Elijah Pemberton, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound combo guard from Chesire (Conn.) Academy, committed to Hofstra on Monday.
A onetime William & Mary commit, Pemberton also considered Northeastern, St. Bonaventure, William & Mary and East Carolina.
“Hofstra just felt right to me,” Pemberton, a Yonkers, N.Y., native who now lives in Middletown, Conn., said by text. “The whole coaching staff was genuine and I felt the sincerity from them. What I’m going to bring to the table is another level of athleticism and feel for the game as well as a strong ball handler. I can’t wait to be a Pride!!”
Pemberton is coach Joe Mihalich’s first commit for 2016. He averaged 11.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals at the Peach Jam playing for the New York Lightning.
“He made a great decision,” Cheshire coach Kevin Kehoe said. “Hofstra’s a program on the rise in the CAA and he’s going to do great down there.”
As for what kind of player Pemberton will be at Hofstra, Kehoe added: “He will be a prototypical combo guard. He can play on the point. He’s got good ball-handling skills, but he’s very athletic, so he can also shift over to the two guard. In the screen/roll game he can get into the paint against anybody. He’s an unselfish kid, he can guard 5-8 point guards, he can guard 6-7 wings.”
Pat Lawless first reported the pledge.
