Hofstra Adds Two Fifth-Year Transfers

After the dismal season of 2012-13, of which the majority of Hofstra will want to avoid mention at all costs moving forward, newly appointed head coach Joe Mihalich has Monday made two moves that will help the Pride march forward and regain some of its, well, pride.

According to Rob Dauster, Hofstra announced this morning that they will be adding the services of two fifth-year transfer players, Illinois State's Zeke Upshawm and Monmouth's Dion Nesmith.

Upshaw, a 6-6, 215 pound guard, averaged just 7.4 minutes per game last year for the Redbirds, so his per game statistics bear little relevance. But, according to our editor-in-chief Ben Miraski, he racked up a positive HOOPWAR during his 140 minutes of play time. Transferring from the MVC to the lesser CAA should provide Upshaw with more minutes, and thus more of a chance to prove his worth, with the Pride.

Nesmith, meanwhile, averaged 8.1 points and 2.2 assists last year for the Hawks in the Northeast Conference. The NEC and the CAA tend to be on relatively equal ground in terms of skill at the top, which should lead to Nesmith staying around the same stats this fall, if not marginally improving due to progression and increased play time.

Here's Mihalich on the two transfers:

"Zeke and Dion will be very important pieces on our team in 2013-14 and will have a chance to make significant contributions to the squad," head coach Joe Mihalich said in a release. "Both are quality student-athletes who will be great representatives of Hofstra University and our basketball program. I look forward to coaching both of them and watching them develop on and off the court."

The Pride should count themselves lucky; after losing their entire effective backcourt from last year, Upshaw and Nesmith will provide much-needed depth at the guard positions.