By Vincent Simone (@VTSimone)
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — If you want a snapshot of the current state of college basketball, look no further than the Hofstra Pride.
Less than eight months removed from the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2001, the newest edition of the Pride took the court for the first time nearly fully transformed.
Twelve total players have departed from last season’s championship squad, just five by way of graduation.
It’s a challenge that college basketball coaches have been asked to master over the last half-decade. The introduction of Name, Image and Likeness deals and unfettered free agency has led to almost total turnover of rosters year to year. Continuity has become a scarce resource in the modern game.
Junior forward Joshua DeCady is the lone member of the 2026-27 Pride who saw game action on last year’s team. A member of the CAA All-Defensive Team one year ago, DeCady averaged 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 32 appearances last season – a valuable member of the team, but far from a headliner.
“Our energy and toughness,” DeCady said, defining his program’s best traits. “That’s what we do over here, just having high energy and a lot of grit and toughness when we play. Just throwing the first punch.”
Throwing the first punch was a message DeCady took personally. The returnee was reponsible for Hofstra’s first five points in Monday’s 97-51 win over St. Joseph’s University, a Division III program based in Patchogue, New York.
DeCady finished with 12 points and eight rebounds in the lopsided victory, one of five Pride players to reach double figures.
Hofstra was led by 18 points from Trey Boyd III, who sat out last season after transferring from Division II Pace University but flashed the scoring touch Monday to be one of the Pride’s leading point-getters this season. He also provided a glimpse that this new-look Hofstra team may already be well-connected.
“I felt like we were a team the first day we got here in the summer,” Boyd said. “We clicked automatically, and we’ve got a lot of players on the team who are vets in college basketball in general. We’ve got a lot of leaders, so I feel like we’ve already gelled.”
As programs around the country kick off their seasons this week, teams will come together, leaders will be defined, and stars will be made.
And then we’ll do it all again next year.
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