want to see a rabid fanbase, Hofstra needs to consistently make the NCAA tournament like Iona does or one year go on a run to the Sweet 16 or better like a VCU or George Mason, so they can establish and sustain a belief on campus and in the community that this is a big time winner and not just a team that might win 20 games and have a player of the year but never wins the big one. This is a big offseason for Speedy. We have a lot of question marks on who is leaving, who is returning and who will be the new players brought in. I’m confident when the dust settles, we will have a roster capable of having their name announced on Selection Sunday. It is time for that to finally happen.

Where were you? You should've posted more this season. All very fair and sound points, although I was there for the Nebraska and ODU games in '06 and I was there yesterday. The SUSTAINED energy in the building, not merely for a few nice Hofstra plays or mini runs here or there, was at a far higher level at both of those '06 NIT games as well as for the Mason '06 game vs. yesterday.

[Jojogunne]

Well said, Dooku!

[HofstraPride1]

It was a good year. But it was far from great or some 'dream' season. That's what FDU has had.

I don't disagree with how you're characterizing the season for HU, but whoa, this was not by any stretch a dream SEASON for FDU. They didn't even qualify for the NCAAT. They got there by default. They went 10-6 in one of America's weakest leagues. They lost to 5-23 Hartford, which is an independent on its way to D-III soon. They had a dream GAME, an all-time historic game that will forever have its special place in history, but nonetheless a GAME. And the nation will now knows them and will always remember them for that game. But their SEASON was not only that GAME.

And that is all that matters! Everything else that happened this season for them means nothing just like Red Sox not winning the AL
East in 2004 means nothing and Tampa Bay Bucs not winning NFC South in 2020 means nothing. Even Green Bay got a major gift to get into 2010 playoffs when Rodgers won only Super Bowl. Beating top seeded Purdue in ncaa tourney for a midmajor is equivalent of winning Super Bowl and then some!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wags]

It was a good year. But it was far from great or some 'dream' season. That's what FDU has had.

I don't disagree with how you're characterizing the season for HU, but whoa, this was not by any stretch a dream SEASON for FDU. They didn't even qualify for the NCAAT. They got there by default. They went 10-6 in one of America's weakest leagues. They lost to 5-23 Hartford, which is an independent on its way to D-III soon. They had a dream GAME, an all-time historic game that will forever have its special place in history, but nonetheless a GAME. And the nation will now knows them and will always remember them for that game. But their SEASON was not only that GAME.

And that is all that matters! Everything else that happened this season for them means nothing just like Red Sox not winning the AL
East in 2004 means nothing and Tampa Bay Bucs not winning NFC South in 2020 means nothing. Even Green Bay got a major gift to get into 2010 playoffs when Rodgers won only Super Bowl. Beating top seeded Purdue in ncaa tourney for a midmajor is equivalent of winning Super Bowl and then some!

So did FDU have a better season than Merrimack?

[HofstraPride1]

I don't disagree with how you're characterizing the season for HU, but whoa, this was not by any stretch a dream SEASON for FDU. They didn't even qualify for the NCAAT. They got there by default. They went 10-6 in one of America's weakest leagues. They lost to 5-23 Hartford, which is an independent on its way to D-III soon. They had a dream GAME, an all-time historic game that will forever have its special place in history, but nonetheless a GAME. And the nation will now knows them and will always remember them for that game. But their SEASON was not only that GAME.

And that is all that matters! Everything else that happened this season for them means nothing just like Red Sox not winning the AL
East in 2004 means nothing and Tampa Bay Bucs not winning NFC South in 2020 means nothing. Even Green Bay got a major gift to get into 2010 playoffs when Rodgers won only Super Bowl. Beating top seeded Purdue in ncaa tourney for a midmajor is equivalent of winning Super Bowl and then some!

So did FDU have a better season than Merrimack?

Yes they did because of their historic win in NCAA tourney. Merrimack through no fault of their own had to stay home and not get reward of winning conference tourney, which beyond sucks for them and fans (we know feeling from a different perspective in 2020). If you asked fans of both teams whose season they would rather have answer isn’t even close.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[triplec2195]

Well said, Dooku!

I second that and also add that you should be posting more. We need more positivity on these boards too much we're only as good as our last performance.

[Hofstra]

If were' going to compete at a higher level we need to get some bigs who can score and REBOUND; that was our greatest weakness this year...

How do we know Lual Manyang won't become this?

I think even if Manyang is, we need depth. We know he wont be going 40 minutes a game.

[triplec2195]

I was also surprised to see the attendance at 2,228 having attended every home game this year. At the start of this game I'm looking at the attendance from section 102 where I sit. Across the court very full but the lions den not so much but after the game started the Lions Den filled up and the sections behind me very full. Again IDK how they determine attendance but I would say more near 3,000. Certainly I could be wrong but looked like more then 2,200.