Busting Brackets
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Hofstra Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Pride

By Jason Burgess

BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 07: Flags of the schools line the wall during the Colonial Athletic Conference Championship college basketball game tournament between the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks and the Hofstra Pride at Royal Farms Arena on March 7, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 07: Flags of the schools line the wall during the Colonial Athletic Conference Championship college basketball game tournament between the North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks and the Hofstra Pride at Royal Farms Arena on March 7, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 11: Rokas Gustys #11 of the Hofstra Pride reacts after a dunk against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first half of the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival at Barclays Center on December 11, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 11: Rokas Gustys #11 of the Hofstra Pride reacts after a dunk against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first half of the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival at Barclays Center on December 11, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

What does the bench look like?

There isn’t much returning for reinforcements from the bench. Jalen Ray and Kenny Wormley are the two returning reserves from the team’s quarterfinal loss. Ray, a 6-1 native of Hampton, VA averaged 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.2 rebounds as a freshman, including 16 points in the loss to UNC-Wilmington.

Wormley began his collegiate career at Siena. He then transferred to Indian Hills Community College before landing at Hofstra. He saw action in 30 games and netted four points per game in 14.8 minutes as a junior. The only other returning players that saw game time last season are sophomore forward Matija Radovic and junior guard junior Conner Klementowicz. Neither played a role of much significance, Radovic appeared in 25 games averaging just 10 minutes per game and Klementowicz appeared in just seven.

The rest of the bench will be made up of a couple eligible transfers, a redshirt sophomore, and a freshman. Tareq Coburn is a 6-4 guard from Rosedale, NY who played one season at St. Bonaventure. At St. Bonaventure Coburn struggled to get off the bench, seeing the floor in just 12 games. For a team that is likely to run a three-guard lineup, Mihalich can use all the guard help he can muster. Dan Dwyer is a 6-8 graduate transfer from Penn.

At Penn, Dwyer appeared in 40 games in his first two seasons, but only 15 as an upperclassman. He should be able to add 10-15 minutes of frontcourt depth for the Pride. Kevin Schutte is a 6-9 redshirt-sophomore from the Netherlands who only began playing basketball at the age of 16. The lone freshman on the squad is Hal Hughes, a 6-9 forward from Sydney, Australia. He has the ability to be a stretch four, if he can provide any meaningful minutes, his knockdown abilities could open things up even more for the dynamic backcourt.