America East report | NCAA Tournament report

SportsLine.com report
March 17, 2000

A Glance at 2001

Craig Claxton, one of the best players in conference history, will be leaving, but the other four starters are all expected to return, including Richardson, who should be among the conference's leading scorers next year.

The bench is all returning as well, showing coach Jay Wright has planned for Claxton's departure in advance.

The Coach

Hoftsra fans shouldn't waste any time lamenting the departure of Claxton -- it's inevitable. He's gone. Players come and players go. Dutchmen fans should spend their time finding any way possible to keep Wright in town. Fat chance.

Wright is 38, has done assistant stints at Villanova and UNLV and has taken the moribund Hofstra program from 9-20 the year before he came, to three years of 19 or more wins and two consecutive postseason appearances. Hard to imagine who wouldn't want this guy.

There are three openings in the Mid-American Conference and many more are sure to open up. Wright is on everybody's hot list. If he's in town next season, Hofstra will have dodged a bullet. Until next year.

Who'll Be Back

Again, the team's nucleus is almost all returning, and several of the younger players could step up and become players next season. Gittens, over the course of the season, has developed into a solid rebounder and Hernandez should step into Claxton's sneakers at the point, at least passing wise.

Who's Gone

Only Claxton, who has been the pulse of this team for four seasons, becoming the third player in conference history to capture two conference Player of the Year awards.

Key Newcomers

Wright stayed in New York and pulled out a guy who, if nothing else, is about the same size as Claxton. Joel Suarez, a 6-foot point guard considered the best player on Long Island, was dropped late by Clemson and fell into Wright's lap.