ZS: What would you pinpoint as some of the key factors which led you to choose Hofstra?
HH: I really liked the destination. It really reminded me of home. It's New York, so there is a lot to like.
I love the head coach (Joe Mihalich), he's a great guy. The staff as a whole and the academics. It seemed like a really good system, so I thought it was the best decision.
ZS: How do you see your game evolving there and which niche do you envision for yourself at that level?
HH: I want to be reliable in all facets of my game. I think they want me to play stretch big, stretch four.
So I want to get my shooting better, my ball handling better. Especially because playing against bigger guys all the time, I feel like I'm usually faster.
All the time, obviously not. But a lot of the time, I am. So if I can work to develop my left hand and finish bigger and get stronger, I reckon I'll be useful to the team.
ZS: How did your campus visit help influence your decision and which aspects of the program did you feel fit your style and make-up as a versatile four-man?
HH: I just liked the guys on the team. As a skinny guy, one thing I liked was the results they had in their roster.
I'm trying to get bigger and seeing how they had these results in their players and building them up physically was interesting to me.
Justin Wright-Foreman, he's put on a lot of weight and muscle since he arrived there as a freshman.
He's gotten faster, increased his vertical and all of that.
Their big man, apparently he was 210 pounds when he got there--now he's about 240.
Their big man, apparently he was 210 pounds when he got there--now he's about 240.
So the results they have been able to produce in their players really intrigued me.
ZS: Like Taylor Downs before you, you subscribed to a multi-dimensional role while averaging 13.5 points, 7.0 boards, and 4.5 blocks under coach (Blake) Kingsley at Scotland Campus Sports (Pa.) this past season.
Coach Kingsley often describes you as the spirit of the team's defense. How would you sum up your overall role this past season?
HH: When we started out I was really a stretch four. Just being the biggest guy on the team, I adjusted to playing a lot in the post.
I'm not going to lie we struggled guarding man to man on the perimeter at times. So my biggest role was just blocking shots.
I basically had the role of a big man who at 6-10 shot three-pointers and played some face-up.