Pride has high expectations

In the past, a 19-win season would have been a monumental achievement for the Hofstra women’s basketball team. But the Pride (19-12, 10-8 Colonial Athletic Association) has a little bit of unfinished business after seeing the 2010-11 season come to an end with a loss to VCU in the second round of the CAA Conference tournament.

With its top six scorers back, there’s no reason to think Hofstra, which returns 88 percent of its scoring, won’t be in the mix for a league title in 2011-12. The Pride was picked fourth in the preseason CAA Coaches Poll.

Head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey likes the make up of her team. “There’s no doubt that we’ve set our sights high this year,” Kilburn-Steveskey said. “We brought in a new offensive philosophy last season, and we’re getting better on the offensive end each day. After finishing the way we did last year, we feel we have a lot to prove. This team is very capable.”

Perimeter shooting and attacking the seams are keys to Hofstra’s high-powered, dribble-drive offense, but if the Pride has a go-to girl, it is forward Shante Evans. The 6-foot junior is a handful in the paint and has improved her range from the perimeter. Evans (18.4 ppg/11.0 rpg as a sophomore) earned first-team All-CAA and AP honorable mention All-America honors. 

Hofstra is deeper in the frontcourt with junior forward Candace Bond (7.5 ppg/5.0 rpg) and 6-foot-2 center Marie Malone leading the way. Bond, who led the Pride with 75 steals as a sophomore, was named to the CAA All-Defensive team. Malone averaged 12.3 ppg before suffering a season-ending injury. Sophomore Anma Onyeuka and junior Deven Green will both be counted on for some big minutes.

The backcourt is chock full of excitement. Senior Nicole Capurso has been one of Hofstra’s top perimeter threats since arriving on campus in 2008, but she does a lot more than shoot. Capurso (11.1 ppg) is a heady player who takes it to the rack, and gets it done on the defensive end. Sophomore Katelyn Loper is in scoring range the second she emerges from the locker room. Loper, who scored a career-high 29 points in last week’s 93-82 victory over St. John’s, was a CAA All-Rookie honoree when she hit 75 threes.

Candice Bellocchio is the engine that drives Hofstra. The 5-foot-6 senior averaged 8.4 points and 5.0 assists in 2010-11. Bellocchio goes to the basket hard and has a knack for finding open teammates. Kilburn-Steveskey is high on her point guard. “I’m the type who never stops coaching, so I have a lot of appreciation for a player who never stops working,” Kilburn-Steveskey said. “She keeps on getting better and better.”

Adding depth at guard for the Pride are sophomore Annie Payton and freshman Andreana Thomas. As a freshman, Payton averaged 4.4 points per game and scored a career-high 15 points against CAA rival Delaware. Thomas had an illustrious high school career, leading Connecticut’s James Hillhouse High School to three consecutive state titles while being named All-State as a sophomore, junior, and senior. Expect Thomas to see plenty of time as a freshman. 

While Delaware is the team to beat in the CAA, and James Madison and VCU are both experienced and talented, Kilburn-Steveskey hopes to be in the hunt for an NCAA bid come March.

“We’re way deeper than we were a year ago, so we’ll have more options when matching up,” Kilburn-Steveskey said. “The goal is to be in position to get a shot at an NCAA bid. I’m very excited about this team.”