Chapter 1: Who is Speedy Claxton and what is his basketball background?
We have on this Red Pocket Mobile fan line is the head coach of Hofstra Men's Basketball, the 2026 CAA Tournament Champions, former NBA player and former NBA champion, Speedy Claxton. Speedy, good morning. How's it going? Good morning. How's everything? We're doing good, Speedy. It's great to talk to you as always.
And, you know, you being a guard yourself, and I always think that, you know, college basketball is really about great guard play. And I can't sit here and tell you that I've watched you guys all this much this year, but I do know that you have two guards. And one of these kids is from Deer Park, and that is Preston Edmeade.
So they're going to be under a lot of pressure against Alabama, of course. But give me a little 4-1-1 on your guard play and how important it is to your success. Yeah, you don't know that because you're supposed to have been coming to the game, man. They're trying to get you here. Yeah, good luck. It's too far away. We're still waiting. Yeah, you're going to be waiting for a long time.
I have two great guys. You know, he's a local kid. I've known him since he was in the eighth grade. You know, him and his brothers, they came to our team camps.
Chapter 2: How does Hofstra's guard play contribute to their success?
And since then, I knew that that kid was going to be special. You know, whenever I would do, you know, lectures and all that type of stuff, clinics, like I would actually volunteer. And I remember him always being the first one to throw his hand up. So I knew from that point that that kid was going to be special. Did I know I was going to be coaching him? In the coming years, no.
But I'm glad I am. I'll tell you that. So this was the dream, right, when you came back to Hofstra was to bring this team back to the tournament. You were one of the biggest names in program history. And when you get hired, everybody and the alumni, everybody gets very excited, but it's all about the results. And very quickly, here you are back in the tournament.
And I saw the tears rolling down your face after the victory. I mean, this meant a hell of a lot to you, didn't it? Oh yeah. I mean, we're, we're definitely in a results driven age. Um, you know, I knew everybody, they were, everybody were excited. Everybody was excited about me getting the job, but then, you know, then comes reality. You gotta win. I gotta win. And you know, I know that.
Um, so I'm just thankful, um, that I was able to get it done, you know, for myself, the program, um, the university, in the community because everybody's backing us. So I'm just happy to share this moment with everyone. Speedy Claxton joins us, head coach of Hofstra's Pride basketball team. They face off against Alabama, the number four seed from the SEC, a high-scoring team.
They're missing one of their best players who was arrested just recently. What do you tell your kids going into this game against a team like Alabama? You know, we lace them up just like they do. Don't be scared at the moment. And I know my guys, they won't be. They actually play better in bigger games. So that's why we were able to beat Pitt at Pitt, Syracuse at Syracuse.
They get up for these type of games. So I'm more than confident that they'll be ready to go come tomorrow. Yeah, it doesn't look like a group that's just happy to be there. It looks like a group that's got more checks to check off on the way to wherever you guys go.
But, you know, when you're a player and a recruiter and you're someone that, of course, played, you know, you were drafted in, what, the year 2000. And there's no, none of these kids these days are remembering that. But you can say that you played on a team with Steph Curry, right? You can say you played. on a team that won a championship.
Does your NBA career resonate with these guys when you get them on the team and during recruiting as well? Absolutely. You know, it's different for the guys that I go after, that I recruit, because when I get them to campus, they're going to see pictures of me everywhere. So most of the time their parents are going to be familiar with me. So they're going to inform them of who I am.
and who they have the possibility of playing for. You know, I think that ā I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I think this is an unbelievable opportunity for you because maybe you're catching Alabama at the right time. But I do have to ask you, like Preston that you just talked about, and he's from Deer Park, and you love the kid. You've known the kid forever.
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Chapter 3: What emotions did Speedy Claxton experience after the CAA Tournament victory?
He's one of our hardest workers. And I'm just happy for him because after the season that he had last year, although he didn't make any all-conference teams, he could have went into the transfer portal and garnered a significant amount of money. But to his credit and to his dad's credit, they believed in him. what we are doing here at Hofstra.
And he came back, you know, for this year, and he worked his butt off. And, you know, he is player of the year. And, you know, he gets out of it what he puts into it. And, I mean, the sky's the limit for the kids. Yeah, I would think so. Is there a big size differential between you and Alabama? I would think so. I mean, you would know better than I would. Listen, it is what it is.
Yes, they're bigger, they're faster, they're more athletic. But I have the utmost confidence in my guys. We're not going to be afraid of the moment. We're going to go out there and we're going to play Hofstra basketball. Yeah, which now has that reputation when you were a player, and that is a scrappy, in-your-face team that can beat anyone and win. So we appreciate the time this morning.
It'll be 335 tomorrow, Hofstra and Alabama on TruTV, and you'll have all Long Island behind you, Speedy. Thank you. Appreciate you guys always. All righty, Speedy. Good luck, man.