Hempstead, NY – Hofstra University Head Men's Basketball Coach Joe Mihalich announced today the addition of Zeke Upshaw and Dion Nesmith to the 2013-14 Pride men's basketball roster.
“Zeke and Dion will be very important pieces on our team in 2013-14 and will have a chance to make significant contributions to the squad,” commented Mihalich. “Both are quality student-athletes who will be great representatives of Hofstra University and our basketball program. I look forward to coaching both of them and watching them develop on and off the court.”
Both student-athletes are transfers with Nesmith joining Hofstra from Monmouth and Upshaw coming to Hempstead via Illinois State.
Upshaw and Nesmith will be eligible immediately and have one year of eligibility remaining after graduating from their respective institutions and will begin work on their graduate degrees.
Upshaw, a 6-6 guard, played three seasons at Illinois State in Normal, IL. He played in a total of 62 games for the Redbirds with a high of 27 as a sophomore in 2011-12. Upshaw averaged 2.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per action during the 2012-13 campaign. He scored a career-high 11 points against Creighton on January 2. As a sophomore he averaged 1.4 points and 5.6 minutes after chipping in with nearly a point per game and just over five minutes per outing in 2010-11.
Upshaw attended University High School in Chicago, IL where he became the first player in school history to receive a basketball scholarship to a NCAA Division I institution. In his senior season at University, the Maroons went 22-7 and 11-1 in league play and he scored a season-high 36 points in a game during his final campaign at University HS. Upshaw averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists as a high school junior after notching 18 points, six rebounds and four assists per game as a high school sophomore.
A 6-0 guard, Nesmith hails from Union, New Jersey where he attended Union High School. A skilled and well-rounded athlete, Nesmith began his athletic career at Northeastern where he played quarterback for the football team before transferring to Monmouth to play basketball for the Hawks.
At Union, Nesmith averaged 15 points, six rebounds and four assists as a senior, while being named second team all-county. He played three seasons of basketball for the Farmers and was part of two conference championships. His last two squads at Union combined to win 39 games.
During his tenure in West Long Branch, NJ with Monmouth, Nesmith combined to score 532 points as he averaged 8.8 points during his junior season and 8.1 points during his senior campaign. He also totaled 171 rebounds, 117 assists and 77 steals, while starting 60 out of the 63 games he played in. A solid outside shooter, Nesmith hit 38 three-pointers as a junior and 20 this past season. A 2012 Northeast Conference All-Rookie Team selection, Nesmith scored a career-high 22 points against Robert Morris as a junior, while also notching career-highs of eight rebounds (vs. Fordham in 2011) and six assists (vs. Mount St. Mary's in 2013).
In addition to Upshaw and Nesmith, Mihalich has also added Eliel Gonzalez, Juan'ya Green, Chris Jenkins, Jamall Robinson and Ameen Tanksley to the 2013-14 roster. Those seven newcomers will join returning scholarship student-athletes Jordan Allen, Moussa Kone, Stephen Nwaukoni and Darren Payen on the 2013-14 Hofstra squad in Mihalich's first season at the helm of the Pride. Green and Tanksley will have to sit out the 2013-14 season after transferring from Niagara.
