The first day of DI practices are here! If you are not aware (all of you non DI guys out there), the NCAA adopted new legislation in May that allows DI men’s basketball teams to conduct 30 days of practice in the six weeks before their first regular-season game. There is still a lot going on in the coaching world however – here are some things that I’ve heard…

• With Kyle Neptune’s departure to Villanova, word on the street is the Hofstra Special Assistant to the Head Coach Speedy Claxton will be elevated to assistant coach to replace him. Claxton joined the Hofstra staff earlier this spring. He scored 2,015 points for the Pride, and was a first round pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2000 NBA draft. He spent time as a scout for the Golden State Warriors after concluding his NBA career in 2010.

• I can confirm that Darren Kohne has been hired as an assistant at Nicholls State. He spent last season as an assistant with the D-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce. Kohne has also been an assistant at Central Michigan, Stephen F. Austin, High Point, and Bowling Green.

• I have heard that 2013 SUNY Cortland grad Jeremy Smith has joined the staff at his alma mater. He led his squad in scoring last season and was the SUNYAC Tournament MVP.

• Another alum joining the staff at his alma mater…Suffolk University has added former standout Colin Halpin to their staff. Halpin was a First-team All-Conference player last season also led his team in scoring (16.5 ppg).

• Hartwick assistant Bobby Wheet has recently departed for a position on the staff at Wisconsin-La Crosse. Wheet had been on the Hartwick staff for three seasons, and has also worked at Knox College (IL).

• If you are interested in promoting your coaches clinic on HoopDirt, contact me at [email protected]. We’ve had a lot of great response from the clinics that have already been posted. Here is the link to our clinics policy: http://hoopdirt.com/clinic/90c02fe0/new-hoopdirt-coaching-cl…