Stokes and Brown waiting on waivers at Hofstra

Hofstra has an influx of talent coming in having added eight new players over the past year through recruiting as well as players transferring.

Taran Buie and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel are both highly touted transfers from Penn State and UConn respectively and expected to contribute after spending a year in residency. Two transfers who are looking to bypass that process are Hawaii transfer Shaquille Stokes and Fresno State transfer Daquan Brown.

Stokes and Brown have submitted waivers to the NCAA to bypass their year in residency and play during the 2012-13 season. However, Hofstra has yet to hear from the NCAA on either player.

“We’re on their timetable now,” Hofstra head coach Mo Cassara said.

Cassara hopes to hear from the NCAA before official practices start on October 12th.

“We’re hoping soon. We’re certainly hoping before the start of practice.”

Stokes, who played at Lincoln High School and won New York City Player of the Year from the New York Daily News, transferred from Hawaii to Hofstra in June to be closer to his sick grandmother. The Harlem native averaged 8.4 points per game and 2.2 assists per game in his freshman season at Hawaii.

Whether or not Stokes plays this season, Cassara said when he is eligible he will provide much needed experience to his team.

“[He's] a real dynamic New York City guard who I think is going to provide us a lot of scoring and a lot of experience in the backcourt, which we’ll sorely need whether its this fall or next fall.”

Stokes will have three seasons of eligibility left that will start in 2013 if he does not receive his hardship waiver to play immediately.

Brown – who also played at Lincoln High School before going to Barstow Junior College and then to Fresno State – transferred to Hofstra after leaving Fresno State following his first semester there. He averaged a double-double at the California junior college but did not play while at Fresno State.

Cassara said that the worst case scenario for Brown is that he will be able to play in December after the first semester is over.