HAMPTON — A year ago, Hampton surprised the Coastal Athletic Association by climbing from a preseason projection near the bottom of the league to the program’s first winning season in six years.
But in Year 2 under head coach Ivan Thomas, the Pirates aren’t interested in replaying the past. They just want to build on the habits they believe got them here.
Thomas calls this next step more about refinement than reinvention. The foundation he spent his first season laying — establishing routines, learning the school’s rhythms and shedding habits that didn’t fit the program’s direction — is now firmly in place. With returning leaders like senior guard Xzavier Long and sophomore guard Daniel Johnson, he feels the group finally understands what Hampton basketball should look like.
“Year 2 looks like just continuing to build a culture,” Thomas said. “We’re just trying to put out a product every year of energy, effort, enthusiasm and toughness.”
The offseason served as proof of that evolution. Thomas challenged Long and Johnson, both preseason All-CAA selections, to grow as leaders on and off the floor. He saw them step into the role quickly, helping several newcomers adjust to expectations, standards, and the nuances of life on campus.
Their influence was most visible in the chemistry that developed over the summer — one strengthened through open gyms, player-led events and, at times, dinners at players’ homes.
That bond carried into a captains’ dinner Thomas recently held with Long, Johnson and seniors Kody Williams and Michael Eley. Conversation drifted from life to last season to what comes next during the sitdown.
“If you want an unbelievable season, you’ve got to have an unbelievable relationship with your players,” Thomas said.
Long feels the same way. Last season’s success, he and Thomas said, means little now. The conversations among teammates focus more on missed opportunities than celebrating the 17-16 campaign.
“Even when we do look at our successes, we look at what we could have done better,” Long said. “I think we gave away a couple games … so for sure we’re trying to improve on our mistakes.”
Improvement, in Thomas’ view, comes from consistently embodying the identity he expects: urgency, physical toughness and a standard of mental resilience that doesn’t waver from possession to possession. That’s something he has carried with him no matter where he’s coached, he said.
Thomas believes Hampton can be one of the best defensive teams in the league — and one of the most physical teams in the country — if it leans into that ethos daily.
“You fall and rise to the level of your systems,” Thomas said. “We just want to get better with each game.
”We’re not the best. We’re just going to train every day to beat the best. And that’s kind of our humble mindset, just continue to get better and climb our way in this league.”
That effort begins Nov. 3 at Milwaukee before the Pirates’ home opener on Nov. 6. Thomas won’t define this season by last year’s accomplishments or preseason predictions that slotted Hampton fifth. The only measure he’s interested in is whether the team honors the standard it set and protected through the summer.
“Last year was last year,” he said. “We’re just going to train every day to beat the best.”
Hampton men at a glance
Forward Xzavier Long (25) celebrates during an exhibition game against Bowie State at Hampton’s Convocation Center on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)
Last year: 17-16, 8-10 Coastal Athletic Association (finished 10th)
Coach: Ivan Thomas (17-16 in one season)
Season opener: Monday vs. Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
CAA predicted order of finish, as selected by coaches: 1. Towson, 2. UNC Wilmington, 3. Charleston, 4. William & Mary, 5. Hampton, 6. Monmouth, 7. Campbell, 8. Hofstra, 9. Northeastern, 10. Drexel, 11. Stony Brook, 12. Elon, 13. North Carolina A&T
Schedule
November: 3: at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.; 6: vs. Mid-Atlantic Christian, 7 p.m.; 11: at Virginia, 9 p.m.; 14: at Brown, 8:15 p.m.; 16: Holy Cross, 1 p.m.; 18: at Boston College, 7 p.m.; 21: at Norfolk State, 8 p.m.; 25: at Maryland Eastern Shore, 7 p.m.
December: 1: vs. Apprentice, 7 p.m.; 3: vs. Loyola Maryland, 7 p.m.; 13: vs. Howard, 3 p.m.; 18: vs. Jackson State in Atlanta, 5 p.m.; 19: vs. Grambling in Atlanta, 5 p.m.; 29: vs. Stony Brook, 7 p.m.; 31: vs. Towson, 2:30 p.m.
January: 3: at UNCW, 7 p.m.; 8: at Campbell, 7 p.m.; 10: at Charleston, 5 p.m.; 19: vs. North Carolina A&T, 9 p.m.; 22: vs. Monmouth, 7 p.m.; 24: vs. UNCW, 2:30 p.m.; 29: at Drexel, 7 p.m.; 31: at Towson, 2 p.m.
February: 5: vs. Elon, 7 p.m.; 7: vs. William & Mary, 2:30 p.m.; 13: vs. North Carolina A&T in Inglewood, California, 11 p.m.; 19: at Hofstra, 8 p.m.; 21: at Stony Brook, 4 p.m.; 26: vs. Charleston, 11 a.m.; 28: vs. Northeastern, 4 p.m.
March: 3: at William & Mary, 7 p.m.; 6-10: CAA Tournament (in Washington), TBA
