:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/11254897/uspw_6868240.0.jpg)
After a season (and early offseason) of bad news, Hofstra felt it was time for their men's basketball program to catch a break.
On Tuesday, after a long on-campus visit, the Pride hired now former Niagara head coach Joe Mihalich.
According to an unnamed source close to the process, the team is expected to make a formal announcement on Wednesday about the filling of their head coaching position, left vacant after Mo Cassara was fired following a disappointing 2012-13 campaign.
This is a landmark move for both programs. Mihalich spent 15 years at the helm of the Purple Eagles' program, running up a record that saw him 62 games over .500 at the end of this season. He led the team to two NCAA Tournaments in that time, and was actually named MAAC Coach of the Year this year.
That award, combined with the fact that a 7-25 record was able to lure a well-established coach like Mihalich, is what makes this hire so impressive for the Pride. They don't have much in the way of excitement or future promise; after Taran Buie announced that he intends to transfer earlier this offseason, the team will be losing much of its (already shallow) scoring.
It will be interesting to see what Mihalich says tomorrow in the press conference and if he comments on his intentions in the coming season with this program.
One thing's for certain: nobody could have predicted this working out better for a Hofstra team in desperate need of direction and leadership.