A Speedy rise to the century mark – The Hofstra Chronicle

When Hofstra University males’s basketball head coach Speedy Claxton notched his a hundredth profession win earlier this season, the milestone got here and went with out a lot fanfare, at the least from the Hofstra legend himself.

Claxton did not even comprehend it had occurred.

As the workforce walked towards the locker room following their win over Northeastern University, Hofstra’s coach Evan Malings congratulated Claxton on the milestone – Claxton thought there had been a mistake.

“I see our trainer [Malings] telling him, ‘Speed, 100 wins. Congrats,’” Hofstra guard German Plotnikov stated. “And I saw [Claxton] tell him, ‘Nah, I think I’ve got one or two more to get there.’ So, he definitely didn’t know it was happening.”

For Claxton, the accomplishment did not maintain a lot weight; the quantity merely is not the level for him.

“Personally, not that much honestly,” Claxton stated referring to what the milestone means to him. “I didn’t get into coaching for wins, per se. I truly got into it to help these kids achieve their dreams and goals and just make them better players.”

That mindset has quietly fashioned one in all the most profitable teaching begins in Hofstra basketball historical past.

Claxton’s relationship with Hofstra began lengthy earlier than he started racking up wins from the sideline.

He arrived in Hempstead as a participant recruited in the late Nineteen Nineties and located Hofstra to be the excellent match.

“What brought me here as a player was the relationship I had with the coaching staff,” Claxton stated. “Jay Wright, Tom Pecora [and] Joe Jones, those guys recruited me extremely hard. “This is where I felt like… home.”

Claxton went on to turn out to be one in all the most embellished gamers in program historical past. He earned nationwide recognition and have become a first-round decide in the NBA Draft. He performed a decade in the league and received an NBA championship.

Coaching, nevertheless, was by no means a part of the authentic plan.

The trajectory of his profession modified late in his enjoying profession throughout a dialog with legendary NBA coach Don Nelson whereas Claxton was with the Golden State Warriors.

“He pulled me to the side after practice and asked if I ever thought about coaching,” Claxton stated. “I said, ‘Not really.’ But when a Hall of Fame coach likes [Nelson] “It says something like that to you, you start thinking about it.”

Still, the transition did not occur instantly. Claxton initially joined Golden State’s entrance workplace as a scout. But when Joe Mihalich grew to become Hofstra’s head coach in 2013, Claxton noticed a chance to return to the program that had formed him.

“That’s when I pivoted,” Claxton stated. “I spoke to [Mihalich] and asked if I could get into the fold here.”

Claxton spent eight seasons as an assistant coach earlier than turning into Hofstra’s head coach in 2021. As he adjusted to the position, he started seeing the recreation from a wholly completely different perspective.

“It’s a lot harder coaching than it is playing,” Claxton stated. “As a coach you think players should be able to do things, but then you’ve got to remember they’re still kids and they’re still learning. So, you really have to teach every detail.”

Once Claxton was named head coach, he assembled a powerful supporting forged and constructed a training workers that shared his imaginative and prescient of prioritizing participant improvement. Associate Head Coach Mike DePaoli was introduced into the fold at the begin of Claxton’s tenure and has been right here ever since.

In 5 years, DePaoli has watched the Hofstra Hall of Fame participant evolve from a first-time head coach to a frontrunner in full command of a program on the rise.

“The thing that always stands out about [Claxton] is he’s very comfortable in his own skin,” DePaoli stated. “Whether we win by 20 or lose by 20, he’s the same guy every single day.”

That consistency, DePaoli says, units the tone for the total program.

“When a coach’s identity is tied so closely to wins and losses, you can feel that anxious energy,” DePaoli stated. “But [Claxton’s] temperature never changes. “That allows everyone in the program to feel comfortable.”

The collaborative ambiance extends all through the teaching workers as properly.

“You never feel like you’re working for him,” DePaoli stated. “You feel like you’re working with him.”

Claxton’s philosophy is easy: concentrate on improvement, and the wins will observe.

Over the previous a number of years, Hofstra has turn out to be recognized for producing high-level gamers, together with stars like Tyler Thomas, Aaron Estrada and Cruz Davis.

Players like Thomas and Estrada got here into the program from larger faculties, barely scratching the floor of their true means. Both of these gamers blossomed below Claxton and firm. Both gamers captured Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year awards with Estrada profitable two in back-to-back seasons.

Davis, the Pride’s go-to scorer all season, received CAA Player of the Year for the 2025-2026 season, giving Claxton a Player of the Year winner in 4 of his 5 seasons as head coach.

“Just the development of guys stands out the most,” Claxton stated. “We’ve had a number of ‘players of the year.’ That’s what it’s all about: developing our guys and getting better every year.”

There is a standard denominator amongst the Player of the Year winners: they’re all level guards, which is the similar place Claxton as soon as performed at Hofstra, the place he dominated and carved his path to the NBA.

“It’s easy because I’ve played that position my entire life,” Claxton stated. “We say this is ‘GuardU.’ This is a guard-driven system.”

For the gamers, having a coach with Claxton’s resume carries weight.

“He doesn’t need to be doing this right now,” DePaoli stated. “The guy made a lot of money playing in the NBA, but he’s here because he wants to help these kids maximize who they are.”

Four-year program veteran Plotnikov has solely ever recognized Hofstra as dwelling. The guard from Minsk, Belarus, has Claxton’s fingerprints throughout his improvement as a participant.

“He always tells me to stay confident,” Plotnikov stated. “It doesn’t matter if you make eight shots or miss 10 in a row. Stay confident. That doesn’t change what kind of player you are.”

Among Claxton’s first 100 wins, one recreation stands above the relaxation.

A victory over Rutgers University in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) throughout the 2023 season stays the most memorable for Claxton and his workforce.

The win got here on the street in a packed area in opposition to a high-major opponent who had simply missed the NCAA match.

“It kind of had that ‘300’ feel to it,” DePaoli stated. “There’s a sea of ​​red, and it’s just us. But we kept finding a way.”

For Plotnikov, the ambiance made the second unforgettable.

“You walk in, and all you see is a sea of ​​red,” Plotnikov stated. “And then you look behind our bench, and there are just two rows of blue and gold. When we won, it was chaos. Everybody was hugging each other on the court.”

The 100-win milestone is spectacular, particularly contemplating how shortly Claxton reached it. Those inside the program say the quantity is just a mirrored image of the tradition he is constructed.

“The beauty of the 100 wins is that he doesn’t care about 100 wins,” DePaoli stated. “Winning is a by-product of doing things the right way.”

For Claxton, his final objective is greater.

“Go to the tournament,” Claxton stated. “Once I get to the tournament, I would have done everything I needed to do here.”

Until then, the focus stays the similar because it was on day one: develop gamers, construct a program and put together for the subsequent recreation. The wins, as they’ve for the first 100, will care for themselves.