Ex-Hofstra coach Tim Welsh appears in court

A day after resigning as coach of Hofstra's men's basketball team, Tim Welsh was back in court Tuesday morning, though not for long.

Welsh, who faces drunken driving charges, had the second hearing in his case adjourned until June 1. His wife, Megan, and his new attorney, Ronald Bekoff of Garden City, accompanied him in the third-floor courtroom at First District Court in Hempstead. Welsh and his wife left just before 9:30, when the hearing originally was scheduled to begin.

When Welsh was arraigned Friday, his attorneys at the time worked to schedule his second hearing as soon as possible in hopes of expediting the case while he fought to keep his job. But immediacy is no longer an issue in the wake of Welsh's decision to resign Monday morning.

Hofstra hired Welsh on March 31, signing him to a five-year, $3-million contract that was the largest in the school's history for a coach. His tenure lasted 34 days and was marred by his arrest early Friday when police said they found him drunk behind the wheel on Hempstead Turnpike.

In a telephone interview with Newsday Monday night, Welsh said of the incident: "Whatever happened, happened. Life is full of challenges, ups and downs. Right now, we'll bounce back. Hofstra will bounce back.''

Kanacevic transfers

Hofstra freshman forward Halil Kanacevic has verbally committed to St. Joseph's in Philadelphia, the Hofstra athletic department confirmed Tuesday. He must sit out a year per NCAA transfer rules and will be eligible in 2011.