Four Hofstra players, including leading rebounder Jimmy Hall, arrested on charges of burglary (VIDEO)

At 3-4 on the season the last thing Hofstra head coach Mo Cassara needed on his plate was an off-court distraction, especially with 7-1 SMU visiting Hempstead on Saturday.

But that’s exactly what he’ll have to deal with, as four players have been arrested and charged in connection with six burglaries on the Hofstra campus. The four players are sophomore Shaquille Stokes and freshmen Dallas Anglin, Jimmy Hall and Kentrell Washington.

The New York Post reported that one of the victims in their string of burglaries was Cassara but the school released a statement saying that Cassara’s items were reported missing in the spring, before any of the players arrived on campus.

All four have been suspended from the university as a result of their legal situation, and it’s very difficult to see any of them returning to the program. In fact, they’ve already been removed from the roster on the team website.

Stokes, who received an eligibility waiver from the NCAA after transferring from Hawaii at the end of last season, is averaging 10.0 points and 2.7 assists per contest with the latter number ranking second on the team. Hall, who is second on the team with an average of 12.7 points per contest, leads the Pride in rebounding with an average of 9.4 boards per game.

Anglin and Washington are both averaging at least 14 minutes per game, but the big losses are Stokes and Hall. Stokes has been a welcome addition to the Hofstra rotation, especially when considering the fact that an early suspension followed by knee issues have kept UConn transfer Jamal Coombs-McDaniel off the floor.

As for Hall, he’s been one of the best freshmen in the CAA and his activity on the glass at both ends of the floor will be difficult to replace.

Stokes was charged with five counts of second degree burglary with Hall being charged for four counts, Washington two and Anglin one. According to Newsday the four players were arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Friday, and things got interesting after the hearing.

While many will say that the family member was out of line in his reaction to the camera man, there’s also the argument that at a certain point the camera man could have left him alone. But regardless of which side of the argument anyone may fall on, this was an ugly day for all involved.

Video credit: New York Post

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.