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Laurelton native sparks Hofstra
Justin Wright-Foreman helped ignites Pride’s 16-game winning streak in memorable season
BY ALEX MITCHELL
He’s the back-to-back
Colonial Athletic Association’s
player of the year, second
in the nation for both total
points and points per game, a
main reason why the Hofstra
Pride is a 25-win team that
put on the nation’s longest
winning streak at 16 games
and why that same squad is
the undisputed CAA regular
season champions for the first
time in program history…what
a mouthful. That, though, has
been the story of Queens’ own
Justin Wright-Foreman.
Just about each time the
senior standout laces up on
game day, NBA scouts are
among sellout crowds at
the David S. Mack Sports
& Exhibition Complex off
the Hempstead Turnpike in
Nassau County. They all know
what the Laurelton native can
do and so does the Pride’s head
coach Joe Mihalich.
“He can score to put it
simply,” Mihalich said. “Not
just can he score, but it’s his
NBA skill, he scores like a
professional,” the CAA Coach
of the Year added.
JWF’s rise to stardom
with the Pride began in 2015-
2016, when Hofstra had a
similar burst of magic, falling
short in overtime of the CAA
tournament to the Seahawks of
North Carolina-Wilmington.
In short, that team missed out
on a March Madness bid by
one game.
Justin Wright-Foreman’s stellar season has put Hofstra on the verge of clinching a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
“That team taught us a lot,
it taught me how to be patient,”
Wright-Foreman said,
reflecting on his collegiate
career in its final weeks.
That first year he was
mentored under the wing of
Hofstra’s star senior guard and
pride hoops legend, Juan’ya
Green. He taught Wright-
Foreman that even though
he’s equipped with an NBA
scoring skill, sometimes the
team needs more than points.
“He taught me how to be a
leader,” JWF said, noting that
skill doesn’t stop off the court.
It’s no surprise that Wright-
Foreman’s breakout happened
only a few short months later,
specifically when Hofstra
took on John Calipari’s big
bad, sixth ranked Kentucky
Wildcats at Barclays Center in
Brooklyn.
Despite the Pride’s 96-73
falter, that’s when Wright-
Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
Foreman’s potential was truly
exhibited for the first time in
college.
“We had actually seen it
come out in practice a few days
before that game,” Mihalich
said, sharing that the team
calls Wright-Foreman “fi-lo,”
Continued on Page 44
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