October has arrived and preseason practices get under way next week. We roll along in our CAA team-by-team previews with the Hofstra Pride.

2010-11 Recap: The Pride surpassed the 20-win mark for the eighth time in the last 13 seasons by turning in a 21-12 mark last season. The team got off to a hot start to the season, going 11-5 and a perfect 5-0 in conference play before losing to Old Dominion in mid January. Aside from a three game losing streak and an embarrassing BracketBusters setback to Wright State, Hofstra entered the CAA Tournament having won six of its final seven and earned a three seed in Richmond. After dispatching William & Mary in the tournament quarterfinals, the club was bounced by No. 2 seed Old Dominion in the CAA semifinals. The Pride were invited to play in the CBI tournament, but were eliminated in the first round by Evansville of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Against Northeastern: The Pride and Huskies met twice last season with Hofstra emerging with both victories. On Jan. 8 inside Matthews Arena, five Hofstra players reached double digits, led by Charles Jenkins‘ 20 points, to push Hofstra past NU in a 76-67 victory. Husky senior captain Chaisson Allen surged a furious rally, scoring 20 of his 22 points in the second half, but Hofstra’s hot three point shooting (57.1 percent) was too much to overcome. In the rematch in Hempstead, N.Y. on Feb. 5, the Huskies squandered a 14-point second half lead and lost 78-75. The visitors held a 75-68 lead with 3:52 remaining but were outscored 10-0 in the final four minutes. Jenkins and Allen each had 21 points, but it was Shemiye McLendon‘s four free throws in the final two minutes that sealed the decision.

Key Losses:

• Charles Jenkins: The greatest player in school history, Jenkins rewrote the record books during his four years on Long island. The 6-foot-3 guard set a new program record by scoring 2,513 points in 128 games, the second-highest total in CAA history behind only David Robinson of Navy. One of seven players to win the CAA Player of the Year award multiple times, Jenkins took home the honor in 2010 and 2011. Also an unselfish player, Jenkins also finished fifth in school history in assists (489), steals (213) and thee pointers (177). He finished his career by reaching double figures in his final 58 games, the second longest such streak in the nation. His No. 22 was retired by the university during Senior Day ceremonies on Feb. 26.
• Greg Washington: Known mostly as a defensive presence in the paint, the 6-10 Washington used his size to his advantage while at Hofstra. In four seasons for the Pride, Washington turned aside a school record 275 shots and brought down 629 rebounds. Though only a modest scorer averaging 7.5 per game, the big man had 11 games last season in which he reached double figures.
• Brad Kelleher: Though he only played one season at Hofstra the 6-foot guard made it count. A three-point specialist, Kelleher buried 33.7 percent of his long balls and averaged 7.5 points-per-game in 25 contests. Originally from Australia, Kelleher spent two seasons of junior college ball at Midland College and sat out a year due to NCAA amateur clearinghouse rules.

Key Returns:

• Mike Moore: The team’s second-leading scorer last season, Moore will be expected to carry the scoring this season without Jenkins. A versatile player quick enough to slash to the basket yet accurate enough to hit shots from the outside, Moore averaged 14.9 per game last season and shot 40.7 percent from the floor. Not just a scorer, the 6-5 guard also corralled 5.4 rebounds-per-game and dished 2.2 assists-per-game. Opponents would be wise not to send Moore to the free throw line with any regularity as he is an 85.2 percent shooter from the stripe. Moore transferred to Hofstra after spending two seasons at Fordham.
• David Imes: After a slow freshman season that saw little production, Imes emerged with a solid sophomore season. The 6-7 forward had 7.6 points-per-game last season and shot 50.5 percent. Though not the club’s tallest player, Imes was ferocious on the glass and led Hofstra in rebounding by pulling down 6.8 boards per game.
• Dwan McMillan: A freaky injury which resulted in a fractured eye socket cost McMillan the final 22 games of the season last year. Had it not been for the setback McMillan appeared poised to put up solid numbers as he averaged 6.8 points-per-game in November and December. The 6-1 senior will run the show as the Pride’s point guard this season and will look to average above the 3.3 assists-per-game he had last season. The Brooklyn native spent two seasons at junior college before transferring to Hofstra.

What to Expect: There is no way around it, the Pride are going to hurt without Jenkins. While head coach Mo Cassara had a strong first season with the club, it is difficult for any school and any coach to replace the production of someone who was twice named the league’s Player of the Year. This year’s key will likely be Moore. Since defenses were so focused on Jenkins last season, Moore had plenty of open shot opportunities and took advantage. He must find a way to create his own offense this season while being the centerpiece of the team. Hofstra has a good mix of experience with three freshmen, three sophomores and three seniors, but the deepest class is the junior class, which has six players. If the juniors mature quickly the Pride could be a force to be reckoned with and finish in the top three. Even if this doesn’t happen, the team should still find itself in the upper half and in contention for a bye come CAA Tournament time.

Patrick McHugh Basketball CAA, Fall Preview, Hofstra