A waiver is in place and the staff hopes he will be eligible in the fall.

A former big man at Barstow (Calif.) Colllege, he will have two years of eligibility remaining.

In December, the Brooklyn native said he left Fresno for personal reasons.

‘It wasn’t like that,” he told the Fresno Bee about reports there was a conflict with the coaches. “The coaching staff there is great, enthusiastic. I actually love the coaches, especially Coach (Jerry) Wainwright. They taught me a lot. It’s just I had a lot of pressure on me, like, from other things.

”When I’m back East I will have a lot more family, they can help me out with my daughter and financially. It will be much better.”

During his sophomore season at Barstow, Brown averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks per game. As a freshman, he averaged a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Brown joins former UConn guard Jamal Coombs-McDaniel and former Penn State guard Taran Buie among transfers sitting out.

Hofstra also has forward Jordan Allen red-shirting and recruits Dallas Anglin, a guard from Seton Hall Prep, and Jimmy Hall, a forward from St. Anthony, eligible next year.

“Who are you?”

“Are you really the coach?”

“And can I talk to Charles Jenkins?”

During his first year taking over an unsettled Hofstra program, Cassara could always rely on Jenkins to pump in 20 or more points per game. As a result, the Pride went 21-12, 14-4 in the CAA.

The prolific shooting guard graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer and became a second-round pick of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

But now that Jenkins is gone, Cassara admits that he will face more uncertainty in his second year as coach.

Cassara will lean heavily on 6-foot-5 senior shooting guard Mike Moore, a Fordham transfer who averaged 14.9 points last season but is no Charles Jenkins.

Moore, who graduated last year, said he walks around campus and hears people telling him, “You got the juice now.”

“It’s only right people expecting me to fill in the role,” Moore told SNY.tv. “And I’m really taking on that challenge, and I’m looking forward to it and I’m embracing it.”

“I hope those comparisons don’t ever come up because Mike is a very different player, he plays differently,” Cassara said. “And certainly I don’t think anybody can be Charles Jenkins on so many levels. But Mike is a prolific scorer. He’s proved that he can score in this league, and I think he’s worked really hard in this offseason to become one of the better scorers in the league.”

Moore won’t have to fill Jenkins’ role alone, though.

Hofstra also features junior forward David Imes (7.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg), senior guard Dwan McMillan (6.8 ppg), sophomore guard Shemiye McLendon (6.1 ppg) and two redshirts, senior guard Nat Lester of Brooklyn and junior guard Stevie Mejia.

Cassara said Moore, Mejia, Lester and Imes will likely start.

“After that it remains to be seen,” he said.

Cassara is setting the bar high, too.

George Mason received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament last year and VCU won the CAA’s automatic bid and then marched all the way to the Final Four.

Cassara figures Hofstra has a shot at an at-large bid, too, if it doesn’t win the postseason tournament. The Pride haven’t been to the Big Dance since 2001.

“Me personally, that was my goal, to make it to the NCAA Tournament before I graduate college,” Moore said. “And this is my last year, and the goal’s still the same.”

TRANSFERS LYING IN WAIT

Hofstra also features two high-profile transfers in sophomore guard Taran Buie (Penn State) and junior forward Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (UConn), both of whom become eligible in 2012.

Moore says they’ve already upped the intensity level in practice.

“Taran is definitely a scrappy player,” he said. “When you’re playing against guys that played at high levels, that’s definitely going to make you up your game in practices.”

In addition to Buie and Coombs-McDaniel, Hofstra secured verbal commitments for 2012 from 6-1 Seton Hall Prep combo guard Dallas Anglin and 6-7 St. Anthony power forward Jimmy Hall.

Cassara confessed it’s tempting to look ahead to the 2012-13 season when all four of those guys become eligible, but insists he’s focused on winning with this group.

“I think it’s hard to not look ahead, but I’m excited about this group as well,” he said.

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Dallas Anglin, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound combo guard from Seton Hall Prep, is the latest to join the Pride, committing Sunday.

“They show a lot of love and they are a family!,”Anglin said by text. “I’m going there to win and I’m bringing athleticism.

“I learned how to lead a team and become a point guard so I’ll be there to do what I do.”

Anglin also had offers from Siena, Duquesne, Penn State, St. Peter’s, St. Joe’s, Richmond, Towson, Manhattan, Rice and Western Kentucky.

“Hofstra is a nice fit for Dallas,” Seton Hall Prep coach Kevin Williams said. “I’m happy for him, Dallas is a great kid.

“Dallas is an explosive athlete who also shoots the ball very well. His ability to get to the basket makes him very difficult to guard.”

Anglin joins 6-7 St. Anthony power forward Jimmy Hall in Hofstra’s 2012 recruiting haul.

Hofstra also has transfers Taran Buie and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel sitting out. Both become eligible in 2012.

(PHoto courtesy Hudson County Reporter)

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Jimmy Hall,

“The family feel and great environment really sold the deal,” said Hall, who also held offers from Temple, Siena, Penn State and George Washington. “I feel like we could make some noise in the CAA.”

A Brooklyn native, Hall was a key role player last season when Bob Hurley’s team went undefeated and won the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title.

“Jimmy brings skill and length with a good basketball IQ,” Friars assistant Eric Harrield told SNY.tv “We feel he made a great choice and will be successful at Hofstra.

“He had a really good summer and should be a double-double guy for us this year. He has the ability to post up or face up and is a very good passer.”

(Photo courtesy NJ.com)

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“Taran is an athletic slasher with deep range on his jump shot,” Albany City Rocks coach Jim Hart said.

“He has a great mid-range game, good toughness and he’s fearless. Hofstra fans will really enjoy watching Taran play.”

The news was first reported by Alex Kline of The Recruit Scoop.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Buie played in 11 games as a freshman, all in the non-conference season, in his first year at Penn State before being indefinitely suspended by then-head coach Ed DeChellis in late December for a violation of team rules. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds while playing an average of 15.2 minutes per game, reaching double-figures in scoring twice and posting a season high 14 points in a victory over Central Connecticut State.

Buie, who also had interest from Towson and Arizona, among others, will have to sit out a year per NCAA regulations and will then have three years of eligibility remaining. He visited Maryland, Notre Dame and Penn State out of Bishop Maginn in Albany.

Hofstra also recently landed former UConn guard Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who must sit a year before becoming eligible.

Hofstra is also in the mix for onetime Manhattan signee Zach Lamb, the older brother of UConn standout Jeremy Lamb, although a source close to the Hofstra staff said the Pride would no longer actively pursue the elder Lamb.

Instead, Hofstra plans to pursue Brian Bernardi, a 6-3 shooting guard from Xaverian who has Hofstra near the top of his list.

And as first reported here earlier today, Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino took three players on an unofficial to Hofstra Thursday: 2012 guards Isaiah Cousins and Randy Stephens and 2013 point guard Josh Doughty.

“Always great to see @bcimmino1 on campus,” Hofstra coach Mo Cassara Tweeted.” One of the great coaches and people in the business.”

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The 6-foot-5 Nichols, who averaged eight points and nine rebounds for the PSAL champion Kangaroos, is on record saying he will attend prep school next season after finishing up this year at Brooklyn Boys & Girls.

But New York Panthers head coach Gary Charles said nothing has been determined as of yet.

“He signed with Hofstra,” Charles said Wednesday by phone. “It’s not like he just gave a verbal. Until the high school season is over and everything has been done to try to get him eligible, I don’t think we can discuss him going to prep school.

“As of now, he’s going to Hofstra.”

Charles said there would be time after the school year to pick a prep school should Nichols need that route.

“Even though he’s saying that, I have enough respect for Hofstra to allow this process to finish out,” he said. “Whether we pick a prep school now or wait until after the season is over, it doesn’t make that much of a difference.”

Nichols was unavailable for comment.

If he went prep, he would be the second Division 1 prospect from Boys & Girls to go that route this year.

As first reported here earlier, former Rutgers commit Mike Taylor is headed to Humble (Texas) Christian Life Center to play for new coach Rafer Alston. Taylor remains open in his recruitment.

**In other Hofstra-related news, former UConn guard Jamal Coombs-McDaniel is transferring to Hofstra. Read more here.

RELATED CONTENT

**Alston, Anderson head into coaching

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They are mysteries shrouded in enigmas.

As far as the 6-foot-8 Daniels goes, a source inside his recruitment said he had no knowledge of any impending announcement this weekend.

“He could announce tomorrow and I wouldn’t be surprised, or he could announce the day before school starts,” the source said.

UConn, which has a scholarship to give, has reached out to the multi-talented wing.

“UConn has placed a couple phonecalls,” the source said.

The Huskies would make perfect sense for Daniels. They bring back talented young guards and wings in Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier and Roscoe Smith as well as forward Alex Oriakhi, but could certainly use an agile 6-8 scoring wing to help compensate for the loss of Kemba Walker.

Head coach Jim Calhoun recently said in New York that the defending champs had nine scholarship players and planned to add a 10th for the 2011-12 season.

The Huskies offered Brewster forward Mitch McGary the option of enrolling in 2011 instead of 2012, but that’s not happening, according to Brewster coach Jason Smith.

“There has never been any doubt,” he said by text.

Oklahoma State has also recently reached out to Daniels, the source said, and Texas is “still in the mix.”

Kansas is on the “backburner” because the program is not known for featuring its wings, the source added.

Through it all, Daniels remains at IMG and is not speaking to the media.

“He’s here,” IMG coach Andy Borman told SNY.tv Thursday. “We love him. We have no comment on DeAndre’s recruitment and there is no timetable.”

As for Jones, he was seen Wednesday on the Seton Hall campus with head coach Kevin Willard by John Lopiano, the assistant sports editor of The Setonian.

“Just saw Momo Jones and Kevin Willard talking outside the side door of the rec center about ten feet from me,” Lopiano tweeted.

Jones will take officials to Marquette, South Florida and Pittsburgh and unofficials to Seton Hall (Wednesday), Iona (Friday), Hosftra (Monday) and UMass (Tuesday), per Dermon Player, the former Seton Hall assistant now advising Jones on his recruitment.

The Arizona transfer has said he would like to land closer to his New York City home, but is apparently considering other Big East schools as well.

“As soon as Momo feels comfortable with who he feels in his heart is where he wants to go, he will pick a school,” Player told SNY.tv by text.

FREE THROWS

Former West Virginia forward Danny Jennings of Staten Island has verbally committed to transfer to Long Beach State…Rodney Purvis will play pick up ball Thursday at Duke, according to his AAU coach, Tony Edwards….Hofstra officially announced the signing of former UConn assistant Pat Sellers. Former UConn wing Jamal Coombs-McDaniel will visit Hofstra in the coming weeks, a source said. Also, Former Penn State guard Taran Buie visits Hofstra Friday, per Jim Hart of Albany City Rocks. He is considering Towson and Colorado, too…Memphis will play Louisville on Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. in Louisville. The return game will take place in Memphis in the 2012-13 season.

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“I want her to stand up so everybody can see the pretty dress she’s wearing tonight,” Jenkins, honored as only the third three-time winner of the Haggerty Award, told the crowd in what was perhaps the most touching moment of the night.

Kareem Albritton, Jenkins’ older brother and Kemoni’s father, was shot and killed in Brooklyn in 2001. Ever since, Jenkins’ parents, Charles and Patricia, have helped raise the girl.

But with the 6-foot-3 Jenkins projected to be taken in the upcoming NBA Draft, one of his primary motivations is to provide financial security for his niece.

“The thought of my niece not eating was definitely a motivation for me to wake up and push every day,” Jenkins said. “She’s going to be with me every step of the way.”

Jenkins led the Pride and was sixth nationally in scoring at 22.6 points per game. He shot 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from beyond the arc and 82 percent from the line. He finished his career with a school-record 2,513 points, second in Colonial Athletic Association history to David Robinson. He was named the CAA Player of the Year and had his No. 22 jersey retired by the school.

DraftExpress.com projects him going as the No. 36 overall pick, No. 6 in the second round, to the Sacramento Kings in the June 23 NBA Draft.

Jenkins, who came out of Springfield Gardens High in Queens, would be the first New York City public school graduate taken since Lincoln’s Sebastian Telfair in 2004.

A lifelong New Yorker, Jenkins said he would like to play for the Knicks, who pick at No. 17 and are in need of defensive-minded big men and shooters. They have no second-round pick.

“I would definitely love to stay here,” Jenkins said of the Knicks. “I’m definitely a New York guy. I’ve never traveled outside of New York for school so it would definitely be a great place for me.”

Jenkins watched the Knicks get swept by the Boston Celtics and said he empathized with the injured Amar’e Stoudemire (back) and Chauncey Billups (knee).

“I think they were hurt with a lot of injuries and as far as Chauncey Billups, he was a big impact,” Jenkins said, referring to the fact that Billups missed the last three games of the series with a strained left knee. “You could actually see why they lost the way they did because of his presence.”

Jenkins has been training with Hofstra alumnus Jay Hernandez for the past three weeks on Long Island. He works on strength and conditioning at Professional Athletic Performance Center in Garden City.

“I’m very excited,” Jenkins said. “I’ve put in a tremendous amount of hours on my game and for me to have that opportunity [to play in the NBA] it’s just great. There’s so may players in the world that go in the gym and work out every day, just to get the opportunity that I have.”

Hofstra coach Mo Cassara, who spent just one season with Jenkins, said he’s especially impressed with his work ethic.

“He’s worked so hard,” Cassara said. “Every level he’s been through, even throughout his college career, he’s gotten a little better every year. He was Player of the Year in the league last year, came back, was Player of the Year, led the league in scoring and assists.

“He’s working incredibly hard now. He’s lost almost 11 pounds [down to 225], cut down his body fat. He looks great, he’s working hard. He’s such a powerful guard and he’s such a great kid and works so hard, I think there’s going to be a lot of teams out there interested in him.”

Jenkins’ agent, Michael Lindeman, attended the dinner with the Jenkins’ family and said it was still too early to judge which teams might draft him.

“It’s early in the process,” he said. “Workouts will start around mid-May and that’s when you really get a better idea. Obviously, plenty of teams have seen him throughout the year, and there are very positive things to be said about him right now.’

Of course, the NBA could be headed for a lockout the week after the draft if the two sides cannot agree on a new collective bargaining agreement by the time the old one expires June 30.

“From all accounts, on the outside looking it it looks like we’re heading in that direction,” Billups said this week. “I’ll have to see what’s going on, if it can be salvaged or not. It’s a lot of unbelievable issues out there that I don’t know if they can be solved in a couple months.”

Yet with the NFL lockout lifted this week, Lindeman said he’s hopeful that could have an affect on the NBA.

“Nobody really knows,” he said. “It’s something that doesn’t look very good right now. But everybody’s still optimistic. Hopefully, with the recent situation in the NFL, that could pave the way for them to come to an agreement.”

From where Jenkins stands, all of the labor stuff will sort itself out after June 23,  when he hopes to be drafted and be in a position to provide for his young niece for the rest of her life.

“I know Charles’ underlying focus is to be able to take care of his niece throughout the rest of her life,” Cassara said. “Obviously, playing professional basketball can help him do that.”

(Photo courtesy Hofstra Athletics)

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Charles Jenkins

Jenkins, a senior guard from Queens, N.Y., won for the third consecutive season, becoming only the third player in the history of the award to win it three times. The others were Jim McMillian of Columbia (1968-69-70) and Chris Mullin of St. John’s (1983-84-85).

Jim Ferry of Long Island University — who interviewed for and was offered the Manhattan job — won the Peter A. Carlesimo coach of the year award.

Jason Brickman of LIU was named rookie of the year.

Joining Jenkins on the All-Met first team: Dwight Hardy, St. John’s; Mike Glover and Scott Machado, Iona; Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall; and Julian Boyd, LIU.

Named to the second team: Jonathan Mitchell, Rutgers; Justin Brownlee, St. John’s; D.J. Kennedy, St. John’s; Derek Needham, Fairfield; and Chris Gaston, Fordham.

Named to the third team: Wesley Jenkins, St. Peter’s; Noruwa Agho, Columbia; Jamal Olasewere, LIU; Justin Robinson, Rider; Tyler Murray, Wagner; George Beamon, Manhattan.

Jenkins led the Pride and was sixth in the nation with 22.6 points per game. He had 158 assists (2nd CAA), 57 steals and shot 51.7 percent from the floor, 42.0 percent from 3-point range and 82.4 percent at the foul line. He was the Colonial Athletic Association player of the year for the second consecutive season and had his number 22 jersey retired by Hofstra.

Jenkins finished his career with a school record 2,513 points in 128 games (19.6 ppg) and wound up second in CAA career scoring behind David Robinson of Navy.

Jenkins is the fifth player from Hofstra to win the award. Previous Pride players to win include Bill Thieben (1956), Rich Laurel (1977), Speedy Claxton (2000) and Norm Richardson (2001).

In his ninth season at the helm, Ferry guided the Blackbirds to a 27-6 record (improving from 14-17 in 2009-10), their first Northeast Conference (16-2) regular season title since 1997-78 and first NEC tournament championship since 1976-77. LIU, which was fourth nationally in scoring with 82.7 points per game, captured an NCAA tournament berth for the fourth time in school history and the first time since 1997.

The 27 wins for LIU were the most for the team since a 28-3 mark in 1936-37.

Also named NEC coach of the year, Ferry was previously named All-Met Division II coach of the year while at Adelphi in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

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The 6-foot-3 Queens, N.Y. native averaged 25.0 points and 6.3 assists in three Hofstra wins last week, and shared the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week honor with Frank Hassell of Old Dominion.

“He’s a pro,” said George Mason assistant Chris Caputo, whose team watched Jenkins score 32 points on 9 of 13 shooting to go with eight assists in an 87-74 loss Wednesday.

“He has always been able to get into the lane and score with a variety of layups or get fouled at will. The thing that sets him apart is how much he has improved as a shooter. When a guy with that type of ability going to the rim also shoots 50 percent from 3 he is very hard to guard with one player.”

While Walker is first in the nation in scoring (25.8), Jenkins is fourth at 23.8 points per game, and ranks first among all active players with 2,124 career points. Walker has taken 62 more shots than Jenkins and played in one fewer game.

Jenkins has also been scoring in efficient fashion this season, shooting 58.9 percent from the floor, as well as 50.9 percent from 3-point territory (31-61).

Derrick Williams of Arizona is the only player in the country shooting a higher percentage from the floor with at least one 3-pointer made per game, and he’s a 6-8 forward with exactly one 3-pointer per contest.

“He has this young and totally inexperienced team on his back,” first-year Hofstra coach Mo Cassara said.

BIG EAST HONORS HANSBROUGH, NAPIER

The Big East named Notre Dame guard Ben Hansbrough and Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier the winners of the conference’s weekly men’s basketball honors for the week ending Jan. 9.

Hansbrough was named Big East Player of the Week after he averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in a 2-0 week for Notre Dame. He scored 21 points with five rebounds, four assists and a steal in a 73-70 win against No. 8 Connecticut and had a career-high 26 points with four rebounds, three assists and four steals in a 76-61 win against St. John’s. Hansbrough, who has hit for double figures in 10 consecutive games, leads Notre Dame in scoring at 16.3 ppg.

Napier earned Big East Rookie of the Week honors after he averaged 16.5 points in a 1-1 week against a pair of nationally ranked opponents on the road for the Huskies. He scored a career-high 18 points in a 73-70 loss against No. 14 Notre Dame and added 15 points in an  82-81 overtime win at No. 12 Texas. Napier was 10-of-16 from the field (.625) and 6-of-9 from 3-point range (.667) in the two games and registered his sixth and seventh games in double figures.

BIG EAST Player of the Week

BEN HANSBROUGH, Notre Dame, G, Sr.

BIG EAST Rookie of the Week

SHABAZZ NAPIER, Connecticut, G, Fr.

BIG EAST Honor Roll

Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette, G, Jr.

Averaged 24.5 points, 3.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week. Matched his career high with 29 points in a 73-65 win at Rutgers.

Gilbert Brown, Pittsburgh, F, Sr.

Averaged 16.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, shooting 71.4 percent from the field (10-of-14) in a 2-0 week.

Marshon Brooks, Providence, F, Sr.

Averaged 28.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in two games. Has scored at least 20 points in 11 consecutive games.

Corey Fisher, Villanova, G, Sr.

Averaged 16.5 points and 5.0 assists in a 2-0 week. Scored 20 first-half points in a 72-61 win against Cincinnati

Casey Mitchell, West Virginia, G, Sr.

Averaged 23.0 points in a 2-0 week. Scored a game-high 28 points in 65-59 win at Georgetown.

DEPAUL ANNOUNCES KIRK TRANSFER

DePaul officially announced today that Donnavan Kirk has transferred from Miami.

“Donnavan Kirk is an outstanding run and jump athlete,” said head coach Oliver Purnell. “He should fit into our system really well. The fact that he can start practice immediately is an advantage for him going into next season.”

Under NCAA guidelines, Kirk is scheduled to sit out the remainder of the 2010-11 season and the Autumn Quarter of the 2011-12 season. DePaul’s Autumn Quarter exams are scheduled to end on Nov. 22.

Kirk, a 6-9 forward, played in 13 games this season as a redshirt freshman and averaged 2.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in 9.5 minutes of action.

The Pontiac, Mich., native shot .406 (13-32) from the field and .900 (9-10) from the free throw line while making three starts for the Hurricanes.

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