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As the calendar turns to 2024, the Hampton Pirates men's basketball team also gets a new start as they prepare to take on the CAA. They finished their non-conference schedule with a 4-8 record, the second-worst non-conference record in the CAA. The last three games of the year were especially disappointing as the Pirates ended 2023 on a three-game losing streak.
Hampton had a strong start in both games against #20 James Madison and Bowling Green. Against the nationally ranked Dukes, the Pirates led 42-41 at halftime. They previously held a 37-27 lead, but James Madison closed the gap right before the half. The Pirates' shooting luck ran out in the second half while the Dukes got back on track, eventually leading to an 88-71 loss for Hampton.
The Pirates squeezed the Bowling Green Falcons' offense in the first half, limiting them to just 21 points. Unfortunately, they proceeded to get outscored 54-34 by the Falcons in the second half. Bowling Green guard Trey Thomas had 16 of his 25 points in the second half, including four of his six made three-pointers. Thomas powered his team to their 75-65 win over Hampton.
In the final game of the year, the Pirates lost a nail biter to Eastern Michigan, 72-69. The Eagles jumped out to a double-digit lead early in the game after a 15-0 run in the first half. Hampton came back at the very end of the game, cutting the lead inside of 10 points with under six minutes left. Back-to-back scores from Kyrese Mullen helped Hampton cut the lead all the way down to just three points with 40 seconds remaining. The Pirates got the ball back off of a missed shot, but a final turnover kept them from tying the game.
Speaking of Kyrese Mullen, he's having the best year of his career. The Norfolk, Virginia native is averaging 16 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, leading the Pirates in both categories. He's already totaled seven double-doubles, including a 25-point, 18-rebounds performance against Mid-Atlantic Christian.
Mullen has had to carry the Pirates offensively in the absence of Jordan Nesbitt. Nesbitt, the team's leading scorer last year, is still getting his legs under him. He's only played four games this year due to an eligibility concern that kept him off the court. He's scored six points in each of his four games, a far cry from his 14.9 average last season.
In the meantime, Tedrick Wilcox and Tristan Maxwell have both stepped up to replace Nesbitt's production. At 13.9 points per game, Wilcox is the second-leading scorer for the Pirates. He's struggled in his last few games, but Wilcox can get hot from deep at any moment. In their opening game against Howard, he dropped 24 points and hit on all six of his three-point attempts.
Maxwell is currently having the best season of his collegiate career, which was marred with injury at Georgia Tech. The organizer of the offense, he's averaging 9.2 points, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals. Maxwell put the CAA on notice with a triple-double against Virginia-Lynchburg. He recorded 20 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, knocked down four of seven three-pointers, and threw multiple alley-oops to his teammates.
Freshman forward Jerry Deng is worth keeping an eye on for the rest of the season. He put together an impressive three-game stretch in the middle of December, stringing together games of 19, 37, and 18 points. Deng is still fighting for consistent playing time, but his size and shooting ability will certainly help the Pirates throughout the rest of this season, and for years to come.
The Hampton Pirates open up conference play on Jan. 1 against Drexel University. The Dragons are 7-6, with big wins against Winthrop, Albany, and #18 Villanova.
