The Numbers Don`t Lie

I graduated from Saint Joseph’s in 1957. Even though I played varsity baseball at Saint
Joseph’s, basketball was the sport I followed fervently. Nothing compared to Hawk
basketball!
I was not alone in my passion for the Hawk basketball teams. The student body then, as it
does today, shared my passion.
For years I have collected everything I read concerning the Hawks. The “Jameer era” was
so satisfying that I wanted to experience it again by creating a definitive story. It was
material that I did not want to tuck away and perhaps not ever read again.
What follows is the result of my effort. Putting this together was enjoyable. I hope you
enjoy it as well.
Let’s Go Hawks!
Stanley J. Glowacki
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction
1
Forward
2
In The Beginning―2000-2001
5
The Best College Mascot In The Country
13
2001-2002
15
The Atlantic 10 Tournament
23
The 2002-2003 Season
25
A Season Opening Win At Boston College
34
Wins Over Canisius, Old Dominion, and Boston University
35
Hawks’ Win Streak At Seven
37
A Stinging Loss At The College Of The Pacific
38
Away at Gonzaga
39
The St. Bonaventure Game
40
The Massachusetts Game
41
The Temple Game
43
The Rhode Island Game
46
On Delonte West
47
The Fordham Game
48
The University Of Pennsylvania Game
49
The George Washington Game
51
Some Answers
53
Delonte West Suspended
54
The Road To The “Holy War”
56
The Villanova Game
59
The Fordham Game
62
The Hawks Reach No. 25 In The Polls
64
Defense, Defense, Defense
66
The Temple Game
68
The Hawks Lose A Key Game At Dayton University
70
Out Of The National Rankings
72
A Look Back
73
Injured Delonte Absent For St. Bonaventure Game
77
Hawks Beat LaSalle For The Big 5 Championship
78
Hawks Honor Mike Bantom At Richmond Game
81
Preparing For Xavier
83
Saint Joseph’s Meets Xavier On Senior Night
85
The Final Game With Massachusetts
90
The Atlantic 10 Tournament
91
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Be Careful Of What You Wish For
92
The Atlantic 10 Semifinals Against Dayton
95
The State Of College Basketball
99
March Madness
101
Was The Coach Superstitious?
103
The Opening Round Of The NCAA Tournament
105
A Look To The Future
109
A Welcome Decision By Jameer
112
The Undefeated 2003-2004 Season
116
The Hawks’ New Recruits
120
The Pete Newell Challenge
121
A Renewed Penn State Rivalry?
123
Jameer Helps A Teammate
124
Midnight Madness
126
More About Jameer
130
The Gonzaga Game At Madison Square Garden
131
At Boston University
135
At Old Dominion
137
San Francisco At The Hawks’ Home Opener
138
The Big 5 Classic
140
Penn At The Palestra
141
Boston College At The Palestra
142
Rap Curry―Assists Leader
144
Drexel At The Palestra
145
The Critics And Analysts Have Their Say
147
The Pete Newell Challenge―University Of California
149
College Of The Pacific
151
At The University Of Delaware
152
The Hawks Host George Washington
153
University Of Richmond
155
Martelli Recounts His Discovery Of Jameer
157
Duquesne University
159
The National Polls Notice
160
Fordham University―A Chance At A Record
161
The Fans And Media Begin To Notice
163
Playing At Xavier Is Tough
164
Some Stories
167
Another Lofty Ranking
170
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
The University Of Massachusetts
171
Gearing Up For Villanova
173
The Big Money Schools
174
St. Bonaventure Hosts The No. 3 Team
175
The Statistics That Got The Hawks Here
178
On Delonte West
180
Jameer, Player Of The Year?
181
At Temple University
182
The Hot Villanova―Saint Joseph's Rivalry
185
The Meaning Of Being Undefeated
192
LaSalle At The Palestra
194
The Questions Abound
197
The Dayton Flyers At The Fieldhouse
199
Jameer―Sports Illustrated
201
The Rhode Island Game
208
Important Message From Phil Martelli And The Hawks
210
And Then They Were No. 2
212
The Hawks At Fordham
214
Temple At The Palestra
218
Dealing With The Attention An Unbeaten Record Earns
224
At Massachusetts
227
At Rhode Island
229
The Hawks vs. St. Bonaventure And Senior Night
233
The Hawks Are Voted No. 1 In The Nation
242
The “Best Guards” Debate
244
The Atlantic 10 Tournament
245
Selection Sunday For The NCAA Tournament
250
The Opening Round―Liberty University
254
The Second Round―Texas Tech
256
The Sweet 16 And Wake Forest
263
More About Defense
268
The Elite Eight―Oklahoma State
269
Epilogue
276
Appendix
277
INTRODUCTION
This is the story of the Saint Joseph’s University basketball program during the era of
Jameer Nelson, the wonderful point guard and consensus national player of the year, who
made so many Hawk fan’s dreams come true. During his memorable four-year career on
Hawk Hill, it was, perhaps, the most rewarding period of Saint Joseph’s rich basketball
history.
I have made an effort to bring that era into focus by consolidating material that
chronicled the Saint Joseph’s basketball program for the period starting just prior to the
2000-01 season and ending with the once-unimaginable undefeated (27-0) regular season,
the team’s run to the Elite Eight in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, and its 30-2 overall
record.
This is not a story created by me. This presentation is a factual account of those 20002004 seasons. It is the record of those seasons, woven together, in a story-like fashion,
based on information found in the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Daily News,
The Saint Joseph’s Men’s Basketball Media Guide, notes written on the Hawk Forum
Web site, and from many other articles published all over the country.
Obviously, I could not include every article written, nor did I include, in their entirety,
the material I used. I did extract from those many sources, items that provide a complete
picture of the team’s accomplishments and an insight into what was being felt and said at
each stage of the four seasons covered.
In parts of this work, to assure accuracy, I did use, liberally, the thoughts and actual
language of the items I relied on.
I hope you enjoy what I have done, as it creates a comprehensive source of
information about an era in Saint Joseph’s University’s basketball history and an
opportunity to recall the special moments you may have had as a Hawk basketball fan
during the Jameer Nelson years.
FOREWARD
If you are a Philadelphian, you probably know about Saint Joseph’s storied basketball
tradition. Unfortunately, the Hawks, outside of Philadelphia, were known, but were not
famous. Not famous, because they had not made Final Four runs and were not a program
that had won or challenged for a national championship. But, after their unblemished
regular season (2003-04), and with the exposure provided by the high-powered television
market, everybody knew about Saint Joseph’s University and their basketball team.
In March 2004, the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks became the first Division I
college basketball team to survive the regular season undefeated (27-0) since the
University of Nevada-Las Vegas did it in 1991. More than that, no school, without major
college football, had ever had an undefeated season in major college basketball, until
Saint Joseph’s accomplished it.
Winning them all, that is, beating everyone that has faced you, is quite a season’s
work, and it is not an easy thing to do.
The fact that the Hawks had played without a letdown is incredible, and worthy of
respect.
If going undefeated in your regular schedule of games were easy to do, why was it
not done in 13 years? The very fact that so few have ever done it, also speaks to its
difficulty.
A perfect season is not considered a realistic goal by college basketball coaches. To
have an unbeaten season, so many things have to go right, and there are so many things
that can go wrong. Because whole decades go by without even one unbeaten team in a
season, most, if not all, coaches don’t even think about winning them all. They know
better. A perfect game is what they might strive for and that too is almost always
unattainable. It is rare that a coach or player will tell you that they were satisfied with a
victory on the basis that it was a game where there was little to improve upon. The most
you may get in a response to their assessment of a game is, “we liked the way we played,
but”… there is always a but as there will always be room for improvement. To play a
perfect game or near perfect game is hard to do, and on some rare day it may happen.
But, to go an entire season without losing a game, that is only dreamed about.
Coach Martelli understood such improbabilities and preached to his teams that every
minute on the court was a challenge. He even resorted to a strategy wherein he urged his
teams to try to win four-minute segments of games because he knew how difficult it was
to maintain total concentration and physical effort for long stretches. There is a fine line
between winning and losing and that line is easily crossed.
The following was written by Bill Lyon, Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/2/04.
[Winning college basketball games requires complete effort because there is not
much room for error. Perfect may be more difficult to attain in college basketball than in
any other sporting endeavor, because it is such a wildly emotional game, played in
venues of exquisite hostility; because the season spreads itself out from Thanksgiving
through April Fools’ day; and because all it takes to turn perfection into imperfection is
one off-game, one night when all those shots that have been straight and true, suddenly,
perversely, strike iron and are not netting. And because it is a game that is played by
people who are still very young and, hence, are given to moments of unfathomable
stupidity followed by moments of brilliance.]—Bill Lyon
How did this perfect season happen? What is the story of this most successful season
in Saint Joseph’s basketball history? The anatomy of an unprecedented winning streak is
complex. It involves, among other things, personnel, ability, coaching, strategy,
execution, dedication, a share of good luck, healthy athletes, psychology and a blending
of personalities. And, it all starts with the coach.
There is no formula that I can point to that will explain exactly why it happened, but it
happened and the numbers don’t lie. What I can point to, however, is that what was done
here was the result of hard work and diligence in building a program.
This is an effort to tell that story through the recounting of the events that ultimately
led to the perfect regular season and the national recognition gained that is usually
reserved for the big schools from the big conferences.
This document will mention most, if not all, of the members of the teams that shaped
this wonderful story. Jameer Nelson will be mentioned often because he is the player
who ultimately provided most of the heroics and leadership on this team. Jameer, after
all, is the player who left Saint Joseph’s as the school’s all-time leader in points (2,094),
assists (713), steals (256) and as the most decorated player in its history. He was the
consensus College Player of the Year, winning the Wooden, Naismith, Rupp, and Cousy
awards and nearly every other award given to excellent college players. He was truly a
player who comes along only once in a lifetime.
During Nelson’s four-year career on Hawk Hill he joined with teammate and
classmate, Tyrone Barley, to provide the most wins for any four-year class (2001-04) in
school history with a 98-27 record and four consecutive post-season appearances.
As I mentioned above, everything starts with the coach, and Phil Martelli was
recognized for his outstanding work with his award as National Coach of the Year in
2004. He also received awards from the Associated Press, United States Basketball
Writers Association (USBWA), CBS Sports/Chevrolet, the Naismith Committee, and the
National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
It was not only coach Martelli’s basketball proficiency that brought glory to Saint
Joseph’s, it was also his tremendous skill in telling the “Saint Joseph’s” story and
handling all of the “hype” associated with the completion of a winning season at the
national collegiate level.
Phil Martelli never failed in his efforts to praise Jameer Nelson, and each of the team
members, for their superb accomplishments. And, he heaped praise on the University he
always wanted to be a part of. The world knew, because of his efforts, that the University
he represented did things the right way.
Coach Phil Martelli and Jameer Nelson are the dominant figures in this story, but, in
no way can you forget any of the 15 players, especially Tyrone Barley, Delonte West, Pat
Carroll, Dwayne Jones, John Bryant, and Chet Stachitas. They played the major roles,
they played the most minutes, but all of the others, Dwayne Lee, Dave Mallon, Arvydius
Lidzius, Artur Surov, Rob Hartshorn, Brian Jesiolowski, Rob Sullivan, and Andrew
Koefer made this an undefeated team.
This was a team that had a belief in themselves and each other that can’t be quantified.
This was a team to remember.
The season prior to Jameer’s arrival, the 1999-2000 season, and Phil Martelli’s fifth
season as the coach of the Hawks, was a losing (13-16) season. However, it included
many highlights. Martelli led the Hawks to yet another in-season tournament title, the
1999 Lobo Invitational, defeating host New Mexico in one of the toughest places to play
in college basketball – The Pit. The Hawks’ coach also guided his charges to a stunning
62-59 win over then No. 5 Temple at the Palestra on February 29, 2000. It marked the
first win over Temple in Martelli’s tenure and SJU’s first win over a top 5 team since a
58-54 win over No. 1 DePaul at the Palestra on February 7, 1984.
The team’s 13-16 record at season’s end was deceiving, as the Hawks played the 32nd
toughest schedule in the nation.
Because this was a losing season, it ignores the fact that this team had a core group of
talented players that could have easily been a winning team. It just happened to be, more
often than not, on the wrong side of that “fine line” between winning and losing that I
mentioned earlier. As would be seen in the next season, the addition of some key players,
especially Jameer Nelson, would make a difference.
IN THE BEGINNING
2000-2001
Even though the returning players had been on a team with a losing record, 2000-2001
was a season that everyone felt would not be just another building season, but one that
would produce a winning record. What we didn’t know was that it would include three
freshmen, who in the future, would play major roles in what would become Hawk
basketball history.
One of the three, John Bryant, would be red-shirted, due in part to a foot injury, and
would not play that first year with his fellow recruits. The other two, Jameer Nelson and
Tyrone Barley, both guards, would be players who would win more games, in their fouryear career, than any other Saint Joseph’s players. Their first team would be one that
would win 26 games to equal the University’s record of “most wins in a season” set by
Coach Jack Ramsay’s 1964-65 team (26-3), Coach Jim Boyle’s 1985-86 team (26-6), and
Phil Martelli’s 1996-97 team (26-7).
Jameer Nelson, as every one now knows, was a first team all-State high school player
who averaged 21 points, seven assists, and six rebounds to lead Chester High School to
the State title in his senior season.
Phil Martelli remembers the high school game he saw in 1999 – Chester vs. Pennsbury
– and the night he knew Jameer Nelson would be his point guard. The “point” was
merely a descriptive term. Nelson, then a junior at Chester, didn’t score one.
“I just sat there and said, this kid knows how to play,” Martelli said. “He was playing
a different game. He was on one level and everybody else was on another. I was amazed
– and then I started looking around to see if there were other coaches around.”
The summer of 1999 was an anxious time for the Saint Joseph’s excellent coaching
staff, assembled by Phil Martelli. Those coaches included eight-year assistant Matt
Brady, fifth-year assistant Monte Ross, and second-year assistant Mark Bass.
The fans see the finished product. They don’t see the work that makes the product
polished. They see the players perform. They don’t see all the hours that go into the big
moments.
If anyone is noticed off the court, it is the head coach. The other men sharing the
bench with the head coach are mostly anonymous.
What happened with the Saint Joseph’s program would probably not happen without
the three dedicated men who worked behind the scenes and far from the spotlight.
“If it’s possible that a group has been overlooked, it’s my three assistants who have
been overlooked.”
Assistant coaches whisper in a player’s ear that all is well even after the head coach
has just explained to the player that he really does not know much about basketball. They
are the ones who spend hours and hours with players working on repetitive drills. They
are on the road searching for the next group of players.
To Phil Martelli’s credit, whenever he was asked about his coaches, and often when
he was not, he mentioned his assistants. They each brought something special to the
Hawks’ program.
Matt Brady – Matt graduated from Paul VI High in Haddon Township, N. J., before
going to Siena University, where he left as the schools all-time assist leader. He had been
an assistant coach since 1987 and was in his 11th year at Saint Joseph’s. In addition to
being a renowned teacher, Matt was also the team’s recruiting coordinator. Matt loved
that aspect of coaching as much as he did teaching.
“Matt brings a view of basketball that is kind of unique because he sees himself first
and foremost as a teacher,” Martelli said. “I think a lot of assistant coaches see
themselves as a recruiter or a liaison to the players or an ear to the head coach. Matt takes
the teaching of basketball very seriously and he’s really extraordinary at breaking the
game down and making a player see the need for correction. I think he could teach at any
level of basketball. I think he could be a skill development coach in the NBA without a
shadow of a doubt.”
If you watched the Hawks great shooters, you would notice one thing. Their shots all
looked exactly the same. That was the influence of Matt Brady, one of the nation’s best
shooting instructors.
Monte Ross – Monte was a 1,000 point scorer at Bodine High and a point guard for
the late legendary Clarence “Big House” Gaines at Winston-Salem State. Monte was in
his 11th year as an assistant, including eight on Hawk Hill.
“He’s more like, ‘Touch the people,’ whether it be to touch a player who is maybe
down and out or feeling a little bit lonely,” Martelli said. “He is very good at a one-player
attack in terms of recruiting. He’ll get into that kid and find out what makes him tick.”
Monte was the first on the staff to see Jameer Nelson play at Chester High. And, like
the other assistants, he knew there was something special about Jameer.
Like Matt Brady, Monte knew early that he wanted to coach. “I wasn’t that good of a
player” he said modestly. “I always had to use my head on the court.”
Monte was actually a very good player on some weak teams. “I scored a lot of points
because my team was so bad and I shot a lot,” Monte laughed.
Monte loves all the nuances of basketball. “I love working with the guards, being able
to pick up the little subtleties,” he says. “What I love to do most is look at the opponent
and pick up things they do and be able to take those things away. That’s the thing that
really drives me. Being able to break down film, watch the other teams’ tendencies, and
being able to pick them apart.”
Mark Bass – After graduating from McCorristan High in Hamilton, N.J., Mark spent
a year playing for Max Good at Maine Central Institute before coming to Saint Joseph’s.
Mark was a 2-year Hawks captain. His last year at Saint Joseph’s was Martelli’s first
as head coach.
Nobody had ever played the game at Saint Joseph’s with more passion than Mark. Not
only did he play the game with desire, he played it well. Mark led the Hawks to the NIT
Finals in his senior year and was inducted into the Saint Joseph’s Athletic Hall of Fame
in 2001.
After leaving Saint Joseph’s Mark played for one year in China and then spent a
year coaching as an assistant with Max Good. A year later, Phil Martelli called him with
a job offer.
“I felt early on that he would want to do this,” Martelli said. “I let him know that when
an opening came, he would be coming back. I really wanted him back here. His growth
has been astounding. When he first came back, he was kind of trying to fit in. He was in
that netherworld of a player or a coach. He has become very forceful with the players.
When he first came back, a lot of what he did was logistics. Now, almost all that he does
is basketball. He demands from these guys the same that he brought, which is everything
that he had.”
Mark says he wants to be in coaching for the long haul. “Right now, I’m still like a
little baby. I’m still learning. Hopefully, one day I can have my own program and I can
experience the game as a head coach.”
Before anyone else, the Hawk coaching staff had identified Jameer Nelson, then a 17year-old about to enter his senior year at Chester High School, as a player they could
build around. Jameer was a player they believed could lift the Hawks to the national
spotlight. But in the rich-get-richer world of college athletics, the Saint Joseph’s staff
was realistic enough to know that once the big-name schools saw Nelson in the summer
talent showcases, they could use their big, glitzy arenas, prestigious conferences and
numerous television appearances to lure him.
“I was in Las Vegas to watch Jameer, and all these recruiters from big schools were
there to see Luke Ridnour,” said Hawks assistant Monte Ross, referring to the guard from
Oregon who went to the NBA after his junior year. “Well, Jameer outplayed Ridnour,
just killed him, and I thought, ‘Oh, man, they’ll all be going after him now.”
“Face it, it’s hard for most kids to turn down the big schools with all they have to
offer,” Ross added. “But as time went on, it became obvious to us that Jameer was
different.”
As Monte Ross said, Nelson is different from other gifted athletes. There is no
pretense about him, no sense of entitlement. He is genuine and likable. He is
uncomplicated.
It hit home with Ross when the muscular little point guard, started calling him for long
conversations and would hang around his office when his Amateur Athletic Union team
practiced at the Fieldhouse.
“My wife and I had just had our first child, Justin, and Jameer came into my office and
asked me if he could hold him,” Ross recalled. “I had some things to do, so he said he’d
watch him. About 45 minutes later, Jameer brings Justin to me and says, ‘I think he just
peed,’ for some reason, that’s when I started thinking he was definitely going to come
here.”
Nelson gave Saint Joseph’s an oral commitment, but there was still time for him to
change his mind. As the ABCD camp approached, assistant Matt Brady recalls telling
Martelli: “if Jameer turns it out and decides to score, he could end up at Kentucky or
anywhere he wants to go.”
“So I’m at the ABCD camp and all the top point guards are there,” Brady said. “Chris
Duhon (Duke), Andre Barrett (Seton Hall), Taliek Brown (Connecticut), and, I think,
Omar Cook (St. John’s). Those kids were getting a lot of hype, especially the ones from
New York like Barrett, Cook and Brown. Usually, players go there to shoot it up, score a
lot, to impress recruiters. I remember Duhon took a lot of shots, and made a lot.” (Chris
Duhon played four years at Duke and was an early second-round pick in the 2004 NBA
draft.)
On the other hand, Nelson went about playing his game, setting up his teammates for
open shots, dribbling the ball wherever he wanted, impervious to pressure applied by his
opponents.
“Jameer was there to lead his team to a win,” assistant coach Matt Brady said. “The only
time he tried to score was when he felt his team needed it. The other guards were
shooting the ball just about every time they got it, at a camp that’s set up for players to
impress recruiters. Meantime, Jameer’s playing a team game. It just wasn’t his
personality to do otherwise.”
Brady kept checking lists of prospects compiled by recruiting gurus. He remembers
seeing one that had Nelson among its top 100 prospects. “It had him like 85th or
something,” he said. And that was after his senior year at Chester.”
While Nelson was leading Chester to the state championship, Saint Joseph’s was
struggling toward a 13-16 finish. After Xavier routed the Hawks, 94-66, in the final
regular season game, Martelli received a call in his hotel room in Cincinnati. “Jameer
called to tell me to hang in there, that we were going to be all right,” Martelli said. Rather
than sour on Saint Joseph’s, Nelson saw an opportunity to help build something special at
a small Jesuit University with limited resources. A homebody at heart, Nelson was
attracted to the mom-and-pop-store environment that Martelli nurtured. Besides, he
would be just an outlet pass away from his family and friends in Chester, a struggling
town he’s made proud.
In the days leading to Nelson’s first game as a Hawk, Martelli predicted greatness for
the kid. If he’s so good, some wondered, why is he at Saint Joseph’s?
The first time I saw Jameer Nelson play was at the Albert C. Donofrio Basketball
Classic at The Fellowship House in Conshohocken, PA. It was after Jameer’s senior year
at Chester High School and in the championship game. Jameer played extremely well,
but the Outstanding Player of the Game award went to Jameer’s opponent, Marques
Green (later St. Bonaventure). Green’s team also won the tournament.
About three weeks following the tournament, I was at Saint Joseph’s watching the
varsity players shooting the ball around when my friend, Bernie Morgan, nudged me and
said, “Look, we got that kid from the Conshohocken tournament” My thought
immediately went to Marques Green. I looked at the court but I didn’t see Marques.
“Where is he? I asked. “He’s over there shooting foul shots” Bernie said. “That doesn’t
look like Green”, I said. “It’s not, it’s Jameer Nelson from Chester,” Bernie said. At that
moment, I was a little disappointed that we hadn’t gotten Marques, the tournament MVP,
who later had a marvelous career at St. Bonaventure.
I, of course, was wrong in my first reaction, and after Jameer’s four wonderful
seasons, I’m elated it was not Marques Green. Who wouldn’t be elated after the
basketball career Jameer has had and the good example he had set while at Saint
Joseph’s? As Phil Martelli has often said, “Jameer is a better person than he is a player.”
Jameer, indeed, has proven to be special. I often think that when Dr. Naismith had a
vision of what basketball and basketball players were supposed to be like, even he would
be shocked at the phenomenon that is Jameer Nelson.
It is impressive that Martelli could sense Nelson’s greatness at first sight, and that the
coach began recruiting Nelson after watching Chester High in a district tournament game.
“He took no shots in the first half, and he was the most dominant player on the floor,”
Martelli said. “That was it for me. I was smitten. Thank God that special quality showed
itself when I went to see him play.”
Tyrone Barley came to Saint Joseph’s after a strong season at Seton Hall Prep in New
Jersey. Tyrone was a highly regarded point guard who averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds
and 6.0 assists per game as a senior at then nationally ranked Seton Hall Prep. He was the
fourth player from his high school team to garner a Division I scholarship. Tyrone was
most impressive and was noted, even then, for his defensive skills. He held Camden High
School’s Dajuan Wagner (NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers) below his average in the New
Jersey championship game. Camden won the contest, but Tyrone’s defense on the
nation’s top-rated junior helped keep Seton Hall within striking distance.
With Barley’s arrival, Coach Martelli knew he had a tough, reliable guard. He also
knew that Tyrone would have to make some progress with his ball handling if he were to
become Jameer’s back-up. However, the fact that he had come from a winning program
and understood what it meant to compete made him a most welcome addition to the team.
We saw Tyrone slowly make progress each year. Not only did Tyrone improve his ballhandling skills, his 3-point shooting made him a valuable man to have on the court. His
real worth as a long-ball threat came in his senior year. When you add all of this to his
reputation as “the best defender” in college basketball, you had an outstanding player.
The Hawks added two other players at the start of the 2000-2001 season. Jeff Miller
was a 6-6 two-guard who averaged 19 points and nine rebounds per game during his
senior year at Interboro High School. He was known for his strong perimeter shooting
and was named to numerous all-Area teams following his high school senior season.
However, Jeff left Saint Joseph’s after his sophomore year to play at a Division II school
where he could get more playing time.
The final recruit that year was John Bryant. John was considered a developing player
since he was only 17 years old with a very impressive body. He was 6’7” and a muscular
220 pounds with very long arms. John was a power forward who averaged 9.9 points, 7.8
rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game as a senior at Woodbridge High in Woodbridge,
Virginia. The fact that he was young and athletic, his upside as a potential “late-bloomer”
was intriguing. Unfortunately for John, he fractured the growth plate in his right foot and
had to be red-shirted that first season. Fortunately for the Hawks, John’s injury healed
satisfactorily, he returned the following year and has since been an important part of the
success of the program.
John developed into a solid defender and provided the strength and speed needed to
guard the opponent’s bigger, stronger players. By the time his junior year rolled around,
John played with the heart, skill and brains of a player who could fill any role needed to
help a team win. You knew good things would happen when he went on the court. His 19
minutes per game during the undefeated season were huge.
The returning players on Jameer’s first team included four players that would each
score over a thousand points in their careers: Marvin O’Connor, Bill Phillips, Na’im
Crenshaw, and Damian Reid.
Along with this group, there were other key players, namely 6’9” senior Frank
Wilkins, a talented swingman who provided depth in the front and backcourt, and 6’5”
senior Eric Woods, the team’s co-captain, who had a wonderful senior season. Eric was
very athletic and he played tough defense. Eric would surprise the fans with his increased
offensive production, which had been, prior to his senior season, lacking.
Sophomore Alexandre Sazonov, was the first 7’0” player ever to play at Saint
Joseph’s. Alex was an accomplished shot-blocker and he played in 30 games in his
freshman season. (1998-99). He red-shirted the following year, thus, the 2000-2001
season was his second year as an active player.
Senior Lionel Ngounou, was a 6’8” forward who was named the team’s “Most
Improved Player” at the end of his junior year and was a co-captain on this team.
Mike Farrelly and Phil Martelli, Jr. were walk-ons who proved to be worthy and
enthusiastic members of the team.
Like the Sweet 16 season of 1996-97, this team came out of nowhere to grab the
national spotlight. Slated for the middle-of-the-pack in the Atlantic 10 Conference, the
Hawks won the first seven league games en route to a 14-2 conference record and regular
season title. At one point, SJU won 18 of 19 games, including its first sweep, in 15 years,
of the year 2000 A-10 champion, Temple.
That run catapulted the Hawks into the national polls, a place they had not ventured
since the end of the 1996-97 campaign. SJU cracked the polls on February 17, 2001, its
earliest appearance since the 1965-66 season, and finished the year ranked No. 22 by
ESPN/USA Today.
The Hawks tied the school record with 26 wins (7 losses). It was Martelli’s second 26
game winning season at Saint Joseph’s and earned the program’s first-ever at-large bid to
the NCAA Tournament. SJU, the No. 9 seed in the West Regional, defeated Georgia
Tech, 66-62, in the first round before ending its season with a heart-breaking 90-83 loss
at the hands of top-seeded Stanford.
Although the Hawks lost to Stanford, it was, what nearly became the biggest upset of
an opponent in Saint Joseph’s history, since a Hawks’ team – also seeded No. 9 – upset
No. 1 DePaul twenty years before this game. It was almost made possible mainly because
of two players. One tender-aged (Jameer Nelson), and the other one, seasoned (Marvin
O’Connor). Freshman Jameer Nelson showed, in a near-perfect first half, that Saint
Joseph’s could dare to dream. Then his backcourt partner, veteran Marvin O’Connor,
showed that, given a sliver of an opportunity, he could score by the bucket-full.
O’Connor delivered 29 points in the second half of the Stanford game.
The Stanford-Saint Joseph’s game was played in San Diego, California before a
sellout crowd, inside the Cox Arena, that stood and roared its approval for Marvin
O’Connor for close to a half minute after Marvin committed his fifth personal foul and
was walking off the court with his jersey over his face. The 6’4” junior fouled out with
11.9 seconds remaining after scoring 37 points on magnificent 15-for-20 shooting, but
that wasn’t all the fans were saluting. O’Connor had keyed a remarkably courageous
effort. The Hawks were matched against perhaps the best team in college basketball, but
they wouldn’t back down, and they refused to let Stanford relax for a moment.
In the end though, the Cardinal’s height and bulk inside, in particular Jason Collins
(later a successful NBA player), and their flawless free-throw shooting down the stretch
enabled top-seeded Stanford to escape No. 9 seed Saint Joseph’s 90-83, in the second
round of the NCAA West regional.
The looks on the Hawks’ faces as they shook hands with the Stanford players, after
the game, were of shock and disbelief. They fully expected to win, and they almost did. It
took the best free-throw shooter in the country, Ryan Mendez, and Collins to beat them,
as the Hawks could not overcome serious foul problems. The Cardinal made all 10 of
their free throws in the final 45 seconds.
Equally as brilliant as O’Connor, Nelson almost achieved his first career triple-double,
tallying 14 points, and dishing nine assists while leading SJU with a career-high nine
rebounds. In this game, the backcourt tandem of Nelson and O’Connor made a name for
themselves and their school with their incredible play.
When talking about this season and especially about Marvin O’Connor, you cannot
omit his Herculean effort in the team’s 91-90 loss at LaSalle in the team’s final regular
season game. The 6-4 guard scored 18 points in the final 57.5 seconds of the game,
erasing all but one point of a 10-point deficit. I believe it is a feat that may never be
duplicated, that is, a player scoring 18 points in less than one minute of a game. It was an
unbelievable performance.
After that very good season, it was referred to, by some, as a “Jameeracle” season.
That was one way of looking at the team’s play, and even though Jameer did turn in an
incredible season for a first-year player, the team was more than a one-man show.
These are some of the other individual accomplishments of this team:
Marvin O’Connor:
First team all-Atlantic 10 Conference
First Team all-District III (NABC)
Co-MVP of the Philadelphia Big 5
Leading scorer (2 games) in NCAA Tournament (29.0 ppg.)
Set SJU single season scoring record (706 pts.)
Set SJU single season record for 3-pointers in a season (99)
First Hawk to average over 20 points per game since 1973
Bill Phillips:
Third team all-Atlantic 10 Conference
Second team all-Philadelphia Big 5
Third team-Verizon Academic All-American
Na’im Crenshaw:
Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year
Philadelphia Big 5 Most Improved Player
Damien Reid:
Set SJU single season field goal percentage record (.615)
Became just 35th Hawk to record 500 career rebounds (626)
The Hawk:
Named Best Mascot in the Nation by The Sporting News
Besides his National Freshman of the Year accolades, Nelson earned Eastern
Basketball Freshman of the Year as well as A-10 Rookie of the Year honors. A second
team all-District and all-Conference selection, Nelson shattered Matt Guokas, Jr.’s 35year-old record for assists in a season (176, 1965-66) with an A-10 freshman mark of
213. Also, a first team all-Big 5 selection, Jameer’s 6.45 assist average led the A-10.
On May 14, 2001, Phil Martelli’s contract was extended four years through the 20042005 season. The contract also included a two-year option at the end of the four-year
deal.
“The way I see it,” Martelli said, “it’s a six-year deal unless the administration doesn’t
want me after four years. There’s no place else me or my family would rather be.”
THE BEST COLLEGE MASCOT IN THE COUNTRY
Along with the success on the basketball court, it was a season in which, for the first
time in the 45-year history of The Hawk mascot, a woman, senior Sarah Brennan,
donned The Hawk outfit.
It was only a few years ago, while Corrine Brennan was watching college basketball
on television at home, that she said to her daughter Sarah: “Wouldn’t it be fun to grow up
and do that?”
“What, Mom?” said Sarah.
“Flap,” said Mom Corrine.
And so it was that Sarah Brennan, 21, a senior marketing major at Saint Joseph’s came
to be butted by the Rhode Island Ram, screeched at by the Temple Owl, and virtually
tackled by representatives of the Drexel Dragon.
“The toughest thing is the feathers,” Brennan revealed. “They’re hot and sweaty
because they’re real. I scatter them everywhere. Oh yeah, and the costume smells pretty
bad. Its ten years old. That’s a decade of – yuk – boy sweat.”
Actually, the Hawk itself has been 45 years of plain, sweaty boy – 25 male Hawks in
all, before comely Sarah broke the mold.
You just don’t show up to be the Hawk. The position carries an endowed scholarship,
and Brennan had to beat out a gaggle of guys for the honor of running figure-eights at
timeouts, flapping her wings for the full 40 minutes of a game and fending off other
collegiate mascot’s assaults.
There was the infamous Hawk-Ram confrontation a few years ago when the Ram
tried to slip an automobile tire innertube over the Hawk’s head and shoulders in order to
pin its wings. The Hawks entire head flew off, but it kept its honor. In other words, it kept
flapping.
In an even more dramatic confrontation, the Hawks were playing at Duquesne when a
group of notorious fans known as the “sheiks” (dressed in robes and turbans) ran on the
floor while the Hawk was doing its figure-eights, attacked the Hawk by pulling out its
feathers, picked him up and began carrying him into the stands. Well, nobody can do that
to the Hawk. The coach at that time, Jim Boyle, ordered his team to go into the stands.
The team scattered the sheiks, and rescued the Hawk!
On another occasion, the Hawk and the Owl engaged in a classic throwdown that
started because – as coach Martelli explained – “the Hawk doesn’t do schtick.” When the
Owl opened fire on his bitter rival, spraying it with a huge soaker gun, the Hawk
absolutely went off and pummeled the offending hooter. Even as the security guards
hauled both combatants into custody, the relentless Hawk never stopped flapping.
I only hit the floor twice,” says Brennan, who served a one-year term. “The Drexel
cheerleaders blindsided me until I was able to slide away, and the Ram (mascot) nailed
me when I was off balance.”
The Stanford mascot (a tree) when asked about the Hawk exclaimed, “The Hawk is so
cool. And can you imagine how cool she must be in a fight? Imagine having to punch
with one arm and flap with the other!”
During a meeting of his Atlantic Ten conference colleagues about five years ago, a
cost-cutting measure was approved. There would be no bands, cheerleaders or mascots at
road games.
With that declaration, the pressure was on athletic Director Don DiJulia. He was
shaken. It meant the Hawk, the best mascot in the nation, would become a part-time
flapper.
Don DiJulia knew that unless he acted quickly, he could never return to Hawk Hill
without feeling the wrath of the school president, the student body, the basketball staff,
and the alumni.
“It was tense,” DiJulia recalled. “It’s easier to replace me than the Hawk.”
So DiJulia began lobbying very hard.
“I know this may sound weird to you,” he told his fellow athletic directors, “but we
have a unique situation at Saint Joseph’s. I’d like a waiver for the Hawk.”
They looked at him sideways. Are you serious? In his passionate plea, DiJulia argued
that the Hawk was not just some run-of-the-mill mascot.
The pulse of the school was beneath those feathers.
The Hawk hadn’t missed a basketball game since the day he was hatched: January 4,
1956. He serves as a team manager. He dresses with the players. He has his own locker.
He sits in on strategy sessions. He is part of the inner sanctum, and keeps his beak shut
when it comes to team matters.
He’s on full scholarship, for crying out loud.
After DiJulia desperately detailed the Hawks history and tradition, the athletic
directors granted the Hawk a waiver. He’s the only mascot in the conference permitted at
road games.
“The Hawk was dead for about two hours,” DiJulia said, a twist on the school slogan,
“The Hawk will never die.”
Relieved, DiJulia returned to campus and relayed his harrowing day to the university’s
president, the Rev. Nicholas S. Rashford.
“You’re lucky,” Father Rashford told him, “Very lucky.”
2001 – 2002
At the start of the 2001-2002 basketball season Saint Joseph’s was ranked 10th in the
Associated Press pre-season media poll and 9th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll.
This lofty ranking was due in part to their excellent finish the previous year and
because they had their top five scorers back. These Hawks were certainly considered a
threat to shatter the school record of 26 wins, and with all their experience they were
expected to have a deep run into the NCAA tournament in March. This probably was the
most anticipated season at Saint Joseph’s since the mid 1980’s when Maurice Martin and
Rodney Blake starred.
“I don’t shy away from it. I know just about everyone in our league would change
rosters with me,” Martelli said. “But the goal isn’t to be preseason this or that. We want
to play in the big games when it matters.”
The key players were: guard Marvin O’Connor (22.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg), guard Jameer
Nelson (12.5 ppg, 6.5 apg), guard Na’im Crenshaw (11.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg), forward Bill
Phillips (11.6 ppg, 9.1 rpg), and center Damian Reid (9.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg). A key loss to
graduation was Frank Wilkins (5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg). The newcomers included John Bryant
who sat out the first year (red-shirted) due to a foot injury, Pat Carroll, Dwayne Jones,
Delonte West and Jamal Nichols.
Pat Carroll 6’5”, from Hatboro- Horsham High School in Horsham, Pennsylvania was
considered a wing player with good perimeter range. He was a second team all-State
nominee who averaged 15.7 points per game and six rebounds in his senior year. He was
an excellent athlete who also earned all-league honors as a baseball player. Pat was the
younger brother of then Notre Dame standout Matt Carroll. Pat would get some playing
time in his freshman year and toward the end of the season he earned a starting
assignment. Although Pat showed an ability to shoot the 3-point shot, his reputation as a
dangerous shooter would not come until his sophomore year.
Pat was a good prospect. So good, that the letters from interested schools were
arriving regularly to Pat’s Horsham home by the fall of 2000. Each letter he received
seemed to follow the same strict format as he was courted by colleges up and down the
East Coast. However, Carroll noticed that every letter he received from Saint Joseph’s
was written in black ink, by the same hand: Phil Martelli’s. Always, Martelli wrote the
notes himself – never a form letter, never anything impersonal.
Those letters and that personal touch were enough to sell Carroll on the small Jesuit
school.
“I mean, I dreamed about it,” said Carroll. “I wanted to compete for an Atlantic 10
title, that kind of stuff, and Coach Martelli’s warm demeanor pulled me to Saint
Joseph’s.”
Dwayne Jones, who at 6’11” and 225 pounds, came to Saint Joseph’s from American
Christian Academy. This school is located in Delaware County close to his hometown of
Chester, Pennsylvania, which is the same city where Jameer Nelson lived.
Dwayne was considered a developing inside player and one who possessed good shotblocking skills. Dwayne was a three-time first team all-Tri-State Christian Athletic
Conference selection, and the 2001 Conference Player of the Year. He averaged 25.8
points, 17.8 rebounds, and 6.4 blocks per game as a senior. Dwayne’s height alone was a
factor that could lead him to having a positive effect on this team in the future. More than
that, his shot blocking and all around game indicated that he was an extraordinary athlete.
Dwayne’s playing time would have to wait, however, as he would sit out his first year.
The coaching staff felt that he should be “red-shirted”, and given time to mature.
Delonte West, a 6’3” guard, came to the Hawks from the Eleanor Roosevelt School in
Greenbelt, Maryland. Delonte was characterized as a slashing guard who was more of a
scorer than a shooter. He was named the 2001 Metro Player of the Year by the
Washington Post in the Washington, D.C. area, and First Team all-County and allLeague. He averaged 20.3 points and 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals in his senior
season. The reports on him were that he played with intensity. He would prove that he
was indeed a fierce competitor and a very, very explosive player.
The summer before he reported to Saint Joseph’s, Delonte stayed close to home and
competed in the summer leagues around the District of Columbia. He had a fabulous
summer on the basketball courts and emerged as the dominant player in the Washington
metropolitan area. The University of Maryland coach, Jerry Williams, told Phil Martelli
that he (Williams) had made an error in not pursuing Delonte, but rather concentrated on
6’5” Eddie Basden who was the more well-known star on the Eleanor Roosevelt High
School Team. Delonte would later prove to be among the best players to ever put on a
Hawk uniform.
Assistant coach Monte Ross first saw Delonte in the spring of his junior year in high
school. “Everybody was recruiting his teammate Eddie Basden, but I thought Delonte
was the one who always made the tough basket, guarded the toughest player, showed the
most will,” Ross said. In West, Saint Joseph’s had uncovered a gem. The only other
schools to show an interest in him were Siena, Manhattan, and Howard.
A homebody at heart, Delonte quietly yearned to hear from Maryland, which was
situated a long jump shot from his home. Like many prospects, Delonte found a highprofile Atlantic Coast Conference program such as Maryland’s alluring.
“That was a dream, to go to a big ACC school,” West said.
“But I never heard from them, even though I was in their backyard,” he said.
Delonte played local AAU ball, but was not on the extensive AAU circuit. “My
parents couldn’t afford the traveling money,” he said. He was not invited to the
prestigious Nike ABCD camp at Farleigh Dickinson University in northern New Jersey, a
haven for college recruiters.
Still, Martelli was immediately sold after seeing West at the Eastern States Invitational at
the College of New Jersey.
“He became my priority recruit for that year. I called him when we were recruiting
him and he said he was going to the park – to practice, not play. Not all players loved the
game like him.” Martelli said.
West orally committed to Saint Joseph’s before his senior season, he then went on to
become the Washington Post Metro Player of the Year in the talent-rich D.C. area.
“We were very fortunate to get Delonte early,” Ross said. “If we didn’t, he’d have
ended up at, you name it, Maryland, Georgetown, wherever. He’s that talented.”
Monte Ross said he never worried that West would go back on his commitment.
“After he committed, he was always calling us, asking what’s going on with the team.
He’s a lot like Jameer. The kind of person you knew wouldn’t leave you after he gave
you his word.”
Jamal Nichols played his basketball in the Philadelphia Public High School league.
Jamal was a strong 6’8”, 225 pound versatile frontcourt player who could play both
inside and outside. He was named the recipient of the 2001 Markward Award that was
given to the Philadelphia Public League Player of the Year. This is a prestigious award
and, if earned, it signifies that you are a player with tremendous basketball talent. Jamal
averaged 14.9 points and 13.5 rebounds a game as a senior at Benjamin Franklin High
School.
Nichols did not play during his freshman season so he could concentrate on his
academics. The following year he was dismissed from Saint Joseph’s for violating a
university rule. The specifics for his leaving have never been revealed.
None of this, of course, (Jamal Nichols’ ultimate academic problems and later
dismissal) was known at the time of his recruitment and therefore, Saint Joseph’s fans
had a right to be giddy about the potential for the team with such a stellar recruited class.
In addition, Coach Phil Martelli, the 2001 Atlantic 10 and Eastern College Coach of the
year, was returning 10 letter winners, including four starters from the previous year’s A10 regular Season Championship team that ended with a 26-7 record and advanced to the
second round of the NCAA Tournament. Added to this, in Nelson and O’Connor, the
Hawks may have had the best backcourt in the nation outside of Duke’s Jason Williams
and Chris Duhon.
Eight months after the last game of the previous season, the day of the first game of
the new season had arrived, November 15, 2001.
Saint Joseph’s was ranked 10th in the Associated Press media poll.
With their top five scorers back and more quality depth than a school of its hoops
pedigree ever has, these Hawks certainly were a threat to shatter the school record of 26
wins. With all their experience, they had every expectation of a deep March run.
First, however, there was the matter of 28 regular-season games.
Eastern Washington was the first opponent in the Black Coaches Association Classic
on the University of California’s campus. Everybody was assuming the Hawks would
win (realistically, it should not have been close), and they would play the winner of CalPrinceton for the championship the next night.
“I can go 40 right now,” point guard Jameer Nelson said on the Sunday prior to the
game. “Unfortunately, I have to wait until Thursday.”
Nelson, a sophomore, was the only non-senior starter, but he played like a senior in
his freshman year, the previous season. He was joined in the Hawks’ three-guard starting
lineup by super scorer Marvin O’Connor and Na’im Crenshaw, the teams’ best defender
and a very dangerous scorer himself.
O’Connor had missed a few recent practices with a sore ankle, but assured everyone
he would be good to go. Bill Phillips and Damien Reid were back up front. This would be
a team that was expected to be very difficult to guard.
The bench was deep and talented. Freshman wing Delonte West looked much like a
star in the making, and he would back up O’Connor and Crenshaw and provide instant
offense off the bench.
“He’s a beast,” Reid said.
This team had so much talent that Jamal Nichols, the 2001 Public League Player of
the Year at Ben Franklin High, had been trying to find his way into the rotation.
However, his playing ability proved not to be his problem. The Tuesday before the
Eastern Washington game, it was decided that he would miss the first seven games to
concentrate on academics.
Newcomers Pat Carroll and Jeff Miller, both very good shooters, were trying to
become the 10th man on a team that in many games might not use more than nine.
Reid had started all 91 games of his Saint Joseph’s career. He began with Crenshaw in
1998 and had to deal with two losing seasons. He always believed his team would win.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Reid said. “I came in hoping that we’d be
this good. And, you know it before it was over, we are this good.”
“The ranking,” Reid agreed, “does not win any games for his team. But it matters for
the years we worked so hard. It just feels good,” he said, “We’re finally getting noticed.”
Even though Crenshaw and Reid won and won big the previous season. They
expected much more this season.
How good was this team? “We’re a great team and we’ve got a lot of good young
guys,” Crenshaw said.
Coach Phil Martelli was 45-20 in his first two seasons, but it got harder (36-51) over
the next three seasons.
Now, it seemed, it was as good as it has ever been on Hawk Hill. In a sport dominated
by the big state universities and a few select private schools, Saint Joseph’s, the little
Catholic school on the hill, was an anomaly. That is, being ranked with basketball’s elite
teams.
Some might have wondered if the Hawks really belonged with the Goliaths of the
game. But, based on the previous year’s record, the returning seniors, and talented new
players, you believed that this team had a chance to be very good.
Unlike some coaches, Martelli had not tried to talk down his team.
He knew his team was good and he was not afraid to say it. “There’s a lot of offense
on the floor,” said Martelli, who envisioned an offense that kept the pressure on for 40
minutes or however long it took.
The previous season, the Hawks were able to do something no Saint Joseph’s team
had been able to do in recent memory. They were able to outscore teams and not have to
bleed for every victory.
Martelli described his first few teams as being like “watching fingernails on a
blackboard.” The post game comments, Martelli said, were like, “you tried hard and lost,
62-58.”
Martelli liked defense as much as the next guy, but he felt he knew what wins
championships in college basketball. Especially with the offensive power he had with this
team, and he said, somewhat facetiously, “They may drum me out of the coaching corps,
but all that ‘defense wins championships’ talk…ain’t nobody won, 2-0. You have to
score points. We chart every shot that we take all preseason. We shot 52 percent from the
field, 52 percent from the three.”
Those numbers or something like them translated into a lot of points for a team
filled with speed. And, as a start, all of those points could mean wins, lots and lots of
wins.
Even though Martelli spoke the deprecating words above about defense, he preached
to his team that winning required both a strong offense and an equally strong defense. He
recognized that you cannot afford to have a breakdown defensively. If you cannot guard,
you rarely have a chance to win.
As might be expected, with comments like the one above, the Hawk fans could not
wait for the start of the season. The talk was all about what great things were expected for
this team. However, talk of championships had to wait. The 2002 NCAA Tournament did
not begin for four long months.
For the first time in 36 years the Saint Joseph Hawks opened the season nationally
ranked. The season opened and SJU found out that life at the top comes with a price. The
Hawks were now “the hunted” and they found out what that was like in their season
opener. Their 2001-02 beginning did not live up to the billing as they dropped their
opener to little-known Eastern Washington University, a 20-point underdog, in the first
round of the BCA Classic. SJU committed 22 turnovers, 8 coming on offensive fouls, and
was out-rebounded, 39-28, by the smaller Eagle team
Eastern Washington University slowed the Hawks with a clutching, grabbing style
that the officials, who called 28 fouls on the Hawks, including 8 charges, didn’t seem to
notice. Even with this all going against them, the Hawks still had a chance to tie the game
with freshman Delonte West on the line with three seconds left. West hit the first of two
free throws, but his second was off the mark and Na’im Crenshaw’s follow at the buzzer
rimmed out, giving Eastern Washington its biggest win in school history. Marvin
O’Connor tallied 19, but hit just 6 of 15 field goal attempts, while his back court mate,
Jameer Nelson, finished with just two points (1of 8 field goal attempts).
It wasn’t quite what Saint Joseph’s wanted as it opened the season highly ranked.
Instead, the Hawks were one of three pre-season top-10 teams, along with Maryland and
Kentucky, to lose their opener, which may be unprecedented in College basketball.
“Every team is going to come after us,” Nelson said. “We just have to live up to it.”
The next night the Hawks rebounded against a tough Princeton team. It took
resilience, discipline and mental toughness to come back from a stunning loss to knock
off Princeton, which had four starters back from a team that won the Ivy League
championship.
It’s hard to look good against Princeton, which dictates the tempo with its patient
offense and zone defense. Only when the Tigers were forced to match up man-to-man
against the Hawks in the second half did Saint Joseph’s take control.
“We played a clutching, grabbing team that was flopping all over the place (Eastern
Washington), and then a team (Princeton) that makes it hard to get off good shots, a team
everyone says you don’t want to play,” said Phil Martelli, clearly relieved after the win
over Princeton. “I told the team they’d have to show their toughness against Princeton.
You know, they talked to everyone back home (after losing to Eastern Washington), and
everyone at home was considering these guys the last ones on the Titanic. But we lost
because we didn’t give it our best bolt.”
Three of the players who would be on the future undefeated team; guard Delonte
West, a promising 6’3” freshman, point guard Tyrone Barley, who showed that he could
be a tough defender, and athletic forward John Bryant gave the Hawks quality minutes
off the bench.
Saint Joseph’s stayed in the polls until mid-December when three straight losses
(North Carolina, Georgia State, and Gonzaga), all coinciding with an injury to AllAmerica guard Marvin O’Connor, caused the team to drop from the rankings.
As the Hawks entered the final week of the regular season, their record stood at 18-9
and a division-leading 12-3 in the Atlantic Ten East.
Ray Parrillo, an Inquirer staff writer, wrote the following column on March 3, 2002.
[On the first possession of the first game of the most feverishly anticipated season for
Saint Joseph’s basketball in more than three decades, a player from Eastern Washington
crashed into Hawks coach Phil Martelli, who tumbled into the scorer’s table before
righting himself.
Since then, with a partially torn knee ligament and a slight fracture of the leg, Martelli
has at times walked with a limp.
“Every now and then it acts up, but I’m assuming it’s healing,” Martelli said recently.
The same can be said for the Hawks, who were ranked in the top 10 in several of the
preseason polls but find themselves fighting for their NCAA lives as they prepare for
today’s regular-season finale against Temple and the Atlantic Ten Conference
tournament, which begins Wednesday.
At times, their followers have found the Hawks painful to watch. They have played
down to the level of opponents, showing that they are capable of losing to anyone on
their schedule.
At other times, their followers have reveled in the precise execution and up-tempo
style that enabled the Hawks to produce a blazing finish and a memorable performance in
a loss to top-seeded Stanford in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season.
On those occasions, the Hawks are capable of beating most teams.
“There are times when I’ve seen brilliance and other times when I’ve scratched my
head and wondered where this came from, “Martelli said. “Not only this season in
general, but in individual games. So many have seemed like a microcosm of the season.
We’ve never really been consistently smooth. Sporadic is the word I’d use to describe
what’s happened so far.”
Too many sporadic performances have led to too many losses against inferior
opponents and not enough wins against quality teams, leaving Saint Joseph’s in a real fix.
The “bracketologists” have determined that the Hawks, who are 18-9 overall and a
division leading 12-3 in the Atlantic10 East heading into today’s closer against Temple at
the Palestra, have squandered any chance of getting an at-large invitation to the NCAA
tournament. Thus, they will have to win the conference tournament, which will be played
Wednesday through Saturday at the First Union Spectrum, and earn an automatic bid.
“We have four older seniors, and this is our last month or so of basketball,” senior
forward Bill Phillips said. “So if there’s any team that’s going to be in this situation, I
think we have a little extra going for us because of our experience. In the Atlantic Ten
tournament, each game could be the final one of our careers. We’ll have to put it all on
the line.”
Looking back, Martelli concedes that the high expectations for this season probably
were more suffocating than he anticipated. A month ago, he said that he sensed the
Hawks were tentative, playing as if they were more afraid of losing than determined to
win. He said that they were playing scared rather than with confidence, as they had last
season. He had assumed that that would never happen with such a veteran group.
“If I had it to do over again, I’d have spent more time talking about how to deal with
the expectations, which became more of a burden than I thought,” Martelli said. “Maybe
scared was the wrong choice of words. I just don’t want them to think they’ve let others
down. They should be more concerned with whether they’ve let themselves down at
times. But, I feel very strongly they’ve overcome all of that. I think, lately, we’ve been
playing our most consistent basketball.”
Unless it’s Duke, Kansas or Maryland – teams that win on just pure talent – there’s a
fine line that separates the merely good from the very good in college basketball. Last
season, the Hawks stayed on the right side of that line because more often than not they
made the right plays at the right times to win crucial games. Just as important, they
remained healthy.
It has been different this season. Five of the Saint Joseph’s losses have come down to
the final possession. Injuries and illnesses have dented the lineup.
O’Connor wasn’t himself for two weeks after suffering a badly bruised big toe early in
the season. On New Year’s Eve, the Hawks played their finest game from start to finish
against the best team they have faced – nationally ranked Gonzaga. O’Connor limped
through a 2-for-13 shooting performance, and Saint Joseph’s lost, 83-80, on a buzzerbeater by Dan Dickau, a likely all-American.
Jameer Nelson, the Hawks’ star sophomore point guard, began the season on tired legs
after a summer of playing for the U.S. team in the world championship for young men in
Japan.
For a couple of weeks in late January and into early February, the 6’10” Phillips was
largely ineffective because of a virus. With his all-around skills, his value to the team
can’t be overstated.
Meanwhile, leg and foot injuries have made the season a washout for Alexandre
Sazonov, the 7’1” backup center who progressed noticeably last season and was expected
to play about 15 minutes a game.
The week before last, the Hawks played Massachusetts without O’Connor, who had
food poisoning, and Dayton without Nelson, who was attending the funeral of his
grandmother. They managed to win both games.
In perhaps a tribute to their maturity, the Hawks refused to lean on excuses.
“There’s never been a sense of panic, no woe-is-me feeling,” Martelli said.
There were some tangible reasons for Saint Joseph’s struggles: The Hawks ranked
next to last in the A-10 in defending against the three-point shot and in overall field-goalpercentage defense. O’Connor, who frequently took command of games last season with
flurries of three-point baskets, had labored for most of the season to find a groove from
long range. Saint Joseph’s lacked bulk and had been vulnerable against tough, physical
forwards. And the Hawks were among the worst free-throw shooters in the A-10. In a
game at Xavier, they missed 15 of 22 free throws.
Looking back, Saint Joseph’s was probably ranked so high in the preseason because
the prognosticators were enamored of its performance against Stanford the previous year.
Perhaps they forgot, for a moment, that this is still Saint Joseph’s, a mom-and-pop
operation with resources that pale in comparison to those of the Division I football
schools that call most of the shots in college hoops and voted, as they should have, on the
Hawk’s merit.
At Saint Joseph’s, they don’t get high school all-Americans or get to borrow future
NBA lottery picks for a year or two. The Hawks have to play consistently well, get some
breaks, and stay healthy to get into the NCAA tournament. Too often this season they
haven’t. Now they have no margin for error.]—End of Ray Parillo article.
Whatever margin the Hawks may have had for a No. 1 seed in the A-10 tournament,
disappeared on Sunday March 3, 2002, in a 1:00 P.M. game played at the Palestra against
Temple. The Hawks led at the half by 16 points, 41-25, but proceeded to lose in a double
overtime game, 87-84. The Atlantic 10 East Division title was on the line, and the
Palestra was packed. It was a thrilling game that saw Temple’s Lynn Greer score a game
high 36 points, including a thee-pointer with three seconds to play to send the game into
the first overtime and a three-pointer in the second overtime with two seconds remaining
to win it.
THE ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT
The next week, in the first game of the A-10 tournament, Saint Joseph’s, (No. 2 seed)
came out of the gate slowly against Dayton (No. 3 seed, West Division), falling behind
19-7 over the first 10 minutes, and never fully recovered. “We got ourselves in a hole
early,” said Nelson, who had 14 points and 5 assists, but was far from his best. “When
that happens, it takes a lot out of you trying to come back.”
Once they went down early to Dayton, the Hawks looked like a team that panicked at
the impending disappointment.
“I believe you can lose and not have a losing experience . . .this is a losing experience,
because we didn’t give it our best bolt,” Martelli said.
“We went down without our best fight . . . we didn’t leave it on the floor. I’m baffled
by that lack of effort.”
The Hawks lost 81-74, and with nowhere left to go but the National Invitation
Tournament with their 18-11 record.
The Hawks opened their NIT run on the road at George Mason, defeating the Patriots
from the Colonial Athletic Association, 73-64. It was in this game that Pat Carroll got his
first starting assignment. Pat played with a lot of athleticism, but did not show the scoring
prowess we later got to know.
A home date with Ball State, a team that had upset both Kansas and UCLA in the
regular season, was next for SJU. The Hawks could not find the mark against the
Bulldogs, hitting a season-low 31 percent from the field, losing 76-54, and finishing the
season with a 19-12 record.
The questions that Saint Joseph’s was left with that day were the same questions that
they tried to answer all season: What went wrong? Why didn’t we play to our ability?
Why aren’t we as good as we were supposed to be?
“Someday in April or May when it’s quiet, I’ll sit down and try to say what
happened,” said Phil Martelli of a season that did not earn an NCAA bid.
Things never came together the way they were supposed to for the Hawks.
From that depressing season-opening loss to a dreadful Eastern Washington team
through the loss to Dayton, the Hawks never played up to the potential that had put them
in the pre-season Top 10.
The one nagging question that persisted was, “If the Hawks had enough talent to
become an NCAA tournament team, and they did, were they experienced enough to
handle the pressure of being favored?”
When asked that question at the end of the season, Martelli responded, “I really
believe that the whole idea that the expectations were a burden – I’ll be honest, I think
that’s overblown,” he said. “I don’t really believe that. I think that the players handled it,
we handled it, to the best of our ability.”
Whatever the reasons for not doing better, the final record of this team was
disappointing, especially after so much was expected of them. However, Phil Martelli felt
differently, and when asked about it again the following year, he said, “I never bought
into last year that we became ‘the hunted’ and were uncomfortable, or that we will be
better because we will be the underdog again. I never bought into that. I just think that
when you go out to compete there are two teams out there attempting to win. So any
psychological thought about, well, ‘this is a ranked team, this is a team that gets a lot of
hype, we are going to be prepared for them’, I do not buy into all of that. We were 19-12
because 12 times we did not play better than our opponents. Nineteen times we did. To
look into it any further, I think, it is really an exercise in futility. We are what we are. We
will be picked where we will be picked. If they were wrong last year, then what makes
anybody think that they will be right this year? They are predicating their predictions on
the team that just left. This is a new team, a team that is being formed. Let’s see where
they will go.”
THE 2002 - 2003 SEASON
At the start of the 2002-03 season, Jameer’s junior year, the question, as posed by
Phil Martelli was; “Where will they go?”
Due to the loss of four senior starters, a logical prediction would have been, “probably
a .500 season.” As a matter of fact, the Hawks were picked by the early pundits, to finish
either third or fourth in the Atlantic10 East Division. Overall, they were picked to be only
the sixth, seventh, or eighth best team in the Conference, depending on whom you talked
to.
There was no question about it, Coach Martelli had a daunting task as he prepared for
the new season. Coming off a two-year run that included trips to the second round of both
the NCAA and NIT tournaments, Martelli was preparing to open his eighth season at the
helm of the Hawk program with the challenge of replacing a senior class that compiled
over 5000 points and 2200 rebounds.
“People ask, ‘How do you replace them?’ Martelli says: “I do not think you replace
them. I think the idea of replacing a player is not like ‘I have a bad tire on my car and I
am going to replace it.’ To me, the concept I believe in is that we are building a new
team. Last year’s team was built, and now we are building another team. We have to take
these parts and put them together into a terrific finished product.”
As always, one of the unknown factors was how this team would react to each other?
How they would accept the roles handed to them? Phil Martelli was always able to instill
that competitive edge that was necessary to win games. But, this was about the often used
word “chemistry.” Chemistry, in athletics, is that elusive thing that you never know when
it will be there and when it won’t. When you have it, it can do magical things for you.
And there were other questions as well:
1. How would the Hawks score enough points to win?
2. Who would emerge as the wing guard?
3. Would this season be a rebuilding year?
4. Would Sazanov finally step up? If not, is Jones a viable answer?
5. Does this recruiting class have what it takes to be a great program?
These Hawks may not have had the experience of the departed seniors, all of whom
carved their niche in SJU record books, but they did have a contingent of six talented
newcomers that would join eight returnees, including one of the nation’s top point
guards, Jameer Nelson. Jameer was a point guard who would prove that he was not “one
of the nation’s top point guards”, but the nation’s best point guard.
Nelson had put together arguably the best freshman and sophomore seasons by any
Saint Joseph’s point guard in the 93-year history of the program. That says a lot when
one considers the list of former floor leaders, most notably Bob McNeill (1957-60), Jim
Lynam (1960-63) Matt Guokas, Jr. (1965-66), Jim O’Brien (1971-74), Rap Curry (199094), Bernard Blunt (1991-95), and Rashid Bey (1994-98).
Although the strength of the team would be in the backcourt, there were some
lingering questions. For the first time, Jameer Nelson would be clearly the best player on
the team and would be called upon to be the vocal leader on the team. He would be held
responsible for its success or failure. There would be no knocks on Marvin O’Connor,
Bill Phillips, Na’im Crenshaw, or Damien Reid. They had all graduated. Nelson would be
the leader who would receive the credit or shoulder the blame. Could Nelson produce
with all the pressure on his shoulders? Would the assists rack up for Nelson like they did
in the past for the departed seniors and with unproven players now in the lineup? Would
he be able to handle a higher scoring load with defenses centered on him? The questions
abounded.
Returning with Nelson in the backcourt was Tyrone Barley. Tyrone was used mainly
as Jameer’s backup at the point for most of his first two seasons, but, Tyrone always was
given the opportunity to earn a spot in the starting rotation. He was, however, best known
for his defensive skill and hard-nosed play. Tyrone was not much of a scorer in his first
two years. In his second year, he played a little under 10 minutes per contest and
averaged 1.6 points per game. It was obvious that his worth to the team was not as a
scorer. Tyrone only took 39 shots all season with 23 of those from 3-point range.
I got to know Tyrone during his first two years after seeing him at various University
functions. He was always willing to interact with alumni and others, so it was not
difficult to hold a conversation with him. I had an opportunity at a Mass and breakfast
held for the team, prior to the start of the 2002-03 season, to converse with him. Tyrone
sat at a table with me and five of my grandchildren, one of whom considered Tyrone his
favorite player. I felt comfortable with Tyrone and, therefore, during that breakfast I took
the liberty of telling Tyrone that I thought he had to score more if the Hawks were going
to be a successful team in the future and if he wanted to be an integral part of that
success. He had become a capable ball-handler and his defense was superior. I told him
that with the skills that he had already shown, and with the threat of him as a scorer
added, he would be invaluable to this team. I tried to impress the importance of this
aspect of his game with him. I added the notion, that there was not a scholarship player in
college that could not score the ball. I told him that it was my opinion that he would not
have gotten a scholarship if the coaches thought that all he could do was to play good
defense and just adequately “handle the ball.”
Tyrone was far ahead of me in this thinking. He already understood what I was saying
and advised me that the coaches had talked to him and were working diligently with him
to improve his shooting. He further explained to me that he recognized that his shooting
skills were somewhat lacking and that he had become reluctant to shoot the ball because
there were others on the team who could do it better. He further assured me that, “This
year will be different. Just watch me”.
Although from the very start of his college career, Tyrone Barley was not a scorer, and
it didn’t seem important then, Phil Martelli and Tyrone knew the disquieting truth. There
would be games, and moments within games, when opponents, busy elsewhere, would
dare Barley to shoot … times when for all his defensive skills, the game would briefly
shift to his hands on offense.
“I told him, Martelli said, “that he would have to make himself a shooter and there is
only one way to do that.”
All summer long, when Martelli opened the gym door, he heard the music of Tyrone’s
dedication: “thump…thump…thump…swish.” It didn’t come quickly, but it came.
“Nobody but absolutely nobody,” Martelli said, “ever spent as much time alone in that
gym as he did.”
Martelli marvels that Tyrone found his way to Saint Joseph’s in the first place.
“It was the end of summer,” Martelli recalled, “and nobody had signed him. His
campus visit lasted exactly two hours and he committed.” Tyrone has been a welcome
addition, he bought into Martelli’s advice, and his contributions to this team would be
enormous.
Delonte West, after a year in which he proved he could play, was slated to fill a wing
spot in the Hawks starting lineup. Delonte was second in scoring to Nelson among SJU
returnees.
Would Delonte West be ready? As a freshman, Delonte showed plenty of talent and
potential in limited minutes behind O’Connor and Crenshaw. He was an exciting player.
He could rise high and slam it home. Not too often have the Hawks had a guard who
could “sky” and block an opponent’s shot.
“Delonte was one of the best freshman players in the Atlantic 10. He just did not get
the minutes that some of the other kids got,” says Martelli. “He is a guy who has proven
he can score the ball at this level.”
Despite the minimal number of minutes of playtime that he got, Delonte showed some
flashes of brilliance. He made a number of sensational plays and in one “highlight reel”
showed his skills by finishing off a fast break with an acrobatic spin-move on the lone
defender and making the basket. The fans were convinced that Delonte was destined to
be a star player.
Pat Carroll, now in his sophomore year, was seen as a “heady” player who did not see
much action the previous season due to the team’s veteran lineup. He played in 13 of the
teams 31 games and averaged 6.1 minutes per contest, making two starts, including one
in the team’s NIT appearance at George Mason University. It should be noted that Pat
took only four 3-point shots during the previous year and made two of them. As we now
know, Pat would become one of the Hawks’ premier 3-point shooters!
Senior Alex Sazonov was a player who was plagued by injuries before and during the
last season. He now appeared healthy and seemed to be eager to prove that he could be a
dominant post player in the Atlantic 10. Alex’s first season at Saint Joseph’s was in 199899 when he played in 30 games. In the 1999-2000 season Alex, a sophomore, was redshirted. As a junior in 2000-01 he played in all 33 games as a key reserve. The 7’1”
Moscow native was considered a good shot blocker and was fourth on the schools career
blocked shot list with 114. His aggressiveness with the shot blocking, led, however, to
early foul trouble that kept him on the bench in many games. Alex did average 4.9 points
and 3.5 rebounds while playing 15.2 minutes per outing.
In 20001-02, Alex played in the first 21 games before being sidelined with stress
reactions in his left foot. Even before the season started (August), Alex had surgery on
both legs to correct compartment syndrome.
However, by now people who had dreamed of him as being a productive center had
doubts that would happen. Alex’s injuries, his lack of substantial improvement over the
previous years, and his undisciplined approach to the game led to this conclusion.
Sophomore John Bryant was returning, and the athletic power forward would be
counted on to provide solid defense and rebounding. He had played in 30 games the
previous year, all off the bench, and played an average of 9.7 minutes per game.
The walk-on seniors Mike Farrelly and Phil Martelli, Jr. were important components
of this team. They were not only competent players; they were considered “solid citizens”
and were looked upon to provide leadership.
As I said earlier, SJU came into 2001-2002 with little reason to expect a letdown from
the previous year’s spectacular run, as the team returned seven of the nine guys from its
rotation and the two departed seniors, Frank Wilkens and Erick Woods, were role
players.
The following year, (2002-03) however, there would be some cause for concern,
considering that the Hawks would have to replace four fifth-year seniors (Bill Phillips,
Na’im Crenshaw, Marvin O’Connor, and Damian Reid), each of whom was a strong
contributor on the court.
As Coach Martelli had previously stated, his thought was not to replace players, but to
build the program.
Given the choice, any college coach will tell you that his goal is to build a great
program, rather than simply build a great team. Teams are for one year, potentially
followed in later years by a down team or two. Great programs are competitive year after
year. Rather than rebuild, they reload.
“To me, the definition of a great program is one that can challenge for the postseason
every season,” Phil Martelli commented. “And I think the other tangible measure would
be to finish in the top 3 in your division of the Atlantic 10. You want to be there, you
want to be fighting for that third spot and above in your division, year in and year out.
Because I would say if you go back and do the math, third in each division in the Atlantic
10 gets postseason consideration. Six teams probably get in the NCAA tournament or the
NIT, so that is what I would think is the target.”
So what were the team’s goals entering this recruiting season, and how well did SJU
fare in the process? Coach Martelli, at that time, offered his thoughts on the three recruits
the Hawks picked up during the early signing period: Chet Stachitas, Dwayne Lee, and
Dave Mallon.
“We always look at recruiting this way as certain players are leaving, and players have
to come in and replace them,” he said. “So as we evaluated recruiting going into the
2001-2002 season, we said Damian Reid is leaving, we need a back-to-the-basket front
court player. Bill Phillips is leaving, so we need a multidimensional forward. Marvin
O’Connor and Na’im Crenshaw are leaving, both are scoring wing players, so we need to
go out and find at least one wing player.”
Even while coach Martelli was planning to fill these slots, he knew he had the 6’11”
red-shirted freshman Dwayne Jones in the fold and his progress in the off-season
indicated that he could be an excellent rebounder and shot blocker. His scoring
efficiency, however, still looked like it needed to improve.
In the three recruits the Hawks signed, they got a wing player in 6’5” Chet Stachitas,
a guard in 6’0” Dwayne Lee and a multidimensional forward in 6’10” Dave Mallon.
At that time, this is what Martelli had to say about each of the three:
“Chet Stachitas is an athletic wing player who can score the ball,” Martelli said.
“And a bonus with him is that he’s such a great student. I think that athletically, he will
be like Dmitri Damani. He’s strong, he’s physical on the basketball court, he can run and
he can jump. He’s probably more offensive minded than Dmitri, and it would be great if
it turns out that he is as tough as Dmitri.”
Domani, of course, was one of the all-time great defensive players at Saint Joseph’s.
The only question about Stachitas was, did he have that type of defensive potential?
Martelli responded, “I believe he does. He’s very well schooled in the fundamentals as
his high school coach does a nice job.”
Stachitas was listed as an honorable mention high school All-America in Street &
Smith’s 2001-2002 College Basketball Season Preview and helped lead his team to a 2211 mark during the 2000-2001 season.
“Dwayne Lee will be a little like Mark Bass,” Martelli commented. “He’ll be
undersized, but he’s very tough-minded. He’s an outstanding defensive player, he’s a
very good shooter and despite his lack of height, he has a nice hop to his game.”
Although Lee is listed at 6-foot, Martelli thought that he is probably more like 5’10”.
Mark Bass was listed at 5’9” during his SJU career from 1992-96.
“Dwayne is a guard. He’ll play either guard spot, but he’s more of a point. We
couldn’t be sure where Jameer Nelson was headed after this season, so we had to be in a
position where a point guard is covered by a point guard. Tyrone Barley has done a
terrific job for us but he’s more wing than point. He’s sacrificed a lot to play a position
for us that he’s probably not comfortable playing.”
It was also thought by the coaching staff, that the successful recruiting of Lee could
produce benefits to the Saint Joseph’s program for years down the road. Lee’s high
school, St. Anthony’s, is a national powerhouse coached by the well-respected Bob
Hurley. In addition to Hurley’s sons, Bobby and Danny, St. Anthony has produced
several top-flight Division I prospects over the years such as Terry Dehere, Roshown
McLeod and Patrick Rhodes. It was hoped that by bringing Lee to campus it could
potentially open a pipeline from St. Anthony’s to Hawk Hill.
In 2001-2002, Lee helped lead St. Anthony’s to a 27-3 record and a No. 10 national
ranking and came to SJU probably feeling that he had a good chance to play and play
well in college. At some point the hard reality of the upgrade in talent at the university
level sets in. I happened to be at such a session, in the early fall, on an afternoon when
many of the varsity players were in the gym playing half-court basketball: three on three.
In order to win you had to score ten baskets and win by a margin of two baskets. In this
particular game Jameer’s team was winning by one basket against a team that included
Dwayne Lee. With one more basket needed to win, Jameer, who was being guarded by
Dwayne, instructed his teammates to open up the center of the court and began to “breakdown” Dwayne with a series of through-the-legs, behind-the-back dribbles and some spin
moves. In a flash Jameer roared to the basket and scored the winning goal. In Jameer
Nelson fashion, he did not gloat, smile or make any disparaging remarks to Dwayne.
Instead he walked over to Dwayne and slapped hands with him. It was a lesson Dwayne
surely learned about what playing with players at this level is about and the kind of man
Jameer was.
Assistant coach Mat Brady identified Dave Mallon early on, after his sophomore
year, Martelli said. “I went up to Aurora, New York in his junior year, in December, to
see him play in a game. As soon as I saw him, I knew that I wanted him. So, I offered
him a scholarship and made him a number one priority guy. We developed a real nice
relationship with his family through the mail, through making sure that we were at games
and through correspondence with his coach.”
Mallon had the potential of bringing a variety of skills to Saint Joseph’s and reminded
Martelli a great deal of Bill Phillips, who excelled in all facets of the game.
“To me, Dave Mallon is almost a replica of Bill Phillips,” Martelli said at that time.
“He has the game that Bill has, he obviously doesn’t have the strength, the experience or
all of the craftiness, but he certainly has the skill level to become Bill Phillips, especially
with his ability to score from inside as well as from long range. He is a guy I am
expecting big things from, but he has to find his own way. He has never played against
this level of competition and probably never has competed as intensely as you need to
here on a daily basis. But, I am comfortable that he can find a niche as a very special type
of player.”
As a high school junior, during the 2000-2001 season, Mallon helped lead East Aurora
to a 19-4 record and the New York Class B sectional championship. As a senior, he
averaged 21.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.3 blocked shots per game.
“I am very satisfied with what we have been able to accomplish in our recruiting,”
Martelli noted about the incoming players. “Because along with the philosophy of
recruiting for the guys who are leaving and trying to replace them with players as they
come in, the other thing that I want is guys who want to be here. And these guys want to
play at Saint Joseph’s.”
Dave, Chet, and Dwayne have a similarity in that they value team play. Chet is the alltime leading scorer at his high school and Dave is the all-time leading scorer at his high
school, but they see the game as a team game. And obviously with Dwayne coming from
St. Anthony’s, a team game is the only way they’re allowed to play there. That’s not
always the case in recruiting. A lot of times, you’re recruiting the best player off a high
school team, and he might see the game through what I can do, and what I have scored,
rather than through what we have scored.”
Coach Martelli felt that there were no “reaches” among these recruits. That is, he felt
that each of these three were legitimate Atlantic 10 caliber players.
Martelli further said, “Whether they become A-10 starters or stars is going to depend
on a combination of our ingredients and the ingredients in terms of how hard they want to
work and whether we can cover up their weaknesses and accent their strengths.”
With the team’s fourth and fifth scholarships, SJU added two more recruits in June.
Mike Williams of St. Raphael’s Academy (Rhode Island) and Chris Cologer of Globe
Institute of Technology (New York) were added to complete the class for the upcoming
2002-2003 season.
Mike Williams, a 6’5”, 260 pound forward was a star player at St. Raphael’s who
averaged 19 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and 2.5 steals per game while earning USA
Today and Gatorade State Player of the Year honors as a senior. A two-time all-State
honoree, The Pawtucket, R.I. native helped lead St. Raphael’s to four straight State
Championships during his high school career. It looked to all observers that SJU had
gotten a big-bodied player who could score the ball.
Shortly after Mike arrived on campus and during independent workouts, he hurt his
foot. When that injury healed, Mike had a more serious injury to his back that required
surgery. Mike had never played one minute for Saint Joseph’s. His status, going into
what would be his third year, was uncertain.
Chris Cologer, the other newcomer was expected to vie for time in the Hawk
frontcourt. Chris Cologer a 6’11” junior, was a junior college transfer. Cologer had a
lanky but sinewy frame and weighed a mere 210 pounds. Many, who saw him play,
likened him to former Hawk player Harold Rasul (1996-98) although Chris was several
inches taller. The Poissy, France, native averaged 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds while
playing 20 minutes per game at the New York City junior college. However, he was
noted for his defense and shot-blocking ability, and had two years of eligibility.
Soon after practice started for the coming year, even Phil Martelli wasn’t exactly sure
what he had when he looked at his large collection of newcomers. But after just two
weeks of practice, he had come to know this about the five freshmen and the juniorcollege transfer: “They’re tough and hungry,”
“The newcomers are a little better than I expected as a group,” Martelli said. “I’m
really intrigued by the toughness these kids bring. They have a level of competitive spirit.
They’re not taking a step back waiting to see what’s going to happen.”
These new faces would soon be given the opportunity, beginning with the season
opener at Boston College on November 23, 2002, to help ease the loss of four players
who combined to score more than 5,000 career points and pull down more than 2,200
rebounds.
“Of course I always see the glass as half-full,” said Martelli whose teams had built a
126-90 record, including the previous year’s 19-12 mark, and had played in two NCAA
tourneys and two NIT’s during his eight year tenure. “We’re a lot better than people
think. In my opinion, we’re going to be in the hunt to win the East Division of the
Atlantic Ten Conference.”
Martelli must have had a crystal ball, because this team did, in fact, turn out to be a
superb team.
The Hawks began the last season ranked No. 8 in the preseason Associate Press poll,
but the defense faltered and Marvin O’Connor, plagued with injuries, who had earned
national praise during his brilliant junior season, never found the long-range jump shot
that was so deadly during the team’s run towards the Sweet 16 two years ago.
Martelli said that he saw a renewed commitment to defense. With junior Tyrone
Barley and sophomore Pat Carroll and freshman Dwayne Lee and Chet Stachitas joining
Nelson in the backcourt, he thought the Hawks could be as deep as anyone in the league
along the perimeter.
“We’ll have a different look,” he said. “We’re pressing more and trying to play faster.
This group has a certain defensive mind-set, and it starts with Tyrone and Delonte. The
ball pressure is there, and that’s a positive sign for the offense. The perimeter is rock
solid…six deep with a variety of talents.”
On the other hand, scoring from the frontcourt remained a concern. After Sazonov, the
centers were a pair of untested 6’11” newcomers – freshman Dwayne Jones and Chris
Cologer. Of course, a lot of the hope was that 6’10” Dave Mallon would develop into
another Bill Phillips, who gave the Hawks a little bit of everything during his fine career.
John Bryant, the active 6’7” sophomore, gave the Hawks energy and athleticism, but had
a lot of work to do to polish his game on offense.
“I’m not overly concerned with our ability to rebound, Martelli said. “I’m concerned
with our ability to score in the lane.”
Stachitas, in addition to his other skills, exhibited great leaping ability, and was
considered as the newcomer who probably would get the most playing time.
“All of the freshmen have surprised me, but Chet has probably surprised me the
most,” said Martelli. “He looks like a choir-boy, but he’s mean-spirited on the court, wise
beyond his years. He just knows how to play the game.”
I had the opportunity to introduce myself to Chet and watch him play at the PureGame
summer league that is located in Media, Pennsylvania. Chet was poised and polite when I
spoke with him. This was a bit surprising in itself since here was a guy who had just
come up from Florida and was going to meet, for the first time, many of his summer
league teammates. I learned later that Chet was not a total stranger to this area, but in fact
lived here most of his life before moving to Florida when his Dad took a job there. Chet
also proved to me he could play. That night, in that first game, he scored thirty points and
rebounded well.
“Overall, I think we’re getting better every day. There’s a lot of good going on here. I
see our best player (Nelson) getting better, which becomes contagious. We just have to
find a way to get more inside presence. I figure we’ll need to get something from our
frontcourt,” Martelli said.
Yes, the frontline seemed to be the biggest question. By now, people recognized that
perhaps the dream of Alex Sazonov being a productive player as a senior was over. He
had too many injuries, a lack of super star qualities, and an undisciplined approach to the
game. Even though he had been mostly a disappointment he now was apparently healthy
and his backup was a red-shirt freshman (Dwayne Jones), so the starting job was his to
lose. The fact that Coach Martelli brought in three other “big” men seemed to bolster the
feeling that help would be needed up front.
Martelli looked at his team over the summer and although he liked what he saw, for
the most part, he did have some concerns about where his scoring would come from. He
believed that the number 75 was a magical one, but the trouble was he didn’t know if he
could get to 75 points in a game.
“If you get to 75 points, then against just about everyone you are in a 2-, 3-, 4- minute
game and have a real chance of winning,” he said. “I sat down and did what all coaches
do, I said, ‘I think this guy can average this and this guy can average that.’ And I always
come up short. The only way we are going to get to 75 is to get more layups. The only
way I know how to get more layups is to pressure the basketball.”
The preseason went well. The young players were blending well with the returning
veterans who were setting the pace in the locker room, classroom and on the court.
Martelli had started the players on an off-season conditioning program by having them
work-out with a professional strength and conditioning organization that was truly state
of the art. For many of the players the benefits of the program were already evident and it
was believed that by February or March the program would pay rewarding dividends.
On the practice court, Martelli began instituting his theories about applying defensive
pressure to get turnovers and to have that defensive pressure help produce the offensive
numbers he thought his team would need to win games. He knew he had the good
perimeter depth required to apply full-court pressure and went to work to hone the skills
of the team to meet the challenges ahead.
The excitement for the season to begin had definitely begun to build. The Hawk Hoop
Club was in full swing and planning was underway to fill buses to travel to the “away”
games.
Saint Joseph’s administration also embarked on an effort to upgrade and add “class” to
its already well-known logos. By the beginning of the basketball season most Hawk
supporters had seen the new exciting logos and the improved Fieldhouse floor
emblazoned with the newly created soaring Hawk.
A SEASON OPENING WIN AT BOSTON COLLEGE
It didn’t take long, and it was very easy, to become a believer, especially when your
season begins away from home and you win, even though you are the underdog.
As a big underdog and on the road to open the season at Boston College, the Hawks
shocked one of the Big East Conference favorites. The Hawks not only won over the
Eagles, they blew them out. Jameer Nelson outplayed Troy Bell, a pre-season allAmerican selection, during the rout and received praise from sporting outlets throughout
the country. Jameer was already considered by many to be among the best point guards,
but his performance against Boston College cemented his position as elite. The wing
guard position also seemed to be in good hands after Pat Carroll knocked down all five of
his three-pointers on the way to 19 points. Tyrone Barley played as a back-up in the back
court and excelled in limited minutes. He posted an impressive statistical line of: 8 points,
5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He also locked down Troy Bell. Though dominated in
the low post by Boston College’s big men, backups Dwayne Jones and John Bryant
combined for 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Coach Phil Martelli, for this game, and for every other game throughout the season,
employed the same strategy as it related to the starting line-up and the use of his big men.
Both Alex Sazanov and Dave Mallon started in nearly every game they played in. Alex
started in 29 of the 29 games he played in and Dave started in 29 of the 30 games he
played in. Alex averaged 13.6 minutes per game and Dave averaged 10.5 minutes per
game. In the frontcourt, the bulk of the minutes were played by Dwayne Jones and John
Bryant. They each played 21.0 minutes per game. Chris Cologer played an average of 7.1
minutes per game.
WINS OVER CANISIUS, OLD DOMINION, AND BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Saint Joseph’s won their next three games. They followed the Boston College win
with victories over Canisius, Old Dominion and Boston University. Things were looking
up. It wasn’t that long ago when people were disappointed at the last season’s record of
19 wins. Martelli knew that the program was heading in the right direction when your
fans feel 19 wins weren’t enough. Martelli felt that the point was clear that the Hawks
were ready to sustain some level of excellence.
Some coaches are not flexible in how they teach. Either the players adapt or they don’t
play. Other coaches look at their personnel and adapt their styles to their players. Coach
Martelli belonged to the latter group.
Saint Joseph’s won 45 games the previous two seasons with offense. The Hawks were
often good enough to simply outscore teams, but, after last season 5,000 of those points
disappeared.
So, the emphasis changed. This Hawk’s team, coach Martelli insisted from the outset
would be all about defense. The early returns were terrific.
Playing their first game at the Fieldhouse, the Hawks defended Old Dominion into
submission. They pressured the ball so much in the first half that the Monarchs hit the
wall early in the second half, and had nothing left for the finish. The final score was 6347.
“The defense has been like that since October 12,” Martelli said. “this group has the
real ability to pressure the basketball.”
Saint Joseph’s (3-0) in this early season had held its opponents to just 35 percent
shooting, and it all started with junior point guard Jameer Nelson. In this game (Old
Dominion) he had 21 points and five steals. He had as many near-steals as actual steals,
which indicated the terrific pressure being put on the opponent’s ball handlers. Jameer
controlled the entire game on both ends. He completely dominated the final minutes.
Old Dominion coach Blaine Taylor was a Stanford assistant when the Hawks played
the No. 1 seed to a virtual standstill in the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
Nelson almost had a triple-double that night.
“He lived up to his billing,” Taylor said. “He’s even matured since I saw him last. His
command of the team and command of what’s going on at both ends of the floor is really
something each team would hope to have. It’s got to have Phil sleeping pretty good at
night.”
The Hawk’s defense was steals, blocks and hurries. Nothing was easy for the
Monarchs. Eleven players saw meaningful minutes for the Hawks.
“It’s significant that you take guys in and out of the game and you get the same
defensive level,” Martelli said. “So I was really happy with that.”
The Hawks used a variety of defenses. The object was the same. Hassle the man with
the ball, and don’t let the ball get to places where the offense could make an easy play.
The early season victories seemed to suggest that he was right on point.
In the next game, with 3,200 fans looking on at the Fieldhouse, the Hawks turned poor
Boston University inside out and won going away, 71-49. Boston University was a
favorite to win its American East Conference title, and it had lost to highly regarded
Stanford by just four points in its opener. Boston University was no match for the Hawks.
It was Saint Joseph’s first 4-0 start in 21 years, and it was the first time in 22
years that any Hawks’ team had held consecutive opponents to less than 50 points.
That was the Jim Lynam four-to-score bunch that did it four times, including the 1981
NCAA Tournament. However, the shot clock and three-point shot were just rumors back
then.
The Hawks did it with the shooting of Pat Carroll (16 points, career-high 10
rebounds), great ball movement on offense and defense that would not go away. Every
Hawks player defended. Apparently, Phil Martelli had demanded that nothing else is
acceptable. Nobody personified that better than backup guard Tyrone Barley. He played
with an edge.
“Everybody believes that nobody should score on us,” Barley said. “We take it
personally. Last year, we didn’t take it personally. We were thinking too much offense
last year.”
It is, Barley said, a mindset. The players just decided that this was the way it was
going to be.
“A lot of people were counting us out early, not even giving us a chance,” he said.
“We’re trying to prove people wrong.”
Saint Joseph’s was also outscoring its opponents by 18 points a game. The Hawks had
weapons. The starting backcourt of Delonte West and Jameer Nelson combined for 30
points, 10 assists, 6 steals and 2 turnovers.
Of course, the season was very early, but these Hawks seemed to have a lot of
answers. They had multi-skilled players on the perimeter. They had a terrific standstill
shooter in Pat Carroll. They had an explosive scorer in West. They had good bench
strength.
HAWKS’ WIN STREAK AT SEVEN
After three more consecutive victories over Drexel, Delaware and DePaul and an
impressive seven game win streak, some common themes were emerging:
1. Jameer Nelson was a star. Against Delaware he scored 24 points, to go along with
nine rebounds and seven assists. He was everywhere and did everything.
2. Delonte West was proving he had star quality. He reached double digits in points in
all but one game. Also, West was making the three-ball and was effective passing
the ball to open teammates.
3. Pat Carroll solidified his spot in the lineup. His shooting was like radar. A few bad
shooting nights showed that he still needed work, but he was a viable third scoring
option.
4. The frontcourt play was interesting. Mallon and Sazonov were starting and
providing early energy for minor minutes. Mallon looked “hurried” and needed to
build his confidence. His development would be important. Sazonov was foul prone
and as a result his playing time would be limited. Thankfully, John Bryant and
Dwayne Jones had shown that they could play.
5. The Hawks would do a lot of running. They chase the ball. When they get it, which
is often, they head the other way quickly. They run a good offense, and on defense
they had shown a variety of presses. Mostly they had shown a willingness to play
all out.
6. The Hawks were not going to overpower anybody inside on offense or defense.
Thus, they had to own the perimeter. They had owned it thus far.
It should be noted that for the Delaware game, the Hawks debuted with brand-new
black uniforms. This was a change from what was traditionally worn by Saint Joseph’s
teams. All the previous uniforms were of the maroon and gray school colors. However,
these black uniforms fit their image.
“I do believe people will like this team,” Martelli said. “Philadelphia likes teams that
scrape their knees and get dirty.”
There is always controversy when you talk about basketball rankings. Some believe
they have no meaning at all, while others swear that they legitimately reflect a teams
standing. Even accepting the notion that college basketball’s RPI (Ratings Percentage
Index) are about as believable as Santa Claus, it’s still impressive to be the top-ranked
team.
Saint Joseph’s, after starting the season at 7-0 was ranked No. 1 according to the
highly regarded Web site: collegerpi.com. The mathematical formulas used to come up
with the rankings are always difficult for me to understand. If they said that Duke, who at
6-0 was ranked No. 34, and Saint Joseph’s who at 7-0 was ranked No. 1, I just needed to
know that it happened, not how it happened.
The lofty rankings, obviously, were a result of the favorable turnaround this season.
Last season, the Hawks were either initially highly touted or way overrated, depending on
whether you’re a fan or not. The Hawks collapsed early and often last season and were
not heard from again. At least for now the Hawks were gladly accepting their RPI rating.
It sure looked good, and I think it fairly reflected how they had played up to that point in
the season.
A STINGING LOSS AT THE COLLEGE OF THE PACIFIC
The first bump in the road was against College of the Pacific. Maybe the team was
looking ahead to the match-up with Gonzaga. Or, maybe they were reading their press
clippings. The way the team lost foreshadowed their future losses. The Hawks
experienced a scoring drought down the stretch. Nursing a 48-46 lead with nearly five
minutes left in the game, Saint Joseph’s was outscored 16-2 down the stretch. During
those final minutes, the team also missed six straight and crucial free throws. For the
game, the team only made 6 of 18 free throws, far below their season average of .686.
The Hawks shooting percentage, especially with three-pointers was also poor. The
Hawks made only 4 of 20 three-pointers, again far below their season average of .363.
This was a prime example of the understanding that “there is not much room for error” in
order to win a basketball game. Sometimes the shots you make every other day just don’t
go through the hoop on this particular day. While, on the other hand, your opponent’s
experience on this particular day is just the opposite. They may do much better than
normal. That situation usually spells d-e-f-e-a-t.
AWAY AT GONZAGA
The next five games erased the University of the Pacific’s nightmare from the minds
of the players and the fans. The first of the five games was played on New Year’s Eve
and the Hawks won a barnburner against Gonzaga at the Kennel in Spokane,
Washington. In 2001, the Bulldogs came to Hawk Hill and won on a last second shot by
their star guard, Dan Dickau. In 2002, Saint Joseph’s went to the Kennel and won on a
last-second shot by their star guard, Jameer Nelson.
A sellout crowd of 4,000 that shouldered its way into the Kennel on that Tuesday
night should cherish what it witnessed as the two little schools with the big-time
programs capped their two-year, home-and-home agreement with an overtime thriller.
Jameer Nelson, after missing a three-pointer from the top of the key in the final
seconds of regulation, scored his teams last six points in overtime and finished with a
career-high 34 that included the game-winning basket with eight seconds left in the extra
period. That basket also enabled Jameer to go past 1,000 points in his career.
After Gonzaga had scored, and took the lead with 20 seconds remaining in overtime,
the Hawks still had a timeout. But, Martelli had already told Nelson to forget the timeout.
“If they score,” he had told Nelson, “I don’t care. It’s all you.”
So it was.
“He wills you to win,” Martelli said. “There can’t be a player in the country more
valuable to his team.”
“He’s just a great point guard,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said of Nelson, who made
14 of 26 field-goal tries and also contributed 3 assists and 3 steals as the Hawks (8-1)
bounced back from the upset loss at Pacific. “When you have someone at that position
that’s great and you try to double him or do some other things, then he finds other guys.
He’s really something special.”
The Hawks, who had been winning with defense all season, won this with defense and
offense. They held Gonzaga to just 38.9 percent shooting. They won despite getting out
rebounded by 12. They won even though Gonzaga attempted 41 free throws (missing 13)
to the Hawks’ 18 (13 of 18).
Coach Martelli had a nagging regret from the team’s trip west. He wished the Hawks
had played better in its loss at Pacific.
“We should be 9-0 now,” he said. “We didn’t get beat, we lost.”
The season was still very young. It was a long way to the finish line. The Hawks had
not played a single Atlantic 10 game or a Big 5 game, but they did put themselves in
position to have a memorable season.
The Hawks rolled through the opening of the Atlantic 10 schedule. They won easily
against Duquesne, St. Bonaventure, and the University of Massachusetts
THE ST. BONAVENTURE GAME
The game against St. Bonaventure was billed as a battle between the Atlantic 10’s best
offense (the Bonnies were averaging 80.8 points per game) and the Atlantic 10’s best
defense (the Hawks allowed 57.1 points per game).
Something had to give. Saint Joseph’s performed its defensive duty, limiting the
Bonnies to 58 points.
The game was being played at St. Bonaventure in the Reilly Center that is renowned
as one of basketball’s great pits. Even when the Bonnies are not that good, its home court
is never a friendly place. Teams have been known to fold from the noise alone.
A few minutes after they threw up the ball that night, the noise ceased. It never started
again. The Hawks immediate dominance of the game silenced the Bonnies’ fans.
Before the game, Hawks’ assistant Matt Brady had explained that the Hawks would be
getting lots of open threes, since the Bonnies strategy was to protect the basket from the
inside. He was dead on.
The Hawks came out firing on all cylinders. The team connected on 6 of 7 threepointers, including their first five, to build an early 22-13 lead. A Dave Mallon basket
capped off a Saint Joseph’s 10-0 run to give the Hawks a big lead, 32-16.
“I don’t know what kind of a defense they were playing, but it just created open looks
for me,” said Pat Carroll, who finished with 17 points.
“If they want to play horse, I’ll put up Pat against anybody in the conference from
three-point range,” Martelli said.
The Bonnies eventually tried a variety of zones. They tried to press. They again tried
man-to-man. The one constant was that the Hawks got wide-open shots.
“There are few times when you coach when you have teams follow a game plan
almost to the letter,” Martelli said. “and these guys followed the game plan exactly the
way we laid it out … at the offensive end of the floor, we literally wanted to come over
the halfcourt and stop, and then take a look around, because their defense is
unidentifiable.”
Saint Joseph’s was 8-for-13 from the arc in the first half and led, 44-23. The Hawks
shot 54.5 percent for the game. They had 22 assists on 30 baskets. The bench contributed
23 points. Freshmen Chet Stachitas and Dwayne Jones were especially active. Delonte
West and Nelson combined for 28 points and 14 assists.
West was assigned to guard Bonnies star Marques Green, the A-10’s leader in scoring
and assists. Green, the former Norristown High star, really struggled. He shot just 4-for12 and had 12 points.
Every Hawk player did something positive. It might not have been a perfect game, but
it was close enough, especially for early January.
THE MASSACHUSETTS GAME
It was no surprise that the crowd that jammed the Fieldhouse on Sunday, January 11,
2003, to see the Hawks play Massachusetts, was a little rowdy. The team’s record was
11-1, and the Hawk fans loved this team. They loved this team because there was no
“quit” in them. They played the game with all out pressure on defense and had several
exciting scorers.
The more you looked at this team on paper, the more you realized that they had no
business being this good. Then you watch them scratch and claw and overachieve, and
then you began trying to figure exactly what it is that gets wins. How do they do it? They
were about to show the crowd once more how dominating they could be.
“I know this sounds a bit odd, because we have had some other great teams,” said
Martelli, “But I don’t know if I’ve ever had a team more beloved. People are crazy about
the way this team plays.”
“I think it is because from the outside you can see our warts. I have a starting center
(Alexandre Sazonov) that hasn’t hit a free throw this season. My two best rebounders are
guards (Jameer Nelson, Delonte West). These are kids who are doing the best they can
and work so hard that they’ve caught the imagination of the fan base.”
One of the things, in addition to the way the games were being played, was the
character of the University. In many ways Saint Joseph’s represents the absolute best of
college basketball. It is a small Catholic School (3,600 enrollment) with big dreams but
uncompromised values. The players are actually part of the student body. They attend
real classes, live in real dorms and get a real education. They act like normal kids.
The Massachusetts game saw the Hawks use their full-court pressure, their pestering
defenses, and they reached that magic number of 75 points for the seventh time. This was
proving to be a team that was more than the sum of its parts. Jameer Nelson was an
Atlantic 10 Player of the Year candidate, and Delonte West was proving to be a
remarkable player, but after that, the roster was just full of good, solid players who
couldn’t go any harder.
They’ve practiced harder than any team I’ve had,” Martelli said. “We go for 2 1/2
hours every day. We lift weights three days a week. They are always on time; there is no
moaning.”
Against the Minutemen, the Hawks put their skills together and blew out their
opponents, 76-47.
On offense Sazonov registered 10 first-half points on 5-for-5 shooting. Delonte West,
who was capable of creating his shot any time he desired, did just that on his way to a
game-high 19 points. Nelson, scoreless in the first half, still managed to score 12 points.
On defense, the Hawks forced 26 turnovers and held the Minutemen to 47 points.
The Hawks did not stop playing hard the entire game. One memorable moment of the
game, which exemplified the mind-set of this team, came when there was a stoppage in
the game, late in the second half. The game was well in hand and the score was 63-41.
But, you would never know that was the situation. Phil Martelli had his players in a
huddle and was diagramming a play. Here they were, already technically having won the
game, yet Martelli was still coaching the team as if it were a one-possession game.
In this instance, when the team takes the floor, Nelson takes the ball to the top of the
key. His teammates spread the floor. Nelson proceeds to break his defender down and
lays the ball in the basket.
This simple maneuver would be seen many times during the season, usually at the end
of the first half of play, and often without the need for a timeout. It was an offensive set
which was especially helpful to have when time was running out and the team needed a
basket. The team knew exactly who to give the ball to and what to do in that situation
without having to talk about it.
Martelli was often quoted as saying, “There is no one who I would rather have the
ball, in critical situations, than Jameer Nelson.”
Phil Martelli, a master at handling public relations, had never been one to hide from an
opportunity to promote his team. But, with the Hawks knocking on the door of the top 25,
Martelli said Saturday he didn’t care one way or the other if his team cracked the poll.
“We’re still not one of the top 25 best teams in America,” said Martelli, sarcastically.
“I see all these teams on TV. I’m not knocking my team. I love those guys. I love the way
they play and the way they compete. But if being ranked in the Top 25 is a mark that
people want and we deserve it for being a unit, then so be it,”
The Hawks found out Monday that it didn’t get in the Top 25. The Hawks were
ranked No. 26 in the nation, receiving 133 points in the Associated Press poll. Martelli
said he hoped to play some of those higher-ranked teams later.
“I know what we are,” he said. “If we continue to get better, when the time comes to
play those kinds of teams, bring it on. Let’s play.”
Martelli thought about it some more in the post game press conference Saturday after
beating the University of Massachusetts and later didn’t like what he came up with.
“What the rankings will do is create panic among the troops,” he said. “If we get
ranked and get behind in a game, one of my 3,200 assistant coaches (a reference to the
sold-out attendance figure at the Fieldhouse) will lose their mind because we can’t handle
being ranked. We’re 11-1. That’s statement enough.”
This was a typical overstatement that Martelli often used in situations like this.
THE TEMPLE GAME
The next game was a crucial one. Everyone knew that the road to the Atlantic 10
championship often goes through Temple. The league regular season play and conference
playoff results had been dominated, for a long time, by the Temple Owls. They were
always a dangerous team, and John Chaney knew how to win basketball games. This
game was at Temple.
Temple, indeed, did resemble a formidable opponent, especially early on in the
season. Lacking a true point guard, which was rare for Temple, the Owls featured 6’4”
David Hawkins and 6’5” Mo Collins in the backcourt. Their height advantage was a
concern for the Hawks.
The Hawks were 11-1 and a three point favorite entering this game. Despite their 3-10
record, the Owls, nonetheless, had defeated as very good Indiana team. Also, Saint
Joseph’s, under Phil Martelli had a losing 3-12 record against the Hall-of-Famer on
Broad Street, John Chaney. Who knew which Temple team would show up, the one that
knocked off Indiana or the one that fell to Duquesne?
In the opening half, the Owls played the Hawks to a standstill, and it took Delonte
West to bail the Hawks out several times. The sophomore-on-the-rise scored nine straight
points to keep the Hawks in scoring distance, but trailing 21-16. Temple had gained the
early edge by connecting on 4-of-7 three-pointers. Jameer later knotted the score at 21
when he launched a 27-foot three-pointer. It came with the shot clock winding down and
a defender all over him. That was followed by a no-look, zip pass, by Nelson to an open
West under the basket for an easy lay-in. In addition to that basket West scored 5 straight
points for the Hawks. And, for the second week in a row the Hawks ended the half on an
emotional high. Nelson barely evaded a trap, fired the ball over to Carroll who dished it
to Sazonov on the baseline. Sazonov faked and released the shot with 0.2 seconds to go.
The shot banked in for a Hawk lead, 30-27.
Jameer and Delonte took over the game in the second half. The duo tallied 21 of the
team’s first 22 points. By then the Hawks had opened up a considerable lead, 52-40.
Jameer was fantastic. Despite 6 turnovers, the star for the Hawks had 25 points, a
game-high 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Delonte finished with a game-high 26 points, 6
rebounds, and 7 assists.
Alex Sazonov and Pat Carroll each had 6 points. Sazonov also swatted 3 shots and
hauled down 3 rebounds. It was the second straight productive game for Sazonov. He
later left the game after a collision with a Temple player. Sazonov’s knee got banged-up
in the exchange. Despite his bum knee, Sazonov limped to the next huddle during the
time-out. This effort by Sazonov was a strong indicator of how together a team this group
was. In previous years it was very noticeable that in many games Sazonov did not take
part in those huddles. He stood on the fringes and looked around at the audience. This
effort on his part was a huge change in his attitude.
More and more, people were beginning to talk about the Hawks guards, Nelson and
West. Even if you searched long and hard, you probably could not uncover a backcourt in
college basketball that was playing better than the one Saint Joseph’s was sending out
there.
Everyone knew how good Jameer was. Now they were finding out that sophomore
West had a whole bunch of game, too.
When John Chaney, who knows a thing or two about impact perimeter players, was
asked about the Hawks backcourt, he said, “What they’re able to do is play off each
other. Jameer shot over a 6’9” guy like he wasn’t standing there. Put it right over him.
One time we had him set up with three defenders, and he still managed to get around
them. It’s great to have someone like that.”
“Against a press, he gets his hands on the ball and says, ‘Get the hell out of here.’ And
he just goes up the floor. He manages the court. I like the fact that they keep an
attachment to the rest of their players. That’s a problem for us. When you run across a
team with firepower like that it can go a long way.”
The amazing thing about both players was that almost every big-time program took a
pass on them. Nelson had become a mistake-free, three-year starter who was good
enough to play for a USA Basketball summer team and was now the key to Saint
Joseph’s devastating full-court press.
West had become the Hawks’ most complete player, a defensive stopper who held
every player he guarded to under his average.
“It’s comforting to know you have them,” Martelli said. “Against this team, what you
have to do is play possession basketball. You can do that, if you have a backcourt like
these two. Jameer feels the game. I trust him to put our guys in the right spots. They play
off the dribble so well, bringing people to the ball. That’s really been to our advantage.”
“It’s a pleasure playing with Jameer,” West said enthusiastically. “I wouldn’t want to
play with any other point guard, honestly.”
With this win the Hawks appeared to be a lock for the NCAA tournament, but to
Delonte, that was not enough.
“I want to go to the Final Four, He said. “I don’t want to appear cocky, but that’s our
goal. Anything less than that, I’d be disappointed.”
How serious was Delonte? That week he called a players only meeting to talk about
the teams goals, and following that meeting, on Tuesday night he led the Hawks to the
65-55 victory at Temple.
More and more people were beginning to notice that this was a special Saint Joseph’s
team. This was a school with an undergraduate enrollment of 3,600 that had always
dreamed big dreams, ever since Dr. Jack Ramsay coached there in the ’60s. That was a
theme you would here over and over. Often they used the phrase, “that little school
located on the outskirts of Philadelphia and referred to as, Hawk Hill.”
Even Coach Martelli was enthralled and said, “This group does anything I ask them
to do. It absolutely amazes me. I really don’t have any sense that it’s about them. It’s
about us, their winning of the game. What do you need to do?”
“It’s exciting, to think that we’re only halfway there,” said Martelli.
Even the NCAA was beginning to take notice of this team. At the Temple game, there
in the second row at the Liacouras Center, sat the Athletic Director at Princeton, Gary
Walters.
What was he doing there?
Walters wasn’t there to see the Owls. He was on the NCAA tournament selection
committee, and Saint Joseph’s was his interest. Although the raw data that is fed to the
committee – the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) computer ranking and other statistical
information – gets the most attention, those committee members were expected to get
around their region to familiarize themselves with potential tournament teams.
That Gary Walters was there was good for Saint Joseph’s, because the Hawks really
had to be seen in person to get a full grasp of how well they were playing.
With this win over Temple, the Hawks were 12-1, 4-0 in the Atlantic 10, and at this
point in the season, Saint Joseph’s was in the driver’s seat for the A-10 East Division
crown. They held a two game lead over Saint Bonaventure and Massachusetts and a three
game lead over perennial champ Temple, all of which were handed losses by the Hawks.
Rhode Island, although a surprise team, (9-4, 1-1 in A-10), and the next Hawks’
opponent, was not considered a likely challenge for the Division crown.
THE RHODE ISLAND GAME
Then, the stunning loss to Rhode Island! The great defenders were out defended, and
the Hawks suffered a gut-wrenching defeat to URI. The Rams had snapped Saint
Joseph’s five game winning streak with a Brian Woodward lay-up at the buzzer, 58-57.
It seemed like the Hawks had the game in hand. In fact they did. Dwayne Jones
corralled a rebound with 2.5 seconds left. All the freshman had to do was cover the ball
up and wait to be fouled or for the buzzer to go off. Instead, Brian Woodward wrestled
the ball away, spun toward the basket, and laid the ball off the glass. The ball fell in the
hoop. The Hawks had lost.
URI got off to a fast start, outscoring the Hawks 11-2 during the first 2:15 of the
game. The Rams accomplished this with an up tempo approach. The Rams would push
the ball up the floor quickly and not allow the Hawk defense to set up. It was a strategy
employed by Gonzaga against the Hawks as well. It was effective in this game.
Although the Hawks trailed most of the first half, they played well enough to lead at the
end of the half by a score of 31-26. West and Nelson combined for 23 of the points.
Again, at the start of the second half, Rhode Island established control by outscoring
Saint Joseph’s 19-8 to take a 45-39 lead. With six minutes remaining the Hawks were
clinging to a 53-49 lead.
The game was intense down to the final seconds and although both teams had
opportunities to score they managed to squander each opportunity with violations, fouls,
missed field goals and missed foul shots.
With 2.5 seconds remaining and the Hawks winning 57-56, Jameer Nelson was on the
foul line and missed the front end of the 1-and-1. The final play ensued and the nightmare
became a reality.
Delonte West was the lone bright spot for Saint Joseph’s. He was having a breakout
season. West had 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Nelson had 14 points, 4 rebounds,
and 5 assists. But he shot only 4-for-14 and committed 6 turnovers, and that was
uncharacteristic for Jameer.
Pat Carroll, who was being counted on as the team’s third scorer, had been struggling
of late. In this game he had 5 points on only 4 attempts. That was not a good sign as more
help was needed from him.
In addition, the frontcourt was exposed again. To their credit, however, they did
combine for 8 blocked shots and 16 rebounds, but only 7 points.
This was a game in which Nelson was harried into mistakes. That was rare for Jameer.
Hopefully, this type of performance was behind him.
One thing was now evident the Hawks’ Delonte West was no longer anonymous. The
late-bloomer was justifying Martelli’s confidence in him. Delonte was an emerging star.
ON DELONTE WEST
Early on, Delphina Addison foresaw a future in the arts for the second of her three
children.
She would read his writings and delight in the possibility that he’d someday become
an author, or a poet. She’d marvel at his drawings and think, an artist, maybe? She’d
watch him bang on a set of conga drums or tap on the piano keys and wondered if he
would be a musician.
Then, one day, her son came home after a long session of playground basketball and
informed her of a different art form he planned to perfect.
He said, ‘Mom, at the playground I prayed that I’d become a great basketball player,’
Addison recalled. “I was surprised.”
Now, after playing sixth man for Saint Joseph’s West had become a dazzling
revelation for the surprising Hawks, a major reason why they were 12-2 and in the chase
for the Atlantic10 Conference supremacy.
When the A-10 announced its preseason all-conference teams, Delonte’s name was
nowhere to be found. He had averaged 17 minutes a game as a freshman, awaiting his
turn behind established veterans Marvin O’Connor and Na’im Crenshaw. But, if the allconference vote were taken at this point in the season, it would seem an injustice if West
were not on the first team with backcourt mate Nelson.
Delonte’s star was burning brighter as the season rolled along. The last five games, he
had averaged 21.4 points, 4.8 assists, and only 1.8 turnovers while shooting 57 percent
(40 for 70) overall and 52 percent (13 for 25) from three-point distance. Overall, Delonte
was averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 49 percent and
41.6 percent from three-point distance. He was a close second to Nelson in scoring,
assists and rebounding. Jameer, at this point, was probably the best all-around player in
the conference
“I know I can do more,” said Delonte. “At times, I feel like I’m holding back a little.
But it’s not about me. It’s about the team winning.”
On the court, Delonte’s face always seemed to be masked in nonchalance; his
expression remained unchanged as he sank left-handed jumpers, sliced down the lane for
a dunk, hit a cutting teammate with a precise pass, or frustrated an opponent with his
sticky defense.
His coaches said he was a tireless worker and as fierce a competitor as anyone on the
team. After last season, Matt Brady, a superb shooting instructor, told Delonte that he had
a lot of work to do on his jumper.
“Delonte would call me late at night during the summer, asking me to open the gym
for him,” Brady said. “Next day, I’d ask him how late he stayed. He’d say about 1 or 2 in
the morning.”
“I shot thousands of jumpers,” Delonte said, “Thousands.”
“Now,” Brady said, “He’s a great shooter.” In addition, Delonte is happy about his
choice to come to Saint Joseph’s. He has never second-guessed his decision.
“What attracted me the most about Saint Joseph’s was the friendly atmosphere,” he
said. “When I got here I saw how the guys interacted with the coaches and everyone
seemed to be having fun. I said to myself, ‘I can get used to this.”
THE FORDHAM GAME
The Hawk’s ship was righted for the next game, a home game with Fordham. This
game was the perfect prescription to help them get well, after experiencing the gutwrenching defeat at the buzzer against Rhode Island.
“I had told people we had not prepared well for the Rhode Island game,” Martelli said.
“Therefore we lost. For this game, our preparation was extraordinary.”
The Fordham Rams had lost 25 straight games in Philadelphia before this game. This
game made it 26.
When the Hawks’ 79-46 win was official, there was little subtlety about what
happened or why. Credit the defense. In the final 12 minutes of the first half, Fordham
made one field goal. The Rams had no space to do anything. Dribbling was difficult.
Passing was mostly a rumor. Getting a decent shot was simply not possible.
The Rams (2-14, 1-4 in the A-10) were as bad as their record indicated. Still, even bad
teams don’t shoot 13-for-51 (25.5 percent). The Hawks were doing that to people this
year. They’ve done it all season.
The Hawks got good contributions from every player on their deep bench and they
played a small lineup most of the game. West made two incredibly athletic first-half
plays, a block and a windmill dunk and led all scorers with 19 points on 7-for-15
shooting. Carroll opened each half with a three-pointer as the Rams’ defenses were not
effective against him, and he ended the game with 16 points. Freshman Chet Stachitas
was quickly becoming acclimated with the offense and he racked up 10 points and 6
rebounds. Dwayne Jones was solid again, registering 6 points and 8 rebounds. Jameer
only played 27 minutes. That was good news for Jameer who had been “under the
weather” recently battling a cold and a finger injury.
The only question at halftime was whether Saint Joseph’s, leading 38-22 already had
enough points to win. When the Hawks scored 18 points on their first eight second-half
possessions, there weren’t many more questions.
“This is a team that is going to play basketball, play together, take a shower and go
home,” Fordham coach Bob Hill said of the Hawks. “They’re very good. I think that’s the
best team we’ve played from top to bottom. And I think Jameer is the key to the whole
thing.”
THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA GAME
The Hawks had 12 games remaining on their regular schedule. Of those, there were
only 4 games for which the Hawks had to leave the city. However, the next game was a
significant match-up with city rival, University of Pennsylvania.
Penn (7-5) had won 6 consecutive City Series games over 2 seasons, including
victories over Temple and Villanova this season.
The Hawks seemed ready. “That’s going to be a good game,” Nelson said. “Let’s go
to war, man.”
The season was about to get interesting. Besides Penn, the next 3 games were against
George Washington, Rhode Island and Villanova.
The collar of Phil Martelli’s black suit jacket was askew as he walked toward his
longtime friend Penn coach Fran Dunphy, for the ritual pregame handshake. Dunphy
adjusted the collar of the Saint Joseph’s coach, but he couldn’t find a way to tailor his
team’s offense so that it could deal with the Hawk’s suffocating defense.
Fiercely contesting just about every move by Penn, Saint Joseph’s grabbed a 13-point
halftime lead and fought off each Quaker’s uprising in the second half to score a 66-48
victory in this Big Five game before a sellout crowd of more than 8,700 at the Palestra.
The Hawks (14-2), were buoyed by the effective long range shooting of Pat Carroll,
the all-around play of point guard Jameer Nelson, and the grit of Delonte West.
Pat Carroll scored 16 points while making five three-pointers – one more than the
Penn team. Nelson scored 18 points and West 15. Dwayne Jones had 7 points and 10
rebounds in just 21 minutes.
But this game was won by the Hawk’s relentless defense, which held the Quakers to
35.4-percent shooting overall and 4-for-17 shooting from three-point distance. Penn,
which had been averaging nearly 10 three-point baskets per game, became the sixth
opponent to fail to reach 50 points against the Hawks.
“I remember, after the DePaul game, in December, someone asked me how long we
could keep up playing this kind of defense,” Martelli said. “I think we’re capable of
doing it for 30 games.”
“That’s a very good defensive team,” Dunphy said. “Delonte and Nelson did a very
good job putting pressure on our guards. And in the first half, we let Carroll up for air,
and he hurt us.”
“When he comes off a screen, it’s my job to find him,” Nelson said. “When he’s open,
forget it, he’s automatic.”
Defense wins championships. That is the saying, isn’t it? Well, more and more the talk
was that the Hawks might just be on their way to an A-10 championship and a Big Five
title. Defense was their forte. And although the guards were the defensive catalysts, the
Hawks big men were the last line of defense.
After this game, Ray Parillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote:
[“The center for Saint Joseph’s stands nearly 21 feet tall and has 6 arms and 3 heads.
At least that’s what Phil Martelli’s remarkably effective three-center rotation must
seem like to opponents. It’s a system that so far has been a welcome complement to the
Hawk’s guard-oriented attack.
The three centers – 7’1” senior Alexandre Sazonov, 6’11” redshirt freshman Dwayne
Jones, and 6’11” junior Chris Cologer – were averaging 9.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.8
blocked shots per game. Together, this trio of towers is averaging 40.2 minutes. So Saint
Joseph’s is getting significant statistics from a position that was expected to be an
Achilles heel.”] – Ray Parillo
When you add 6’11” Dave Mallon to this mix, you have a considerable height
advantage. Although Dave Mallon had started every game, along with Sazonov, he had
averaged, up to this point, about 10 minutes per game and was not being used as a center.
However, of all the big men, Dwayne Jones showed the most potential.
THE GEORGE WASHINGTON GAME
With the George Washington game next on the schedule, Delonte West was looking
forward to returning to the Washington area that was just a few miles from his home in
Greenbelt, Maryland.
My son, who lives in the Washington, D.C. area, and I joined other Saint Joseph’s
alumni at a local restaurant close to the George Washington University campus prior to
the game. As might be expected, there didn’t seem to be much doubt in our minds that
the pending game would result in a Hawk victory. After all, the Hawks were 14-2 while
the Colonials had lost six straight games, and were looking for their first conference
victory.
What we didn’t know, was that George Washington would come out and play with a
sense of desperation and play a game that was somewhere between really physical and
violent. Fifty free throws were attempted in the second half. There was blood on the floor
in each half, stitches in the upper lip of one player and cotton stuffed in the nostril of the
other. It seemed that the players spent more time tumbling to the floor grabbing and
scrambling for loose balls, than executing plays.
This was about as ugly as the game of basketball could get, which was what
concerned coach Martelli as the Hawks labored to find openings in the chaos GW
presented.
“We need some rhythm to our game, and that game was chopped up,” Martelli said.
“These clutch-and-grab games, they’re not our forte.”
“Really bad basketball in my opinion,” he said
It was. And this Hawk team, as good as it had been, simply did not do well when the
game gets too wild. The Colonials made the Hawks play their way. GW started great,
appeared to lose control late and found a way to win it very late, 74-68. The Hawks did
not find a rhythm until very late in the second half. And, just as it appeared the Hawks
had seized control, they let it all get away in the final moments and lost a game they had
to think they were going to win.
Saint Joseph’s had been pressuring teams to distraction all season. This time, GW was
the aggressor from the start. The Colonials did the trapping. They ran two men at Jameer
all game, daring one of the Hawks’ forwards to make plays in the middle of the floor.
They did not.
“Normally we control the tempo,” said Tyrone Barley, the team’s conscience. “We did
not do that tonight. They came out, threw their punch, and we were always answering
their punch. And that’s not like us. Hopefully, that will not happen again.”
Jameer finished this game with a season-low eight points on 2-for-10 shooting. He
was in a shooting slump. Over the last four games (URI, Fordham, Penn, and GW),
Nelson was only 13 for his last 46 attempts, an abysmal 28.3 percent. Jameer had
suffered an injury to his fingers, so there was hope that that was the cause of his shooting
trouble and he would soon heal.
Delonte West scored 18 points, but sat out 7 minutes of the first half after picking up
two quick fouls.
Pat Carroll put on another magnificent shooting performance, draining all 5 of his
three-point attempts, scoring 17 points and pulling down 8 rebounds. But Carroll had to
sit out the last 9 minutes of the first half after suffering a nasty cut on his upper lip, which
required 5 stitches.
Mostly though, the loss could be contributed to terrible foul shooting by the Hawks,
who missed 11 of 20 from the line in the second half and ended the game 13 for 25.
Dwayne Jones, had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks, but missed 6 of 7 second-half
free throws. Foul shooting was not one of his strengths. He needed work in that area.
“Deplorable,” Martelli said of his team’s free throw shooting. “Even though we were
14-2, I’ve felt we’ve been living on the edge. We have these flaws, and foul shooting is a
flaw. If it’s a walk-to-the-line kind of game, we’re in trouble. And that’s what it was. It’s
disheartening.”
The Hawks had lost to Pacific, Rhode Island and now George Washington. Those
three were a combined 28-22, 9-10 in league play.
The losses don’t take away the wins, but they don’t help the image, either, and the
Hawks were always fighting “image”. This small school from the Atlantic 10 Conference
wasn’t supposed to be highly ranked and sharing the pedestal with the “big boys”.
Therefore, it was important to be able to beat teams who were considered weaker. To do
otherwise would weaken your seeding if you entered the NCAA Tournament.
SOME ANSWERS
Up to this point in the season, many of the questions about this team had been
answered:
1. The Hawks only needed to score 70 points to compete. The defense was good
enough to keep them in every game.
2. Pat Carroll was a competent wing guard. He led the A-10 in three-point
percentage. He needed, however, to create more shots off the dribble and
develop a slashing game. He was providing some help with the rebounding.
3. Chet Stachitas was providing good minutes. He looked like he could be
counted on to deliver 8-10 points a game if given enough playing time.
4. This had proven not be a “rebuilding” year as thought by many earlier in the
year. It had been, as Coach Martelli indicated was his aim, to be a “retooling”
year.
5. Jameer Nelson was every bit as good as advertised. He was doing what he
did in his first two years with what many had indicated was far less talent to
support him.
6. Sazonov hadn’t stepped up his game, but he had stepped up his attitude.
7. Dwayne Jones was a defensive force in the A-10. His offensive game must be
developed along with his foul shooting.
8. Chris Cologer had proven to be a nice backup to Dwayne Jones. He was a
good shot blocker and he had good hands.
9. The feeling among fans was that there may not be any blow-out losses
suffered. The losses to Pacific, Rhode Island, and George Washington were
not expected. The Hawks were off to a fantastic start (14-3). The wins over
Boston College, Gonzaga, DePaul, and Penn, were big wins.
As to the future, the Hawks had positioned themselves well for the home
stretch. For an NCAA post season bid, it was thought that they needed to reach 22
wins. That would take 8 more wins in the 11 remaining games. That is, 10 regular
season games and 1 in the A-10 tournament to try to win those 8 games. It wasn’t
considered to be easy, as the back end of the schedule was difficult. There were
not many easy wins expected, and the mindset, as always, was to focus on the next
opponent. One game at a time was the rule that was preached, but “not looking
ahead” was not easy to do.
At the moment, the biggest areas of concern seemed to be the health of the star
players. Delonte had been hampered by a couple of ankle injuries and a sore wrist.
Jameer had a jammed finger for several games and the constant play continued to
aggravate it. These injuries were a deep concern because the Hawks relied heavily
on these two player’s point production. They were the most productive. The
frontcourt was not very good offensively and the only other player who could be
looked upon for scoring, in double figures, was Pat Carroll.
But, this was no time to fret. The future looked bright, and this was a good,
young team having a very good season. The only player they would lose to
graduation was Alex Sazonov. Dave Mallon, Chet Stachitas and Dwayne Lee were
expected to improve. This was a team on the rise.
DELONTE WEST SUSPENDED
Rhode Island, the next opponent, would be at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse for
a rematch. The Rams were the team that stunned them with a buzzer-beater two
weeks before. More than that, Delonte West had been suspended by coach Martelli
for what was described as a verbal disagreement West had with team trainer Bill
Lukasiewicz before a team practice. What actually happened was never made clear
as it was considered a team matter that would be handled internally.
What was certain was that West was told to leave the practice. He did not
attend the following practice on Friday and was not to attend the game on
Saturday with Rhode Island.
Late Friday night, before the Rhode Island game, the School issued a release
that said: “Delonte West will not participate in the Rhode Island game due to a
personal team matter. His playing status is day to day.”
At this point in the season, West was averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and
3.7 assists for the Hawks. As stated earlier, a loss of either Delonte or Jameer, for
any reason, would be a harsh blow. The point production would be severely cut
without their participation. This suspension of Delonte had to be a difficult
decision for Phil Martelli to make.
If Tyrone Barley was feeling pressure, it was understandable. All Tyrone had
to do was step into the starting lineup and try to give the team what it had lost
when coach Martelli suspended Delonte. Most athletes rarely admit to feeling
pressure, but Tyrone Barley decided it was best not to try and fool anyone.
“Yeah, I felt added pressure on my shoulders,” Tyrone said. “Delonte is
averaging 17 points a game, so I know I have to score in double digits.”
Tyrone, who we knew for his intense defense, also proved to be tough-minded.
He handled the new load with ease. He had career highs of 14 points and 10
rebounds and consistently disrupted Rhode Island’s offense as the Hawks rolled to
an easy 69-53 win over the Rams.
Tyrone obviously did not show any signs of nervousness, but if he did it would
have been understandable since he was burdened with replacing a rising star in a
very important game. He drained all 4 of his three-point shots in the first half,
serving notice that the Hawks were not going to allow the absence of West to keep
them from exacting revenge for the January 19th loss.
Nelson, who had a season-low 8 points in the loss at George Washington,
scored 18 points and handed out 8 assists. But, on a day when Nelson shot 8-for21 and three-point specialist Pat Carroll went 2-for-8, Tyrone’s production was a
necessity.
“I always know Tyrone is going to be a stone-cold competitor,” Martelli said.
“Whether he starts or comes off the bench, that kid helps us win.”
Alex Sazonov also sat out the game. He had a case of food poisoning, so
Dwayne Jones got his first chance to be a starter. He blocked 5 shots while pulling
down 6 rebounds in 27 minutes. Dwayne Lee played 12 minutes and scored 8
points, hitting 3 of 4 shots.
“We were down two starters, but the toughness and depth of this team came
out,” Martelli said. “I thought we really imposed our will on the game early in the
second half.”
Barley attributed his 4-for-6 shooting to aggressiveness and confidence. Coach
Matt Brady said Barley is a dead-eye shooter when he is using the proper
technique. “When he came here, his technique was really flawed,” Brady said. “He
held the ball too high when he shot. When he holds it lower, it usually goes in.”
“I just tried to be aggressive on offense,” Tyrone said. “And everything went
well for me today.”
Although things were going well for Tyrone and the team, the situation with
Delonte West was still not resolved. The Villanova game was two days away. In
the minds of Hawk fans this was the biggest game of the season and the “hype” for
this game had been building for weeks. It was a major problem trying to keep
things in perspective and not think ahead to this upcoming game with the
Wildcats.
Dmitri West said that it takes an awful lot to get his younger brother, Delonte,
to lose his temper. “He’s just not a temper kid,” Dmitri said.
Apparently, it was an angry outburst by Delonte that had placed his future at
Saint Joseph’s in question. The official line was that the altercation with the
Hawk’s trainer at a practice session led to the suspension. An eyewitness said
there were no punches thrown.
After the Rhode Island game, coach Martelli said, “Delonte’s situation will be
reviewed again as we go. It is a fluid situation. There is no determination on what
will happen tomorrow or the next day or the next day.”
Martelli said no decision would be made about West until he meets with West’s
family. He also said he didn’t know whether West would play against Villanova
the next night at the Palestra.
“I don’t know,” Martelli said. “There are further discussions with him and his
family. Those discussions will take place. Will they take place today, tonight,
tomorrow? I’m not sure yet.”
Martelli said he would determine whether West returns to the team, and the
length of his suspension.
“This is my call,” he said. “It’s on me.”
The team knew how very important Delonte was to this team and the loss of
Delonte would, no doubt, adversely affect the team in the long run and their
chances of winning the Atlantic 10 championship.
“Mostly it’s disappointing,” Tyrone Barley said. “We know what we have here,
and we feel we have a special group.”
THE ROAD TO THE “HOLY WAR”
For the Hawks’ followers, longing to see an end to the five game losing streak
against Villanova, the controversy concerning West could not have come at a
worse time. Not only had the Hawks lost the last five games in a row to the
Wildcats, the Hawks had lost 12 of the last 16 meetings. Last year at the Villanova
Pavillion, ‘Nova routed the Hawks, 102-73, for the biggest margin of victory in a
series which the Wildcats led, 38-23. More than that, two of the players who did
the most damage to the Hawks, guard Gary Buchanan and forward Ricky Wright,
were at Villanova, along with a freshman class widely regarded as one of the best
in the nation.
As the game approached, the fans of both schools were in a wild frenzy. In the
newspapers, on radio and television, the coverage of the upcoming game was
extensive.
The Saint Joseph’s fans knew they had a special team and they had been
waiting more than 8 years for this game. The Hawks’ coach had been waiting his
entire head coaching career. The Hawks’ players had been waiting exactly 371
nights.
It was one thing to lose last year. It was quite another thing to get embarrassed.
Last season’s loss at Villanova by a 29 point margin was embarrassing. It was, in
many ways, the worst performance in the program’s history.
Saint Joseph’s senior Mike Santanasto called his foray on the Villanova
campus, “Invasion II”. The political science major appeared on the Villanova
campus on Friday night with hundreds of fliers warning the ‘Nova students of their
“impending loss.”
His fliers, distributed in dormitory lobbies, among other places, had a
photograph of Steve Donches’ legendary game-winning shot for the Hawks in
1966. It showed a Villanova player with his mouth agape, showing complete
surprise.
On the Friday before the game, Saint Joseph’s basketball manager Bob Hughes
reported three suspicious-looking characters trying to get into the Hawks’ campus
gym. Even though they had Saint Joseph’s shirts on, he questioned them about
various campus activities. When they could not produce any correct answers, he
shooed them away, suspecting they might have been spies from the other end of
Lancaster Avenue (Villanova territory).
Another example of the heightened feeling about this game came in an article
printed in the Daily News.
[Jeff Heilmann, a Villanova graduate of the class of ’82 wrote, “As a
youngster, the St. Joe’s game was always the biggest game of the year, especially
in the pre-Big East days. As the Big East evolved into one of the top three
conferences in college basketball, my interest in St. Joe’s and the Big Five started
to take a backseat. I appreciate that the Hawk fans are very passionate about their
team, but for some reason they have never discovered that a conference game is
always bigger than a non-conference game. It is as though Villanova is their Super
Bowl and they wouldn’t mind going 1-26 if that one win were against Villanova.
In my opinion, a win against our conference foe, West Virginia, on Saturday
would be much better for the Wildcats than a win against St. Joe’s. The fact
remains, a win against St. Joe’s is no bigger for us than a win against Drexel, but a
win against West Virginia is bigger than both!”]
You can imagine the furor that articles like that caused with Hawk fans. The
Hawk Forum, a Web site dedicated to Saint Joseph’s basketball, bristled with
responses such as this:
[“If, as Mr. Heilmann (Nova ’82) contends, that ‘a win against St. Joe’s (RPI
18) is no bigger than a win against Drexel (RPI 119), but a win against West
Virginia (RPI 72) would have been bigger than both,’ then why does Nova
demand 3,000 tickets for an away game that they claim has little significance to
their fans? Do they get 3,000 tickets to the away game in Morgantown, W.Va.?
Chestnut Hill? Washington, D.C.? the Meadowlands? Pittsburgh? Madison Square
Garden? If each of these games is the equivalent of two city foes, then why the
ticket interest from Nova for a game they supposedly don’t care about?”
If the 3,200+ capacity of the Fieldhouse is too small to accommodate the
combined interest from Nova and Saint Joseph’s fans, then wouldn’t it follow that
the 6,500 capacity of DuPont Pavilion is also too small?
For some reason, Nova doesn’t mind losing home court advantage playing at
the First Union Center to Big East foes, or even to Penn, whom they played there
this season. For those games they sacrifice the home court advantage of DuPont
for the money, so then why the hypocrisy with regard to St. Joe’s? A Saint
Joseph’s–Villanova game would sell twice as many tickets as a Villanova-Penn
game, judging from the sections of empty seats in December and the current ticket
demand, from both schools, for the Holy War.”]
After the Hawks’ final hard practice, before the Villanova game, coach Martelli
had his team watch the tape of the previous year’s game. “Coach played a clip of
the last minute of last season’s game after films,” said Jameer Nelson. “He played
it and just let it run…It hurt me to see that.”
The coach had not forgotten the feeling either. And he wanted to make certain
his players had not forgotten.
Dan Griffin, an alumnus of Saint Joseph’s, wrote the following that appeared in
The Daily News on February 3, 2003:
[“Hawk fans, Explorer fans, Quaker fans, and Owl fans have different
perceptions of their own teams and programs. One area where they agree is their
dislike for Villanova. Case in point…at the Penn-Saint Joseph’s game on January
25, 2003, the Saint Joseph’s student body unfurled the following rollout: ‘Yo
Penn…at least your not Villanova.’ The Penn faithful applauded.”]—Dan Griffin
Imagine Saint Joseph’s students parading the stolen Villanova Wildcat mascot
costume into the Palestra at halftime of the Villanova-Saint Joseph’s game and
laying it at mid court. Mayhem would have ensued at the Penn campus. That plan,
we had learned, was in the “works,” after one creative and daring Hawk student
stole the suit, right out from under the unsuspecting Villanova fans, following the
Wildcat’s game with West Virginia.
The theft – all in rivalry fun, of course – kicked off one of the wildest 48 hours
in the history of the Saint Joseph’s-Villanova rivalry.
After the costume made its appearance at a local bar, St. Joe’s students went
public, contacting Channel 6, Fox Philadelphia and the Daily News, inviting the
media outlets to a mock torture of the Wildcat at Hawk Hill.
Saint Joseph’s athletic director, Don DiJulia got word about it and soon ended
all the student’s plans.
The costume ended safely back in Villanova’s hands.
When Delonte West arrived at the Fieldhouse to board the bus to go to the
Palestra, he had no idea whether he would be competing against Villanova in a
couple of hours or sitting on the bench cheering for his teammates. Just five
minutes before the 5 p.m. departure of the team bus, he got the word that he was
playing.
“He didn’t know; none of the other players knew,” Martelli said. “I gathered
the team in the locker room. I asked him a simple question, if he had everybody in
the room’s back? He said, ‘Yes.’ I asked everybody in the room, ‘Do you have his
back?’ They said, ‘Yes’ and I said ‘Let’s go play.’ That’s how they found out.”
West didn’t start, but he made an impact after he entered what turned into a 9275 Saint Joseph’s romp over the Wildcats. He scored 25 points, shooting 6 for 11
from the field and 4 for 6 from behind the three-point line. He made all 9 of his
free throws.
“We weren’t sure if he was going to play,” said Jameer. “But at the same time
we had to prepare for the game. He did practice with the team on Sunday night,
but nobody knew if he was going to play until just before we got on the bus.”
West received an ovation from Hawk fans when he entered the game with 14
minutes, 54 seconds to play in the first half. However, the treatment from the
Villanova fans wasn’t so nice, and a roll-out banner exhibited by their fans, chided
him for the incident.
THE VILLANOVA GAME
With this game the Saint Joseph’s team solidified its Big Five Status.
It was Saint Joseph’s 300th all-time victory at the fabled Palestra and Phil
Martelli’s first victory ever over the Villanova Wildcats.
It was, how should I say it, oh yes—an old-fashioned butt-kicking.
In a statement game for the Atlantic 10, the Big 5, and the all-important
bragging rights, the Hawks took it to ‘Nova early and often in the blowout of the
Big East conference member.
By now, we all knew that coach Martelli loved to praise Jameer. He
continuously referred to him as, “the best point guard in America.” He could now
retire that expression. Nelson’s 30 points were enough said. Coach Martelli really
didn’t need to talk the talk any longer. Jameer’s game day performances were
doing all the talking.
The Palestra might never have seen a team play with more emotion and skill
than these Hawks played at the start that night. With the memory of last year’s
defeat, at the hands of Villanova, seared into their brains, the Hawks played
perfect basketball for the first 14 minutes of a Holy War that was conducted by a
general who was at the top of his game and played out by troops that were going to
win or die trying.
While the final score was Saint Joseph’s 92, Villanova 75, the only score
anybody will remember will be 40-9, the score at one point in the first half of play.
On the sequence that got the Hawks to that score, Jameer Nelson appeared to
be in a bit of trouble as he dribbled at full speed toward the basket on a fast-break.
Jason Fraser, Villanova’s 6’10” freshman, was right on his heels, and he had
nearly a foot of height on Jameer. It didn’t matter. Nelson eluded Fraser’s long
reach by spinning in a reverse layup. His basket made the score 40-9 in favor of
the Hawks. The Hawks’ fans, and there were many of them, were ecstatic.
That was the Hawks’ lead after 14 minutes. The Wildcats had 15 turnovers, just
14 field goal attempts, three made baskets and three 30-second timeouts. What
they needed was a 30-minute timeout, and they were not allowed.
Nelson hit a trey in the first 25 seconds. And the barrage began. Gary Buchanan
guarded Nelson on the first possession. Then, it was Derrick Snowden. Then it
was Randy Foye. Curtis Sumpter took a shot at him. Nothing mattered. Nelson
either scored or made certain somebody else scored. By halftime, Nelson had 20
points, three fewer than ‘Nova.
Saint Joseph’s was hitting nearly as many treys as ‘Nova was committing
turnovers. For the game, the Hawks were 14-for-28 from the arc.
Wherever the ball went, a Saint Joseph’s defender or two or three was sure to
follow. ‘Nova desperately wanted to get the ball inside to Ricky Wright but never
got close enough to the lane to deliver it. “It was defense, team defense,” Nelson
said. “Everybody played off each other. We just trapped all over.”
Pat Carroll registered 12 points, all on three-pointers. Tyrone Barley, in just his
second start of the season, tallied 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Center
Dwayne Jones made an impact with 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. However, he
held ‘Nova’s top recruit, Jason Fraser, to only 7 points and 6 rebounds.
“We just played an outstanding team,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “I’m
very impressed with their guards and the way they control the game, and not just
offensively. On defense, they disrupt everything you do. Those guards are great.
Not good. Great.”
And about Saint Joseph’s 300th win at the Palestra? How about coach Martelli’s
first win against Villanova? Did any of that matter to the coach?
“I never mentioned it,” Martelli said. “I don’t take any of this personally,” he
said, as a wry smile lit up his face.
Even if Martelli didn’t take all that occurred seriously, the fans did. They surely
knew their last win in the series was December 18, 1994.
‘I didn’t really notice that the fans and students were that excited,” Martelli
said, somehow without laughing.
The Saint Joseph’s students were in the Palestra an hour before the game. They
had marched down from 38th and Chestnut Streets. They were into it and never got
out of it. It was a raucous, jam-packed crowd that was in an uproar.
Even the Hawk’s cheerleaders were sharp. When somebody emerged from the
stands to try to attack the Hawk, the cheerleaders pounded him until security
ushered him out. It was Saint Joseph’s night from start to finish.
Rich Hoffman wrote the following in an article for the Daily News.
[You know it in your head – you know how much they all care – but it really
doesn’t sink in until you come back here and savor the experience all over again. It
is only amid the frenzy that you feel how much it matters. It is only here in the
Palestra, here for Villanova-Saint Joseph’s that you see where the lines are drawn
– and who is outrageous enough to cross them.
And so, surrounding last night’s epic dismantling of the Wildcats by the
Hawks, 92-75 – there was a serious question about one player’s (Delonte)
eligibility for the game and there was the slapstick theft of the Villanova mascot’s
costume. There were stupid, hurtful rollout signs in the stands, and there was a
comical attempt by a dumb Villanova kid to get in the face of the Saint Joseph’s
mascot – comical because a Saint Joseph’s fan from the stands and two male
cheerleaders dropped the guy to the hardwood with dispatch.
There was venom on the fringes that really makes you wonder. But then you
stop to think about it and shrug.
You can’t really have a Holy War without the war, after all.
“I think these games should all be played here,” Hawks coach Phil Martelli
said. “And I believe in fans. But when they come out and make it personal, I
wonder. I throw my hands in the air.
“Stealing the mascot’s costume, that’s fun – as long as you have a plan to
return it. But some of the rest of it, I mean, this isn’t the Christians and the lions.”
(Frankly, I’m not sure history even ever recorded the Christians being down by
as much as 40-9, as Villanova was last night.)
“This is the right place for it, and the right time,” Martelli said. “The
atmosphere can’t be duplicated. But it’s just a game.”]—Rich Hoffman
The next game was five days away on a Saturday night at Rose Hill gym
against Fordham University. The Hawks could not afford a letdown against this
supposedly weaker team. The Temple game would follow the Fordham game, and
LaSalle remained the only obstacle in completing a perfect 4-0 Big Five record.
THE FORDHAM GAME
The story of this game with Fordham was written in the first half.
By halftime Fordham could have selected from a number of telling statistics,
that Saint Joseph’s had compiled, that damaged the Ram’s hopes for an upset.
Was it the 20 points scored by Delonte West on 8-for-10 shooting from the
field?
Was it the nine three-point baskets the Hawks had made?
Was it the 14 turnovers the aggressive Hawks had squeezed out of the Ram’s
jittery ball handlers?
By halftime Saint Joseph’s had built a 48-22 lead before cruising to an 82-64
victory.
Delonte finished with a career-high 31 points, shooting 11-for-15. In the last
two games, including the rout of Villanova, West has 56 points and shot 17-for-26.
Pat Carroll scored 18 points, connecting on 3 of 5 shots from beyond the arc.
Carroll was a torrid 50-for-100 from three-point land and was leading the
conference in shooting.
Tyrone Barley came off the bench to add 12.
There wasn’t a lot of scoring needed from Jameer, who busied himself by
handing out 7 assists and slicing through Fordham’s defense with ease. He
became the fourth player in Saint Joseph’s history to reach 500 assists for his
career. With those 7 assists, Nelson had 503, placing him fourth behind Rap
Curry (580), Luke Griffin (523), and Rashid Bey (509) on the all-time Saint
Joseph’s list.
Jameer only took 5 shots in this game and ended with 5 points.
Delonte was fast becoming a dominant player. Few could doubt the drive West
was displaying while developing into one of the most explosive players in the
conference. There did not seem to be a spot on the floor where he didn’t feel
comfortable. Once again, he nailed three-point shots from the wings and from the
top of the key. He slithered down the lane for other baskets, and he hit pull-up
jumpers from the baseline. All the while, it seemed like he was hardly breaking a
sweat.
“All the time I spent working on my jumper during the summer, I was like a
child on the playground, pretending the clock was counting down just before I’d
shoot,” said West who was averaging 21.6 points a game in league play. “I guess
all the hard work was paying off.”
Said Martelli: “I’ve felt all along that Delonte was one of the 5 best players in
the conference. He’s a guy who really works hard on his game, and he deserves all
that comes his way.”
It was quite amazing that Saint Joseph’s had been so dominant this season, yet
remained mostly unrecognized.
Most people knew Nelson. He recently made the cut as the John Wooden
award list was trimmed down to 30 players from the original 50 selected. But how
many knew Delonte West? He was experiencing a breakout season that few
players can compare to in the A-10 conference. How many really knew about the
contributions of Pat Carroll? Did the pundits and fans realize that he was shooting
nearly 50 percent from three-point distance? Did they know that Dwayne Jones
was leading the conference in blocked shots? Did they know how stifling the
defense had been all season? They were allowing just 57 points per game and only
allowing opponents to shoot at a 35 percent clip!
Even though the Fordham game was a game in which the Hawks dominated
and had won early, Martelli was not pleased.
“The first half was a great response to human nature, coming off a big win over
Villanova and wondering whether there might be a let down. The shooting was
outstanding. But to stand around and foul the way we did – that’s not good
basketball. That’s disappointing – allowing them to get 42 points in the second
half. This team demands great defense from itself, and for the second game in a
row, I didn’t see that demand in the second half. When you’re No. 2 in the country
in points allowed and No. 1 defensively against shooting, it should be a source of
pride. It should drive you,” Martelli said.
Coach Martelli was aware of the fact that the following Thursday was the
rematch against the always dangerous Temple University. He did not want his
team’s collective mind to wander and allow the game to deteriorate into fits and
starts as it did against Fordham in the second half. This gave Martelli reason to
stay on his players as they prepared for another crucial game against its city rival,
the Temple Owls.
At about this time in the season, ESPN was televising a Notre Dame game.
As the camera was panning around the arena, it focused on John and Maureen
Carroll, the parents of Matt Carroll (Notre Dame player) and Pat Carroll (Saint
Joseph’s player). Dick Vitale was broadcasting the game and when he saw John
and Maureen, he commented that they were the parents of Matt Carroll and
described how well Matt was shooting the ball, and what a valuable contribution
he was making to the Notre Dame team. He then mentioned that John (the father)
was an athlete at Penn State where he played football.
It would have been a perfect opportunity for him to mention that Matt’s
younger brother Pat was also an outstanding player with Saint Joseph’s and was
currently leading the country in three-point shooting. He did not mention it.
I, of course, was disappointed that he did not mention it and immediately sent
an e-mail message to the ESPN Network. After I sent the message, and at a later
break in the action on the court, Dick Vitale added some information which finally
recognized Pat’s accomplishments with the Hawks. In addition, he gave some
recognition to Saint Joseph’s fine play up to that point in the season.
Whether it was my e-mail message that prompted his response, I’ll never know,
but this was another example of the lack of timely recognition of the Hawks’
basketball accomplishments. Such things didn’t seem to be on the mind of the
national media reporters.
THE HAWKS REACH NO. 25 IN THE POLLS
As they piled up victories during this surprisingly eventful season, The Hawks
had refused to bemoan their absence from the national polls.
There were no claims of injustice, and no haughty demands for respect. There
were, however, debates on the web site (Hawk Forum) that did argue the real
meaning of “being rated.”
Even if we did deserve to be rated, some rationalized, it might only serve to
make the team over confident and undermine the team’s determination and hard
play.
After all, some opined, it may not be good for a team and school which is not
used to being rated among the top teams. It could lead to complacency, or even put
too much stress on the team. However, the team correctly reasoned that if it
continued to play well, their record would speak for itself.
Well, the voters did finally notice the Hawks, ranking them 25th on February
10, 2003. At 17-3, the Saint Joseph’s Hawks finally entered the Associated Press’
Top 25 poll, for a team-record, third consecutive season.
“It’s an indication of how people think we’ve played so far,” Martelli said.
“I’m delighted for our players and for our fans, but it really won’t change
anything. It won’t stop us from working as hard as we can to improve every day.”
The Hawks rating did carry some historic significance. It marked the first
time they had cracked the AP’s top 25 in 3 consecutive seasons. Coach
Martelli was the first Hawks’ coach to have ranked teams in 4 different
seasons.
Last year, the Hawks were ranked No. 10 in the preseason. Two years before,
they were ranked as high as No. 18. They ended the 1996-97 season ranked No. 12
after reaching the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.
Jack Ramsay coached the Hawks to final rankings of No. 3 in 1964-1965 and
No. 5 in 1965-66. Ramsay’s 1958-59 team was ranked as high as No. 14. From
1960-61 to 1967-68, the AP ranked only the Top 10 teams instead of the Top 25 as
it does today.
This was Martelli’s eighth season as the head coach of the Hawks, after serving
ten years as an assistant. His goal since childhood was to become the head coach
of the Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team.
“Just to be mentioned in the same breath as Jack Ramsay is an honor,” Martelli
said. “Maybe at the end of my career, which hopefully has a long way to go, I’ll
look back and appreciate it more.”
The Hawks’ first game as a ranked team would be against Temple at the
Palestra.
Coach Martelli, as stated earlier, placed no important significance on the latest
ranking. He knew that games were won on the basketball court and not in the
newspapers.
“I don’t think Temple will approach this game any differently just because
we’re ranked,” Martelli said.
At this point in the season, with seven regular season games remaining, Saint
Joseph’s was in first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference’s East Division with a 72 record. The Hawks had held at least a share of the division lead every week
during the last three seasons.
The Hawks also were again faced with the task of “not looking ahead” of its
next opponent. To look past Temple would be a grave error, and because Temple
was a tough city rival, it was unlikely that would happen. Nonetheless, after the
rematch with Temple, the Hawks had to travel to Dayton. Dayton was in a firstplace tie with Xavier in the West Division and was 11-0 on its home court, where
the conference tourney would be played on March 13-15, 2003.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
By now, most teams knew that Coach Martelli’s team wasn’t relying on
firepower to win games, although, they had proven to be capable of putting up
more than 70 points per game. What had done the job for Saint Joseph’s was
turning the defense nasty.
A casual observer wandering into Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse during a Saint
Joseph’s practice session – the door’s always open – might easily get the
impression that these guys simply can’t stand each other.
Bodies slammed against each other. Every shot was fiercely contested. An
angry glance or two was not unusual.
“Watch us practice, and you’d never know we are all friends,” Tyrone Barley
said. “You’d think we hate each other. It does get heated sometimes. We get on
each others nerves because of the way we play defense.”
The Hawks liked to play defense. And it showed in the 17-3 record and the No.
25 ranking that the Hawks would carry into the game with Temple at the Palestra.
There were a few obvious explanations for the Hawks’ surprising success: the
brilliant all-around performance of Jameer Nelson and his all-American level of
play; the explosive offense of Nelson’s backcourt mate Delonte West; the stunning
long-range shooting of Pat Carroll and the dedication to playing good defense
spearheaded by Tyrone Barley.
You’d think that Saint Joseph’s opponents would feel relieved when coach
Martelli called his three leading scorers to the bench for a breather, often within 10
minutes of tip-off.
Not so. This was more than a three-player squad. This was a team with deep
and interlocking parts.
When substitutes such as Barley, freshman guard Dwayne Lee, freshman center
Dwayne Jones and sophomore forward John Bryant entered the game, there was
no drop-off. Remember, this was a team that used 6’10” Dave Mallon and 7’1”
Alex Sazonov as the starters and substituted for them early in the first half of most
games. This was a strategy that worked well, as the record indicated. These two
players did an outstanding job while playing their roles.
But, defensive intensity had been at the root of Saint Joseph’s eventful season.
At times, the subs seemed to crank up the defensive heat.
“If you don’t play serious defense on this team, you stick out like a sore
thumb,” Martelli said. “I think this group has a fanatical mind-set in its approach
to defense.”
The numbers don’t lie and bear out the Hawks’ defensive fanaticism.
They were No.1 in the nation in shooting percentage defense at 36.1. They
were No. 2 in the nation in fewest points allowed, 57.5 a game, a statistic that’s
even more impressive considering the Hawks’ fast paced game.
They led the nation in defending the three-point shot, at 30.8 percent. They also
led the league and ranked No. 11 in the nation in blocked shots at 5.75 a game.
Six teams had failed to score 50 points against them. The Hawks had allowed
more than 65 points in only three games.
Perhaps the most amazing statistic was this: Saint Joseph’s had forced 333
turnovers while allowing 391 baskets. Translation: In a typical game, the Hawks’
opponents have had almost as many turnovers as field goals. No wonder the most
frequently used description of the Hawks by opposing coaches was, “disruptive.”
“There are going to be times when were just not hitting our shots,” Barley said.
“But you can bring intensive defense every game. We figure if the other team
can’t score 50 points, it can’t beat us.”
If one player best illustrated the way Saint Joseph’s embraced aggressive manto-man defense it was the 6’1” Barley, who blended quickness, strength and
determination so well that he appeared to be guarding two players at a time.
Martelli consistently called on Tyrone to guard the opponent’s best player.
Actually, Tyrone Barley often picked up the whole team’s defensive intensity
when he entered a game. His entrance often signaled that things were going to
change for the better when he came on the floor. Much of the Hawks defensive
game was built around Tyrone.
Nelson and West, also excellent defenders, freely admitted that they loathed
being guarded by Barley in practice. They felt the same about Dwayne Lee. “The
way we practice,” West said, “the games seem much easier.”
But don’t overlook Martelli’s flexibility as a coach in all of this. He deserves
much credit for his consideration in changing his defensive approach of last
season, when he had a group of high scoring, veteran players, who didn’t play with
the same intensity on defense as this team did. After making his remarks last year,
about minimizing defense in basketball, this year’s defensive commitment was
astonishing.
After losing four starters who combined for more than 5,000 career points,
Martelli designed a defense that played to his team’s strengths: depth and
quickness along the perimeter, and post players with shot-blocking acumen. He
found some gems among his new players and adopted a whole new coaching
strategy that complimented his team’s strengths while masking their weaknesses.
With so much depth and quickness, the Hawks could exhaust themselves
pressuring the ball all over the floor, knowing that they had teammates coming off
the bench who will keep up the pace.
Facing such constant pressure, opponents often panicked, struggled to get the
ball past mid-court and hurried through their offensive sets. Turnovers came in
flurries. Opposing teams became flustered, and frustrated. When that happened,
the Hawks fed off the momentum.
THE TEMPLE GAME
“Saint Joseph’s Dismantles Temple,” screamed the headline in the sports
section of one of the daily Philadelphia newspapers.
Fresh off their top 25 ranking, several Saint Joseph’s players set career-high
marks during the thumping of the Temple Owls, 78-59.
Jameer Nelson had 12 assists and with those he passed former Hawk great
Rashid Bey for third place on the all-time list. It was also a career high for
Nelson. Despite just 4 points and 3 rebounds, he was a major reason for the
victory. For the second consecutive game, Jameer took only 4 shots. But, you can’t
let statistics like that fool you, Jameer was right in the middle of everything.
No coach appreciated good point-guard play more than Chaney, who lauded the
play of Nelson. He said that he had received several calls from NBA scouts asking
his opinion of Nelson.
“He’s as good as anybody in the NBA – his size or otherwise,” Chaney said.
Delonte West scored 32 points on 13-for-19 shooting. He added 5 assists and 7
rebounds. In the last two games, Delonte had scored 63 points.
Pat Carroll ended with 24 points, all on three-point shots, which was one off the
record, held by Brian Leahy (1986-89). Those 24 points were a career high for
Carroll. In addition to his scoring, Pat hauled down a team-high 9 rebounds.
Alex Sazonov played an emotion-charged game, blocking 6 shots, altering
many others, and forcing the Owls to think twice about entering the lane. Sazonov
also had 5 rebounds.
“Saz really helped turn the game in our favor,” Martelli said.
But, like it had been all season, it was the team play of the Hawks that led to
the victory. The Hawks had 24 assists on their 28 field goals made. Coach Martelli
had his team believing. He had told his team in the locker room, “We will not be
hurried. We will not be flustered.” And so it was to be. Their crisp passes around
the perimeter of the Temple zone defense produced open shots for West and
Carroll. Jameer Nelson had made certain that they had the ball in their hands when
they had room to shoot.
The Hawks jumped Temple early. The Owls, however, would not be broken.
They came right back at the Hawks and actually took a halftime lead.
For only the second time this season, Saint Joseph’s was behind at halftime.
The Owls had caught fire during the final eight minutes before the break and
rubbed out an eight-point deficit and grabbed a 35-34 edge. The Hawks had trailed
DePaul at the half by 31-28 on December 28, 2002. In two other games, they were
tied at the half.
“For the first time all year, I saw little shreds of doubt, little shreds of
worrying,” Martelli said. “But when we turned it up defensively, we were able to
get calm again.”
This Saint Joseph’s basketball team might come for you early, or it might come
for you late, but, one thing was absolutely certain, it would be coming.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” Temple coach John Chaney said. “I was very much
surprised.” Chaney was talking about the sudden dominance the Hawks exhibited.
Just when Saint Joseph’s and Temple seemed destined to treat the lively
Palestra crowd to a heart-stopper, the Hawks put on a fantastic second-half burst
that left the Owls dazed, once again suggesting that this season would continue to
be more eventful than any Saint Joseph’s follower could have imagined.
And all it took was five minutes of memorable basketball.
With little more than 13 minutes remaining, the longtime rivals were locked in
a 43-43 tie. Then the Hawks ratcheted up their defense and West went on a tear. In
a blink, the storm hit, and it was 53-43. Moments later, it was 60-45. The dramatic
tension that had preceded the storm morphed into showtime.
When the Hawks finally took a deep breath, the run had topped out at 33-6 and
the score had become 72-48.
“The response in the second half is something you are looking for as a coach,”
Martelli said
The doubt that he had seen earlier became a challenge. And the defense became
overwhelming. The Hawks ran two defenders at the ball. The Owls’ shots went up
quickly when they went up at all. Passes were stolen. Shots blocked. Havoc was
created, and the Hawks won in a sudden and dramatic fashion.
“”The first half, they kind of exposed us a little bit,” Delonte West said. “They
were attacking our feet…we came out the second half and kind of hurried them
up.”
It was about speed, quickness and the word they loved more than any other on
Hawk Hill this season – passion.
“My thing is winning, whatever it takes to win,” Jameer said.
As Phil Martelli glanced at the score sheet after the game, his eyes widened
when he saw his team had been credited with 24 assists on 28 field goals, he
remarked, “That’s basketball the way it’s meant to be played,”
The Hawks shot a stunning 66.7 percent in the second half.
“That’s a great ball club, fellas,” John Chaney said to the people covering the
game. “We’ve seen a lot of teams, and they should be in the top 10. They are a
team – not a team of players, but a team. There’s a difference.”
This was the 128th meeting between the city rivals. The Hawks had played
Temple more than any other team. Temple and Saint Joseph’s had faced each
other at least once a season since the 1931-32 campaign. The Owls held a 74-54
lead in the series.
THE HAWKS LOSE A KEY GAME AT DAYTON UNIVERSITY
Saint Joseph’s was now 18-3 overall and 8-2 in the A-10. Their next opponent,
Dayton, was expected to be their toughest opponent to date, and the game was
being played at their home arena in Ohio, where Dayton, year after year, had
proven to be nearly impossible to beat. This year they had run their home record to
12-0.
This was considered to be a “statement” game similar to the Villanova game. It
was being televised on the ESPN network and a win over Dayton would vault the
Hawks further up in the rankings.
February 15, 2003 was a cold and icy day in Dayton, Ohio when the Hawks
came to the UD Arena to play the Flyers (18-4 overall, 10-1 in the A-10) before a
sell-out crowd of 13,409. The Hawks came to Dayton knowing that the Flyers
were undefeated at home and were intent on changing that record.
It was not to be. Dayton beat Saint Joseph’s at its own game: sticky defense.
The Flyers shot only 35.2 percent against the nation’s top team in field-goal
defense, but even that percentage was enough to beat the Hawks. The less than
torrid Flyers applied defensive heat to beat the Hawks, 66-56. Simply, the Flyers
did a superb job of taking away the Hawks’ perimeter game, which was the
Hawks’ forte.
“They did a really good job on defense,” said West, who scored 26 points, but
shot only 8 for 22. “They made us do things a little faster than we wanted, so our
hats are off to them.”
Up to this point, Delonte had been “on a tear”, shooting 50.5 percent for the
season and an unconscious 30 for 45 in the previous three games. “That’s a good
team,” West said. “They beat us. Sometimes, the ball didn’t come our way. But, I
think we’ll see them again.”
Dayton held the Hawks to 32.1 percent shooting. The Flyers held Pat Carroll,
the country’s leading three-point shooter, to 2 points. Carroll was only able to
squeeze off 2 three-point shots. Meantime, Nelson, who needed 14 shots to get 16
points, didn’t have an assist for the first time in his brilliant career.
“I was really surprised by how well they guarded and it shows in the stats,”
Martelli said. “We had 24 assists on 28 field goals against Temple [previous
Thursday night]. Today we just had 5 assists and only 18 baskets. They leaned on
Pat Carroll and they used size on Jameer. People will say we played bad
defensively, but that’s more of a credit to Dayton’s defense. I just got done telling
our players that today was the first time all year we’ve been beaten. Dayton was
the better team today. They were better coached and they played with more
ferociousness.”
Oliver Purnell, Dayton’s coach, supported Martelli’s statement. “We really had
our guys push out and go after their perimeter players,” he said. This win was
Purnell’s 250th career win. “I think we are a top-25 team,” he said.
After the game the Hawks were, of course, disappointed that they had not won,
but there was no evidence of the gloom that seemed to grip them after their
previous three losses earlier in the season.
The only grimace was on the face of Jameer Nelson, whose tailbone was so
sore from a hard fall that he needed to lean on teammate Dwayne Lee to pull on
his slacks. Jameer had injured himself with about seven minutes left in the game.
He returned briefly, hobbling to the free-throw line to make one of two shots, but
was too sore to continue.
“It really got stiff while I was out of the game,” Nelson said. “But I wanted to
give it a try. I give their defense credit, but at times we had good looks and just
didn’t make them. I also think we held the ball a little too long at times.”
Despite their problems finding the basket, the Hawks had the fans squirming in
their seats with a 10-1 run that brought them within 52-47 with a little more than
four minutes remaining. West scored 8 points during a rally that seemed unlikely
because Nelson was out of the game.
At 52-47, the Hawks had three possessions to get closer, but Dayton continued
challenging every shot and in the end, in a defensive standoff, they got the best of
the Hawks, refusing to crumble.
Typically, Dayton had four players in double figures, and in the end was able to
trade baskets and win by the final margin of ten points.
Luckily for the Hawks, the injured Jameer Nelson would have a week between
games to recover from the tailbone injury he suffered when he crashed to the floor
at Dayton, Ohio. Coach Martelli said that he hoped that Nelson would return to
practice the next day.
“I think the time we have between games this week might be good because we
have some nagging things,” Martelli said. “Delonte West had the nail on his big
toe almost ripped off Thursday against Temple and Tyrone Barley’s back has been
bothering him.”
The Hawks record was now at 18-4 on the season and they had 5 regular season
games remaining, beginning with St. Bonaventure, at home, at Alumni Memorial
Fieldhouse.
OUT OF THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Despite the loss to Dayton, the Hawks were still in first place in the East
Division of the Atlantic 10 Conference with an 8-3 record.
However, the Saint Joseph’s Hawks dropped out of the top 25 in the Associated
Press Poll to No. 31 that following week.
Some of the Saint Joseph’s followers thought that was a little harsh and
unjustified. After all, Saint Joseph’s 66-56 loss on Saturday was at the University
of Dayton Arena, where the Dayton Flyers are 13-0 this season, including a
victory over No. 11 Marquette.
“To be honest, it shows the silliness of the whole thing,” Phil Martelli said.
“We lose to a team that hasn’t lost a game at home in a good league. Meanwhile,
there are teams that lose multiple times and stay in the rankings. In my opinion, it
shows a large percentage of the voters don’t pay attention.”
On the other hand, some other followers of the Hawks did not fret over the
downgrading in the rankings. Despite the loss, Saint Joseph’s (18-4) climbed from
No. 31 to No. 29 in the Ratings Percentage Index, one of the factors the NCAA
selection committee uses to choose and seed teams for March Madness.
A LOOK BACK
As the season was nearing its regular season conclusion, spirits were high at
Hawk Hill. What a marvelous season it had turned out to be. But, how did this
happen? How did Saint Joseph’s lose four fifth-year starters who combined for
5,000 points and 2,000 rebounds and get better, a lot better? How did these
Hawks, with just one senior in the rotation and one returning starter, enter a season
with zero expectations and emerge with a record-setting regular season that was, at
times, almost surreal?
The obvious answer, or the one easiest to apply was, “Jameer was back.” But,
that answer was too simplistic. Phil Martelli tells it this way:
“The first thing I did was I leaned on the coaches here,” Martelli said.
His first question to his assistants was simple: “What do we really have?” And
then there was this. What don’t we have? What are you not sure we have?”
“It always came back to scoring,” Martelli said. “How are we going to score?”
Martelli knew he had 11 players who were athletic and skilled enough to play
in the Atlantic 10, but every time he did the math he failed to come up with the
magic number of 75 points that he felt his team had to score to win games.
“If you get 75 points, then you are in a two-, three-, four-minute game and have
a real chance of winning,” explained Martelli. “I sat down and did what all
coaches do. I said, ‘I think this guy can average this and this guy can average that.’
And I always came up short. The only way we were going to get 75 is to get more
layups. The only way I know to get easy ones is to pressure the basketball.”
What the coaches did not want to do was return to the three losing seasons they
experienced after the NIT finals in 1996 and the Sweet 16 in 1997.
“People would always say, ‘They tried hard,’ “Martelli said. “To me, that’s
another way of saying you are not good enough.”
After another NCAA Tournament and NIT appearance, gracious losing was
just not going to do on Hawk Hill again.
Four postseasons and three losing seasons, that was Martelli’s resume. He liked
the postseasons better. But how do you get there when you know your team is not
going to consistently be able to outscore teams?
The answer, actually, seemed rather simple – just don’t let the other teams
score!
Phil Martelli preached offense, believed in offense, taught a lot more offense
than defense. In fact, as was mentioned earlier, made the comment that defense
was perhaps stressed too much by coaches. But because the coach Martelli liked to
win (who didn’t?), and he’s a pragmatist, and he no longer had the players who
were likely to win with offense, he had to look for a new strategy.
So, Martelli and his staff went about rethinking the way they taught the game.
It would be defense first, defense second and defense third. The personnel, with
half a dozen wing players who were quick enough to pressure the ball, suited the
approach. Still, the coach had to go back to school himself. He knew the approach
he wanted to take. He needed a way to learn it and teach it.
So he began reviewing tape, hundreds of hours of it from his library of
coaching clinic tapes from high school, college and the pros. In the end, Martelli
primarily used as his guide, a system used by a school close to home.
“A model that we used was Penn,” Martelli said. “Penn is very difficult to get
open shots against because they not only scout report you, but they challenge you
to do things you didn’t want to do. So, we started on that premise – how do we
make teams do what they don’t want to do, knowing that if they come down and
do what they want to do, we’re going to be short in certain areas?”
So, they studied Penn.
After he watched his players in individual workouts, Martelli liked his
perimeter players even more, so much so that he thought about pressuring in all
areas of the court.
He really liked the pressure defense espoused on a teaching tape done by
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt.
“It was less teaching than I would have been capable of doing,” Marterlli said.
“It was really taking what we were going to do in the half court, which is
challenge every pass, and we extended it to the full court.
“After two or three practices, I could come into the office and say, ‘We got
something here.’ I never anticipated it would translate to whatever people want to
call it.”
“When you play us you better know that as soon as you get the ball inbounds,
we’re on you, as soon as the ball goes up in the air, we’re on you,” said Nelson.
What it became was the team with the best field goal defense in America. It
became the team that blocked shots at a near school-record pace. And it is hard to
imagine a better complement for ball pressure than shot blocking. Those two
elements blended perfectly into a defensive season for the ages at Hawk Hill.
Martelli didn’t even think about the blocks or the potential effect until the first
game, when the Hawks ran Boston College out of its own gym. He also realized
that he had an offense, with America’s most complete point guard in Jameer
Nelson, and an athletic shot maker and playmaker in Delonte West and a great
three-point shooter in Pat Carroll, that was more than good enough.
“There is no doubt it has affected our offense because the first three or four
weeks of practice we couldn’t really run offense because of the way we were
guarding ourselves,” Martelli said.
Once the offense got a chance to play against somewhat less interested
defenses, the game seemed rather easy. And Saint Joseph’s, which previously
often won games by close margins, even when it was very good, now found itself
on the right end of blowout after blowout.
Nelson and West were better even than the coach could have imagined. And
for Nelson to be better than he was in his first two years was also hard to imagine.
Carroll went from scoring 16 points total in his freshman year to a double-figure
scorer who had to be respected at all times.
Dwayne Jones, Alex Sazonov, John Bryant, Chris Cologer and Dave Mallon
protected the basket. The three scorers (Nelson, West and Carroll) were backed up
by Tyrone Barley, Dwayne Lee and Chet Stachitas.
Everybody went all out because there was always a fresh player waiting for his
chance to get after the ball. To implement that style of play, Saint Joseph’s players
had to be in great shape. To achieve the fitness needed, the school hired the
Summit group, a local company that specializes in fitness, to train them. The
results were astounding. “The people at Summit deserve whatever accolades I can
give them,” Martelli said.
The Hawks’ depth and fitness level had been a difference maker. They
overwhelmed some at the start and wore down others nearer to the finish.
In the half court, the Hawks had two base defenses and two pressures. They had
another four or five for the full court. None of it would work, however, without
committed players. And nobody was more committed than Tyrone Barley.
“Every game we go into we think we should win by double figures,” Barley
said. “In previous years, we haven’t had all five guys playing tough every
possession. This year, everybody has everybody’s back. When my man scores, I
take it personally. I beat myself up. If my man scores and it’s a really tough shot, I
don’t get down. Anything I feel is easy, I really take it personally.”
The entire team had taken every possession personally. That was true in
November, and it was true in every game since then. Defense this year had been
the name of the game.
I’ve talked often about the deadly serious defense, retooled before the season
into a claustrophobic full court press, and the trove of perimeter players – the coolhanded point guard Jameer Nelson, the prolific scorer Delonte West and the
nation’s most accurate 3-point shooter, Pat Carroll. But I feel that the teamwork,
that was necessary to bring these ingredients together and produce a successful
season, started with the many activities planned by the coaching staff. Those
events brought the players together off the basketball court and created the
bonding (chemistry), so essential for a winning program.
The coaches made sure that the team interacted with alumni and the student
body through the scheduling of many events. Among those opportunities were:
Midnight Madness at the start of the season, Mass and breakfast wherein the
players were introduced, collecting money and using it to purchase and distribute
toys for needy families at Christmas, picnics and games, basketball clinics and
autograph signings for youngsters, golf outings, open practices, Phil Martelli’s
active participation with the Coaches Against Cancer campaign, the Hawk Hoop
Club, which is the home for boosters of the Saint Joseph’s Hawks men’s
basketball team, the Hawk Forum, the Web site dedicated to conversation about
Hawk basketball, the Phil Martelli radio show where the coach makes himself
accessible to talk basketball, and the now somewhat famous “Hawk Talk”
television show.
All of the above mentioned events staged by the basketball program, and many
more, created opportunities for the players to bind together.
However, to get at the soul of Saint Joseph’s basketball means attending or
seeing the “Hawk Talk” television show.
“Hawk Talk” is a coach’s show like no other. It is more “Wayne’s World” than
John Wooden on Basketball. It is barely scripted, shot in 35 minutes and features a
sidekick, Joe Lunardi, who is a 1982 graduate of Saint Joseph’s and is the assistant
vice-president for external relations. The guests are homegrown, too; Martelli’s
wife Judy, and his longtime secretary, Claire Ariano, appeared frequently.
“When you’re sitting here in the midst of five schools within a 15-mile radius,
you have to do something to separate yourself from the pack,” Martelli said
“Whether it’s pumping up the student body before a game, or doing a goofy
television show, you have to do something extraordinary.”
So, when “Hawk Talk” was shot on location at the Saint Joseph’s campus for
one of its episodes, the students groaned, and then roared appreciatively when
coach Martelli opened with a clunker: “I wanted to film this in the library, but they
said I didn’t have a card.”
In seven seasons, “Hawk Talk” had offered some genius – a whole episode was
done in reverse and began with the closing credits and sign-off in an effort to turn
around a losing streak – but mostly it was a vehicle for the Hawks’ storied
program to separate itself from its neighbors in the Big Five, to bring credit to its
players and to rally a rabid fan base.
INJURED DELONTE ABSENT FOR ST. BONAVENTURE GAME
St. Bonaventure, the next opponent, was not having a strong season and their
record stood at 12-12 overall and 6-5 in conference play. The Hawks during
Jameer’s tenure had beaten the Bonnies five straight times. However, it was
announced, prior to the game that Delonte West would not play. That was dreadful
news because twenty points had just disappeared. He had suffered an injury to his
right fibula, just above his ankle, which was termed a “stress reaction” as opposed
to a “stress fracture.” At that time, no timetable was given for his return nor did we
know that this injury would be a major factor for the rest of the season. But, in
fact, Delonte would be troubled by the injury and his playing time for the rest of
the season would be limited.
At least, the schedule, had given Jameer’s pain, on his badly bruised tailbone,
time to subside.
And, on this day, the Hawks were able to survive the Bonnies without West and
with a recuperating Nelson.
Pat Carroll and Tyrone Barley combined for 32 of Saint Joseph’s 38 second
half points to help the Hawks hold off a pesky St. Bonaventure squad 76-72.
For the second time this season, Tyrone Barley filled in admirably for West,
just as he did three weeks before against Rhode Island, when he replaced the
suspended Delonte West. Barley scored a career-high 15 points and led the Hawks
with 5 assists.
Jameer, had a sensational first half. On 3 possessions in the first half, Jameer
scored 10 points. He made 3 three-pointers, the last on which he was fouled. He
sank the free throw to give the Hawks a 22-14 lead.
However, the Hawks were surprised by the Bonnies and were behind at the half
by a score of 42-38.
The Hawks started the second half with an 8-0 run, took the lead and only
relinquished that lead one time in the second half.
Pat Carroll led the Hawks with 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the field. In
addition to his 7 three-pointers, Pat collected 7 rebounds and also had 3 assists.
Nobody in the country was shooting the ball with more consistency than Pat
Carroll, but for some inexplicable reason, St. Bonaventure chose not to guard him
closely and deny him the ball.
On five possessions in the second half, when the game was there for the taking,
the Bonnies left Carroll open in the corner, and he made them all.
Jameer had another huge game against the Bonnies. He had 25 points, a gamehigh 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The guard, who some thought was the second best in the Atlantic 10, the 5’7”
Marques Green, led the Bonnies with 18 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds.
HAWKS BEAT LASALLE FOR THE BIG 5 CHAMPIONSHIP
Saint Joseph’s (19-4, 9-3 A-10) was to meet LaSalle in its next game, a
Monday night game at the Palestra. A win over LaSalle would give the Hawks a
sweep of its Big 5 opponents and would most likely clinch a bye for the Hawks in
the Atlantic 10 tourney.
On the Sunday before the Monday night game with LaSalle, Delonte had a
magnetic-resonance-imaging test (MRI) on his right leg. It was determined that he
had a stress fracture in the lower part of his leg. It was explained that the typical
treatment for a stress fracture is ice and rest. Complete recovery would be
expected to be four to six weeks.
“His playing status from game to game will be determined by his ability to
handle the pain. He was told he can’t make the injury worse by playing.” said
Martelli.
So, it appeared that Saint Joseph’s would have to nurture Delonte for the
remainder of the season, hold its breath and hope its leading scorer could maintain
his outstanding level of play during the Hawks’ drive toward March Madness.
West was averaging 19.2 points a game and had been among the most prolific
scorers in the nation, averaging 28.5 points in his previous four games while
shooting a torrid 38 for 67 (56.7 percent), including 15 for 30 from three-point
territory.
If Delonte were able to play, his first test would be against LaSalle on February
24, 2003.
To secure a spotless Big 5 record and the team’s second 20-win season in the
last three years, Saint Joseph’s brought to the Palestra its two consistent forces –
its sticky, hustling defense and Jameer Nelson. And, to the delight of the fans,
Delonte West was in uniform and started the game.
The Hawks rolled to their 20th win of the season. They smothered the Explorers
to finish 4-0 in the Big 5.
The Hawks showed why they lead the nation in field goal percentage defense,
holding LaSalle to 25.7 percent shooting, while Nelson had a typically outstanding
performance, leading Saint Joseph’s to a 75-53 victory over the Explorers in front
of a crowd of 7,521.
With Delonte West running stiffly and shooting only 2 of 13 from the field,
Nelson assumed the scoring load and contributed 18 points along with 7 rebounds
and 6 assists against 1 turnover.
The Hawks held the Explorers (10-14, 4-9 in the A-10) to 21 percent shooting
in the first half to take a 40-29 lead, and continued to keep them down in the
second half. LaSalle freshman Gary Neal, who went in with a streak of three 30point games, scored just 13 while making 5 of 17 shots.
“We were just going to guard him,” Martelli said. “We had faith in Delonte
West and Tyrone Barley to be as good as they could be on the ball. We had them
well-scouted and knew their patterns. But, after that, it’s up to the players. They
communicated well together on the floor.”
Saint Joseph’s used two big scoring runs in the middle of the game to win this
game. With the score tied at 22, the Hawks closed the half on an 18-7 run to lead
at the break 40-29. The Hawks then started the second half on a 10-2 run to
increase the lead to 50-31.
Not even a sore tailbone could stop Jameer. Despite grimacing in pain most of
the night, Nelson was superb. The 6 assists he had moved him past Luke
Griffin for second place on the school’s career assist list. Jameer had
accumulated 525 assists and trailed only Rap Curry’s total of 580.
West played 26 minutes, missed his first 9 shots, and finished with 10 points,
well below his 19.2 average. Understandably, West looked more hesitant than
usual. From his own recollection, his leg had been hurting since the Penn game,
and in the five following games he played through the pain and performed in an
outstanding way.
In this game, even with the pain, and knowing he had a stress fracture, his basic
basketball instincts took over late in the game. With the game well in hand, West
found himself in front of all the defenders. He dunked the ball in spectacular
fashion, and in doing so, came down hard on his injured leg. He was noticeably in
severe pain as he left the floor limping.
Dwayne Jones had a strong game with 14 rebounds and 6 points while Chet
Stachitas contributed 9 points.
In the nearly half-century of Big 5 basketball, such legendary teams as Jack
Ramsay’s group in 1965-66 that was preseason No.1 in Sports Illustrated; the
1987-88 Temple team that was the only city team ever ranked No.1 and the 196869 LaSalle team, were widely considered as the best teams ever to play here.
This Saint Joseph’s team, however, went all those great teams one better
against LaSalle at the Palestra. When they beat the Explorers, 75-53, it meant
that they won their four Big 5 games by a combined 67 points, the most in the
history of the Big 5, it was one point better than the Hawks of 37 years ago.
“Every team gets a clean page and somewhere they keep records on all those
teams, and then they put your accomplishments on the board,” Martelli said. “So
what we’ve done tonight is put our first three accomplishments up there – 20 wins,
an Atlantic 10 tournament bye and the city champs.”
Later when he was told what his team had done in the light of city hoops
history, Martelli just shook his head, amazed at it all.
Only the Guy Rodgers-led Temple team of 1957-58 had ever won all four
games by double digits, until now.
These Hawks beat Temple by 10, Penn by 18, and Villanova by 17. They also
beat Temple by 19 in a non-Big 5 contest and Drexel by 13 in a city game for a
total margin of 99 points.
Thus, this Saint Joseph’s team became the first in school history to go 6-0 in
the city, joining Temple (1987-88 and 1993-94). The Owls (1986-87) went an
incredible 8-0 against the city.
“To sweep the city of Philadelphia is great,” Jameer Nelson said. “Every game
was close until we went on our run.”
That run always came, sooner or later.
“In Philadelphia, if you don’t strive to be extraordinary, then you’re just going
to be left behind,” Martelli said. “If you can get to the top of your division (of the
Atlantic 10) or the top of the city, you should be discussed on a national level,
because it takes an extraordinary effort. And it shouldn’t be pushed to the side. I
mean this respectfully, the dominance.”
With the Hawks fully dominant, during most of the game, the dunk at the very
end by Delonte, was viewed by LaSalle’s coach Billy Hahn, to be excessive and
left him a little bitter.
After the game he said, “Someday, we will have our chances. I just know that’s
going to happen. When we have our chance, we’ll remember nights like this.”
When a reporter asked Hahn whether he thought Saint Joseph’s had run up the
score, the coach said, “I don’t know. Did you watch the game? What do you
think?”
Asked for his reaction, Martelli said: “We do what we do. We weren’t pressing
the last four or five minutes. We had our walk-ons in at the end. I think it’s much
ado about nothing.”
HAWKS HONOR MIKE BANTOM AT RICHMOND GAME
On Saturday, March 1, 2003, Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse was jammed with
fans that were excited about this surprisingly gifted team as they were about to
face Richmond.
More and more questions were being asked about how a team with virtually no
front-court scoring punch could win so many games and in such a convincing
manner. One thing that could not be disputed was that it was happening.
Can I say it again? The numbers don’t lie!
Even opposing teams were bewildered, as the story of Saint Joseph’s victory
was etched into the faces of the Richmond players.
There were looks of bewilderment each time Jameer Nelson zigzagged through
the Spiders during one of his breathless, length-of-the-court dashes to the basket
on his way to scoring 25 points.
“I’ve seen Allen Iverson do that, but I think he’s faster than I am,” Nelson said
with a smile.
And there were looks of frustration when the Hawks cranked up the defensive
pressure and Richmond’s offensive sets became hopelessly entangled.
The Hawks clinched first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference East Division
with a 75-59 win, and they did so with the same weapons that had so far made this
a special season: the splendid all-around play of Jameer Nelson, and defense,
defense, defense.
However, one down note was that the status of Delonte West was just as hazy
as it had been since he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right fibula.
West left the game with 5 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the first half after
collapsing to the floor trying to make a cut. He didn’t return, but in the 13 minutes
he played he left behind 12 points for the Hawks to work with. He scored 9 points
to help expand the 16-12 lead to 32-20, which was the score when he left.
“It felt pretty good during warm-ups, but as the game progressed it started
hurting,” said West, who shot 4 for 6 and drained a pair of three-point baskets. “I
went to make a complete stop and it just gave in. Mostly, it bothers me when I
play defense.”
At one point in the game, the Spiders went nearly six minutes with only one
basket while the Hawks went on a 12-3 run to begin pulling away. For a while the
Spiders must have felt as if they were doing well just to get the ball past the midcourt line.
“You could see they were frustrated, and we just fed off of that,” said Tyrone
Barley, who once again created most of the havoc. “It was just a beautiful stretch
of defense, like a piece of art. It seemed like none of them wanted to bring the ball
up-court.”
“Defense again turned the day for us,” Martelli said. “It’s just so fast. I don’t
know what else can be said about the way these guys defend. It’s the hallmark of
this team.”
Offensively the Hawks weren’t shabby, either. They made 12 of their first 16
shots and went on to connect on 57 percent in the first half and 51 percent for the
game against a team that had held opponents to 40.3 percent.
At halftime Saint Joseph’s held a ceremony retiring the No. 44 worn by Mike
Bantom, the Hawks’ last all-American, who played at Saint Joseph’s from 197073.
Mike was only the fifth Hawk to have his number retired, joining Cliff
Anderson (#30) 1964-67, George Senesky (#4) 1941-43, Jim Lynam (#4) 1961-63,
and Billy Oakes (#4) 1964-66.
Bantom was a member of the 1972 United States Olympic team that refused to
accept its silver medals following a controversial loss to the Soviet Union. He was
a 1969 graduate of Roman Catholic High School and was at this time the NBA’s
senior vice president for player development.
Among the remarks Bantom made at the ceremony, he said, “They brought me
here to thank me, but it’s this school and all who represent this school that I should
be thanking.”
With Mike Bantom’s number being retired and with the 21st Hawk victory, the
events completed a memorable night. Perhaps there was only one other question
that needed to be answered: When will Jameer Nelson’s No. 14 be retired? At this
point in his career Jameer needed 712 points to be the schools first 2,000-point
scorer. He needed 53 assists to be the all-time leader in that category, as well. In
Jameer’s three seasons, the Hawks were 66-23.
PREPARING FOR XAVIER
The next game for the Hawks was big. Saint Joseph’s vs. Xavier
Xavier had won 13 games in a row, had won all 7of its conference games that
season, and was ranked No. 11 in the national polls. This would be a difficult test
for the Hawks, but, the Hawk fans were getting ready and, among other things,
prepared handouts like the following:
SAINT JOSEPH’S HAWKS--SAINT JOSEPH’S HAWKS--SAINT JOSEPH’S HAWKS
HEY HAWK FANS!
Welcome to Senior Night
Tonight’s game will be like no other in St. Joe’s History,
So we are asking everyone to join the Students
In making the Fieldhouse the loudest it has Ever been!
We need YOUR help!
Sing the fight song, join in cheers, get up and jump around!
The three seniors deserve to go out on a high note,
And with your help,
Xavier will not only leave this building defeated,
But also praying they never have to come back!
Thanks for your support!
The St. Joe’s student section – Philly’s finest
The Hawk Will Never Die!!!!!!!!!!
Dick Jerardi of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote the following on March 5,
2003:
[Since Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse was dedicated November 11, 1949, 290
men’s basketball games have been played there. In this age of hype, it’s no
overstatement to say that game No. 291 tonight will be like no other.
In fact, it is safe to say that it is the biggest on-campus game in the history of
Hawks’ basketball. Somehow, 3,500 or so will cram into a space that is reserved
for just 3,200. Saint Joe’s officials have to hope the fire marshall is not among the
lucky ticketholders
Those were the first two paragraphs of a story I wrote February 25, 1997, the
night St. Joe’s was going to play Massachusetts for first place in the Atlantic 10,
its first 20-win season in 11 years on the line, Senior Night as a backdrop.
I believed what I wrote then. I don’t anymore.
I think tonight’s game against No. 11 Xavier is bigger.] – Dick Jerardi
SAINT JOSEPH’S MEETS XAVIER ON SENIOR NIGHT
But first there was Senior Night.
The coach’s father is Phillip Edgar Martelli. The coach is Phil Martelli (no
middle initial). The player is Phil Martelli, Jr. The then Saint Joseph’s sports
information director, Larry Dougherty, called them Pop, Phil and Philip. That way,
only the coach turns when somebody yells “Phil.”
This night, Pop would be in the audience with Phil’s wife Judy and other
family members, to watch the game and witness Philip being honored along with
the other student seniors who participated in athletics at Saint Joseph’s. Two other
senior basketball players were also being honored; Mike Farrelly, a walk-on, and
Alexandre Sazonov.
In addition Steve Klarich, who was ending his second season as the everflapping Hawk mascot, also was being recognized.
Although this would be the seventh Senior Night for Coach Martelli, three
generations of Martelli’s would be overcome with emotion on a Senior Night
unlike any they had ever had at Hawk Hill.
This night, however, wouldn’t be the last time the Phils spent together at the
Fieldhouse.
There was a practice the next day, practices the next week, and a practice or
two before the team headed out on the road for the NCAA Tournament.
Pop would not miss any of those events since he was a constant presence at all
of the basketball functions. He was at just about every practice, he came to
morning workouts, and he watched the two-on-two games on Fridays in preseason.
He was at every game, home and away.
However, this Senior Night would be different for the coach.
“I have thought about it driving around,” Phil said of this night and his older
son. “I’ve got to keep it together. I’ve got to coach the game. I still believe that
any tribute that happens that night for him will be about the person that he is. And
you know what, if that’s the tribute he gets, Judy and I can look at each other and
say, ‘we’ve won this game.’ ”
“It’s hard to believe, really, Philip said. It seems like yesterday I was a
freshman at (Saint Joseph’s) Prep, didn’t know anything, just wore my blue blazer,
got on the bus and went down to 17th and Girard. Now, I’m going to be standing
out here in front of 3,200 people saying goodbye. It’s a scary thought.”
“I think that every parent could appreciate this because we see how bizarre the
world is that they live in,” the coach said. “To know that you can have a little bit
more of your son or your daughter because when they do go to college, I think a
lot of us pray that we’ve done the best that we could, that they’re going to make
great decisions. To be able to see your son or your daughter on a daily basis is a
blessing beyond anything that anybody could have.”
“That’s part of it. The other part of it, though, is to see the respect that he is
given by his teammates. It could have been ugly. It could have been trying. In
some ways, and I say this kind of laughing, he wasn’t good enough to make that
the difficult part. The fact that he got respect from his teammates, for who he was,
probably outweighs any wins that you could have had.”
Philip was a strong member of this team. The points he contributed were not a
factor. He had great leadership qualities, was disciplined and always encouraged
the other players. In fact, his teammates elected Philip and Jameer Nelson cocaptains. That speaks volumes.
“My love is unconditional,” Pop said. “It didn’t matter whether he played or
not. To watch him progress and improve through all these years has been a total
joy. And I always kidded my son and said, “Why don’t you put in No. 10?”
Philip, the player, wanted to become a coach. He was around basketball his
whole life. He’d spent his summers at basketball camps. As fate would have it,
when school ended, Philip’s dream was answered. He was hired as an assistant
coach at Eastern Connecticut State University.
For the Xavier game, more than 100 media credentials had been issued. That
was a record. In addition, at least 12 NBA scouts were there, presumably to see
Xavier’s David West, a favorite for National Player of the Year, who was making
his last appearance as a college player in the city of Philadelphia. Jameer Nelson,
no doubt, was also on their list as a player who might opt to leave school early to
seek a job with the NBA.
On Hawk Hill, the Saint Joseph’s students were planning to march en masse to
the Fieldhouse to cheer on a team that many believed to be the most beloved in
school history.
Everywhere Phil Martelli went people told him how much they loved the way
his Hawks’ team played. Last season’s team, that Hawk fans had such high
expectations for, played with little passion. This team, from which very little was
expected, had played with more passion than any team I had watched at Hawk
Hill. That was what made this team so special.
Preoccupied by thoughts of all-American David West and 11th -ranked Xavier,
Martelli began game planning for the Hawks’ most anticipated game so far this
season by attending Mass on Sunday morning. In fact, he attended Mass twice.
“After watching them on tape two times, I didn’t think going to Mass once
would be enough,” Martelli said.
If divine intervention wasn’t enough to get it done when the Musketeers and
the Hawks went at it, then the raucous crowd that would be shoehorned into the
gym was expected to give the team a boost.
Hawk Hill began reverberating the day before with a pep rally. No shrinking
violet, Martelli was there to get the juices flowing. “The atmosphere is going to be
astounding,” Martelli predicted. “In my opinion, you will never forget what you
are about to see in that building.”
For Saint Joseph’s, which was 21-4 overall and 11-3 in the Atlantic Ten
Conference and had clinched first place in the East Division, this game represented
a chance to boost its seeding in the NCAA tourney and climb back into the
national rankings.
No. 11 ranked Xavier (22-4, 13-1), which led the West Division, had a 13-game
winning streak, third longest in the country behind Kentucky (18) and Weber State
(15), and would be the highest-ranked team to visit the Fieldhouse since No. 1
Massachusetts pulled out a 94-89 overtime win on January 10, 1996.
With David West (20.3 pts. per game and 12 rebounds per game), Romain
Sato, and Anthony Myles, Xavier had a trio that combined for more than 26
rebounds per game.
“I think they’re a monster,” Martelli said. “They have, in my opinion, four guys
who will be all-league. This kid Myles is a great, great, great offensive rebounder.
Dedrick Finn will be on the all-freshman team, West is in the mix for player of the
year and Sato’s strong all-around game gives him NBA potential. When I think
Xavier basketball, I think toughness.”
While all these factors regarding Xavier’s record and strength were on
everyone’s mind, a key factor in the game would be the status of the Hawks’
Delonte West. After sitting out a game, West returned against Richmond and
aggravated his leg injury. He played 13 minutes and scored 12 points before
leaving. After leaving the Richmond game, Delonte, with his bull-dog courage,
vowed he would be ready for Xavier. But, unfortunately, grit or not, Delonte was
unable to play in this game.
“He hasn’t practiced,” Martelli said. “The good news is the latest X-ray showed
it’s starting to heal.”
As was the case earlier, when he sustained the injury, his status as a player
would be determined game by game.
Seventy-five minutes before tip-off, the doors of the Fieldhouse were opened
and the crimson-clad students poured in, with their entrance being signaled by a
drum. They rushed to fill their section of the gym and promptly began to let all in
attendance know that this was their “house” and visitors from Ohio were not going
to abuse their team. The noise from the crowd, students, alumni, and friends, far
exceeded what you would expect from a capacity crowd of 3,200. The noise that
they produced was thunderous and continuous from the time they entered and was
sustained throughout the game.
With Delonte hobbled by his stress fracture, Tyrone Barley’s minutes had
increased.
“Tyrone Barley is absolutely amazing defensively,” Martelli said. “He tells me
who he’s going to guard, and we build it from there. He says, ‘Coach, I’m going to
guard so and so.’ And I say, ‘That’s fine with me.’ I mean, he knows what’s going
on out there, and he knows if there’s a shaky ball handler, if there’s a hot shooter.”
“That’s true,” Barley said. “If I see that a player on the other team has it going,
I just want to stop him. When I’m going into the game and there’s nobody who has
the hot hand, I’ll just take their best player. I like the challenge and coach lets me
cover who I want.”
At this point in his career, Tyrone had become a respectable three-point
shooter, and when added to his excellent defensive skills, the effect of Delonte’s
loss, although sizable, was somewhat diminished.
However, with it’s leading scorer not available, Saint Joseph’s had one hand
tied behind its back, which is no way to contend with the best team in the A-10
conference. But, the Hawks did it anyway.
In a classic game, for everyone who was lucky enough to witness it first-hand,
this night would be long remembered.
The Hawks dragged Xavier into overtime, but lost, 88-80, in a duel between the
two division leaders.
The Hawks lived and died with their defense and their chief concern was the
best big man in the A-10, David West. Saint Joseph’s tried to muffle West by
attacking his feeders, trying to pressure the Xavier guards and forcing West out of
the lane to accept entry passes, and to make him have to dribble.
It was sound strategy, and for long periods, David West never touched the ball.
When he did, the Hawks didn’t hesitate to spend their fouls. At the post position,
they had plenty of fouls to give. But David West was a horse; he played every
second of the game and finally took over on the inside.
After trailing most of the first half, Xavier caught up and then, in the second
half began to open a lead. The Hawks labored to find their offense. They fell
behind, 58-44, and just when you thought they were done, they blazed back, taking
the lead on one of Nelson’s end-to-end skywriter trips. Tyrone Barley, regarded as
the best defender in the conference, was a big contributor in that 19-3 run, and the
Fieldhouse shuddered with noise as the Hawks pulled even at 59-59. Neither team
was able to grab more than a two-point lead in the final six minutes of regulation.
With 21.6 seconds left in the game, and the Hawks ahead 71-69, Saint Joseph’s
had a chance to pad the lead, but freshman Chet Stachitas missed the first half of a
one-and-one situation. Thus, that opened the door for Xavier’s Lionel Chalmers,
with 7 seconds left in the game, to score a basket to tie the game and send it into
overtime.
Although the Hawks contained Xavier’s David West for most of the game,
West was too much for the Hawks in the overtime period. Xavier prevailed and
won the game 88-80.
“There’s not one guy on our team that could have made one more big play.”
Martelli said. “That was two quality teams playing in a tremendous atmosphere.”
David West ended with 25 points and 14 rebounds as five Musketeers finished
in double figures. Jameer Nelson led the Hawks with 33 points, and Tyrone Barley
added 14. It was Saint Joseph’s first loss at home after seven wins.
Getting to overtime proved to be the road to victory for Xavier. The Hawks
never led in those five overtime minutes. Twice they tied it as they neared another
final minute. In the end, David West had the answers. He made three straight lane
shots. He made his free throws. He got the rebounds.
“I tried everything,” said Bryant, who really did a terrific job on West. “We just
needed one more play.”
Saint Joseph’s had won a lot of the little battles. The Hawks got 19 more shots.
They got seven more offensive rebounds against the best offensive rebounding
team in the league. They got great contributions from all of their role players.
“When you think about coming to college, this is the type of game you think
about,” Barley said.
Nelson played himself to exhaustion. Barley was a terrific partner, but he was
cramping up late in the game. The Hawks simply ran out of options.
In the end, their defense did not fail the Hawks. On this night, they just came
up against a team that had a superior night, a team that shot 50 percent against the
nation’s best field-goal defense. One wondered what would have happened if
Delonte West had been able to play.
“I thought we had this game won a couple of times,” Nelson said. “Hopefully,
we’ll see each other in the Conference championship game.”
Saint Joseph’s and Xavier had won their respective Divisions of the A-10. If
each could win two games the following week, in the Conference playoffs, they
would meet each other for the Conference championship.
What a night! It began with good bedlam and ended with not so good bedlam –
with Mardi Gras beads and souvenir towels and a soda bottle tossed from the Saint
Joseph’s student section. It ended with Xavier guard Dedrick Finn unwisely
egging on the crowd, and with Xavier coach Thad Matta sending his subs and
managers off the bench and into the dressing room for their safety with 2.3
seconds left in overtime. It ended with nobody really caring that Xavier only had
four players on the floor when the 88-80 final score was posted.
What the crowd saw and what the pro scouts saw, were two good teams battle
hard for 45 minutes. They also saw a great player in Xavier’s David West and the
wondrous Jameer Nelson lead their teams with fine performances.
THE FINAL GAME WITH MASSACHUSETTS
For its final regular season game, Saint Joseph’s took its 21-5 record to
Amherst, Massachusetts to play the Massachusetts Minutemen who had compiled
a losing 11-16 record. This was just three days after the Xavier game.
This was the home finale for the Minutemen and it was also their Senior Day.
Senior Day was officially scheduled for their previous game with St. Bonaventure,
but in light of recent events involving an ineligible player at St. Bonaventure, the
game was forfeited.
The game between the Hawks and Minutemen was an ugly game. In fact, it was
so poorly played that some thought it should have been forfeited.
A lot of descriptions came to Coach Martelli’s mind as he characterized the
performance he received from his Hawks: embarrassing, disappointing,
discouraging, and just plain bad. He also wasn’t buying the notion of a letdown
following the emotional and hotly contested Xavier game.
“A performance like that does not bode well at all, not when you think of what
we have ahead of us,” he said through clenched teeth. “This is as concerned as I’ve
been all year.”
For the record, Saint Joseph’s wrapped up the regular season with a 52-49 win
over Massachusetts. This victory gave the Hawks its 22nd win and the seventh
season with at least 22 regular-season wins in 94 years of basketball.
As far as their conference standings were concerned, this game meant nothing,
since they had already clinched first place in their division and a first-round bye in
the conference tournament. The problem was, they played as if it meant nothing.
“He (Martelli) shouldn’t be happy right now,” said Jameer, who played 39
minutes, scored 28 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, including 7 off the offensive
glass, and had 5 steals as he single-handedly refused to allow his team to give
away a game it seemed bent on giving to the Minutemen. “We got a win, and
that’s it. It was a fight, and it shouldn’t have been.”
The game ended with Saint Joseph’s holding its breath as a three-point attempt
by the Minutemen’s Jeff Viggiano from the corner was a bit long as the horn
sounded. Viggiano had given himself a chance to send the game into overtime
when he stole an inbounds pass.
Playing without the injured Delonte West for the third time in the last five
games, the Hawks won even though they did not score a field goal during the final
12 minutes, 38 seconds and shot a paltry 28 percent. They were 14 for 50 overall
and 3 for 20 from three-point distance. No other Hawk player, other than Jameer,
scored in double figures.
THE ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT
It was now Atlantic 10 Tournament time, and by virtue of their good record in
conference play, the Hawks had earned a first-round bye. Their next game would
be between the winner of the LaSalle/Fordham game and would be played at the
site of the A-10 tourney, the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
The Atlantic Ten Tourney was being played in Dayton for the first time after
being held for six straight years at the First Union Spectrum in Philadelphia. This
would be the first year since 1988 that none of the conference tourney games
would be played in Philadelphia. The tourney was moved to Dayton because of
poor ticket sales at the Spectrum.
BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU WISH FOR
LaSalle defeated Fordham in the first round and it was no secret that they
wanted to play the Hawks. They were still seething over the 22-point drubbing
they had taken from the Hawks in the game played at the Palestra on February 24,
2003. They still felt that Saint Joseph’s went too far in rolling-up the score,
especially by closing the game with a punishing dunk by Delonte.
After the LaSalle win over Fordham, the LaSalle student section began
chanting, “We want St. Joe’s,” and Coach Billy Hahn preached openly about how
his club isn’t good enough to look past any game. But the look in his eyes
suggested the Explorer’s eagerness to play the Hawks.
“St. Joe’s is a great team,” he said. “We’ll have to be able to handle their
defensive pressure if we want to win. They also have tremendous offensive
abilities and I’m sure Delonte West will be back playing. Jameer Nelson is going
to make a lot of all-America teams, maybe not on the first team, but somewhere.
He’s a great player. But we’ll play hard, I’ll tell you that.”
That said, sly smiles came across the faces of Hahn, and players Jermaine
Thomas and Gary Neal.
The sentiment issued to the Explorers from the Saint Joseph’s fans, however,
was a confident “You better be sure you really want what you are wishing for.”
With the Hawks’ Delonte West still injured, it was likely that they would have
to be satisfied with whatever they could get from him. That is, if he was able to
play at all. Because of the pain from the fracture in his right fibula, Delonte limped
through the first drills during practice while wearing a bubble cast and then
dejectedly walked off the court and shot jumpers on his own.
Even though he had been given medical clearance to play, because the X-rays
showed the bone had begun to heal, it was now a matter of how much pain he
could withstand. Therefore, his status remained the same, and any decision made
would be game to game.
It was pretty much agreed, by all who followed the Hawks, that even without
Delonte, the strength of the team was still with the guards. It was the guards who
provided nearly 80 percent of the scoring. Saint Joseph’s was a guard-oriented
team. Although that notion was true, the notion that its centers were only “along
for the ride,” was only half accurate.
The hallmark of this team had been defense. Saint Joseph’s was ranked No. 1,
in Division I, in field-goal percentage defense (36.8) and was tied for No. 6 in
scoring defense (59.1 points a game).
When other teams had the ball, the Hawks three big men—Alex Sazonov,
Dwayne Jones and Chris Cologer—stood tall. They allowed the guards to play
aggressively along the perimeter because they were back there to erase mistakes.
Together, Sazonov, Jones and Cologer averaged 9.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and
3.7 blocked shots a game. Those were worthy numbers.
“The defense we have gotten from those guys has wildly exceeded my
imagination,” Martelli said. “I never considered a scenario in which they could
guard this well and compliment the perimeter guys the way they have. It’s team
defense that sets us apart, and with all the blocked shots and altered shots we’ve
gotten from the interior guys, we can guard anywhere on the floor.”
Dwayne Jones had proven to be the most intriguing among the three because he
was a freshman who was second in the conference in blocked shots (1.9 a game)
and he led the Hawks in rebounding (5.9 a game), even though he was averaging
only 20 minutes per game. He had reached double figures in rebounds in four
games, including 12 against Xavier, the league’s top rebounding team. In that
game Jones also blocked 2 shots by David West, the three-time conference player
of the year.
“If Dwayne improves next year as much as he did this year, we’re looking at a
real force,” Martelli said. “He’s already there as a shot blocker, and he’s getting
there as a rebounder.”
Jones was proving that he was a superb athlete, a quick leaper who played with
stamina, but his hands were unsure and at this point in his career he offered little
offensively.
Of course the Hawks’ coaches knew this and coach Matt Brady, who worked
with the centers, said, “Everything Dwayne does right now is out of sheer
athleticism.” What he must do to start scoring is play more one-on-one, develop a
couple of go-to moves. He’s got to be willing to really work hard on his offensive
game, get in the gym every day during the off-season.”
Martelli was also planning to get Dwayne into an off-season program that
would help his hand-eye coordination.
Jones also was aware of his shortcomings and it was obvious that he was
working hard to improve his skills, including his foul shooting. Whenever I saw
him in the gym he was off on his own honing his skills.
On Friday, March 14, 2003, the day following the LaSalle game, the Inquirer
Sports page read: “St. Joe’s Shoots Down LaSalle.”
What Saint Joseph’s had done to its opponents all season long was often very
subtle. You looked at these Hawks sometimes and you wondered how they did
what they did. The results, however, were rarely subtle.
The Saint Joseph’s defense kept the Hawks in every game. And, with one
offensive spurt, the Hawks often left their opponents wondering what had
happened and why. That was exactly what happened at the Dayton arena.
The Hawks overcame a sluggish start and pulled away from their city rival with
two big scoring runs (12-1 and 13-0) in the second half.
LaSalle had forged into a tie game two minutes into the second half, then
without warning, the Hawks ended the game with one of their trademark spurts.
Pat Carroll hit a three-pointer. He hit a two. The Hawks made two layups. Carroll
hit a three, and then another.
In four minutes, the tie became a 12-point lead. LaSalle, playing from behind,
was no match for the streaking Hawks. The Hawks’ run became an explosion
during which Saint Joseph’s made 11 of 16 shots. The lead eventually ballooned to
25 before the Hawks eased into a 68-48 win.
LaSalle shot just 32.7 percent. In two games against the Hawks, the Explorers
were just 35-for-122 from the field. When you consider that LaSalle was not a
good shooting team, and Saint Joseph’s was the Nation’s best at defending its
basket, the results of these two games was not surprising.
In the opening half, LaSalle got the pace it wanted – slow. The Explorers
actually had a 12-5 lead. They did not commit a turnover against the Hawks’
pressure for 16 minutes.
“In the first half, I thought there was a lot of non-breathing,” said Martelli. “I
was afraid that a couple of guys were going to turn blue, they were so nervous.”
LaSalle’s depth was in its starting lineup. Saint Joseph’s depth was on its
bench, and that really showed in the second half. The Hawks bench, which
included normal starter Delonte West, outscored LaSalle’s, 33-10.
“The bench really won this game for us,” Martelli said. “All these kids have
prepared themselves through really intense practices all year long.”
Delonte West, still bothered by the stress fracture, did not start but entered the
game just five minutes into the contest. He knocked down a three-pointer to give
the lead to the Hawks -- momentarily. He had all of his 9 points in the first half,
but he looked like a player who was playing with pain, and had been advised by
the doctor to only play “in spurts.”
Gary Neal, the Explorer’s leading scorer ended up with 13 points, but he had to
play against Tyrone Barley. Barley did not give Neal any breathing room.
Inexplicably, Barley was left off the A-10’s all-defensive team. “Can I make an
editorial comment?” Martelli asked. “The coaches in this league should be
embarrassed that this kid (Barley) is not on the all-defensive team. That is an
absolute joke, and I think they should give the vote back to the media because at
least maybe you guys would pay attention.”
Billy Hahn agreed about Barley. “I was really surprised he didn’t make alldefense,” Hahn said. “I think he’s the best on-the-ball defender in the conference. I
told Phil I was shocked.”
Barley, too, was surprised when his name wasn’t called at the award’s banquet.
“I was disappointed, to say the least,” he said. “Personally, I felt I worked hard
enough.”
The two coaches, by the way, had a nice long talk in the hallway after the
game. Whatever the problem was after the last game, all appeared to be smoothed
over. You may recall Hahn seemed to be unhappy that Delonte West was still on
the court, even though LaSalle was being decisively beaten, and that he scored on
a late game dunk that seemed to add insult to the already badly defeated team.
Coach Billy Hahn had nothing but praise for the Hawks after this game.
Jameer Nelson had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Carroll had 14 points.
Dwayne Jones had 8 points and 13 rebounds and was a force off the bench. Chet
Stachitas also was a big help off the bench by contributing 9 points.
This was the eighth time the Hawks had held an opponent under 50 points this
season.
THE ATLANTIC 10 SEMIFINALS AGAINST DAYTON
A win over their next opponent, Dayton, in the semifinals, would give the
Hawks a realistic chance to surpass the team record of 26 wins in a season and it
would be Phil Martelli’s 150th victory as a Saint Joseph’s head coach.
The other semifinal game would feature Temple against Xavier. That was a
game that would be played prior to the Hawk / Dayton game.
The Hawks’ final five regular-season games saw them playing a little
tentatively, and by now, with further evidence coming from the LaSalle game, it
was clear that Delonte West probably wasn’t going to be whole again until next
season. So, the question – and perhaps the answer for the Hawks, as they were
trying to claw their way through the postseason – was really about Pat Carroll.
After Carroll had established himself as one of the best three-point shooters in
the nation, often benefitting from spot-up looks when defenses concentrated on
West and Jameer, things changed slightly for him at the end of the season after
Delonte’s injury.
With West out or not as effective, stopping Carroll became a bigger priority for
opponents. He received more attention and got fewer open looks, and his shooting
suffered.
“I think I didn’t recognize as quickly as I should have that he’s gotten tired
recently,” Martelli said. “He’s been guarded so closely and he’s had to move so
much that he’s just gotten tired. So we worked on a couple of different things.”
Those things paid off big in the LaSalle game when Carroll’s shooting provided
a run that gave Saint Joseph’s control of the game. Carroll finished with 14 points,
getting 11 of those in a four-minute stretch of the second half in which a tie was
transformed into a 43-31 Hawks lead.
“It’s a confidence boost to come in and hit a few shots in a row,” Carroll said.
“When you’re a shooter, you have good nights and bad nights, but you always
have to have confidence that your shots are going to go in.”
After hitting exactly half of his 130 three-point attempts through February 22,
2003, he made just 7 of 22 in the last four games of the season.
Whether it was fatigue, increased defensive attention or the absence of West,
Carroll was having trouble finding the rhythm that he had before.
“Definitely, the percentage was not what it had been earlier in the season,”
Carroll said. “I’m still playing mostly the same, but I am trying to get more shots
off the dribble to get into the flow.”
The Hawks coaching staff, particularly Mark Bass, had encouraged Pat to catch
and pump-fake on occasion, then clear space by taking a few dribbles. Carroll also
paid more attention to spacing. If he were three feet beyond the arc, instead of
right on top of it, that was fine.
“When you can shoot that good, the line is insignificant,” Martelli said. “I also
told him I want him to get willing to take shots that others might say are bad shots
or tough shots. That’s how special he is.”
This was a young team still learning how to play, especially at this time of the
year – tournament time.
Among the nine players who averaged 10 minutes or more, there was one
senior, two juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen. All season long,
probably because Nelson and Barley were settled veterans and because the team
won 22 games, the Hawks weren’t recognized as a young team.
“”We’re not labeled that way, but we are a young group,” Martelli said. “Some
of these experiences are new for us.”
It was important to have Carroll back in the form he had been in at the
beginning of the season.
On Friday, March 14, 2003, the Hawks met the University of Dayton Flyers in
a semifinal game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
The Hawks and Jameer Nelson fought hard, but fell to Dayton, 76-73.
Whenever the Saint Joseph’s Hawks turned to Jameer to lift them out of trouble,
he usually came up with a solution.
They had never asked him to do as much as they needed from him on this
night, and he gave it to them, falling a bit short of what would have been one of
the most memorable comeback victories in Saint Joseph’s history. But, No. 21
Dayton held on for dear life after building a 19-point lead in the second half and
held off the charging Hawks to advance to the championship game against
Temple. The Owls had upset 10th ranked and defending champion Xavier, 63-57,
ending the Musketeer’s 16-game winning streak.
Nelson made the Flyers sweat. He scored a career-high 39 points, handed out 5
assists, and keyed a stunning comeback with his relentless play. Nelson’s 39
points were a record for an A-10 semifinal game.
In 5 minutes, the Hawks carved a 19-point deficit down to 7. Then with the
help of a limping Delonte West, who played sparingly, they drew even at 69-69
with 3 minutes, 31 seconds to go. Nelson’s two free throws tied the game again at
71-71, and the Hawks had a chance to grab the lead, but a jumper from the lane by
West fell a bit short.
Delonte played valiantly, but labored to get up and down the floor. Looking
distressed West returned to the bench after five minutes of playing time. In an
attempt to console him, coach Martelli put his hands around West’s face and
offered words of encouragement. But later, Delonte got so caught up in the
comeback that he begged Martelli to put him back in the game. He contributed two
baskets in an 11-0 surge.
A three-point play by Dayton with 48 seconds to go made it 75-71. Nelson
made 2 free throws before fouling out with 8 seconds left. At the buzzer, Pat
Carroll went up for a potentially game-tying basket, but lost the ball as the Saint
Joseph’s coaching staff screamed for a foul.
The comeback made by the Hawks in their rival’s gym was breathtaking.
If one play epitomized everything the Hawks did in their effort to win, it had to
be John Bryant’s dive for a loose ball at mid-court and tipping it ahead to Nelson
for a layup.
“If they want to do ‘One Shining Moment’ on television, that should be the
lead play,” Martelli said. “It was an all-time play.” It was, indeed, a highlight play.
Coach Martelli thought his team had been “robbed” on the last play of the game
when Carroll appeared to be fouled on his last shot attempt. The ball was stripped
from his hands. It deprived the Hawks at a chance for the potential winning basket.
Martelli was so irate at what he thought was a missed call by the referees that,
after the game, he followed the referees to their locker room and continued
shouting at them from the hallway before he was led away by officials.
The following day, Martelli publically apologized.
“It shouldn’t have happened,” Martelli said. “I’ve issued a letter of apology to
the league and the officials and I’m awaiting their decision.”
Atlantic 10 commissioner Linda Bruno said, “Saint Joseph’s is cooperating
fully. We thought it was best to wait and talk to Athletic Director, Don DiJulia,
after everybody got back. Phil has already written a letter of apology to me and the
other people involved. It was a quick incident, and it ended quickly. We’ll take
into account that it was in the heat of the moment, over quickly, and he was never
face-to-face with the officials.”
The incident did, in fact, pass without any formal punishment being meted out.
With West hobbling and his playing status uncertain from game to game, the
Hawks were seriously challenged to make up the 18.5 points a game he gave them
when he was healthy. In West’s absence, they had been forced to rely more
heavily on Nelson and Carroll and hoped they could get enough point production
from a combination of role players. Otherwise, they needed to create enough
havoc with their pressure defense to force turnovers and convert them to easy
baskets. That scenario was exactly what Martelli and his staff had envisioned at
the start of the season when they began to build this team.
The Hawks’ offensive game plan for this game was simple. Nelson drove the
ball right at the Flyers. He passed Dayton players as if they were slow cars on a
highway with no speed limit. When Nelson wasn’t getting to the rim, he was
making certain someone else scored. He was so good for so long that you
wondered why his legs or lungs did not give out. He played all but the final 6.8
seconds after he had fouled out.
No other player on the Hawks’ team reached double figures, while Dayton had
five players in double figures.
Tyrone Barley and Pat Carroll were held scoreless in the second half. However,
Dwayne Jones continued to show development. He added 8 points, 12 rebounds,
and 3 blocks in 23 minutes of playing time.
Saint Joseph’s closed the regular season at 23-5. They were 7-0 against
Philadelphia teams. Those statistics, however, did not help stop the pain Jameer
Nelson felt. The only time he had stopped moving all night was when he sat in the
locker room after the game. He had both hands cupped around his face, the hurt
from defeat mitigating one of the most memorable individual performances in the
proud history of Saint Joseph’s basketball.
Nearby, a dejected Delonte West was removing the plastic guard that protected
the stress fracture in his lower right leg, but it didn’t lessen the pain of this loss.
Elsewhere in the room, the rest of the Hawks shuffled to and from the shower
after giving every last drop of sweat they had in this classic loss to Dayton.
Martelli, who as a child told his buddies he’d someday grow up to be head
coach at Saint Joseph’s said, “This was about all the intangibles that St. Joe’s is
about. This was everything that people have ever heard about the passion, about
the Hawk never dying.” Martelli said. “Those 13 minutes will live as a testament
to what basketball means at Saint Joseph’s. You can believe in this group. They
play to the finish.”
THE STATE OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL
As NCAA Tournament selection time was nearing, there were lots of
distractions in college basketball, and Phil Martelli addressed them.
“In the talk of the street, I’m (ticked) off,” Martelli said. “Really (ticked) off.”
He didn’t actually say ticked, but his utterance didn’t make family print. But
then, that’s Phil Martelli. He doesn’t couch comments. He fires point blank.
That’s what he did recently while awaiting his team’s fate at the hands of the
NCAA selection committee. The conversation had turned to college basketball and
how some see it as a carnival freak show.
St. Bonaventure plays an ineligible player, is banned from the A-10
tournament, the team revolts and forfeits the remainder of the season, the school
president resigns, and the coach and athletic director are suspended.
The University of Georgia is wracked by academic fraud, a player claims he
got illegal money, head Coach Jim Harrick is suspended; the team is knocked out
of tournament contention.
Fresno state University claims academic fraud, as well, and pulls its team from
NCAA tournament consideration.
Michigan has banished itself for past misdeeds, and Villanova had suspended
12 players for making phone calls with an unauthorized phone-access card.
“Hypocrisy fills college hoops top to bottom,” read an Orlando Sentinel
headline.
“Off-court madness all the rage,” trumpeted the Los Angeles Daily News.
Martelli bristled: “I’m ticked because we’re all getting painted by the same
brush. An overwhelming percentage – maybe 98 to 99 percent – of the kids, the
coaches, the programs and schools do the right thing the right way. Yet, we’re all
lumped in blanket statements. They say players aren’t really students. You tell
people you’re a college coach and you’re made out a pariah because 2, 3 or 4 guys
are operating outside the lines.
“I understand why it happens. It’s human nature. Everybody looks at car
wrecks. It’s societal. With all the CEOs who were caught cheating and ripping
people off, everyone’s looking out of the sides of their eyes at every big company.
Now, college basketball is getting the same treatment.”
Although he didn’t mention Harrick or St. Bonaventure’s Jan van Breda Kolff
by name, you knew who he was talking about when he said, “These guys have no
right. Everybody makes decisions, but instead of yourself, you’ve got to put some
thought into the greater good.”
The fiasco at St. Bonaventure really struck a chord with Martelli: “I see it as
two acts. One was getting the kid eligible. That’s right along with the Georgia and
Fresno State things. I hope that it’s negligence and not fraudulence.”
“The second act – the kids not playing – that decision should not have been left
up to them. This was a life-altering decision. Years from now--at family
gatherings, and social settings--people will say, “Were you on the team that quit?”
It will affect teams on both sides of this one, because no one will remember the
exact date. And it will be with these kids for the rest of their lives. Playing college
basketball is such a precious gift – to walk away from that opportunity on
misplaced emotion – they don’t realize what they’ve done.”
“With me, this isn’t just about the money, the office space, the car, the fame,”
Martelli said. “To me, this isn’t a job. I’m fortunate to be able to follow my
passion.
At Saint Joseph’s I can be Phil Martelli. I can be who I want to be. I’ve never
been accused of being politically correct. I can say things tongue in cheek.”
Phil being Phil means his dad coming to watch practice, his son being on the
team and his wife having the biggest block of season tickets.
“My son wants to coach,” Martelli said. His knowledge of all this is the NIT
Final, the Sweet 16, the USBA team winning gold at the Goodwill Games. I told
him to learn somewhere else first. Early on, I swept floors, drove the van with the
kids and dealt with disgruntled parents whose sons didn’t get in to play. When you
do that, you appreciate what this game is all about. Then it becomes so much more
special at this level. He needs to learn that.”
It was too bad that the coaches and players who committed these offenses in the
college game didn’t learn the same good lessons.
MARCH MADNESS
.
It was Sunday evening, March 16, 2003, and the 25th ranked Hawk players
were gathered in the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, with a near-full crowd of
boisterous fans, to get their marching orders from the NCAA tournament selection
committee.
The attendees were excited because of all of our sporting diversions, the NCAA
tournament most stirs the passion, sets the blood to boil.
A large TV screen had been set-up so all of those in attendance could see as
well as hear the selections as they were made. The Hawk mascot was flapping one
wing while autographing a youngster’s T-shirt with the other.
Brownies, soda and soft pretzels were the fare of the day.
The master of ceremonies was Coach Phil Martelli, who lauded his players,
stoked the seated crowd, and told the fans something they already knew: Saint
Joseph’s name would soon pop up on the NCAA tournament bracket displayed on
the giant screen behind him.
“On my way here, all I wanted was a parking spot and a Friday game,” Martelli
said when asked whether he cared where the Hawks would be seeded and whom
they would draw as a first-round opponent.
He got the parking spot and also a Friday game against No.10 seed Auburn (2011) in the East Regional to be held in Tampa, Florida.
When the Hawk’s selection was announced, everybody in the Fieldhouse let
out a full-scale roar as No. 7 seed Saint Joseph’s name appeared on the screen. It
was as if Jameer Nelson had just taken an inbounds pass in the backcourt and
rushed to the other end to make a layup.
The game would be on Friday, March 21, 2003. Tampa was in Florida and it
was warm. After that, nothing else really mattered much. It was the moment that
was important; the Hawks were in the “big dance.”
“I kept hearing No. 8 or No. 9,” Martelli said. “My only fear was that we would
slide down because Delonte was not 100 percent. But, it doesn’t matter what the
number is, I wouldn’t want to be the number on the other side of the draw.”
The other number, Martelli mentioned happened to be Auburn, which finished
second in the Southeast Conference West and it was coming in with a 20-11
record after playing the 27th toughest schedule in America.
This would be Auburn’s eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament, the third time in
the last nine years under Coach Cliff Ellis.
The Tigers, who were picked to finish last in the Southeastern Conference West
before the season, earned a date in the postseason after Auburn beat Tennessee 6653 in a conference tournament game
Auburn’s star player was 6’6” senior forward Marquis Daniels, who was
averaging 17.9 points and 6.1 rebounds through the SEC tournament, and shooting
51.1 percent from the field. “He is a huge leader for this basketball team,” Auburn
coach Cliff Ellis said. “I think his leadership has had an impact on this team all
year, and I don’t think that will change as we go to the NCAA tournament.”
The other double-figure scorer was sophomore Marco Killingsworth (13.6
points, 6.4 rebounds). Five other players averaged from 5.5 to 9.7 points.
The at-large bid given to Saint Joseph’s was for only the second time in the
Hawks’ school history. In addition, this invitation earned by the Hawks was for the
third time in coach Martelli’s eight seasons and for the second time in the last
three seasons
“I’ll give the committee a lot of credit,” Martelli said. “At least two members
saw our team live. To appreciate this team, you have to see them live to
understand what they put into the game.”
At the start of the season, it seemed unlikely that the Hawks would be part of
March Madness. As I had pointed out several times earlier, that from a team that
had fallen short of lofty preseason expectations, the Hawks had lost four starters
who had combined for more than 5,000 points and 2,000 rebounds. So, what they
had accomplished, this season, was noteworthy. Aside from the brilliant Jameer
Nelson, Saint Joseph’s began the season as a largely untested group.
But the Hawks began the season by winning easily, 85-58, at Boston College.
They raised eye-brows by defeating Gonzaga, 79-78, in overtime in Spokane,
Washington. They easily handled all their Big Five opponents. Delonte West
emerged as a star before the injury that severely reduced his playing time and
effectiveness. Jameer, however, continued to rank among the nation’s top players,
and the Hawks consistently played feverish defense, holding eight teams to less
than 50 points and ranking among the top three teams in the country in points
allowed and field-goal percentage defense.
“We’re not looking at this like we’re just happy to be here,” Nelson said.
“We’re going to this tournament to win some games. We really feel like we can
compete against anybody. We’ve played some good teams, so to me it really
doesn’t matter who we play.”
“These kids got here by giving every ounce of energy and passion they had,”
Martelli said. “Having our name called is one level of excitement. Now it’s about
winning games, not about the sunshine.”
The University of Pennsylvania, after going undefeated in the Ivy League,
received a No.11 seed and was scheduled to play No. 6 Oklahoma State.
The Atlantic 10 obviously was held in high esteem. Xavier got a No. 3 seed and
Dayton a No. 4 seed.
The No. 1 seeds for this tournament were Kentucky, Arizona, Texas, and
Oklahoma.
The Saint Joseph’s/Auburn game was predicted to be a game of speed against
brawn. The Hawks were expected to use their speed against the muscle of the
Tigers and force an up-tempo contest.
“They like to pound the ball into the lane and they play with a physical nature,
so it’s important that we get pressure on the ball on the perimeter and make it hard
for them to get the ball down low. We can’t let this become a slow-motion game,”
said Martelli.
WAS THE COACH SUPERSTITIOUS?
Preparing for your opening game in an NCAA Tournament can be strenuous in
your effort not to let anything be omitted from your preparation. Nothing must be
left to chance, even superstitions.
We knew Phil Martelli was nobody’s fool, but was he superstitious? “No,” he
said. “I don’t think so.”
While issuing his denial, Martelli was filling a small plastic pouch with
evidence to the contrary as he packed for a trip. In the pouch was the same watch
he had worn for every game since the Hawks advanced to the Sweet 16 in 1997.
What about the watch on his wrist? Of course, that’s the one he wears at every
practice session.
The “game” watch was accompanied by copies of the same prayers Martelli
says in the same sequence before leaving his home or hotel room to get on the bus
that transports the team to games. Always the last person on the bus – always – he
makes certain that each of his assistant coaches is in the same seat as usual. It goes
without saying.
“I don’t think its superstition,” Martelli insists. “I really don’t.”
When you mention Martelli’s denial of his being superstitious to his assistant
coaches, they roll their eyes in disbelief. “He really doesn’t think he is?” assistant
coach Mark Bass said, “Yeah, right.”
The Hawks never check out of a hotel until after a game. On one occasion the
team finished their business with the hotel, paying bills, etc. before leaving for a
game site. They lost the game and ever since, Martelli has prohibited such checkouts before games. “From now on, these are considered business trips, and
business is not done until the game is done,” Martelli said.
Now, the Hawks return to the hotels to check out after the game, which has
made for some experiences that test the players’ patience.
When the Hawks played Fordham in the Bronx, they stayed at a hotel in White
Plains. So, after the game, they had to go north, away from home, to check out
before turning around to head south for home.
“We usually stay in Teaneck when we play Fordham,” said a player. ”There
was a foul-up. It probably cost us another hour, hour and a half, so it was a little
inconvenient.”
When Martelli was told he might be superstitious, and the definition of
superstition is:
“An irrational belief in or notion of the ominous significance of a particular thing,
circumstance, occurrence, etc,” he jumped to his own defense.
“I follow a pattern, a routine,” he said. “It’s all part of my preparation for
games. I don’t believe these things I do have anything to do with winning or
losing. My routine is my source of comfort. It helps keep me calm enough to help
my team. I mean, if we’re in the middle of a game and things aren’t going well, I
don’t think it’s because something has gone awry in my routine.”
But he’s not superstitious, right?
Well, if not, then why was he 15 minutes late for the team bus before the game
against Drexel at the Palestra in December? It was because he didn’t have his car,
which meant he couldn’t listen to the same three Bruce Springsteen songs he
normally listens to en route to the Fieldhouse.
“My wife, Judy, had my car,” he said. She thought I’d told her I was leaving at
a different time. I had to go in my car, listen to the CD with the same three songs.
It takes me 15 minutes to get to the Fieldhouse from my house – time enough to
listen to the same three songs.”
He waited until Judy returned with his car.
Martelli does not watch pre-game warm-ups. He enters the locker room 65
minutes before the start of a game. He does not emerge from the locker room until
there are 90 seconds to go before the tip-off. He refuses to open mail that contains
applications for his summer camp until after the season. Some of it has been sitting
on his desk since December.
“All right, some of the stuff, I guess people can view as superstitious,” Martelli
said. “I still say its routine. That’s just how I am. I don’t like to be haphazard.
Besides, I don’t like to leave anything to chance.”
Getting things together and not leaving anything to chance was the order of the
day, and Delonte West’s ability to play was at the top of the list.
There was no question about it, the Hawks had been one of the best teams in
the East by combining deadly outside shooting with relentless perimeter defense.
It had been a simple but effective plan, thanks to their sensational backcourt. But,
if the Hawks had to enter the NCAAs with only one-half of their dynamic duo
feeling 100 percent healthy, it would be a cause for concern.
When asked about the stress fracture, Delonte showed a slight trace of a smile.
He had just finished a pain-free practice, which was good news, indeed.
“I’m not 100 percent,” said West, who had consecutive games of 25, 31, 32 and
26 points before the stress fracture rendered him a sometimes player the last seven
games. “But I think I’m in the 90s. I was surprised that I felt no pain at all during
practice. It’s the first time in about a month I didn’t feel pain. I took part in all the
drills, played defense, and I was making some cuts.”
Delonte wanted to do more, but trainer Bill Lukasiewicz told him to “look at
the big picture.”
“Now all I have to do is get it together mentally to play,” he said. “I have to
find a way to do that.”
Assistant coach Monte Ross said Delonte looked much better. “Right now, it
might be a case of mind over matter.”
THE OPENING ROUND OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The final chapter of this season was written after Saint Joseph’s lost to Auburn
in overtime, 65-63. It will say that Jameer Nelson scored his team’s final 14 points
and 19 of their last 21. It will say that Auburn’s star Marquis Daniels nearly
matched Nelson shot for shot.
What that last chapter can’t explain is the entire book. This was a team that lost
four fifth-year seniors and their 5,000 points and it was a team that was picked to
finish fourth in its own Atlantic 10 division. In addition, the coaching staff decided
to play an entirely different style from what it had taught previously, or most of
these players had ever played.
Yet, these Hawks had set a record for winning margin in its City Series sweep.
They led the nation in field goal defense. They had runs in games that made teams
quit in exhaustion and exasperation. They did better than anybody outside of the
program could have imagined.
But, none of that mattered now. The Hawks had lost, and when you lose your
final game of the season in the NCAA tournament, and 64 of the 65 teams in the
tournament will lose their final game, your remorse can only be healed by time.
Auburn had outplayed the Hawks in the first half. Saint Joseph’s was a team
that did not look like itself for the first 20 minutes. The Hawks trailed at the half,
32-19.
The bad news for the Hawks of course was the questionable health of Delonte,
who was healing, but just not healing fast enough. Delonte played 32 minutes,
winced a few times, and scored 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting.
“I definitely wasn’t 100 percent,” West said. “I had a good practice, and once
the adrenaline started going I was okay. But it definitely affected my performance
in the first half. I can’t blame my performance on my ankle though.”
The other problem for the Hawks was what Auburn’s scouting report revealed.
Specifically, the Hawks big men blocked plenty of shots, but don’t score very
much. That lack of front-court scoring punch came back to haunt the Hawks,
especially in the first half. Auburn’s big, physical defenders concentrated on
cutting off the passes to the wings and doubling the dribblers while leaving the
lane wide open, daring the Hawks to throw it to their big people.
Anybody who saw Saint Joseph’s play during the season knew that it was a
team that could make offensive adjustments and whose defense could turn a game
around, quickly. And so it was on this night. The Hawks began to force turnovers.
Tyrone Barley ran the point, so that the Tigers could not double on Jameer every
time he turned the corner. Nelson got himself open. He began to attack.
“If I was going to lose, I was going to go to the basket and lose,” Nelson said.
The Hawks scored 13 consecutive points. In barely 3 minutes, the game was
tied, 37-37, with a little less than 13 minutes remaining. However, the Tigers did
not crack.
Three times, the Hawks had a chance to take the lead. Delonte West missed a
lane jumper. He missed a three. Pat Carroll missed a three.
Four times, Jameer had to make a shot or free throws to tie it. He made every
last one, including an unreal left-handed tip in.
When freshman Dwayne Jones blocked Derrick Bird’s shot with 48 seconds
left and Auburn leading, 54-53, the Hawks had another chance to lead. Nelson
drove. There was some contact. No call. The shot missed. Nelson got the rebound,
his ninth and his sixth off the offensive glass.
After a timeout, the ball went where it had to go, right back to Jameer. He
cruised casually into the lane, using a high post screen. He stopped and threw in a
10-foot jumper as if he were on a Chester playground. The Hawks led 55-54. It
was the Hawks’ first lead since 4-3. Seventeen seconds remained.
Auburn called a timeout with just 11.9 seconds remaining. One more stop by
the Hawks and they would be on their way to the next round of the tournament.
Thinking that Auburn would take the ball to the basket, Martelli had his team in a
matchup zone.
Marquis Daniels (25 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) saw he couldn’t get
to the rim and coolly launched a three. He was barely a 30 percent three-point
shooter. This was the biggest shot of his life. He nailed it, and Auburn led 57-55.
“That caught us off guard,” Barley said. “It was a great shot by him.”
After a timeout with 6 seconds left, Jameer was to be given the ball. For Hawk
fans it was a familiar scenario. The plan was always to put the ball in Jameer’s
hands. He would make the right decision.
Before he got the ball, Jameer evaded a double-team, got the ball, dribbled past
Tiger after Tiger, and was fouled by Kyle Davis with half a second left. He had to
make both foul shots or the season was over. He made both, tied the score at 5757, and sent the game into overtime.
After Auburn controlled the ball for the first 75 seconds of the overtime
without scoring, Nelson made a three. And then another. When John Bryant stole
the ball and dived to control it, the Hawks had the ball and a 63-59 lead.
“I knew we were going to win,” Alex Sazonov said. “Then, everything came
crashing down on us.”
A Nelson three was just short. Marquis Daniels dunked at the other end. A
Nelson runner was just short. Marco Killingsworth hit Daniels with a pass. Daniels
blew down the lane, scored and was fouled. His free throw was perfect. Just 44
seconds were left.
Tyrone Barley, playing on a left knee that had locked up on him, just could no
longer stay with Daniels. The Hawks’ next possession ended with a Barley
offensive foul, the foul shot was made, and the final score was set at 65-63 with 8
seconds left.
Nelson got the ball to West, who threw it to Carroll at the top of the key. Pat
got a decent look, but the shot was never close.
Carroll was shaking his head at the memory of his missed shot. He was open,
he recalled, but hurried the shot because he saw Auburn star Marquis Daniels
coming at him.
“I was rising up to shoot when I saw him,” Carroll said. “He’s so athletic that I
thought he might block the shot. I rushed it. That’s the shot that everybody wants.
I would take that shot over and over.”
Jameer had scored 32 points. The other half of the Chester connection,
Dwayne Jones, had 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. They were 15-for-27 from
the field. Their teammates were 7-for-32. Delonte was the only other player with
double figures. He scored 10 points.
“I had to shoot,” said Nelson, who always senses what is necessary for his
team. “I was in a kind of zone. Every shot felt good.”
Carroll could not get open and missed all 5 of his shots. It was the first time this
season that Pat Carroll was held scoreless, and sore-kneed Barley missed his 4
shots. Delonte, still limping on his stress fracture, was 3-for-13.
“I did what I could do,” Delonte said. If healthy he could have done a lot more.
The Hawks starting frontcourt was out-scored, 47-10.
“When you’re a team, you are going to have days when you’re disappointed,
when you’re not going to get out what you put in,” Martelli said. “And
unfortunately for us today, we didn’t get out what we put in.”
“Every possible thought and combination will go through my mind over the
next several days,” he said. “Foremost in your mind is that you have a
responsibility as a coach to understand that you are working with people and it’s a
people business. My greatest responsibility has nothing to do with me. It has
everything to do with those kids in that room, and I’m not going to let them leave
with a tear in their eye.”
That loss by the Hawks snapped the three-game streak of winning in the first
round of the NCAA tournament. The last time the Hawks had failed to win their
opening-round NCAA game was in 1982 against Northwestern.
So, the Hawks had lost. It was hard to accept after playing so valiantly. It was
hard to believe that this had happened. But, it is why they keep score, after all.
And if the final score says that Saint Joseph’s Hawks had lost in overtime to
Auburn by 65-63, well, that’s what it says. The numbers don’t lie.
But, that will not be the enduring memory – not the score, not the tears, not the
haunted stares. The picture that lasts will be of Jameer Nelson, with a ball in his
hand and a half-second on the clock and two free throws between his team and
overtime. “Special players make special plays at special times,” is what Phil
Martelli said after the game ended.
Martelli was talking about a performance for the ages, as living and breathing a
definition of sporting leadership as any of us had seen. He was talking about his
wondrous player, with everybody in the building knowing he was going to get the
ball, and still being able to take it, time after time after time, and keep the Hawks
alive.
“People have looked out of the corner of their eye whenever I say he’s the best
point guard in America,” Martelli said. “You can have all the guys the TV guys
talk about. This kid is as good as any of them, if not better than all of them.”
We, the Hawks fans, knew all about Jameer Nelson, we had seen Jameer create
miracles many times since he came to Hawk Hill. We certainly could not disagree
with Phil Martelli’s assessment of Jameer.
The comeback was also a Hawk special (patent pending). It started on the
defensive end, as it had for them all season, all elbows and knees and intestinal
fortitude.
“We accomplished a lot,” Nelson said. “Everybody doubted us but us. We want
to thank everybody for doubting us and making us play so hard. We’re going to
continue to work this summer, work the rest of this year, and get right back at it.”
Here’s what Gary Shelton, a writer for the St. Petersburg Times in Florida had to
say on March 22, 2003, about Jameer:
[Nelson was the best player on the floor in the opening round. Not just for Saint
Joseph’s, but for anybody. He was fearless, tireless, and relentless. Most of all, he
was unforgettable. Well almost. Another basket, just one, and the nation would be
in love with Nelson. This was one of those great individual performances from a
little-known player that people seem to savor … if it comes in a victory.
Oh, Nelson did all he could. He brought Saint Joseph’s back from a 13-point
deficit. He woke his team up from its first-half sleepwalk, and he pushed it toward
the finish line, and darned if he didn’t nearly get it across.
You remember don’t you? There was a time in the second half when the entire
bracket disappeared, when all the other teams faded, when even the teammates
turned invisible. It was just Nelson and Auburn’s Marquis Daniels, playing oneon-one. Daniels was terrific. And his team won.
But Nelson was better.
There were times when it seemed that no one else playing for Saint Joseph’s
had any desire to touch the ball. They just wanted to throw it to Nelson and then
get ready to play defense.
Time after time, Nelson shot his team back in the game, or pulled down an
impossible rebound. With 17 seconds to go, his short floater gave Saint Joseph’s
the lead.
Even after Daniels had settled things, seemingly, with a 3-pointer with six
seconds to go, Nelson wasn’t done. Oh, Auburn knew he was going to get the ball.
I knew it, and the parking attendants knew it.
Here came Nelson, to the surprise of no one, weaving in and out of Auburn’s
players. Auburn probably remembers similar runs; a guy named Bo Jackson used
to make them all the time. This time, Nelson drove the length of the floor and
drew a foul with a half-second to go. He hit both free throws. Then he stood on the
bench, no one ignored him any longer]—Gary Shelton
A LOOK TO THE FUTURE
Thirty-three teams were sent home after first round losses in the tournament.
The Hawks were sent home because of their 65-63 overtime loss to Auburn.
A half hour after the loss, senior Alex Sazonov was still dealing with the loss
and his emotions. “The sad part for me is I just took my Saint Joseph’s jersey off
for the last time,” he said. “I’ve had a great time. These are great guys. But I
believe you can learn from every experience, and I think the younger guys will be
back here next year, and they’ll remember this feeling.”
Alex, with that statement, did not know how prophetic he was. If he only knew
what we know now, that the Hawks would be back with a vengeance and go
undefeated in that next year.
The Hawks, along with Alex Sazonov, would also lose Mike Farelly, and Phil
Martelli, Jr. to graduation. They did not, however, expect to lose Chris Cologer,
the 6’11” part-time center. It was a surprise when Chris decided that he would be
better served if he left school and played professional basketball back in his native
country, France.
In addition, if you were a Saint Joseph’s fan, you had to prepare for a haunting
possibility: Jameer Nelson heading to the NBA.
In the coming weeks, Jameer had to make a decision. Does he come back for
his senior season, try to break a few school records and captain a team that will be
ranked in everybody’s preseason Top 25? Or does he live his dream and become
the first player from Chester, PA. to make the NBA?
Up until this point in the season, Jameer had a fabulous career. He had a field
day with everyone who was placed in his path, especially over the past few weeks.
Even after his superb performances, Nelson said initially, that he was leaning
toward returning to school, but had some thought about entering the NBA draft. At
that point he did not seem to be a lock for a first round pick and Phil Martelli had
indicated that he would assist Jameer by seeking an evaluation of him through the
NBA’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee.
“My sense is that, if the world is perfect, he’d graduate from college,” Martelli
said. “At the same time, I have to submit his name.”
Often during the course of a basketball season, Martelli tried to take the
temperature of his team by reading the body language of his players. He believes
he is pretty good at it.
But, as he watched Jameer wrestle with the dilemma of whether to enter the
NBA draft, or remain at Hawk Hill for his final college season, Martelli found his
interpretation of Jameer’s body language changing repeatedly.
This should have been a difficult period for Martelli as well, because Nelson’s
decision would dramatically affect the prospects of next season’s team. With
Nelson, the Hawks and their followers could reasonably expect a special season,
and a player of his caliber makes life much easier for the coach.
But Martelli insisted he had no trouble separating his self-interest from
Nelson’s interests.
“It was very easy, really,” Martelli said. “My responsibility for every kid that
comes into this program – and I ask their families for that responsibility – is that
I’ll do the very best I can for them socially, athletically, academically. I was trying
to do the very best for Jameer because that is what I pledged when I recruited
him.”
The process involved several league general managers, player personnel
directors, and scouts Marty and Ryan Blake meeting on April 11, 2003 to evaluate
players upon their written request.
If Martelli discovered that Jameer was a surefire first-rounder, and thus would
be in line for a guaranteed three-year contract in the NBA, the Hawks’ loss to
Auburn may have been the last of his collegiate career.
The thought of losing Jameer was agonizing for most Hawk fans. They wished
the best for him, but at the same time wanted him back for one more season since
with his return, the Hawks more than likely would begin the year nationally
ranked. Including Nelson, they would return 10 of 11 players who received
significant playing time during the season.
“The only thing that should determine whether Jameer stays or goes is whether
or not he’ll be a first round pick in the draft,” Martelli said a day after the season
ended.
“I won’t be the determining factor, but Jameer and his family will listen to what
I have to say. If I find out he’s a 100 percent lock to go in the first round, I’ll help
him pack his bags; it would be selfish and wrong for me to do otherwise. If it’s not
a lock, I’ll advise him to stay for his senior season.”
NBA officials were prohibited from making comments on collegiate athletes
since they thought it “sends the wrong message.” They were sensitive to the
criticism that the NBA was encouraging young players to shorten their educations
for the lure of professional riches. That, at least, was their explanation. Not many
fans believed the message. To most, it was laughable.
“Nelson’s physical characteristics are that he’s explosive, he’s strong, which
helps him because of his lack of height,” one Eastern Conference scout was quoted
as saying. “His lack of height is his questionable side; how can he make that
transition to the NBA, going against taller guys. The other concern is his shooting
inconsistency; he’s just a streaky shooter. But he’s proven he can run a team and
he’s a point guard who can score. He’s probably a first-round pick.”
“That’s not what I heard,” said a scout out west, who was familiar with Nelson.
“Nobody I talked to had him drafted in the first round. There are supposed to be a
ton of point guards in the draft, a few loved more than Nelson. To be a first-round
pick, usually, you’ve got to be a projected starter, and Nelson is seen as a backup.”
NBA scouts are into projections. With the 5’11” Nelson, what you see is what
you get.
“The things that they want him to change, he can’t change,” Martelli said.
“He’s not going to get bigger.”
Therein was the dilemma facing Jameer. It was a difficult choice for him to
make, but one he would pursue with all the help he could get. It would not be a
frivolous decision.
“Do I want him back?” Martelli asked. “Yes. My question is, I have to treat this
kid as my son.”
Coach Martelli made his request to the NBA for procedural instructions and
several days later he got a letter from the NBA that outlined the procedures Jameer
had to follow. Jameer had to sign the form and get it back to the NBA by April 11.
By May 1, Jameer would be advised as to his most likely draft position – lottery
pick, first round, second round or not on the draft board. The problem with the
process, of course, was that there were no guarantees, just probabilities.
The deadline to declare for early eligibility was May 12, 2003. Players had
until June 19, 2003 to withdraw. The draft was scheduled for June 26, 2003 in
New York.
Jameer was subsequently invited to the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago. He
was invited to the camp under a new NCAA regulation that allowed
underclassmen to be evaluated while retaining their collegiate eligibility, provided
they did not sign with an agent. The NBA also paid for all of the expenses
involved with the “tryout” process.
Jameer arrived for the NBA’s predraft camp with a new tattoo stretching across
his back just below his neck that reads, “All Eyes On Me.” He also arrived at the
camp with his same old game.
In his first game action, Nelson dominated the second quarter, as his team took
a big lead it never gave up. He had 13 points, seven assists and no turnovers in 20
minutes, as his team won, 109-90. For the remainder of the week-long camp,
Jameer played at the same high level. He was the best true point guard at the
camp.
Kentucky guard and Jameer’s Chicago pre-draft teammate, Keith Bogans,
approached Jameer after camp and told him, “Thanks for helping me make the
league.” Bogans, who wound up as a second-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks
recognized that it was Jameer’s skills that got the ball to him and gave him an
opportunity to score.
Jameer proved he could play with the very best players. He made a strong case
on the court, but what he knew going into the pre-draft camp probably would keep
him out of the first round of the draft. He’s not 6-feet tall. The issue of his height
was a negative factor.
A WELCOME DECISION BY JAMEER
When Jameer returned to Philadelphia for summer school, he kept to himself,
heightening the tension. Not even Martelli saw him until 10 days before the draft,
when Jameer worked out for the Magic, Blazers and Pistons at Alumni Memorial
Fieldhouse. Martelli figured that with all of this attention from NBA scouts, the
gig was up. Three days later, Jameer stopped by his office to give him the word.
“Back to school,” he said that simply.
“Okay,” Martelli answered, trying hard to match Jameer’s cool. “Let’s go tell
the guys.”
As his teammates gathered around him on the court, Jameer sensed their
anxiety. He couldn’t resist:
”There comes a time in every person’s life, he began, when you need to go out
and make a living. After playing so well in Chicago, it feels like time to say
goodbye.” Then he stood back, poker face intact, to make sure they all bought it.
Jameer couldn’t hide his smile any longer. “I’m coming back,” he said. Jameer
never had to run faster in his life than he did trying to escape his deceived
teammates.
With no clear-cut guarantee that he would be a first round pick, Jameer
withdrew from consideration for the 2003 NBA draft and decided to return to
Saint Joseph’s for the 2003-04 academic year. Jameer submitted the required
withdrawal letter to the NBA office on June 19, 2003 and because he had never
signed with an agent, he retained his final year of eligibility.
“After considering all the options, the best decision for my family, my
education and my life is to return to school and complete my college career,”
Nelson said. “I love St. Joe’s, the coaches and my teammates, and the chance to
help our program reach even greater heights is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. This also
is a chance to give back to something that has given so much to me. Professional
basketball is still how I want to earn a living and support my family. The last few
weeks have convinced me that will happen. I am grateful to the NBA for giving
me that chance, and to everybody at Saint Joseph’s and beyond who has supported
me.”
“I’ve said all along that Jameer is the best point guard in America, but he is
even a better person,” said Martelli. “He cares so much about his school, his
teammates and our program that no one should be surprised with his decision. He
is coming back to school for all the right reasons, and his legacy will be like those
left by Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Lionel Simmons, four-year guys with
tremendous character.”
“It isn’t about being a first-round pick any more. It’s about being a lottery pick
next year and a candidate for National Player of the Year. Jameer will break every
record that we have, he’s a first team all-American and he’ll be revered as long as
they play basketball at Saint Joseph’s.”
As it turned out, the consensus of opinion was that Jameer was wise to declare
himself eligible for the draft. Now he had a better gauge of where he stands in
regard to his future as a pro. He impressed influential people. He came away from
the experience more confident that he will realize his dream and play in the NBA,
and comfortable that he made an educated decision.
“I came away feeling good about myself,” Jameer said. “Hopefully, I can go on
to be regarded as one of the best players ever at St. Joe’s”
Jameer, owned the top two single season assist totals in school history, he also
was ranked second on the all-time list with 543 assists. He trailed only Rap Curry,
who collected 580 assists from 1990-94. Nelson also ranked 17th on SJU’s all-time
scoring list with 1,435 points. He needed 551 points as a senior to surpass Bernard
Blunt (1950-95) as the Hawks’ all-time scoring leader and 565 points to become
the first 2,000 point scorer in men’s basketball at Saint Joseph’s.
The Hawks, as a team, had a very good season and set some records along the
way.
They earned just the second at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in program
history.
Saint Joseph’s, which finished with a final record of 23-7, ended the year as the
nation’s top field goal percentage defense team, holding opponents to a schoolrecord 37.2 percent shooting. The Hawks would also end the year ranked seventh
in scoring defense (59.5 ppg.) and 12th in blocked shots per game (5.53 bpg.).
Delonte West joined Jameer on both the Atlantic 10 and Big 5 first teams, and
was named the Most Improved Player by both leagues.
Pat Carroll, who led the Atlantic 10 in three-point percentage (.450), was a
second team all-Big 5 and third team all-Atlantic 10 selection.
The leaders of the Hawk defense, Tyrone Barley and redshirt freshman Dwayne
Jones, were unheralded by all but their teammates. Nelson, who earned a spot on
the A-10’s all-defensive team, credited Barley as the team’s defensive leader while
Jones led the conference in blocks per game (2.00 bpg.) despite playing only 21
minutes per contest.
Phil Martelli, who orchestrated this remarkable season, earned his second
USBWA District Coach of the Year award.
Assistant coach Matt Brady was selected as one of the 500 scholastic and
collegiate assistant coaches to be awarded the second annual AFLAC National
Assistant Coach of the Year award.
Brady was in his 10th season patrolling the sidelines at Saint Joseph’s. After
joining the Hawks as a restricted earnings aide in 1993, Brady was now the
veteran among assistants in the Atlantic 10 Conference. He is tied for second on
the SJU all-time assistant coach longest tenure list with current head coach Phil
Martelli. Only Dan Kenney, who served with three coaches (Ferguson,
McMenamin, and Ramsay) for 17 seasons, had a longer tenure as a Hawk
assistant.
Even while Jameer was contemplating his decision with the NBA, the Hawks’
coaching staff was busy lining-up new players.
“As the next game has always been my focus, in the same vein, my attention
and my energy are clearly on the 2003-04 Hawks,” said Martelli.
In the middle of April, 2003, Saint Joseph’s roster was down to one center and
had three scholarships to give. After Chris Cologer left school, the Hawks were
looking for a backup to Dwayne Jones, a player for the future, and a forward for
the next season.
In line with that thinking, Matt Brady, Monte Ross, and Mark Bass kept
pounding on doors until they could get the three players in the fold that they were
seeking.
In the first week of May, what was described then, as, “the player for the
future,” Arvydas Lidzius, a 6’9” forward from Lithuania by way of prep-school
powerhouse Montrose Christian in Rockville, MD, signed a letter of intent. The
thinking was, at that time, that Lidzius would redshirt the next season.
Lidzius, who had arrived from Lithuania two years before, came off the bench
at Montrose Christian School to average eight points and four rebounds. Lidzius
was one of six players from that school who were expected to sign with Division I
colleges.
One week later, on May 7, 2003 Saint Joseph’s announced that it would be
getting the back-up center it had been seeking, 7’, 285 pound Artur Surov, from
Memorial Day School in Savannah, GA. Artur was an exchange student from
Finland. He was born in Estonia and moved to Finland when he was 6 years old.
“He’s a big kid,” Mark Sussman, Memorial’s athletic Director and Surov’s host
in America, understated. “You see him and you don’t remember that he’s just 19.
He’s a kid at heart, very smart, very sociable.”
Memorial coach Keith Bazemore said that after a slow start because of a
broken ankle, Surov averaged 18, 19 points down the stretch. “He has real good
post moves. He can be a dominant player,” said Bazemore.
The Hawks completed its incoming freshman class with the signing of Robert
Ferguson on May 15, 2003. Ferguson a 6’9” power forward from Mariner High
School in Cape Coral, was considered one of Florida’s top scholastic players.
Ferguson, who averaged 25 points and 16 rebounds, was also considered an
excellent shot-blocker. He was chosen first-team all-state by the Florida Athletic
Coaches Association, and he was runner-up for the title of Florida’s Mr.
Basketball in the large-school category.
Rob was redshirted for the upcoming season. However he gained valuable
experience and provided strong competition for the other players in the practice
sessions.
The Hawks had been in the market for big players and they were able to fulfill
their needs. It was considered a successful recruiting effort.
In addition to the above named players the Hawks added two “walk-ons.”
Rob Sullivan a 6’1” guard from Philadelphia’s Lasalle College High School and
Andrew Koefer a 6’1” guard from Allentown Central Catholic.
The basketball season, which had just been concluded, would be the last season
that the president of the university, Father Nicholas Rashford, S.J. would preside
over. Father Rashford was a huge supporter of the team and rarely, if ever, missed
a game. He could always be seen at courtside with his camera taking pictures that
he later posted on the university’s Web site.
Father Rashford was succeeded by Father Timothy Lannon, S.J. who was
the vice president for University Advancement at Marquette University. It was
ironic that Father Lannon was coming to Saint Joseph’s from another basketballrich school and one that had reached the NCAA Tournament Final Four the
previous spring.
The feeling was that, perhaps, Father Lannon was a good luck charm.
THE UNDEFEATED 2003-2004 SEASON
Although the summer was still upon us, the Saint Joseph’s athletic department
was hard at work preparing for the coming season. The start of the school year was
just around the corner and with that basketball season was not far behind.
Father Lannon had arrived. He began his presidency with Mass on the Feast of
Saint Ignatious, July 31. It was obvious that he would be most visible and very
supportive of the student-athletes and teams.
The basketball schedule for the coming season was nearly completed, the
games at the Fieldhouse were again sold out, and Jameer Nelson and his
teammates were already receiving much deserved pre-season recognition.
Per NCAA rules, the coaches had supplied the team members with workout
schedules for the summer that included strength, conditioning and skill work. Most
of the skill work was centered on shooting with a lot of one-on-one drills, and the
conditioning and strength work was designed to show marked improvement across
the board.
Within those same rules, no one on the coaching staff was permitted to monitor
any of the recommended activities, so the coaches were counting on the players’
own motivation to improve themselves. That would prove not be an issue. During
the summer, the players could be found around the Fieldhouse quite a bit working
to improve their strength and basketball skills.
What Saint Joseph’s did the last season and what it was doing this season
would not be happening without dedicated coaches and talented players. It would
also not be happening if the school had not committed in the spring of 2002 to the
Summit Sports Training Center.
“I have been amazed at their creativity, their professional approach and their
conceptual idea,” Phil Martelli said. “Most people think strength and conditioning
is, ‘Go lift as much weight as you can as many times as you can, you’re going to
get big and strong.’ For them to start talking about the core areas for the athlete
from above the midsection to the thighs, it’s been amazing. And to see that the
players kind of grasp it and embrace it has been beneficial to us.”
The Hawks were tough teams in Jameer Nelson’s first two seasons, but the
feeling was that they could have been a lot tougher. In fact, their defense was, to
some degree, somewhere between soft and nonexistent.
Enter Summit.
The results were speaking for themselves. Saint Joseph’s led the country in
field goal defense the last season. Everything the Hawks did in a game began with
their defensive pressure on the ball. The players were not just “in shape,” they
were beyond that.
Their bodies were such that they had complete confidence on the court. It was a
feeling of well-being that translated into a belief. You can talk about wanting to
press and run and defend, but you can actually do it if your athletes have been
trained to do it.
Everybody connected with the Saint Joseph’s basketball program gave Summit
great credit for the success of the program.
Just as the schedule for the upcoming season was about to be finalized, a
scheduling conflict with Villanova arose.
For several years, Saint Joseph’s had attempted to get Villanova to schedule its
(Villanova’s) home game with Saint Joseph’s at another venue other than on
Villanova’s campus. The Hawks had always accommodated Villanova by playing
their home games at the Palestra. This, playing at the Palestra, was necessary, in
part, because Villanova demanded that 3000 tickets be made available to their fans
for any away game played with Philadelphia teams and had that requirement
included in the Big 5 agreement. Because of this stipulation and the limited seating
capacity of Saint Joseph’s Fieldhouse, the “Holy War”, as it was commonly
known, could not be played on Hawk Hill.
More than that, Saint Joseph’s was always interested in allowing more people
the opportunity to see Big 5 games by scheduling those games at the larger
capacity Palestra rather than at its own Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
When Saint Joseph’s was the visiting team and played at Villanova’s arena,
Hawk fans were allotted 250 tickets.
In the scheduling rotation with Villanova, it was Villanova’s home game this
year, and both schools in their negotiations with the Big 5 had agreed to play in the
Big 5 Classic at the Palestra in a single night game on December 6, 2003. Then,
along came ESPN who asked both schools to play their game, as part of their
television promotion, known as “Rivalry Week,” on February 2, 2004. Both
schools agreed, and after conferring with the First Union Center, decided to move
the game to the larger capacity First Union Center (now called the Wachovia
Center). But, the game would not be played there. That night, February 2, 2004,
the Philadelphia Flyers had that date and for some unknown reason, the First
Union Center’s staff overlooked that fact.
The game was subsequently scheduled for Villanova’s fieldhouse, labeled by
some as the “ski lodge”.
“I’m sure it was just a communication problem,” Villanova athletic director
Vince Nicastro said. “It’s not a big thing.”
But, to Saint Joseph’s fans it was a “big thing.” It was another in a long string
of scheduled games where the Hawks gave up “home court” advantage or an
opportunity to gain a “neutral court” status to its fiercest rival, Villanova.
In “Holy Wars” Hawk fans wanted every advantage they could get, instead it
was one more episode where Villanova was seen as “getting its own way.”
One month after the previously mentioned scheduling matter, the rivalry
between Villanova and Temple escalated to new heights in the off season.
Temple coach John Chaney announced that he wouldn’t play Villanova
because the Wildcats wanted to change the date of their scheduled game. The
teams were scheduled to open the season at Temple on November 21, 2003.
Coach Chaney contended that Villanova only wanted out of the scheduled date
so it could instead get five suspended players (phone-access card violations)
eligible for the Maui Invitational (Nov. 24-26) by opening the season against two
weaker Division III teams in California. Villanova did not dispute its player
ineligibility issues led to scheduling Claremont and Redlands College on
November 21 and 22, but they contended that the November 21 date with Temple
was only tentatively agreed upon.
“We don’t plan on playing them,” Chaney said. “They’re going to Maui and
scheduled two Division III games on our date. We wrote a note, letters, email, and
they ignored us completely. They went past us without any kind of respect. So,
we’re not playing them.”
Needless to say, the relationship between Chaney and Villanova coach Jay
Wright was strained, and Coach Wright said, “This is a simple scheduling issue.
And our athletic department has handled this professionally and our athletic
department will continue to work with Temple and secure a date for this game. I
want to play this game.”
The Temple -Villanova feud wasn’t new to Big 5 fans, but this year’s edition
was extremely complicated.
At the time, it looked like the Big 5 round-robin series would be short one
game, but the game was finally rescheduled. It was played at Temple’s Liacouris
Center and scheduled for 12:01 a.m. on Friday, the first day that teams could play
non-exempt regular season games. The crowd was absolutely electric. The place
was packed with a capacity crowd of 10,206 who had been fired up from all of the
rhetoric and verbal blasts hurled by the fans of both schools.
And, by the way, the game was won by Villanova. The Wildcats drubbed
Temple, 73-48 in the season opener for both teams.
Villanova’s team left Temple’s campus at 3 a.m., and caught a few hours sleep
at a Philadelphia airport hotel before catching a flight to Los Angeles on Friday
morning.
The Wildcats were scheduled to play the University of Redlands in California
on Saturday morning, November 21 before heading to Maui Saturday night.
The Hawks and Villanova were involved in one other scheduling fiasco. The
Saint Joseph’s-Boston College and Penn-Villanova games ended up in the Palestra
on December 9, 2003. Saint Joseph’s and Boston College reserved the date months
in advance. Penn and Villanova kept trying to come up with a date to play their
game, but nothing seemed to satisfy them.
Penn suggested that they play December 10, but the Wildcats refused, saying
that they needed 2 days to prepare for Northeastern on December 12. Villanova
suggested that they play on December 3, but Penn refused without explanation.
Neither team had a game scheduled for the first week of December until the
Big Five Classic on December 6.
Knowing that the Hawks had already reserved December 9, they inexplicably
ended up scheduling their game for the same day. The Hawks game that had been
scheduled for the evening, had to be rescheduled for the afternoon, which certainly
cost the Hawks several thousand in attendance.
A cynic might look at all this and see one common complicating denominator –
Villanova.
One other big news event was being talked about during this basketball offseason. The Big East, as we knew it, was over.
Less than 10 days after Miami and Virginia Tech bolted the Big East to join the
ACC, the athletic directors and presidents of the remaining Big East schools, who
play football, met, and were strongly leaning toward forming their own league for
all sports.
The Atlantic 10 was concerned, because the remaining basketball schools in the
Big East were talking about reaching out to Xavier, Dayton, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island and Temple to look for replacements.
It was a time of uncertainty for the survival of the Atlantic 10, which in recent
years had established that it was one of the premier conferences.
THE HAWKS’ NEW RECRUITS
On August 30, 2003, The Hawks received an oral commitment for the 2004-05
season from Abdulai Jalloh, a point guard for the National Christian Academy in
Fort Washington, Maryland. Jalloh was described as a superb athlete with an
accurate long-range shot. The 6’1”, 185 pound Jalloh averaged 18 points, 6
rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals as a junior.
National Christian coach, Trevor Brown, said, “Abdulai chose Saint Joseph’s
because the coach (Phil Martelli) has a reputation for developing guards.”
Jalloh later signed a letter of intent with the Hawks during the early signing
period in November. This was significant since the Hawks would need
replacements for seniors Jameer Nelson and Tyrone Barley.
Within five days of Abdulai Jalloh’s oral acknowledgement to come to Saint
Joseph’s, the Hawks got their second commitment from 6’8” guard/forward Pat
Calathes.
The Hawks were sizzling.
Pat Calathes was one of the top discoveries of the summer of 2003. Pat lived
in Winter Park, Florida and attended Lake Howell High School. Pat was
considered a very versatile, gifted swingman, with the size and ability to play all
five positions, including point guard.
This was the third consecutive year that Saint Joseph’s had gotten a
commitment from a Florida high school player. Two years ago it was Chet
Stachitas from Pointe Vedra Beach, and last year it was Robert Ferguson, from
Cape Coral.
“I liked everything about Saint Joseph’s,” said Calathes. “I loved the school,
the coaches, and the players. There is nothing I didn’t like.”
John Calathes, Pat’s father said, “What I liked about coach Martelli is that he
talked to me about Pat from a father’s perspective. He told Pat there were no
guarantees, that he would have to earn his way, and Pat liked that.”
The Hawks looked like they had added two good players for the future. In
addition, it was of great benefit to land early commitments. An early committment
allows extra time for the coaches to do more outreach in the recruiting process and
more time for teaching players and game-plan analysis. To sign Jalloh and
Calathes so quickly was a justification of that trend toward building an ongoing
program.
THE PETE NEWELL CHALLENGE
With the summer now at an end, basketball fever was beginning to creep into
every Hawk fan’s conversation. On September 9, 2003, it was announced that
Saint Joseph’s had officially accepted an invitation to play in the prestigious Pete
Newell Challenge on December 20, 2003 at The Arena in Oakland, California.
The Hawks were scheduled to face California while Stanford would take on
Gonzaga. All four schools had qualified for last season’s NCAA Tournament.
“They lost our number and now they found it,” Martelli said. Martelli was
referring to the fact that before Jameer decided to return, tournament organizers
weren’t sold on the fact that without Jameer, Saint Joseph’s would be a worthy
participant in their tournament.
Who could blame them? With Jameer, this would be a Saint Joseph’s team that
should be able to compete at the highest level.
The Pete Newell Challenge was created to honor the Hall of Fame legend who
had won a college version of the Triple Crown – an NIT championship at USF
(1949), an NCAA title at California (1959), and an Olympic gold medal for the
United States (Rome, 1960).
In just six years, the Pete Newell Challenge had become one of the premier
events in college basketball. Saint Joseph’s was the latest school to join the
impressive list of Pete Newell Challenge participants that had included such top
national programs as Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Michigan State, Michigan,
Indiana, Temple, Georgia, Brigham Young and Mississippi State.
This invitation to such a prestigious event was another important step toward
national recognition for the Hawks’ basketball program.
By September 18, 2003, the Hawks basketball schedule had been just about
finalized. What was known, however, was that the first game on the schedule
would be with Gonzaga on November 14 in New York City at Madison Square
Garden. The second game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic doubleheader would
be the event that would pair the young Saint Joseph’s/Gonzaga rivalry. AlabamaPittsburgh would precede the Hawks and Zags.
“We’re really excited about playing Gonzaga again,” Phil Martelli said. “It’s
going to be a highlight of our season. They’re going to have a great team. They
may be ranked as high as No. 6, 7 or 8. Act III has been finalized.”
What Martelli was referring to when he mentioned “Act III”, was what would
be the third and deciding game of a three game series. Each team had won one
game. When the East Coast Jesuits played the West Coast Jesuits on December 31,
2001, at Hawk Hill, Gonzaga won 83-80 when its star Dan Dickau hit a threepoint shot in the final seconds. They then played on New Year’s Eve again the
following year, this time at Gonzaga. The Hawks won 79-78 in overtime when
Jameer Nelson scored a then career-high 34 points, including the winner with 8
seconds left in overtime.
With both teams being ranked in the top 25 in every preseason poll, it seemed
only right that this third game should be played at America’s most famous arena,
Madison Square Garden, and what was presumably a neutral site.
“They’ll be pouring up the turnpike for that one,” Martelli said. The last time
the Hawks played in the Garden was in the 1996 NIT, Martelli’s first season as
head coach.
“I think there were 38 buses that time,” Martelli said. There might be as many
or more this time.”
Midnight Madness, the official start of basketball at Hawk Hill, was not until
Friday, October 17, but with the news that the Hawks would be playing Gonzaga
on November 14, 2003 the Hawk fans were ready for the new season – NOW!
In addition to the trip to Madison Square Garden to play Gonzaga and a transAmerican flight to face California in the Pete Newell Classic, the Hawks’ 2003-04
schedule of games featured 15 games against teams that qualified for postseason
play the year before.
Coming off a 23-7 season, in which the team captured its third straight Atlantic
10 regular season crown, won the Philadelphia Big Five title outright for their first
time since 1980 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in
three years, expectations were at an all-time high for the Hawk program
“This team deserves to be on a national scene,” said Martelli. “We are going to
be the biggest game of the year at some of the places we play at on the road this
year. I am looking forward to the challenges that lurk on the schedule.”
When Phil Martelli spoke those words, he was not doubted by anyone who
knew college basketball. His previous team had a marvelous record, and he was
returning 11 letter-winners and four starters, including National Player of the Year
candidate Jameer Nelson. We know now how understated his thoughts at that
moment were. This team would be watched closely all year, by the rest of the
nation, as it worked toward an unblemished regular season.
A RENEWED PENN STATE RIVALRY?
As October rolled around, Martelli was a busy man. He was keenly aware of
what was going on in the “basketball world”. Penn State was trying to revive its
basketball program with its new head coach Ed DeChellis, who was in the
Philadelphia area as part of Penn State’s promotional effort named “Penn State’s
Tip-off Tour”.
DeChellis’ appearance as a guest on the local “Daily News Live” television
sports show and in a featured article in the Philadelphia Daily News was a clear
infringement on what had been considered by the Philadelphia schools as
“personal space.” Up until this time, Penn State had never thrown the faintest
shadow of presence in Philly, something the new coach wanted to change.
Martelli decided that he would issue a challenge to Penn State. His thinking
was, if they wanted to have a presence in the Philadelphia area, then let’s go all the
way and have them come in and play in the area.
“I called Penn State this morning,” Martelli said. “I told them we would love to
enter into a home-and-home series with them, starting next season. I think we
should play every year”
It sounded like fun to the fans. The schools had not met in a dozen years, dating
back to the Nittany Lions’ final season in the Atlantic 10 when Martelli was an
assistant under John Griffin and DeChellis was the same under Penn state’s Bruce
Parkhill.
Ed DeChellis was lukewarm about the idea. “Man, I don’t know. That’s a tough
place to play,” the Penn State coach said about the tiny Alumni Memorial
Fieldhouse on Hawk Hill. “I wouldn’t say no. I’ll just have to think about it.”
The game was never scheduled. However, it was a masterful move by Martelli.
Penn State was very popular in the Philadelphia area, they played in a major
conference and it would help the Hawks’ RPI to get a quality non-conference
opponent to beef up their schedule.
As the new season moved ever closer, Jameer continued to collect preseason
accolades. He was named to the All-America 1st Team by both Street & Smith’s
College Basketball and Basketball News. The Hawks were also ranked 19th in the
preseason Top 25 as chosen by Street & Smith’s.
Of Nelson, Street & Smith’s said, “After spurning the NBA Draft, the Hawk
legend has a chance to go down in college hoops annals as one of the last great
four-year players.”
In addition to Street & Smith’s, Jameer was named a preseason All-America
first team selection by the John R. Wooden Award; Blue Ribbon College
Basketball Yearbook; Lindy’s College Basketball; and Athlon Sports College
Basketball.
College basketball practice was to begin on Saturday, October 18, 2003 at
12:01 a.m.
A lot was expected from Saint Joseph’s basketball team this year, and high
expectations were warranted. The Hawks led the nation in field-goal defense the
previous season. They won 18 games by double figures and set a record for margin
of victory in Big 5 games. They finished 23-7 and five of the losses came in the
final minute.
The Hawks had all of its firepower back. They had proven that they could
generate terrific ball pressure and had a very good shot blocker in Dwayne Jones.
They could make threes. They had a great guard line, perhaps college basketball’s
best.
JAMEER HELPS A TEAMMATE
Even though he was a big “star” on the basketball court, that notoriety never
changed Jameer’s good character. He never ceased being a compassionate
individual.
Judging from the tone of Phil Martelli’s voice, Andrew Koefer braced himself
for the bad news.
“I’m sitting in coach Martelli’s office and he started by saying, ‘Well, you
worked hard and you tried your best.’ It didn’t sound good…and then he took a
phone call,” Koefer said, recalling the day in October.
“I heard him say to the caller, ‘Yeah, he’s in here now.’ I had no idea who he
was talking to. I was so nervous, I was almost shaking.”
Jameer Nelson was on the other end of the line, asking the coach not to do what
he was about to do, which was to cut Koefer, who had tried out for the team as a
walk-on.
When Martelli hung up, he said to Koefer: “Congratulations. We have a spot
for you, if you’re interested.”
“He was working as hard as anyone else, and he’s not a bad player,” Nelson
said. “I took a liking to him.”
Koefer, a freckle-faced, redheaded freshman from Allentown Central Catholic
High School, had no idea that Jameer had requested that Martelli keep him.
Martelli loved to tell a story, and this one was so good that he wanted to save it
and tell it at an opportune time. He thought that time would probably be at the
basketball banquet.
But, the story was leaked to a Sports Illustrated reporter who spent a week
following the Hawks for a later story.
“I didn’t want Andrew to read about it before I told him, so I told him right
away,” Martelli said. “I think I know who told the reporter, but it wasn’t me and it
wasn’t Jameer.”
“Up to that point, I didn’t know Jameer played a role in getting me on the
team,” Koefer said. “When I saw Jameer, I thanked him for doing what he did. He
just shrugged it off and said it was no big deal. I mean, I can’t imagine a player of
his caliber doing something like that for someone like me. I had a lot of respect for
Jameer as a person before I knew what he did. After that, I thought, ‘Wow! What a
great person as well as a great player.’ ’’
Concerned that Koefer might become embarrassed, Jameer had hoped the story
would remain a secret.
“But he was more happy than embarrassed,” Jameer said. “He thanked me
numerous times. It made me feel good because I was able to touch someone’s
heart. It’s not all about basketball, but about being a good person. I just thought he
deserved to be on the team.”
MIDNIGHT MADNESS
It was no wonder that there was excitement at the prospects for the new season.
Since Jameer decided in June that the NBA could wait for another year, Hawk fans
had been waiting for the Midnight Madness celebration that signaled the official
start of the new season.
Midnight Madness on the Hawks’ campus took on a carnival atmosphere and
Phil Martelli was the pitchman.
In addition to the basketball related items on the agenda, coach Martelli invited
the Naamans Little League team from Delaware County to take part in the
festivities. The youngsters were there to challenge the Hawks to a wiffle ball home
run derby. Noting that Naamans had advanced to the Little League World Series
that summer, Martelli said: “My guys are going to get smoked. Most of them don’t
know which end of the bat to hold.”
It was a fun night, but what the fans wanted and waited to see was the
introduction of each of the players.
As each of the players was introduced, they were greeted warmly. At the
mention of Jameer’s name, there was a long and thunderous applause. The
reception for this player, who embraced Saint Joseph’s by deciding to come back
to school, was deafining.
The fans, if they had been permitted, would have stayed all night. They could
not get enough of this team. But, that was how basketball had always been
welcomed at Saint Joseph’s.
And so, the 2003-04 basketball season began.
“We do strengths and weaknesses with all the players before the year,” Martelli
said. “One of Jameer’s weaknesses is, why can’t you be a sophomore or a junior?”
If Jameer’s career had ended with his splendid NCAA Tournament
performance against Auburn, it would, on any individual level, have been
acceptable. But everybody around the Hawks’ program would always wonder how
Saint Joseph’s might have done the past March had Delonte West been healthy.
Now with the team pretty much fully intact from the past year, everyone was
anxious to see this team play.
“A career like this deserves a proper ending,” Martelli said. “Maybe, last
spring, the NBA would have been right for him. But there would have been kind
of a gap in all of our stomachs, our brain or our heart.”
There was also a veiled beauty in Jameer’s decision to declare for the NBA
draft. Even though he put the program on edge for a few months, his teammates
appreciated his presence that much more when he came back. Lord knows, they
weren’t counting on it. Even though they knew that he hadn’t signed with an
agent, the Hawks figured he was gone once he got an invite to the Chicago
predraft camp. “We knew scouts were going to see what we’ve been seeing every
day,” Delonte said.
This season was going to be, at least partially, about finding out how last
season could have ended. The Hawks would be in everybody’s preseason Top 25.
Being highly ranked is not supposed to help when you play the games, but it was
expected to provide a heap of motivation.
The Hawks wonderful basketball tradition stretches back to the “Mighty Mites”
of the mid-1930’s. The Hawks have had a Hall of Fame coach (Jack Ramsay),
have won conference championships in multiple leagues and have sprung
memorable upsets. They had never been in the national rankings for four
consecutive years – until now.
“When you look at the names of these teams when they put out these preseason
rakings, it should be humbling for a program like this,” Martelli said. “To know
that we are going to be in the Top 25 for a fourth straight year, it’s just really
something. It’s a special time and place at St. Joe’s right now.”
This would not qualify as memorable at Connecticut or Duke, which were
ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the AP poll. But, this was important at
Saint Joseph’s, a school that had one of the smaller enrollments in Division I and,
to be charitable, did not have the same kind of facilities as almost every other
member of the Top 25.
Although there was some skepticism that was bred by the fact that Saint
Joseph’s didn’t live up to its preseason hype two years ago, when it began the
season No. 8 in the Associated Press poll, this season’s Hawks were perceived to
be better equipped to handle the expected pressure. They were deeper and much
more dedicated to defense than the Hawks of 2001-02.
Phil Martelli, at the same time, was not hesitant to play up his team’s
expectations.
“The anticipation around campus, I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” he
said.
“The interesting part is that the anticipation is student driven. To be honest, our
alumni fan base seems to be a little cautious, perhaps fearful of what happened two
years ago.”
The eagerness for the season to begin and to see this team play was also being
fueled by the reports about the Hawks’ first opponent, the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Most of the major college basketball publications had weighed in with their
preseason national rankings, and nearly all of them had Gonzaga listed among the
Top10. This lofty ranking did not surprise anyone. Gonzaga by now had dumped
its “Cinderella” label since they had made five straight trips to the NCAA
Tournament.
On October 30, 2003, amidst all of the hoopla for the coming season, Saint
Joseph’s University announced that it had agreed to new contracts with Phil
Martelli and the women’s head basketball coach Cindy Griffin. The financial
considerations were not disclosed, but the agreements extended Martelli’s tenure
at the university through at least the 2009-10 season and Griffin’s through 200607.
Calling him a great ambassador for the university, the Rev. Timothy R. Lannon
added, “Phil is an amazing man who is deeply dedicated to our basketball program
and our university. Both Phil and Cindy help make Saint Joseph’s basketball very
special; and make me, and others, very proud to have the opportunity to work with
them. We’re very fortunate to welcome them back for many more seasons.”
Martelli responded by saying, “I don’t get up to go to a job each day, I get up to
go to my passion. I’m here to do what I do, better, for the next seven years.”
Almost immediately after preseason drills began, Delonte West, after
rebounding a ball came down awkwardly on his ankle and he let out an agonizing
scream.
The players and the dozen or so spectators in the Fieldhouse were silent. After
what seemed like minutes, but was only seconds, players and the team’s trainer
converged on the fallen Delonte.
Delonte gingerly began to get up and began testing the ankle by putting weight
on it slowly, and with the help from a couple of the players went to the dressing
room. The first thing that entered my mind was, “Oh my God, he reinjured his
fibula, the same one he hurt the previous year.”
Luckily, when the trainer came back on the court he advised everyone that
Delonte was alright and that he had only slightly strained his ankle. More than
that, the injury was not on the same leg as the previous injury. Happily, last year’s
injury had completely healed.
That devastating injury at the end of last season, which cut short Delonte’s late
season scoring splurge and perhaps Saint Joseph’s deeper run into the post-season
tournament, was still on everybody’s mind.
Had the current injury happened during the season, it was likely that he would
have been out for several games. As it was, the Hawks were to begin play against
Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden two weeks from the date of Delonte’s injury.
This was another reminder of how fine the line is between winning and losing
in college basketball. An injury to a key player can change the course of a season,
as we witnessed the previous year.
There was still a lot of speculation about the Hawks lofty ranking. On
November 11, 2003 the preseason Associated Press poll had them ranked 17th. At
the same time, the basketball editor for the Sports Ticker, Santosh Venkataraman,
wrote:
[“Yes, Jameer Nelson is back and yes, Jameer Nelson is good. And Delonte
West is a tough, gritty starter. But the rest of the Hawks are glorified role players
who don’t bring enough offense to the table. For all of Nelson’s greatness, he can’t
make other players put the ball in the basket.”]—Santosh Venkataraman
What none of us knew, and especially the so-called experts, was that coach
Martelli had found more than a few gems and would adopt a whole new coaching
strategy that would compliment his team’s strengths while masking their
weaknesses. Martelli also knew he had players who had game experience.
“This year, we have two key guys, Jameer and Tyrone Barley, who know what
it’s like when you have this weight on you and you let it get to you,” Martelli said.
“I think we’re the best backcourt in the country,” Jameer said. “People could
say I’m sounding a little cocky, but at times, you have to tell the truth.”
Friday, November 14, 2003. The season, of record, would start on that night at
Madison Square Garden against Gonzaga. But, the buildup for the season really
began on the morning of June 19, 2003 when word began to leak out that Jameer
Nelson was going to pull his name from the NBA draft and return for his final
season on Hawk Hill.
In the three seasons before Nelson’s arrival, Saint Joseph’s was 36-51. In his
three seasons, the Hawks were 68-26.
MORE ABOUT JAMEER
A lot has already been said about Jameer and what he has meant to this
program. I have included, up to this point, some, but not all, that was said. So,
there will be more, for this is about Saint Joseph’s basketball during the Jameer
Nelson years.
When he was asked what Nelson had meant to the program, Hawks’ assistant
Monte Ross took several minutes to gather his thoughts before speaking.
“There has never been a player that I’ve been around, associated with or
coached that has had a greater impact on a team, a program, a school, a
community, the whole spectrum,” Ross said. “The amazing part about it is you
would think that he is, for lack of a better term, a walk-on for the way he carries
himself, appreciating things that have happened to him, happened for him, never
an ounce of cockiness.
You can never fully appreciate him unless you come to practice. I don’t know
if there is a word that they have invented to sum him up as a person, as a
basketball player, the whole 9 yards.”
“I’ve seen Jameer Nelson and had the pleasure of being able to touch him, see
him every day. When you are able to interact with somebody that is considered
among the best, it’s really something special. I know it’s corny, but he really
hasn’t changed.”
“When my father died, Jameer called me. Not just right after it happened, but a
couple of days later just to say ‘Things have settled down a little, how are you
doing now? Are you all right?’ What kids do that? What 20, 21 year-olds do that?”
THE GONZAGA GAME AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
So here we were. The Hawks were ranked No.17 in the Associated Press poll
and they were about to get an immediate test from No.10 Gonzaga and they were
dealing with soaring expectations.
“The main thing is we compete and everybody knows we are going to play
defense,” Nelson said. “Everything is adding up to make one big thing and that’s
the team.”
When he was asked what was the team’s goal? He answered, “National
championship, nothing else.”
In the scope of things, that may not have been realistic. Given the nature of the
NCAA Tournament, nothing is realistic. It is just too difficult. One bad game and
you’re gone.
And, the Hawks had flaws. You could match their backcourt up with the rest of
the Top 25 and the Hawks would be the best. The frontcourt was another matter.
The things that the Hawks now had going for them was experience and a
healthy Delonte West, and they had a way of playing that worked for them. With
Nelson, West, Carroll and Barley, the sixth man, Saint Joseph’s would face no
team with a superior perimeter game.
The past two years the Hawks had high expectations but were never the force
that they thought they could have been.
“We are going to speak directly to it,” Martelli said. “The last time, we
accepted it, but we didn’t really talk about it. The other thing is that we’ve lived
through it. They had a taste of what it was like and really the kind of desperation
that set in as we kind of tried to scratch and claw our way out of a mud pit. And
this entire coaching staff has had that. All of us have had that common experience.
I feel very confident in saying that we, particularly this coach, will handle all of
those expectations and the hype and the glow that goes with this in a better way. It
was our first time. We can paint it any way we want. We, as a program, and me as
a coach, didn’t handle it as well as we should.”
“There’s always room for improvement,” Jameer said. “But the most important
thing is for me to be a better leader. I’ve been here three years. I’ve been to the
NCAA Tournament twice and to the NIT once, and I know what it takes. We want
to go further.”
Anybody who knew college basketball knew that Gonzaga was a formidable
opponent. They were not a Cinderella team. They were not a mid-major. Their
program was an elite program.
This year they were returning all five starters from a team that lost a thrilling
overtime game with Arizona in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The
game was arguably the best of the 2003 tournament.
“We’re anxious to prove that we are a top 10 program,” said Blake Stepp, a
preseason Wooden All-America candidate. “We’re not satisfied with just seeing
our name right now in the Top 10. We’re going to show that we do belong.”
“Truthfully, we don’t have any weaknesses,” added sophomore Erroll Knight, a
transfer from Washington and the type of athletic small forward the Zags had
lacked on the defensive end, let alone on the finish of a break. “The only things
that can stop us would be ourselves. If we just fight hard and play together, we’ll
be fine … and we’ll end up in San Antonio.”
If you are a team that has been in the NCAA Tournament for the last five years,
you are a team that cannot be considered a “one hit wonder”—Gonzaga had a
strong program.
They came by train, bus, car, and probably on foot. They came from Hawk
Hill, the city and the suburbs. They really came from Chester. They invaded
Madison Square Garden.
An estimated 6,000 Saint Joseph’s fans were at MSG for the marquee game of
the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. They waited for months to see their team. And
they were not going to miss the opening act of what was to be a season to
remember. Little did they know that this team would be undefeated in the regular
season.
“That shows the passion our people have for Saint Joseph’s,” Coach Martelli
said. “You have to realize there were more people here tonight than will be at any
home game we’ll have this year.”
They came to see an elite basketball team from a Jesuit school from the West
Coast play an elite team from a Jesuit school from the East Coast. It was a pivotal
game of a three-game series. What they saw was a game that was played with
March intensity in November. They saw great plays and great players.
The game was a complete frenzy from the opening tap. Shots were missed that
would have been made in February, after a dozen or more games had been played.
Shots were defended like these two teams would defend them all season. It was
advertised as the Hawks’ speed against the Bulldogs’ power. It was that. And it
was more, much more.
The Hawks’ Chester connection, Jameer Nelson and Dwayne Jones, were in
just about every play. Jameer was a blur who often seemed to be in two places at
once. Jones was a ghost who emerged from the shadows to challenge and often
block what seemed like sure Gonzaga shots.
The first half was really good, but that was just a preview of coming attractions.
The second half began as if it were played at the Hawks’ Fieldhouse when the
Hawks get on one of their runs.
Every shot looked good, and was good. The Hawks scored 15 points on their
first six possessions. Jameer was on his way to a near triple-double. Delonte
started making shots he had missed earlier. Pat Carroll got open and started raining
threes. The defense, good in the first half, became great. The game, somewhat
wild, became totally out of control – just the way the Hawks liked it.
The Hawks opened up a nice lead and they were never going to give it up. It
was the moment they had been waiting for and they were simply not going to let it
slip away.
The Hawks made only one shot in the final 8 minutes and that was a banked
three by Carroll. The Hawks, however, had already done more than enough to win
– and they did by a score of 73-66. It was Phil Martelli’s 150th win. It was also his
parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. They got a great November present.
Jameer had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists.
There was no denying that Gonzaga had size, experience, tradition, an
exceptional group of players and a National ranking. What they didn’t have was
Jameer Nelson or anyone to deal with Jameer.
Jameer dazzled the Bulldogs with his remarkable quickness.
“I don’t think there’s anyone in the country, who can handle him one-on-one,”
said Gonzaga coach Mark Few. “It’s hard to imagine that a 5-11 kid like that can
dominate a basketball game, but he did.”
And he did it with the same verve, flair, and wide grin he displayed in
Gonzaga’s Kennel last season when he scored 34 points and the game-winning
basket in a 79-78 overtime victory that snapped Gonzaga’s 29-game home
winning streak.
“He’s about as good as you can get,” the Bulldogs’ Blake Stepp said. “He does
so many things so well – he drives, he passes and he shoots. You just hope you can
take enough away from him to get by, but tonight we didn’t.”
Delonte scored 16 points; Pat Carroll added 12 points and Dwayne Jones had 6
blocked shots.
“I thought Dwayne Jones played well for them too,” Coach Few said. ”He had
6 blocks against our inside kids, and our inside kids are tough to handle.”
On November 18, 2003 this post was made on the Minnesota Web site,
“GopherHole.com:
“Being the college basketball geek that I am (and recognizing I might not see
these two teams on TV much this year), I taped Friday night’s game between these
two and watched it late last night. A couple of observations:
*St. Joseph’s is a very, very good team. They are led by Jameer Nelson, but
have other very solid backcourt players and solid, athletic role players down low-somewhat reminded me of the Arizona team which won a national championship.
They play very good defense.
*Gonzaga will be very good too, and they are very deep this year (almost too
deep, as they have 10 players with a legitimate claim to minutes). They were
affected by some injuries and an off night by their PG Stepp, which had a lot to do
with St. Joe’s defense.
*Jameer Nelson is my early contender to take the crown from T.J. Ford as the
premier player in the nation and causing jaws to drop on the floor. I had never seen
him play before and it was a treat. One particular baseline drive in the second half,
which involved a spin move and a no look pass, ranks among the incredible plays
I’ve seen. If you see that St. Joe’s is on TV, I suggest you find a way to watch.
*A Vitale moment---he was broadcasting, along with Dan Shulman. The game
was in the second half, and Nelson, Delonte West, and this guy Barley (can’t recall
his first name) were dominating the game at the time. Shulman was stating what a
strong backcourt they were, when out of nowhere, Vitale states, “they got a pretty
good one down at Duke too.” Shulman wasn’t talking about the best backcourts in
the nation (an earlier discussion during the broadcast, which of course prompted
Dukie (Vitale) to proclaim Duke to have the best backcourt), and there was
absolutely no reason for Vitale to bring up Duke’s name—but of course, that’s
never stopped him before. It’s almost moved beyond annoyance for me to the
realm of comical, his affinity for Duke.
By the way, Jameer Nelson would eat Duhon for lunch.”
There were a lot of favorable comments made about Jameer’s return to college
basketball. Most of the comments were complimentary and a tribute to Jameer’s
level-headed approach to the whole NBA episode.
As tired as it may seem, the “early entry” issue defines each college basketball
season – who stays, who goes, and who never shows. In just the first two nights of
the season, at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, this subject was examined from
every angle. Memphis played without recruit Kendrick Perkins, who became a
first-round pick directly out of high school. Alabama lamented the departure of
point guard Maurice Williams after his sophomore year. But Jameer Nelson was
here.
Jameer made a lot of people at Saint Joseph’s, including himself, happy when
he decided to return for his senior year.
“I wanted to have fun and that’s why I came back,” he said. “I wanted to come
out and have fun tonight and I was having fun and that means we’re winning.”
The reasons Jameer was wearing a Saint Joseph’s jersey for one more season
were and remain simple: Jameer can both win National Player of the Year honors
and leave a legacy at Saint Joseph’s as its best player – ever. And, over the four
months of the season, he had a chance to play his way into the lottery in the 2004
NBA draft. Had he risked his professional future on the four weeks or so he spent
in the spring testing his value, he was at best a”bubble” first-round pick.
When Gonzaga coach Mark Few bumped into Jameer, in the lobby of a hotel in
New York, before their game, he put his hand on Jameer’s shoulder and said,
“Thanks for coming back. You’re special to the sport of college basketball.”
“I wanted us to play against him,” Few said, “In a crazy, weird, way-off-center
way.” Other coaches joked about how nice it would have been to see Jameer move
along to the NBA, so they no longer would have to deal with his speed, his
strength, his dazzling passes and the mysterious quality that permits him to make
ordinary players good and good players great. Coach Few appreciated how
desperately the college game needed players like Jameer.
AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Next, the Hawks had to go on the road and play at Boston University and at
Old Dominion, where they would not have 6,000 fans rooting for them as they had
at Madison Square Garden.
The Hawks schedule was amazing, to say the least. They couldn’t seem to get a
decent home-and-home series. They couldn’t even buy home games. Coach
Martelli said he wasn’t about to dump games for which he had signed contracts.
So, the Hawks will continue to go on the road to an American East and a Colonial
Athletic Association school before coming home for a game against San
Francisco. The Hawks had to go to Delaware this season, too. The last time the
Hawks had a home game, without a return date promised, was against St. Peter’s
in 2000.
“We are what we are,” Martelli said.
They were 200 miles and 11 days removed from their Broadway-like opening
at Madison Square Garden against Gonzaga. They were playing Boston University
in 1,800-seat Case Gym, known affectionately in these parts as “The Roof.”
The Roof was not exactly jam-packed on the night the Boston University
students began their holiday exodus out of town. The atmosphere was not exactly
frenzied.
“You had to bring your own energy,” Jameer said, and he did. So did the No.
13 Hawks, and they led in this game, wire-to-wire, and beat Boston University
comfortably, 71-56.
There wasn’t much question about the outcome, although the well-coached
Terriors (0-2) were game from start to finish. Every time they sort of got close, the
Hawks (2-0) made sure it didn’t stay close. The Hawks had three quick bursts (122, 13-2, and 8-0) and that was that.
The Hawks’ biggest lead was 52-32 with 12 minutes left, and they got there by
playing their unselfish game. Boston University cut off the dribble penetration by
clogging the lane, so the Hawks found an open man standing beyond the threepoint line and they commenced firing.
They were 8-for-16 from the arc in the first half. They made the extra pass,
which made most of the looks uncontested. They had 18 assists on their 23 field
goals.
When they needed someone to go one-on-one, Delonte West (20 points) was
called on and he showed most of his repertoire to begin the second half. He had
been doing the same thing in recent practices as his sprained ankle continued to
heal.
“He went offensively ballistic in practice,” Martelli said. “He was basically
unstoppable.”
When they needed energy, they summoned defensive whiz Tyrone Barley. And
every shot he was now taking looked perfect. He tied his career high with 15
points and now had nine treys in the first two games.
We had known about Barley’s great defensive work and we knew that Tyrone
had been working hard on his shooting by spending long hours in the gym. That
work now seemed to be paying off.
Coach Martelli was not surprised. He had been watching it in practice. “When
he shoots it, he thinks it is going in, and that’s probably more important than me
thinking it’s going in.”
Nelson did not shoot too well, but he did whatever he chose whenever he
chose, finishing with 13 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Everybody knew
he was out there.You were drawn to his outstanding play.
West and Nelson combined for 33 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, and 9 steals.
That was great work by the backcourt duo and it was scary when Delonte said, “I
still don’t have my explosiveness back.”
The Hawks just had 6 baskets in the lane. The Hawks played with 4 and
sometimes 5 guards. They had gotten beaten on the boards, 38-28, but that was
largely irrelevant in this game. They won against an opponent they should have
and did beat easily. They did it by creating havoc on defense, shooting threes, and
making great passes.
AT OLD DOMINION
On Saturday, November 29, 2003, the Hawks played at Old Dominion in
Norfolk, Virginia in the Ted Constant Convocation Center. It was the Monarch’s
home opener and 6,054 people were in attendance.
The Monarchs started the game with a 6-0 run and ODU held an 8-2 advantage
before Saint Joseph’s came back to grab a 16-point lead, 30-14, with 7:02 left in
the first half. The Monarch’s, however, came up with a 13-1 run to cut the Hawks’
lead to four, 31-27 with just over four minutes left in the half. At the half the
Hawks had a 10-point 39-29 lead.
It was a see-saw battle which saw big leads evaporate as each team went on
extended runs. Twice in the second half the Hawks had a 14 point lead, the last
being with the Hawks leading 61-47 nearly 10 minutes into the half. ODU whittled
down the deficit in the final minutes of the half to just two points, 72-70 with 46
seconds left in the game. The Hawks, with control of the ball, got Jameer free
allowing him to hit a three-pointer from well beyond the arc to give the Hawks a
75-70 lead with just nine seconds left in the game. The Monarchs managed to
score two more points, making the final score 75-72, and a Hawk win. The Hawks
were now 3-0.
For the game Jameer and ODU’s Alex Loughton scored a game-high 24 points
a piece, followed closely by Delonte West’s 23 points.
Chet Stachitas chipped in with 11 points to give the Hawks three double-figure
scorers for the game.
Old Dominion shot 38.6 percent from the field, while the Hawks shot a
commendable 52.7 percent. But, once again the Hawks were out-rebounded, this
time by a commanding 49-25. However, that rebounding deficit, although a
concern, was somewhat diminished since the Hawks caused ODU to turn over the
ball five more times than the Hawks.
After the game ODU coach Blaine Taylor said, “I know we had the game in our
hands and I know Jameer Nelson is a good player, but that shot he made was a
back-breaker.”
For Hawk fans this was one more miracle performed by Jameer.
Three wins to open the season had done more than raise Saint Joseph’s
Associated Press ranking to No. 12. Those three wins had also cranked up the
Hawk fan’s anticipation – already sky-high – to a fever pitch.
SAN FRANCISCO AT THE HAWKS’ HOME OPENER
Playing San Francisco in their home opener on a Tuesday night, December 2,
2003, the Hawks found their comfort zone in the Fieldhouse and they delivered.
With a sell-out crowd (all the home games were sold-out) roaring from the
opening tip, the Hawks raced to a 29-4 lead on its way to an 84-52 thrashing of the
Dons.
The Dons were out of the game before they had a chance to really get in it. It
was 10-0 after 3 ½ minutes and 29-4 after 9 minutes and 84-52 after 40 minutes.
It was as if the Saint Joseph’s players did not want to waste a single second of
their first of eight games to be played in their familiar gym. This group had been
nearly unbeatable at the Fieldhouse and after playing in New York, Massachusetts
and Virginia, they finally got a chance to play where they practiced.
“This team is predicated on ball pressure, sharing of the basketball and trying to
run the floor as hard as you can,” Martelli said. “I thought we got those things. We
held to our standard.”
Jameer, of course, was upbeat and said, “Up until now we haven’t played to our
potential. But this game, we really put our foot on their throat when we had to.”
Jameer had 18 points, six assists and five steals in only 22 minutes. When the
score hit 65-26 with 12 minutes left, Martelli pulled most of the starters. Nelson
and Delonte (13 points, seven assists) were no longer needed.
Jameer, however, left everybody with something else to remember. This time,
it was a long key-to-key bounce pass between defenders to West for a layup.
“That probably was the flashiest pass I will ever make,” Jameer said. “I’m not
going to do any behind-the-back passes. I try to keep it basic. I saw Delonte and I
knew where the gap was going to be.”
Three Hawks had career highs. Dwayne Jones and Chet Stachitas had 13 points
each. And former cheerleader and walk-on Rob Hartshorn hit two late treys for six
points.
Although the Hawks were out rebounded again, 40-27, it obviously didn’t
matter in this game. However, their torrid defense allowed them to win the
turnover battle again, 24-6. They had 13 steals and made 11of 25 shots from
beyond the three-point line.
Jameer, who did not shoot well in the previous Saturday’s game, stayed after a
late practice on Monday night and kept shooting. The extra practice paid-off, as
his long trey got the scoring started against San Francisco and Jameer shot 8-for12 for the night.
When Martelli was asked to rate Jameer’s performance, he didn’t hesitate and
as usual took every opportunity to praise Jameer’ play.
“That bald-headed guy on ESPN (Dick Vitale) picked another kid (Notre
Dame’s Chris Thomas) for first team All-American,” Martelli said. “Did that kid
go 4-for-21 last night? They’re not in the same breath. Jameer is just special. We’ll
never see another like him.”
It was a festive night at the home opener. The Hawks won their fourth straight
game of the young season.
A raucous student section, awash in crimson T-shirts, began chanting “We
want cheesesteaks” before the first half ended, hoping for a 100-point night and
free sandwiches at Abner’s in University City.
The students also offered a 53rd birthday serenade to Saint Joseph’s president
Timothy R. Lannon, S.J.
THE BIG 5 CLASSIC
Although the Big 5 is not a formal conference, winning the City series, which
began in 1955, has long been a major source of pride for the players, many of
whom grew up playing with and against one another. Each City Series match-up
used to be played at the Palestra. Then some of the Big 5 schools decided to host
City Series games on their respective campus sites, where the atmosphere is
simply not the same as it is at the Palestra. Round-robin play ended in 1991,
mostly because of Villanova’s Big East Conference considerations, but returned
for the 1999-2000 season when the Big 5 teams agreed to assume playing one
another, making possible, what is now called the Big 5 Classic.
“We wanted to do a Classic to draw attention to the fact the year is starting,”
said Don DiJulia. “This is our way of calling attention to this long, great,
wonderful tradition.”
This was the third year of the Big 5 Classic; an event that gives the city’s hoop
fans a chance to measure the capabilities of Philadelphia’s six Division I-A teams
in one noisy day. The double-header of Drexel-Temple and Saint Joseph’s-Penn
would begin at noon and it was a sellout. There was a separate admission for the
night game between Villanova and LaSalle.
The Big 5 and the Palestra were big attractions. As for me and my good friends
Bernie Morgan and Gerry Mullin, we had seats in the front row of the Palestra for
32 years. Every night that Big 5 teams played at the Palestra, a double-header was
scheduled. Some nights you even got to see four of the city’s teams play, but most
nights you saw two city teams playing other rivals.
For us, and thousands of other basketball fans, week-end games at the Palestra
were an important part of your “social” life. Dining out before or after the games
became the winter ritual. You met your friends at the Palestra. The rivalries
between the City schools were intense. With every Big 5 match-up came the
promise of an exciting evening of basketball.
As a boy, Phil Martelli would attend games there and tell his father his goal
was to someday coach Saint Joseph’s. Penn coach Fran Dunphy spent his college
years scraping his elbows across the Palestra floor as a heady point guard at
LaSalle. Now he would be coaching Penn against the Hawks.
PENN AT THE PALESTRA
On a day when Penn (2-3) refused to let Saint Joseph’s (5-0) run off and hide
because of deadly long-range shooting from Jeff Schiffner (23 points) and Charlie
Copp (12), Jameer Nelson prevented the Quakers from pulling off an upset.
Jameer scored 23, shooting 9-for-17, with 8 steals, 4 assists and 6 rebounds.
Jameer scored 15 in the second half, shooting 6-for-9. The Hawks won the game
67-59.
It didn’t matter that the Hawks were nationally ranked and that Penn was
supposedly building its team, this game was played with ferocity and at a frantic
pace. But, as usual, a Big 5 game at the Palestra had that effect on the game of
basketball. There were no safe leads or safe opponents and heaven help those that
believed otherwise.
“This hasn’t ever changed,” Martelli said. “You always get a knot in your
stomach before playing a Philadelphia game here.”
The fans were unrelenting as well. The Palestra was sold out and rocking with
fans swapping taunts of “overrated” to Saint Joseph’s and in reply to Penn “not
even rated.”
Penn fans unfurled a banner making fun of Jameer’s height, then later chanted
“Ga--ry Cole--man” in reference to the diminutive star of the sitcom “Diff’rent
Strokes.”
But it was the diminutive star of the Hawks who shone in this game.
“Jameer imposes his will on the game, and he did that today,” Penn coach Fran
Dunphy said in admiration after the Hawks relied on Nelson’s leadership and a
stingy defense to defeat Penn. “And he did it at both ends of the court, eight steals
and some timely baskets. He has such great knowledge of the game. He sees
things most of us do not see. He’s special. And he’s a good guy.”
In another corner of the building, Jameer fretted momentarily over his 3
turnovers, and then he shyly lowered his head when Dunphy’s compliment was
passed along to him.
“When someone like coach Dunphy says that about you, everybody believes it
because he knows good basketball,” Jameer said. “It’s really nice of him to say
those things.”
A year ago, the Hawks went 4-0 in the city series, beating each of its Big 5
opponents by double figures. This time, the Hawks couldn’t relax until Tyrone
Barley drained a pair of free throws with 12.1 seconds remaining to give them a
66-59 lead.
Delonte West collected 15 points. Tyrone Barley had 10 points and with his
defense, helped keep Schiffner from single-handedly torching the Hawks. And
Dwayne Jones pulled down 13 rebounds to go with 3 blocked shots and 8 points.
Even though Penn was the taller team overall, this was a game where the
Hawks finally won the rebound battle, 32-30.
BOSTON COLLEGE AT THE PALESTRA
The game with Boston College on Tuesday, December 9, 2003 was played at
the Palestra at 4 p.m. because Villanova and Penn were scheduled to play that
night, and because Boston College’s coach Al Skinner refused to play the Hawks
at the Fieldhouse. Coach Skinner had experienced enough defeats at the loud and
cramped Fieldhouse when he was coaching Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10
Conference.
“Al Skinner told me he’d never play at the Fieldhouse or in Olean, New York”
(St. Bonaventure’s gym), Martelli said.
But, the Palestra was not an easy place for visiting teams to play either. The last
time the Boston College team visited the City of Brotherly Love’s famed
basketball basilica, it suffered a season-ending loss against Temple in the second
round of the National Invitation Tournament a year ago.
This visit to the Palestra would be no different.
Playing before a crowd of 5,542, the Eagles absorbed their first loss of the
season in a 67-57 setback to the 12th-ranked Hawks. Incidentally, the Hawks gave
Boston College its first loss the previous season, (2002-2003) as well.
Delonte West led the Hawks in scoring with a game high 27 points on 10-for17 shooting, and added 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Delonte was just getting fully over his high-ankle sprain he suffered nearly two
months previously in practice. And, when he blew down the lane early for a dunk,
it was a very good sign that he was healthy again. He showed the Eagles most of
his offensive game, ducking inside for a variety of layups, pulling up for mediumrange jumpers and hitting short turnarounds.
“My legs felt a little bit normal, and as a result, I’m not settling for jump
shots,” Delonte said.
Jameer chipped in 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists to become the
schools all-time assist leader, with 584. Jameer passed Rap Curry’s record of
580 when he lobbed a 40-foot pass ahead to a streaking West who dropped in the
layup and followed with a free throw.
“His distribution of the ball is just extraordinary,” Martelli said of Nelson. “He
knows what his team needs and knows where to put the ball. But the most
important number to him is that we scored more points than the opponent. Any
recognition or award he gets, he deserves.”
Just as was the case in the 85-58 drubbing BC absorbed in last season’s opener
against the Hawks at Boston College – when star guard Troy Bell was held to 8
points on 2-for-14 shooting – The Hawks utilized oppressive pressure, and it
double-teamed Craig Smith in the low post, holding BC’s 6’7” super sophomore to
a career-low 2 points on 1-for-7 shooting with 4 rebounds.
“They’re quick and they’re experienced,” BC coach Al Skinner said of the
Hawks’ guards. “Offensively and defensively, they presented some interesting
challenges for us. It was a learning experience and that’s what we’ll take it as.
You’re not going to find many teams with that much depth at the guard position
that can play that aggressively.”
John Bryant was given the task of guarding BC’s Craig Smith, who came in
averaging 16.8 points and shooting 54.3 percent. For much of the game, 6’7”
Bryant was the tallest Saint Joseph’s player on the floor, and the only one who
wasn’t a guard.
Since BC was known for living off the brawn of its two power forwards with
blacksmith arms, 6’7” Craig Smith and 6’8” Uka Agbai, logic would have
suggested that the Hawks would be in trouble.
But sometimes, speed is all a team needs; speed and a guy like Bryant who is
willing to do the dirty work.
“The credit for this one goes to John Bryant,” Martelli said. “Craig Smith is a
beast. He was the second-best freshman in the Big East last year behind Carmelo
Anthony. His numbers are scary. The guess was that it would become, putting it
mildly, a mud fight. They’re going to throw it in the lane. There are going to be a
lot of fouls. He was the concern. And for John to hold him to one field goal with
our small lineup again…..”
“Whenever they play against a good role player, they seem to know how to
stop ‘em,” Smith said of the Hawks. “They did a very good job on me. I tip my hat
to them.”
For John Bryant, he was gracious in his praise for his teammates. “It just wasn’t
me,” Bryant said. “It was everyone who had my back.”
Two other Hawk players had double figures. Pat Carroll scored 10 points and
Tyrone Barley added 13 points.
Both teams had 36 rebounds.
RAP CURRY — ASSISTS LEADER
Before Jameer Nelson there was Rap Curry. He was that good. He was good
enough to get 580 assists and help Saint Joseph’s win many games it had no
business of winning. He just wasn’t lucky enough to overcome all that happened
to him and his team.
Rap Curry was headed for basketball glory from the moment he stepped on
campus. Playing for John Griffin’s first Saint Joseph’s team, Curry was brilliant as
a freshman point guard in 1990-91. It was his three-pointer at the buzzer that sent
No. 1 seed Rutgers reeling out of the Palestra and the Atlantic 10 Tournament in
the quarterfinals.
Curry’s sophomore year was going even better than his freshman year until
December 21, 1991 when he came to a jump stop at midcourt in the final seconds
of a game at Fordham and tore the ACL in his left knee. Ironically, at that point in
the game, the Hawks had a comfortable lead.
Curry sat out just eight games, played courageously with the injury for the
remainder of the season, and then finally had the needed surgery. In his other three
seasons, he averaged 165 assists. That season, hampered by the injury, he got only
85 assists.
He was never bitter, but always wondered what could have been. Curry’s
Hawks’ teams never had any luck. Somebody was always injured, usually badly.
As he got set to play in his final A-10 Tournament in 1994, Curry only had to
look at the Saint Joseph’s bench and imagine. Out for the season were Bernard
Jones (knee), Mark Bass (foot), and Bernard Blunt (knee). Blunt’s knee had blown
apart in the third game of that season at Arizona. So, Curry did not get to play a
final season with the then leading scorer in Saint Joseph’s history.
Who knows how far past 580 assists Curry might have gone? Who knows how
many games the Hawks (58-57 in Curry’s four seasons) might have won? Who
knows what kind of career beyond college Curry might have had with two healthy
knees?
But, if Curry’s record was going to be broken, Jameer was the player Rap
wanted to break it.
“I really think Nelson is a special person,” Rap said. “I really like him a lot.
The conversations I’ve had with him from high school until now, how I see him
around my kids, and how he is with his child. How can you be mad at a guy like
this guy? You’re second to a guy that’s going to be in the NBA and has taken his
team to a postseason tournament every year he’s been there. He’s clearly proved to
be, if not the best Hawk, then one of the best Hawks ever.”
DREXEL AT THE PALESTRA
On December 14, 2003 the Hawks shot a sizzling 55.6 percent, riddling the
Drexel Dragons (2-4) with 13 three-point baskets on 27 tries. The Hawks won 9270 and Jameer was, at the risk of being redundant, pretty much able to do what he
wanted. He scored from long range and by boring down the lane to rack up 24
points. He also added 7 assists to his career school record while collecting 5 steals.
Jameer now had a season total of 29 steals, an average of 4.1 a game.
Delonte scored 20 points and had 6 assists and 4 steals, and Tyrone Barley and
Pat Carroll, who was still searching for his sweet stroke that made him one of the
country’s top three-point shooters the previous year, each added 10 points.
The surprise player of the night, however, was Chet Stachitas. Chet had visited
but never played a game at the Palestra before. He attended summer camps there
and when he was growing up his parents told him it was the best place in the
country to play basketball. His mother, Martha, was an assistant athletic director at
Penn before the family moved to Florida.
Chet squeezed off 5 shots, 4 from three-point distance, and made every one
during a torrid 8 minutes of play to finish with a career high of 14 points.
Drexel’s Shawn Brooks, a burly 6’6”, 250-pound junior forward kept the
Dragons in contention and got Dwayne Jones into foul trouble, raising more
questions about the Hawks post defense. Brooks scored 22 points and pulled down
9 rebounds.
“Yes, I am concerned,” Martelli said. “He’s the third inside guy who did what
he wanted against us, and he’s really about 6’4”. We’ll address that.”
Bruiser Flint, Drexel’s coach, and his assistant Geoff Arnold both played for
Saint Joseph’s on the 1985-86 team that won the Atlantic 10 Tournament. In
addition to Flint and Arnold, they had Mo Martin, Rodney Blake, Wayne Williams
and Greg Mullee. It was a very good team.
After the game, Flint was asked to compare this Hawks’ team to others he had
seen.
“I hate to say it because you know the way I feel about my school. But they’re
not as good as the team we were on that went 26-5 (actually 26-6). They don’t
have a Mo Martin. They don’t have a Rodney Blake. I know Jameer’s a special
kid, but…”
When told of coach Flint’s comments, Jameer laughed and said, “The style of
the game is different. Back then, they patted the ball, wore little shorts. Now, we
got all the Allen Iverson crossovers, long shorts, all the tattoos. Everything
changed.”
The regular season was now just more than 25 percent over, so it was time to
make some evaluations. Other than Gonzaga, the Hawks had not faced an
opponent that was likely to hit the top 25 in the rankings.
The Hawks were undefeated at 7-0, and the reasons were obvious. Jameer was
averaging a team-leading 19.6 points, and playing like a future NBA first-round
pick. Delonte West was right behind him, averaging 17.4 points per game. But
what stood out this season, up until now, was the absence of everyone else. Pat
Carroll was still trying to find his stroke. Both forwards, John Bryant and Dwayne
Jones were not proving to be consistent scorers, but only modest point
contributors. Chet Stachitas still was not there. One other shining light, however,
was Tyrone Barley. He was proving to be a solid guard who would contribute with
the scoring and as always with his superb defense.
THE CRITICS AND ANALYSTS HAVE THEIR SAY
With its lofty ranking, speculation was everywhere about how the Hawks could
continue to compete at that high level with the kind of team they had. There were
lots of theories about how the team was winning and about the capabilities of the
team. Here is a sampling:
--Saint Joseph’s is a perimeter-oriented team. It is a team that can play as many
as six guards during a game, all of which get major minutes.
--They rely heavily on the three-point shot and profit from the outstanding play
of 5’11” point guard, Jameer Nelson. Nelson’s shot has, up until now, been
inconsistent, but he does everything else, well.
--Delonte West can score 20 points against anyone. He is averaging nearly 18
points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. In addition, he is a great passing “two”
guard.
--Wing guard, Pat Carroll, relies primarily on the three-point shot. He can’t
create his own shot, but has a quick, deadly release if open. He shot 44 percent
from the three-point arc last year. He is currently averaging 7 points per game.
--Two guard, Tyrone Barley, 6’1” sixth man, is the best defender on the team
and probably in the A-10 Conference. He has been a pleasant surprise on offense
this year while averaging almost 3 three-point shots per game. His per game
average is 9 points.
--Wing guard Chet Stachitas, 6’4”, takes over for Pat Carroll. This young
player sometimes plays tentatively while at other times shows great potential. He
has scored in double figures in two games this year.
--Saint Joseph’s plays only two “big men.” Together they only average about
10 points per game. Both are poor foul shooters.
--Power forward John Bryant, 6’7”, does the “dirty” work. He is a good
defender and shot-blocker. However, He only scores on “dunks.”
--Dwayne Jones, 6’10” is a great shot-blocker and good rebounder, but is not
yet a good defender. He is foul prone because of his tendency to block all shots.
His post game is not as good as his defensive presence.
--The “big men” backups are two freshmen that get little playing time. Dave
Mallon has a foot injury and has not played this year.
--If the Hawks have a bad shooting night, that could be a big problem. Usually
their defensive pressure wears teams out. The team forces about 20 turnovers per
game.
Coach Martelli’s comments about his team were these: “I don’t have any
questions about any guy on this team. Not on the defensive end of the floor. I
know they’re going to follow the game plan and give me maximum effort.
“Offensively, what has to happen is I think we need a third perimeter guy. It
hasn’t been Pat Carroll, yet; he’s a guy that has a proven track record. Tyrone
Barley has given us more than we would have anticipated offensively. And then
there’s Chet Stachitas. So we need to get some layups, which involves us running
the ball down the floor, which we haven’t done as well as I would want, yet. I
know we’ll get all the other things. The challenge for us will be: Can we score
enough points in high-level games?”
The suspicion was that just having two players score the bulk of your points
would be a weakness that could not be overcome in most high-level games. Yet,
there were those who thought the Hawks had enough other players and tools to
even win in those games.
The rationale went something like this:
--It never hurts to have all your players scoring lots of points. However, that’s
not necessary to be a winner and the Hawks were proving that.
--There are only so many shots available in a game. Presently, that number
averages about 60 shots per game for each team. The top shot-takers in a game
usually average around 15 shots per game, and Jameer and Delonte were
averaging close to that number of shots. The Hawks’ shot distribution was in the
normal range using the averages cited. It followed then, that if the effort were
made to get more shots for other members of the team, there would be fewer shots
for Jameer and Delonte. At this point, the Hawks were giving the shots to the right
people.
Other factors: You can’t score without possession of the ball. The Hawks’
rebounding deficit had not hurt them. Why? Because they had been able to offset
their rebounding disparity by gaining possession of the ball through steals, blocked
shots, forcing bad passes, etc. More than that, the Hawk’s defense limited the
number of points scored against them by limiting the number of shots taken by the
opponent, by forcing the opponent to use most of their 35-second clock and
denying them the ball. This tough defense gave the Hawks a chance to win when
they were not scoring their normal number of points.
--Dwayne Jones and John Bryant were important role players on this team. The
Hawks needed their presence for defense, rebounding, shot-blocking, and the 8 to
10 points a game they provided. They were not looked to for scoring. Note that the
Hawks rarely passed the ball into the post on offensive sets. That’s not the Hawks
game. They use Jameer to get inside, then shoot or pass to an open man, either
inside or out on the perimeter.
--The Hawks were winning with a 45% shooting average. However, there could
be days when they would shoot poorly and win and other days when they would
shoot poorly and lose. (Of course we all know now, that they did not lose this
year.)
The message from the above comments, and others, was that the Hawks were
getting the job done without every player being the “star” or scoring lots of points.
Saint Joseph’s had a group of players who knew how to fulfill their role, which
was the essence of the word “team.”
THE PETE NEWELL CHALLENGE—UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
The Hawks won their first seven games last season before going to California
to play Pacific. It was not lost on anybody that they were about to go to California
on December 20, 2003 to play the University of California at the Pete Newell
Challenge in Oakland.
“Coach just talked about it,” Delonte West said. “We’re going out meaning
business. We’re not going out there to lay on the beach.”
In a game that ended at 1:31 a.m., (East Coast time) the Hawks and Golden
Bears strangled each other with tight defense in front of 12,066 at the Arena. The
Hawks never had much offensive rhythm against California. They never seemed to
be comfortable.
The Hawks had a nine point lead at the half, but fell behind in the second half
for the first time in the game. From there on, in the game, they just played it
possession by possession until they got the lead back and gave Jameer a chance to
win it.
Jameer scored 15 of his 19 points in the final 14 ½ minutes, but the shot that
gave the Hawks its 59-57 win came with just 4.3 seconds left on the clock. With
the shot clock off, the score tied at 57-57, and with the ball in Jameer’s hands, he
dribbled the ball around the top of the key as the game clock went under 10
seconds. Then, he made a quick burst to his right, stopped, took the ball behind his
back to clear space and then rose up and hit a step-back, falling down, 18-foot
jump shot. After the shot, and falling backwards, he ended up on his back about
five feet away from mid-court.
A reporter kept wondering what the final play was supposed to be.
“The play was for him to dribble the ball and shoot it,” Martelli said.
For anyone who had not seen Saint Joseph’s play, that might have seemed like
a curt or sarcastic answer. It, however, was not intended to be evasive. Coach
Martelli had complete confidence in Jameer’s judgement on the court. In many
games, at the end of the half or at the end of the game, with his team in possession
of the ball, coach Martelli did not call a timeout to set up a play. Not only did he
have full confidence in what Jameer would do with the ball, but that strategy
almost always caught the defense off guard. They not only did not get an
opportunity to set up a defensive alignment with their coach, they often could not
set up their defense properly at all.
“The essence of Jameer Nelson is epitomized by that last shot,” Martelli said.
“What he does better than anyone in America is he believes his team is supposed
to win. If he gave it up, I’d have been surprised.”
On a night when the Hawk’s great guards struggled offensively (until Nelson
took over down the stretch), seven other Hawk players scored 34 points on 13-for25 shooting. It was also the first game of the season in which Dave Mallon
participated. He had been out with a stress fracture in his right foot.
Martelli called it a team victory. That assertion was hard to argue. Really good
teams win games when they don’t play so well. The Hawks, now one of seventeen
teams that were unbeaten, seemed to qualify as a really good team.
For the record, the Bears got one last shot. They raced the ball past midcourt,
called a timeout, and with 1.5 seconds left, Amit Tamir delivered a cross-court
inbounds pass to Ayinde Ubaka, who got a good look from the right corner, but
missed a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.
The difference between a win and a defeat is often separated by a very thin line.
Because of their outstanding play, virtually everyone now knew about Jameer
Nelson and Delonte West. And, as a result of their good play, many comparisons
were being made with other great guard duos that had played the game before
them.
Pete Newell, the 88 year old coaching guru for whom this event was named,
had been around long enough to know another Philadelphia college guard tandem,
the 1950’s Temple pairing of Guy Rodgers and Hal Lear.
“These two guys may be as good or better,” Newell said, referring to Jameer
and Delonte.
Martelli however, included no qualifiers in his evaluation of Nelson. “He’s the
best college basketball player in America,” the coach said.
Saint Joseph’s win streak was at eight and it equaled the best start since the
1964-65 squad opened the year with eight victories. It was the longest in-season
winning streak since the 2000-01 team rattled off 10 consecutive wins.
COLLEGE OF THE PACIFIC
After a short break for Christmas and their return to Alumni Memorial
Fieldhouse for the first time in four games, the Hawks would be hosting the
College of the Pacific.
It was Saturday, December 27, 2003 and the Hawks were looking to avenge the
road loss to Pacific last season that ended the Hawks’ seven-game winning streak.
The 10th ranked Hawks, before a sold-out crowd, won this game by the
comfortable score of 73-55.
Delonte West scored 22 points and Jameer added 15 to lead the Hawks to their
record of 9-0, for the best start since the 1964-65 season.
Delonte made 8-for-13 from the field and grabbed six rebounds, while Nelson
added 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Chet Stachitas matched his carer high with 14
points on 5-for-7 shooting, making 4-of-6 from three-point range.
The Hawks struggled through their worst shooting half of the season in the
opening half, but West and Stachitas keyed the Hawks in the early going of the
second half to give the Hawks a lead they never relinquished.
“We’re a jump-shooting team and if our jump shots are not going early, we’re
going to get off to a sputtering start,” Martelli said. “Chet Stachitas was a huge
factor for us in the second half. He’s a very thoughtful player – he knows how to
play the game.”
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
Tuesday, December 30, 2003, the Hawks’ final game of 2003 would be played
at the University of Delaware. The Hawks were the first Top 10 team to visit
Delaware’s campus since Ralph Sampson and Virginia played there on December
5, 1981. Delaware was 0-24 all-time vs. the Top 25. After tonight they would be a
very sad 0-25.
The Hawks started this game in what appeared to be in a sluggish manner, and
Jameer played what might have been the worst half of his career.
“I stunk it up and I know it,” Nelson said. I wasn’t going to let it happen in the
second half.”
The Hawks did, in fact, play two different halves. In the first half SJU shot a
season-low 28 percent from the field (7-for-25) and made only 1-of-5 three-point
attempts to hold a slim 29-25 edge. The second half saw the Hawks shoot 61.5
percent from the field and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc while limiting
Delaware to 29 points.
In addition to shooting poorly in the first half the Hawks had an
uncharacteristic 9 turnovers. But immediately after the second half began, in 4
minutes and 19 seconds, the Hawks scored 19 points. It was if someone turned a
switch on and said, “It’s time to play.”
Jameer finished with a game high 20 points, but he did have 8 turnovers.
“It was one of those games,” Jameer said. “I always have one a year. That’s my
last one. I can promise you that.”
Despite Jameer’s early troubles, much went right for the Hawks. Delonte had
18 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds and was pretty much unguardable. Dwayne
Jones had a career- high 14 points and 11 rebounds and was terrific at both ends,
recording his first double–double.
“On Sunday I told him that he had almost become satisfied with being a
starter,” Martelli said. “We needed attitude, and he certainly had attitude tonight.”
The coach suggested to Dwayne that he had to “try to dunk on everybody.” That
would qualify as attitude.
The Hawks were now exactly one-third of the way through their regular
schedule, and no one has been able to beat them. Their record stood at 10-0 and
with the win they equaled the school record by winning ten games without a
defeat to start the season.
The great 1964-65 Hawks’ team won its first 10 games before losing to
Providence and Jimmy Walker, Jalen Rose’s father. Those Hawks won their next
16 before losing to Providence again in a classic Sweet 16 NCAA game.
THE HAWKS HOST GEORGE WASHINGTON
The Hawks started the year 2004 with a win over George Washington, 90-81,
to lift their record to 11-0
In the week that preceded the game with George Washington, there was
considerable conversation on Hawk Hill trying to figure out the record for most
wins to start a season.
The 1964-65 Hawk’s squad won 10, and the 1914-15 team had won 11. But the
latter group did its winning with a schedule composed mostly of high school
teams. In the end, they chose to ignore the 1914-15 teams’ record. It was an easy
decision. After all, that 1914 group wasn’t around to argue the point anyway.
So, all the current Hawks had to do was go out and beat the Colonials, and they
did, making their record 11-0.
“I told the players that the significance of the record is this,” said Martelli. “At
the end of the year, you get a resume, and this is a line in your resume. Years from
now, whenever they get together, or talk on the phone, this is something that will
belong to them.”
That explanation would suffice for the moment, since the Hawks would add
other lines to their resume before this season would end.
In this game the Hawks were led, as they so often were, by Jameer. He had an
elegant 29 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field and 7-for-8 marksmanship
from the foul line, plus 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, no turnovers, and one
stunning coast-to-coast drive for a three-point play.
As outstanding as Jameer’s game was, the play of center Dwayne Jones may
have been the most notable aspect of the afternoon. Everyone was looking for
increased point production and consistency from Dwayne Jones and here he
registered his second and consecutive double-double, with 23 points and 10
rebounds. Those 23 points were a career high, 9 more than he had scored against
Delaware the previous Tuesday.
Developing a consistent inside threat would give the Hawks a dimension they
had lacked these last two years.
Jones felt good about his self and said, “People say the way you can beat Saint
Joseph’s is to shut the two guards (Jameer and Delonte) down. I completely
disagree with that. I feel like my teammates have a lot more confidence in me
now.”
For most of the game, George Washington played a trapping, man-to-man
defense that bordered on the frantic, trying, primarily, to rattle Nelson and West. It
was the same strategy that they used the previous year, to upset the Hawks, and it
was effective. Last year, however, when the guards found themselves trapped and
ultimately got the ball to the open big men, often at the top of the key, the “big
men” were not prepared to go to the hoop and score. Rather, they opted to try to
get the ball back to one of the players who normally were looked to, to score. The
Hawk’s coaches astutely recognized that tendency in last year’s game and
prepared the team for such an eventuality. The coaches, who had been working
diligently all season to get the front line into the scoring column, now had a
perfect situation to point to. The player mostly involved, Dwayne Jones,
understood the situation, learned from it, and produced. The new strategy worked
perfectly. The Hawks won the game and Jones turned in a great performance.
Saint Joseph’s shot 64 percent from the field (32 of 50), which should have
made for an easier win. But GW kept the score relatively close by shooting 91
percent from the foul line (29 of 32).
Next up, on the record front, was the longest winning streak in school
history (16 by the 1964-65 team). To match it, 5 more wins would be required.
“It’s great to be in the history books, but we just want to keep on going,” Jones
said. “Nobody wants to lose. Go for 16, why not?”
Following the win over George Washington, the Hawks were ranked No. 9 in
the Associated Press poll dated January 6, 2004. Connecticut was No. 1, followed
by Duke, Arizona, Stanford, Wake Forest, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Georgia Tech
and Saint Joseph’s.
In the Top 25, these teams were undefeated: Stanford (11-0), Wake Forest (90), Oklahoma (10-0), Saint Joseph’s (11-0), Cincinnati (9-0), Pittsburgh (14-0),
Vanderbilt (11-0), and Mississippi State (11-0).
The Hawks 11-0 record was among the most genuine records in the country.
Among the unbeaten teams, the Hawks had taken the toughest route to its best start
in school history.
Seven times in 2003 the Hawks played in hostile environments. Yes, three of
those games came in the Palestra on Penn’s campus and, while their fans didn’t
have to travel outside the city limits, trust me, the Hawks were the road team
against Penn. Against Drexel the hostile environment was questionable. It was not
Saint Joseph’s fault that the Hawks can bring as many or more fans than Drexel to
a game at the Palestra even though the Dragon’s campus is two blocks away. The
third game at the Palestra was, yes, a home game against Boston College.
Still, Saint Joseph’s played in Madison Square Garden against Gonzaga where
the Hawks were the “unofficial” home team because of the proximity of New
York to Philadelphia as opposed to Seattle, Washington. But, the game was still in
New York, not at Hawk Hill. Saint Joseph’s beat California in Oakland in the Pete
Newell Challenge. The other road trips were at Delaware, Boston University and
Old Dominion. And while those teams may not put fear into most Top 25 teams,
there weren’t too many teams with a legitimate chance to contend for a top two
seed come March that were willing to play those kind of road games.
The only games the Hawks played on campus prior to New Year’s Eve were
against Pacific and San Francisco: the fewest of any Top 25 team.
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND
Wednesday, January 6, 2003, was the day of the Hawks’ first conference road
game, and it was against the University of Richmond.
On paper, it had to be way up the list of dangerous Atlantic 10 tour stops for
ninth-ranked Saint Joseph’s. Richmond was not considered a pushover. They led
the conference in scoring defense and in defending the three-pointer. Not only was
this a chance for the Spiders to prove they belonged with the A-10’s elite teams;
this was the first game that the Hawks would be without the lineup that started
every game. Power forward John Bryant, who was bothered by back spasms, could
not go. Bryant was in street clothes.
With all of these factors coming together, this looked like a prescription for
trouble for the Hawks. Instead, the Spiders were overwhelmed by Jameer Nelson.
The game had just started and the Spiders only trailed by 5-4 when Jameer took
over. During the next 10 minutes, he scored 18 points and the Hawks went up 3521. Included in that stretch were a couple of steals and transition layups, 4 threepointers, and an inside-the-arc jumper.
The Hawks led at the half by 40-23 and finally won their twelfth game of the
season by a score of 71-60.
Coach Martelli had often talked about Jameer’s exploits on the court but he
knew that words, many times, couldn’t describe what he does on the court. This
was one of those games where the phrase “seeing is believing” was appropriate to
use.
Jameer Nelson, against Richmond, was the “full package.” Jameer hit for 32
points, but he could have scored 50. He broke apart the game by making 7 straight
first-half shots, including 4 three-pointers, and left a trail of highlights.
Right off the bat, Nelson had picked off a couple of sloppy Spider’s passes and
taken off alone. The “wow” factor went way up when Nelson let loose with a pass
from his team’s three-point line that hit backcourt partner Delonte West in stride,
in the air, for a layup. West caught it and spun the ball underhand off the glass for
another layup.
With this game, Nelson recorded his second straight season high after recording
29 against George Washington. A little prodding by coach Martelli may have
sparked the outbreaks.
While he was stretching before the GW game, Jameer said, “Coach took me
aside and told me it was time to get going. I had to agree with him, I was stinking
the gym up.”
“Really, what I said to him was, ‘You know, for a long time, Jameer, we’ve got
a lot of notoriety because you’ve played great, and I think now you’re getting a lot
of notoriety because we’re playing great.’ For as much as people were slobbering
over him, he was just Jameer. I thought that there was another level, and the
league has now seen it in these two games,” Martelli said.
The Hawks had three other double figure scorers in this game. Pat Carroll had
13, Delonte West had 13, and Dwayne Jones had 10 points and 15 rebounds.
“You look at Saint Joseph’s program and the success they’ve had since
Nelson’s been there, that’s a testament to him as a player,” Coach Jerry Wainright
said. “I don’t know if everyone on the team was real excited about playing here
tonight, but he was. One great thing about Jameer Nelson is that he looks his
teammates in the eye, and when he gives a little grimace, they respond.”
When Jameer peeled off his soaked Saint Joseph’s jersey, from shoulder to
shoulder across his back was his dark blue tattoo: “ALL EYES ON ME”.
“Every possession, you have to know where he is,” Coach Wainwright said,
“just like the tattoo reads.”
“That’s how I felt at the time I got it,” Nelson said of “ALL EYES ON ME,”
acquired over the summer, “And that’s how I still feel.”
Jameer was clearly enjoying his final season at Hawk Hill. The previous
Saturday, after beating George Washington, Jameer who had scored 29 points, was
busy signing his usual load of postgame autographs.
“Everybody kept telling me how much they liked the way I smiled during the
game, said Jameer. “Somebody told me the refs were even smiling with me. This
is definitely the most fun I’ve ever had playing basketball.”
The grins had been as ceaseless as the Hawk mascot’s wing flapping on Hawk
Hill as No. 9 Saint Joseph’s improved to 12-0 with the win over Richmond, the
best start in school history. The Hawks were also No. 1 in the Rating Percentage
Index (RPI).
Coach Martelli believes the seeds of success were planted two seasons ago,
when the Hawks were highly touted in the preseason but finished a disappointing
19-12 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament. “The whole season was just
joyless,” Martelli said. “So I told the team, from now on I want to leave practice
every day with a smile on my face, no matter what.”
Obviously, the results of that dictum were not immediately known, and because
the Hawks are now winning and have been during Jameer’s tenure, there is more
of an incentive to smile.
Besides emphasizing the joy of competing, Martelli also installed an up-tempo
style that capitalized on the Hawks strengths. On defense the Hawks applied fullcourt pressure to instigate a frenetic pace. It had paid off: After twelve games the
Hawks had forced 67 more turnovers than they had committed. That statistic not
only spoke to the Hawks defensive tactics, but also to their own ability to not
make the mistakes that would give the ball to the opponents. They were “taking
good care of the ball.”
But credit Nelson for a lot of the smiles that were around the campus. “He’s
become a comedian, that is weird because he never really talked his first two years
he was here,” said Tyrone Barley.
Behind the grin, though, was grit. “We learned two years ago that you can
never take anything for granted,” says Nelson. “We know we have the opportunity
to accomplish something amazing, and it’s important that we cherish every
moment.”
When Jameer spoke those words, could he have been thinking of an undefeated
season?
MARTELLI RECOUNTS HIS DISCOVERY OF JAMEER
You have heard many accounts about how Jameer came to be a Hawk. Here is
one more which was related by Phil Martelli after the Hawks victory at Richmond.
Jameer Nelson rarely needs more than one game to convince the unconvinced.
Coach Martelli once was among them. Nelson was barely on Martelli’s radar six
years ago when he walked into the gym at Chester, (PA) High, a few minutes
outside of Philadelphia. At halftime, Nelson had scored one point. He had taken no
shots.
Martelli was convinced. From that moment, he believed.
“That was it for me,” he said. “I was smitten at that point. I decided to do
everything in my legal bounds to get this kid to come to Saint Joseph’s because I
thought what I was eyeing was something extraordinary.”
In the first week of August 1999, Martelli got a phone call saying Jameer
Nelson was sitting in his office. Martelli was at home, packing for a family
vacation to New Jersey. He lived 10 minutes from the office, and he got there in
nine.
Martelli had been pursuing Nelson for a year, and the Philly rumor mill was
swirling that Nelson was tired of the recruiting process and ready to make a
decision. Martelli walked into his office, saw Jameer sitting there, and said, “So –
you ready to get this over with?” “Yes,” Nelson said. Martelli had been the first
major-college coach to pursue him, and Nelson didn’t forget. Nelson is loyal like
that. His blue-collar hometown had been described by the Philadelphia media as
“depressing” and even “dying,” but Nelson had tattooed his roots over his heart,
where the words Bad Ass Chester Boy are written.
Martelli may have been destined to get Jameer. In the mid-1970’s he played
college ball in Chester, breaking Widener University records for assists in a season
and career. Martelli, too, is loyal, staying in touch with the people back home as
his career took off. When Martelli began recruiting Jameer, the depressing town of
Chester remembered.
“Everywhere I turned in the recruiting process, whether it was at the high
school or this friend of that guy – I knew that person.” Martelli said. “All 45 of
those people told Jameer to come to me.”
By saying “yes” to Saint Joseph’s and Martelli, Nelson was saying “no” to John
Chaney and Temple. That almost never happens. Chaney himself a former
Philadelphia basketball schoolboy legend, had built his program on Philly
basketball players – Howard Evans and Howard McKie, Marc Jackson and
Rasheed Brokenborough, Alex Wesby and Lynn Greer.
Until Nelson showed up at his office in August 1999, Martelli was nervous. As
a Hawks’ assistant and then head coach, he had been here before with great local
players, getting on them early and not going away, only to have his heart broken:
Bob Sura to Florida State, Donyell Marshall to Connecticut, Danya Abrams to
Boston College. And those kids who went to Temple.
“With Jameer, my greatest fear was that John Chaney would get in and work
his magic,” Martelli said. “He’d know the grandfather’s brother’s nephew’s
cousin, and he’d be in there.”
By the time Chaney tried to get involved it was too late.
“I didn’t give him a chance to come to my living room,” Nelson said. “I was
already sold on coach Martelli and Saint Joseph’s.”
Said Chaney: “We made one phone call to the young man, but he had already
made up his mind.”
Gracious in defeat, Chaney was one of Nelson’s most outspoken supporters. He
says Nelson is the second-best point guard to come from the Philadelphia area.
That was an enormous statement from someone who has followed Philly
basketball for more than half a century.
According to Chaney, only Philadelphia’s Northeast High School’s Guy
Rodgers was better, putting Nelson ahead of the likes of Pooh Richardson, Walt
Hazzard and, yes, John Chaney.
Saint Joseph’s national profile was now higher than at any point since Jack
Ramsay coached the Hawks in the 1960’s.
“Jameer’s the primary reason – not the sole reason, but the primary reason – we
played in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic,” Martelli said. “He’s the primary reason
we played in the Pete Newell Challenge. He’s the primary reason we’re in the Top
10. He’s the primary reason we’re undefeated. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime player,
and I plan on doing this a long time.”
Such unabashed appreciation for Nelson is a laughing matter in the Martelli
family. Martelli’s son played alongside Jameer for three years and was a cocaptain with him in his last year. After the season, Phil Martelli, Jr. wrote a note of
thanks to everyone on the team, and to Nelson he included a P.S. – it’s true – you
are my father’s favorite son.
Outside the visitor’s locker room in Richmond, Coach Marterlli told the
Virginia media, “I don’t know how you feel about it, but I stay up nights. He’s
only got 15 regular season games left.”
At first, some people didn’t think Jameer could become the Saint Joseph’s alltime scoring leader, but with his recent scoring surge, Jameer had 1,685 career
points. That left him only 300 points behind Bernard Blunt’s (1991-95) school
record.
At a minimum, the Hawks had 14 Atlantic 10 games remaining, plus a game
with Villanova, plus one A-10 Tournament game, plus one NCAA/NIT game left.
That totaled 17 games, at a minimum, remaining to be played. If Jameer could
average 17.7 points in each of the remaining games, he would break the existing
scoring record.
DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY
The University of Pittsburgh (Big East) was undefeated (14-0) and ranked No.
15. Many Duquesne players weren’t convinced beforehand that No. 9 Saint
Joseph’s was deserving of its ranking or might be better than its city rival,
Pittsburgh. They were convinced after they played the Hawks.
Jameer Nelson scored 19 of his 21 points before halftime and hit 4 threepointers during a pivotal 24-4 run that started the Hawks on a 78-61 rout of
Duquesne on Saturday, January 10, 2004.
Delonte West added 20 points and the Hawks overwhelmed the Dukes with
their ball movement, outside shooting and relentless defense to keep their
unbeaten record going. The Hawks were now 13-0.
“We watched a lot a film of them, but they’re a lot better than we thought – I
didn’t think they were a Top Ten team,” said Duquesne’s Elijah Palmer, who
scored 14 points. “We played Pitt, but they (the Hawks) are as good as anybody
I’ve faced – ever.”
With Nelson shooting 4-of-7 three-pointers, the Hawks went 12-of-28 on threepointers – the seventh time in 13 games they had 10 or more 3s. At one point the
Hawks made eight in a row.
“We’re more than a one-man team, and when you can shoot three-pointers, it
allows you to open big leads,” Coach Martelli said.
Chet Stachitas added credence to Martelli’s “more than one-man team”
statement by making all three of his three-pointers and contributed 11 points.
Tyrone Barley had nine points and five assists.
Saint Joseph’s quickly opened a 10-2 lead with the help of two tip-ins by Dave
Mallon and were never threatened in beating the Dukes for the seventh straight
time and the 13th in 14 meetings. Mallon started in place of John Bryant, who
missed the second straight game with a strained back. Mallon only had 4 points
and 4 rebounds, but his two early tip-ins were enough to kick-start the Hawks, but
then he got 2 of his 4 blocks during Duquesne’s first two possessions.
By halftime the Hawks left the Dukes in tatters. The score was 47-22.
Still, coach Martelli thought the Hawks could reach a higher level of play,
which is why he angrily called a time-out when their minds began to wander,
allowing the Dukes to reel off 12 unanswered points after the Hawks’ lead reached
73-45.
“We have to hold our standards, and that’s ball pressure, ball movement, and
sharing the ball. We didn’t do that in the second half,” Martelli said.
For the record, Jameer, who almost always turned in a highlight game, did so
again. It did not go unnoticed. For the week of January 11, 2004, Jameer was
named, for the fifth time this season, as the Player of the Week for both the
Atlantic 10 Conference and the Big 5. It also marked the 10th time in Jameer’s
career that he had earned the conference’s honor.
THE NATIONAL POLLS NOTICE
The unbeaten Saint Joseph’s Hawks continued their climb in the national
rankings as they moved up three spots to sixth in both the Associated Press and
ESPN/USA Today polls for January 12, 2004. It was the Hawks’ highest ranking
since SJU was ranked fifth on March 8, 1966.
Ranking ahead of the Hawks in the AP poll, were Connecticut, Duke, Stanford,
Wake Forest and Kentucky.
The 13-0 Hawks were one of seven unbeaten teams in the nation as of January
12, 2004.
While the ranking was a source of pride for the Hawks, Coach Martelli said he
was not concerned that his players would get carried away with their national
status.
“Anybody who thinks it’s an added burden or that it creates conversation
among the players, or that they’re walking around with their chests puffed out,
well, it’s not. I’m sure they know, but I am not going to start practice by saying,
‘Congratulations, fellas, you made it to No. 6 in the country.’ The only number I’ll
mention is that we have to get win No. 14 against Fordham. We’re not running
away from our ranking, but we realize it’s all a byproduct of winning, so we can
enjoy it. They’re a special group, really.”
Some coaches embrace the idea of being highly ranked or a preseason favorite
and use it as a tool for motivation.
Some shy away from it, wary that it may become a psychological burden.
Coach Martelli fits into the first category. Martelli greeted the news in a
positive way, saying, “In a way, to be in that position means the standards to
which we play are being honored. I would rather people talk about you, so it’s fine
with me. I’m going to mention it to the players.”
A high ranking and even higher expectations were nothing new for this coach
and Saint Joseph’s. You may remember, that two years ago, when the Hawks were
ranked No.10 in the preseason, the Hawks tumbled from their lofty perch in a
hurry, losing their opener to Eastern Washington, falling out of the polls after only
five weeks and winding up 19-12 with a loss in the NIT.
“Everything got stale, with a been there, done that attitude,” Martelli said.
“Jameer sort of stayed in the background. But, there’s a big difference between
those two ranked teams I’ve had. The key is that everything had to be fresh this
season, so that we’d welcome each day and enjoy each day. We want the players
coming every day to practice anxiously awaiting the pearls of wisdom coming out
of the coaches’ mouths.”
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY—A CHANCE AT A RECORD
With a win over their next opponent, Fordham University, Saint Joseph’s could
tie Temple (1987-88) for the second best start by an Atlantic 10 Conference team.
Massachusetts, which won its first 26 games in 1995-96, held the record.
On Tuesday, January 13, 2004, the Hawks throttled Fordham by a score of 7935.
Shortly after Jameer Nelson walked onto the Fieldhouse floor for tip-off and
tightened the drawstring on his baggy shorts; it became apparent that Fordham was
overmatched against Saint Joseph’s.
The Rams faced two serious obstacles against the undefeated and No. 6 ranked
Hawks: they couldn’t score against Saint Joseph’s swarming defenders, and they
couldn’t prevent the Hawks from putting the ball through the hoop almost at will.
The Hawks ran out to an insurmountable 48-12 halftime lead, and to their
credit, every last player on the bench entered the game and kept churning and
entertaining the enthusiastic fans during the 79-35 rout of Fordham.
The effort the Hawks made was in no way intended to demean the Rams. They
were a highly ranked team and they wanted to play the way they play, especially
now that they were No. 6.
“It means we have to play hard every time we step on the court,” Jameer said.
“We understand that. And that’s why people probably don’t understand why we
came out like we were No. 200. We came out with a fire in our stomach. We have
to make statements in this league.”
“I give credit to Phil,” first-year Fordham coach Dereck Whittenburg said,
referring to Martelli. “They could have beaten us by 70 or 80 if he’d left his
players in. He showed a lot of class.”
Coach Whittenburg knew basketball. He was a terrific guard on North Carolina
State’s miracle 1983 championship team. He would be remembered because it was
his airball that his teammate, Lorenzo Charles, caught and dunked for the gamewinner against Houston.
Jameer continued his hot long-range shooting and scored 13 points while
playing only 23 minutes to move up to No. 2 on Saint Joseph’s all-time scoring
list. Jameer began the game at No. 7 before passing Norman Black, Maurice
Martin, Cliff Anderson, Tony Costner and Craig Amos. Jameer, who had 1,737
points, now could take aim on Bernard Blunt’s record of 1,985 points.
As much as Jameer had scored in his career, it would lead you to think that
scoring was the most important thing on his mind. To the contrary, scoring points
was not as high on his list of priorities as his desire to raise the level of play of his
teammates, which he did once again, handing out 6 assists and making 3 steals.
Delonte West played at a premier level also. He showed his ability to explode
down the lane, and he made all 5 of his shots in the first half and ended with 12
points.
“We could see in their eyes they were a little overwhelmed,” Delonte said. “It
was just one of those games where you just try to better your team instead of
adding on to your stats.”
All 14 available players got into the game, and no one played more than 24
minutes. Ten of them scored at least one basket. Meanwhile the Hawks forced 25
turnovers and held the Rams to 25 percent shooting.
Angered by the Hawks’ lackadaisical play after they built big halftime leads in
recent games at Richmond and Duquesne, Martelli had been pushing the team to
maintain its intensity throughout an entire game.
“The way we played in the second half was significant,” Martelli said. “When
we come with that much intensity, it’s kind of hard to deal with. I’m pleased with
the amount of energy we showed.”
The win was the most lopsided for the Hawks since they defeated Western
Carolina, 103-53, in November 2000. Fordham scored the fewest points against
Saint Joseph’s since Widener dropped a 77-35 decision to the Hawks in January
1984.
THE FANS AND MEDIA BEGIN TO NOTICE
The Hawks were now 14-0 and one of four unbeaten teams. The list of
unbeatens was now down to these teams: Saint Joseph’s, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh
and Stanford.
In road/neutral games among the undefeated, the Hawks were 9-0, while the
Stanford Cardinal was 6-0. The Pittsburgh Panthers and Cincinnati Bearcats were
both 3-0.
Phil Martelli and the Saint Joseph’s basketball team were beginning to receive
an enormous amount of attention.
Coach Martelli received a call from the Philadelphia Eagles requesting four
tickets so the Eagles coach’s son Garrett could watch the Hawks play.
When Martelli’s youngest son Jimmy found out, he figured the gesture should
be reciprocal. “Dad,” he said, “Why don’t you call his office and say, ‘My son Jim
would like to see the Eagles play.’ ”
Andy Reid’s Eagles were on everybody’s mind in Philadelphia. But tickets to
Saint Joseph’s games were just as tough to get for games at the 3,200 seat
Fieldhouse on Hawk Hill. The crowds were filling up the parking lots and
surrounding streets an hour before game time. “This is a pro town, a football
town,” Martelli said. “But we don’t want for attention.”
And with it all, Phil Martelli had become a local celebrity, offering weekly
Eagles predictions on sports radio station WIP for the last five years. Coach
Martelli was a Philly guy. His whole life was the Philadelphia area and he turned
down a lucrative offer from Rutgers to stay near the city, where he grew up
playing in the Catholic League and watching a steady diet of Big Five games at the
Palestra.
“For me it’s about people,” he said. “It’s not about facilities or dollars. Last
night, a guy at the 7-11 comes up to the car and asks me to autograph something
for his buddy, who’s a big fan. I think that’s cool. You’re driving by and people
are honking at you. Or Larry Bowa from the Phillies wants to see your team play.
It’s a fit. There are certain things that fit together and I believe Philadelphia and
Saint Joseph’s basketball and Phil Martelli fit together.”
PLAYING AT XAVIER IS TOUGH
On the basketball front, however, things were about to get tougher. The Hawks
next game was at Xavier on Saturday, January 17, 2004. Xavier was 47-3 at home
in the Cintas Center. In addition to that game, the Hawks had road games
remaining against Temple, Villanova and Rhode Island.
“I’ll probably be dreaming about Xavier tomorrow night,” Jameer said.
When players on a Top-10 team, with a 14-0 record, start talking about,
“dreaming of your next opponent” and about “unfinished business,” you better
take notice.
Even though Xavier had an uneven season, rising and falling with no apparent
reason, the Musketeers still had a target on their backs as far a Saint Joseph’s was
concerned.
When the No. 6 Hawks traveled to Cincinnati to play at the Cintas Center, they
became the highest-ranked team to ever play there. The Hawks would be looking
to make a statement.
As successful as the Hawks had been this season, taking out teams such as
Gonzaga and Boston College and gaining national acclaim with each step, they
knew there was a certain measure of business to deal with in this conference game.
“We have all the hype and the top 25 ranking right now,” Delonte said. “But
we know in the conference we’ve still got to go through Xavier and Dayton.
That’s where we’re standing right now.”
The Dayton Flyers, you may recall, defeated the Hawks on their way to the
Atlantic 10 tournament title last year. Just over a week before that game, Xavier
went to Hawk Hill and emerged with an 88-80 overtime victory.
Saint Joseph’s, far from being caught up in its spectacular run it had embarked
on this season, was still mentally involved with its coach’s mantra of “winning the
next game,” but it had not forgotten that loss to Xavier.
“It’s a whole new year,” Jameer said. “They have new guys on their team, we
have new guys. And we’re here in Cincinnati now, so you don’t want to say it’s a
revenge thing, but at the same time we understand that this is one of the games we
left on the table last year.”
The Hawks hadn’t won on Xavier’s court since February 17, 1973, losing on
their last six trips. The Hawks had a lot facing them on this trip. In addition, they
would be facing a jam-packed crowd of 10,250 who would rattle the walls with
their cheers from the opening minute of the game.
Until the final two minutes, the game was played out brilliantly. Extraordinary
individual efforts from Delonte West and Jameer Nelson were matched by inspired
team play from the Musketeers and especially from their competent guard, Lionel
Chalmers. Neither team backed down from each other for 38 minutes. At the half,
the Hawks trailed Xavier by six points.
Meantime, Delonte looked around at his teammates and was struck by what he
saw.
“I didn’t see one person who looked scared or worried.” He said. And judging
from a performance that would be long remembered on Hawk Hill, neither was
Delonte West.
In front of a national television audience and more than a dozen NBA scouts,
Delonte was, quite simply, perfect. West scored a career-high 33 points by
shooting 12 for 12, including 3 for 3 from three-point distance. He also made all 6
of his free throws, pulled down 6 rebounds, handed out 5 assists, and made 3
steals.
His 12 baskets without a missed shot in the game set a conference record. He
also equaled a school record with 12 consecutive baskets in a game.
Before the game, coach Martelli had something to tell Delonte. “I whispered in
his ear, ‘You’re an All-American.’ ”
Delonte played like All-World, making long jumpers, pull-ups, drives, follow
shots and one impossible hanging in-the-lane jumper that became a three-point
play.
Typically, when a player is as hot as Delonte was, he can’t resist the temptation
to launch some bad shots. To his credit, though, Delonte never forced an illconceived shot during his remarkable performance.
Despite tendonitis that flared in his left knee, Jameer was typically brilliant,
scoring 28 points while draining four three-point shots. Each time the fired-up
Musketeers threatened to back the Hawks against a wall, West or Nelson found an
escape, combining for 23 of the team’s 30 baskets and assisting on seven.
Together, West and Nelson shot 23 for 30 (76.7 percent).
Pat Carroll, who had been struggling to find the stroke that made him one of the
nation’s best long-range shooters last season, picked a good time to locate it. He
gave the Hawks a 73-71 lead by hitting a three-pointer over Xavier’s zone defense.
After a scoreless first half, Pat finished with 10 points.
After Carroll gave the Hawks the lead, Dwayne Jones (9 points) scored on a
follow and with three fouls to give, the Musketeers hacked away at Nelson until he
and West put away the game from the free-throw line. The final score was Hawks
81, Xavier 73.
Lionel Chalmers hurt the Hawks in the first half, scoring a team-high 15. But
with stopper Tyrone Barley guarding him in the second half, Chalmers hit just two
field goals the rest of the way.
“Tyrone Barley was the unsung hero with his defensive play,” Said Martelli.
On this day, Xavier was not far from perfect, but to win this game they almost
had to be perfect. The Hawks shot a stunning 72.7 percent in the second half, and
60 percent for the game, which helped considering Xavier connected on 53 percent
of its shots.
“That was an exercise in stone-cold toughness,” said Martelli. “You just saw
the best backcourt in America. I just told Delonte he’s an all-America candidate.
We had big-time players come through in a big-time game.”
West’s performance was breathtaking. But for Jameer, he was not awed. “I’m
not amazed because he does it every day in practice,” Jameer said. “He doesn’t get
the recognition he deserves. The bigger the game, the better he is.”
Praise came from Xavier’s coach, Thad Matta, as well. “I’ve never seen a show
like those two put on, from the stand point of where and when they hit them. One
time when the shot clock was winding down, West penetrated and we grabbed his
arm and he still made it. I don’t know what else you can do. They were
responsible for everything that happened today. That’s what great players do.”
The Hawks played without Chet Stachitas, who stayed home to attend a
memorial service for his grandmother.
The Hawks also won the rebound battle in this game, 27-22. That was notable,
since that did not happen often.
Back at Saint Joseph’s, Jameer Nelson, the cool king of Hawk Hill was having
fun. He was playing the game of basketball with a carefree joy that was rubbing
off on his teammates. When the pressure seemed to be building all around the
team, Jameer’s smile sent a message that everything was going to be just fine.
“I know this is my last go-around,” Jameer said. “so every day I step on the
court, I want to cherish the moment and have fun. Sure, I can be grouchy. But
playing basketball is my fun time. I don’t take anything for granted, and our team
isn’t taking anything for granted because you don’t know what is going to happen
tomorrow.”
When he was asked if he had ever regretted his decision to forgo a shot at
playing in the NBA, he said, “No, no, I haven’t even thought about it. I’m having
the best time of my life. I feel like a little kid again. I’m here at Saint Joseph’s
helping the team to win, trying to help my teammates do something special. I
mean, these guys are so great to be around. We have fun off the court, and we
have fun on the court.”
Martelli acknowledged that it had been evident to him that Jameer was playing
with more delight than ever.
“Thinking back, I’m not surprised that Jameer has been the way that he is,”
Martelli said. “When he sat in that chair and told me he was coming back, I knew
the decision was from the heart. That’s the way he’s lived it since that time.”
SOME STORIES
We know that besides being a good coach, Phil Martelli is a good storyteller,
and his two star guards, Jameer and Delonte, had given him plenty of material.
When a college basketball team travels, the players tend to stand out in airports.
The Hawks were going through airport security in Cincinnati when a security
employee singled out one of the Hawks. The woman with the wand didn’t
approach the player for more screening. She just questioned his role with Saint
Joseph’s. Jameer was walking among the tall group of players, but his size made it
hard to believe he was actually one of the group.
“She was like, ‘Are you on the basketball team?’ Martelli said. “He said yes.
And then she said, ‘You must be the water boy, you’re so short.’ He’s amazing,
he just cracked up and kept going. I’ve got the best player in the game and nothing
fazes him, not that, not 10,000 people at Xavier, not 17 NBA scouts, not Larry
Bird sitting courtside.”
Jameer and Delonte were close friends, on and off the court, sharing similar
interests and backgrounds. Their personalities are another story, a study in
opposites joining together seamlessly.
Here’s what Martelli had to say about them.
Before the season, Martelli highlighted the lengths Nelson goes in his attempts
to remain anonymous, even on a cozy campus where everyone knows who he is.
“These girls ask him what his name is, and he makes a name up,” said Martelli,
incredulous. “He says, ‘I’m not the kid you’re looking for.’ ”
Nelson could have told the girls his name was Delonte; his teammate surely
wouldn’t have minded. As proof, Martelli recalled a scene two years ago, at the
end of West’s freshman season.
“I remember the day they announced the All-Freshman team,” said Martelli.
“He’d only averaged four or five (actually, 5.9 points) a game his freshman year,
and after it was announced he came up to me and said, ‘I didn’t make their AllFreshman team?’ I wasn’t surprised he didn’t. I didn’t wait for the press release.
But he was flabbergasted.”
Jameer Nelson is the quiet one and West craves attention. Which is funny,
considering Jameer is the one with an odds-on shot at being named national player
of the year this season while Delonte glides along virtually unknown on a national
scale, despite similar statistics.
It’s the kind of situation with the potential to wreak havoc on team chemistry,
but that has never been the case with this team. For a reason why, look no further
than the temperament of the marquee player. Jameer doesn’t embrace celebrity
status, he says he has to find ways to “deal with it.”
“He is a better teammate than he is a basketball player,” Martelli said. “”I’ve
never seen anybody roll their eyes or look sideways like, ‘Why are they talking to
him, why aren’t they talking to me?’ and that kind of stuff. I’m going to miss him
as much as a person as I will as a basketball player, he’s the best player in the
country, but his persona is just really neat.”
For proof, ask Nelson whether the contributions of his teammates have been
overlooked in all the hype surrounding the Hawks’ 15-0 start.
“Of course,” Nelson said. “Delonte’s not getting as much recognition as he’s
supposed to get. He’s just as good as I am. I want to see him get the attention that
I’m getting.”
Would Nelson be receiving the accolades he is without West playing along side
of him?
“Definitely not,” Jameer said. “He helps me out so much, on and off the court,
just being a friend and a backcourt mate. He’s unbelievable.”
Delonte, for his part, gives the love right back. Though he is known for being a
bit sensitive in measuring himself against others who play his position around the
country, Delonte harbors not a hint of jealousy when it comes to Jameer.
“He’s one of those players that’s not all hype,” West said. “If you come and see
him practice every day, he deserves every honor he gets.”
In today’s college basketball world, with the NBA’s money out there, it is rare
to find a team dynamic like that which the Hawks had. Often times your teammate
is one who is not there to help you win as much as he is your rival for a future
draft position.
The Hawks were making it work, though, and Jameer was the key.
Basketball teams spend a minimal portion of their time together actually
playing games in front of an audience. It’s all that time out of the public eye on the
practice court, in the classroom, and on the bus that really matters, and that’s
where Jameer did his best work.
“To me, everything about Jameer starts with respect,” Martelli said. “He has
the ultimate respect for you; he has respect for your time. So this isn’t about
‘Jameer Nelson and the Traveling All-Stars.’ He respects his treammates, their
time, how hard they work, so they give it back. Every single guy on this team
gives it back. He can see that you can be competitive and still be a really good
human being.”
Jameer, as serious as he was about his work on the basketball court also seemed
to have a way of drawing a smile or laugh from you. After a clinic, which Coach
Martelli had arranged for his players to conduct, for the children of Hawk fans, the
players sat behind a long line of tables to sign autographs. I had given each of my
three grandchildren a sheet of paper for each player to sign. On each sheet of paper
was the picture of the player, his position on the team, some basic background
information, his height and his weight. The children who were there, went from
player to player, and had them sign their books, papers, articles of clothing and
even their wrists, arms, or whatever they had available. When my grandson, Stan,
got to Jameer and handed him the paper bearing Jameer’s physical data, Jameer
looked at Stan and in a harsh voice said, “Where did you get this?” Stan
stammered a little and replied, “From my grandfather.” Jameer looked at him,
smiled and said, “Well, you tell him this is wrong,” and with that, he took his pen
and crossed out 5’11” and wrote, “6 feet.”
At another time, after a similar meeting, I wanted one of my grandchildren to
get a picture with Tyrone Barley, who was my grandchild’s favorite player. The
players were standing in a group and Jameer was looking away when I caught
Tyrone’s eye and I said to him, “Can I get your picture.” Jameer heard me say that
and thinking I meant him, (because it usually was about him), began walking
toward me. I put up my hand and said to him, “No, Jameer, he wants a picture with
Tyrone Barley, he’s his favorite player.” Jameer got a funny look on his face,
pretending to be hurt, and said incredulously to my grandson, while pointing to
Tyrone, “He’s your favorite player?” That got a laugh even from Tyrone, and in
the end we finally did get a picture of Jameer and many other players that day.
ANOTHER LOFTY RANKING
Saint Joseph’s rose to No. 3 in both polls (Associated Press and USA
Today/ESPN) on Monday, January 19, 2004. Only Duke and Stanford were
ranked higher, and Stanford was unbeaten. Cincinnati, also unbeaten, ranked
below the Hawks.
When the Hawks were last ranked this high, 38 years ago, on January 18, 1966,
college basketball was a regional sport that had little national appeal. Now, college
basketball was a billion dollar business that culminated with perhaps the most
anticipated sporting event, “March Madness.”
The Hawks were being taken seriously because they had earned the right to be
taken seriously. This was a year that they were expected to be good and they had
been better than expected. They were on ESPN twice and they played brilliantly,
both times. The voters for the polls had noticed.
The toughest part of the Hawks’ schedule, except for a game or two, seemed to
be behind them, which is why the pollsters and the public were now taking them
seriously. But, there were still the questions: Can they get to No.1 in the polls and
can they go unbeaten in the season? How can a team with so little inside scoring
possibly match up with the superpowers of the sport? And as always, there were a
certain number of critics who could not believe that, a small school like Saint
Joseph’s could, on a day-to-day basis, play with the major teams in the country.
Their cry was, “Wait until tournament time, then we’ll see how good they are.”
The Hawks had eight remaining opponents over 12 games. The Hawks had to
play home-and-home with Temple, St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island and
Massachusetts. They would play at Villanova and Fordham. They would host
Dayton. And they would play LaSalle at the Palestra. Only Rhode Island,
Villanova and Dayton had winning records.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
The excitement was at a fever pitch when the students entered the Fieldhouse
on Hawk Hill, a building as old and snug as ever, to watch the Hawks play the
Massachusetts Minutemen on January 21, 2004. The game was the first since the
SJU students returned back to campus from the semester break. When the students
began final examinations in December, Saint Joseph’s was ranked 12th in the
nation. The Hawks had since picked up nine wins and nine spots in the polls.
The Hawks came out blazing and led by as much as 72-31, and Martelli went
deep to his bench early and often. No Hawk played more than 24 minutes. It was
reminiscent of the recent Fordham game.
Even though the Minutemen played gamely, they were completely
overmatched, and Martelli had to reach for reasons not to smile in his postgame
discussion
“The effort at the beginning of the game was obviously significant,” he said.
“But still – four missed layups in the first half. So there’s room for improvement.”
The students were back from the holidays with well-rested throats. They sang
“Happy Birthday to You” to coach Martelli’s wife, Judy. They serenaded Joe
Dumars, the general manager of the Detroit Pistons, who was at the game to scout
Jameer Nelson.
They helpfully reminded the Minutemen that they had scored only one point in
the game’s first 5 1/2 minutes (Hawks 19, Massachusetts 1) by shouting in unison:
“You’re not scoring.” And a bunch of them wore cowboy hats and T-shirts bearing
the words “Wild Wild West,” in honor of the Hawk’s Delonte West.
To which, Delonte replied: “I guess I’ve got a fan club. I must be Clint
Eastwood or something.”
There was no doubt that Jameer and Delonte had provided the firepower that
propelled the Hawks up to this point. But, there was always the quiet concern
about Pat Carroll.
What happened to the sweet stroke that made Carroll one of the deadliest threepoint shooters in the country last season?
For those who wondered, the question was no longer relevant. Pat came out
blazing, draining his first four three-point attempts on his way to a season-high 20
points as the Hawks rolled over UMass, 92-67.
Pat had made his last two three-point attempts against Xavier and that,
presumably, gave him a needed boost.
“I left the Xavier game with a little bit of confidence. I think it carried over.”
Carroll said.
“It looks like the light switch just went on for Pat,” said Delonte, who scored
19 points and extended his number of consecutive shots made to19 before missing
a three-pointer in the second half. His streak of 19 straight baskets was a school
and Atlantic10 conference record. It was 6 shots short of the NCAA record set in
1978 by Ray Voelkel of American University.
Delonte West also ended his team record for consecutive free throws made
at 30, when he missed a shot in the first half.
Jameer added 13 points and 7 assists, some of which brought the raucous crowd
to its feet.
This was the Hawks 16th straight victory and it equaled a 39-year-old school
record set by the 1964-65 team, which was coached by the legendary Jack
Ramsay. In addition, with Cincinnati’s loss the previous night, Saint Joseph’s and
Stanford were the only remaining unbeaten teams.
The subject of conversation at this point of the season was twofold. First, there
was the talk about Delonte, who lived in the shadow of the great Jameer. We all
knew Jameer was magical, but Delonte was now being described as wondrous.
“Nobody wants to believe you can have two All-Americans at Saint Joseph’s,”
Martelli said. “I say, ‘Why not?’ ”
The other topic of conversation, which was being heard more and more, was
that concerning the unbeaten streak of the Hawks. It was becoming a goofy,
glorious ride and although an unbeaten season should be impossible, even sane
people were now talking about it. It still seemed impossible that the Hawks could
ever recapture the glory they experienced, in the 1960s and ‘70s – not at this small
school; not in this world where the college football powers now dominated college
basketball, too. But, it was happening and everyone could see it. The numbers
don’t lie.
GEARING UP FOR VILLANOVA
The crowd, which began the evening in an electric mood, still wanted more and
when Coach Martelli took the public-address microphone at the end of the UMass
game, and addressed the crowd, he was doing a little promoting, and the crowd
loved it. He reminded everyone (as if they needed reminding) that the February 2,
2004 “Holy War” between the Hawks and Villanova was nearing and even though
they couldn’t see the game first hand it would be shown on big screens at the
Fieldhouse while it was being played a few miles down Lancaster Avenue at the
Wildcat’s Pavillion.
There were only 150 tickets available for Saint Joseph’s fans and it was a
situation that had the fans furious since Villanova was once again playing this
crucial Big Five game at their home arena and not at the Palestra or some larger
venue.
But, there was a slight edge in Martelli’s voice – because it was Villanova, and
because of the peculiar circumstances that led the game to be moved from the
Palestra to the Villanova Pavillion (with an ill-fated stop at the Wachovia Center
in between) Martelli yelled, “This game should be played in only one place – the
Palestra,” and his next couple of words were drowned out by the crowd’s roar.
“Here’s what we want,” he said. “We want this building full. ESPN will report to
the world that we have the best fans in America. Thank you.”
And the crowd roared again. And the whole thing rolled on toward the
showdown with Villanova even though games with St. Bonaventure and Temple
still had to be played before the Villanova game.
THE BIG MONEY SCHOOLS
As its No. 3 national ranking indicated, The Hawks could compete with the big
boys on the basketball court. But when it comes to financial clout, the unbeaten
Hawks were definitely playing out of their league.
According to figures available from the U.S. Department of Education, annual
sports revenue of $5.5 million at Saint Joseph’s was $26.3 million less than No. 1
Duke earned in 2001-02, and $50.9 million less than No. 2 Stanford.
“I guess what we have is Jameer,” joked Don DiJulia, Saint Joseph’s Athletic
Director.
Saint Joseph’s spent $1.4 million on basketball that year, 2001-02 – the last
year for which records were available – and earned the same amount.
Meanwhile, every other school in the Associated Press Top 10 outspent the
Hawks on basketball by anywhere from $600,000 to $3.3 million. Pittsburgh’s
$2.01 million basketball budget was the next lowest, while Duke spent the most,
$4.7 million.
And while the Hawks broke even on the sport, the other nine teams averaged
profits of $5.1 million. Kentucky basketball was $9.9 million in the black;
Louisville $9.7 million; North Carolina $7.8 million.
History had also shown that the have-nots – schools that aren’t members of the
most powerful football conferences and especially those such as Saint Joseph’s
that don’t even play football – have difficulty advancing far in the NCAA
tournament.
In three of the last four seasons, 14 of those Sweet 16 teams have been Bowl
Championship Series-affiliated schools – those from the six largest football
conferences, plus Notre Dame. And when Marquette reached the Final Four in
2002-03, it was the first time in 14 years that a school without Division I football
had advanced that far.
“Football, football, football,” DiJulia said. “That’s the business we’re in. That’s
the landscape of college sports today. The infrastructure of football is so big at
those schools and those conferences that they can leverage their influence. The
money they bring in from football allows them to negotiate for better television
contracts for basketball. We can’t charter to road games. We can’t match their
facilities. That’s where the money makes the difference.”
So how have the Hawks done it, going undefeated in their first 16 games,
despite residing on the other side of the collegiate tracks?
“I think a lot of things, starting with Jameer’s decision, came together for us
this year,” DiJulia said.
As I had stated earlier, it takes many things to make an undefeated or even a
successful season. Certainly Jameer’s decision to pull out of the NBA draft and
return for his senior year set the tone for the team’s success. But, as Don DiJulia
noted, Coach Phil Martelli’s skills, Delonte West’s and the other player’s
continued improvement were also big factors. The season-opening win over
Gonzaga on national TV was a big boost, too.
ST. BONAVENTURE HOSTS THE NO. 3 TEAM
The excitement generated for this team, and its undefeated record and high
ranking, was not only felt among Saint Joseph’s fans. The remaining teams, that
were about to face the Hawks, also felt the excitement.
The upcoming game with St. Bonaventure on Saturday, January 4, 2004 was
the kind of match-up that made the whole “no one game is bigger than another”
theory seem either quaint or just plain stupid.
It’s just another game? When St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team was
hosting the No. 3-ranked team in the nation, one of the two unbeaten teams in the
country…and it’s the biggest conference rival? It’s just another game? The “just
another game” position the Bonnies team was trying to put forth sounded good,
but there was a huge buzz on their campus surrounding it all week.
On top of hosting the No. 3 team in the country, with only a 9 point loss to
Syracuse and a 4 point loss at Dayton and having beaten Rhode Island, the
Bonnies were No. 2 in the Atlantic 10 East, trailing only the Hawks going into
their Homecoming weekend.
The game had been sold out for more than a week, the first sellout at the Reilly
Center that season. There were signs all over the campus urging students to attend,
and school officials expected what they got, a standing-room only crowd, and then
some.
Indeed, the game was drawing national attention. With the Hawks at the top of
the national rankings, and the Bonnies having rebounded from the previous year’s
scandal, this game was matching-up two of the best point guards in the nation in
Jameer Nelson and Marques Green.
ESPN had tabbed this as one of the weekend’s “games to watch,” and the
network’s Web site ran in-depth features on both Green and Jameer.
The Hawks were not taking this game lightly. The hype that was now
surrounding them could easily be distracting, but they knew they must keep their
minds focused on the goal. They had to keep focused on, “one game at a time.”
“We could have used 10-12 more hours in every day,” Martelli said on the
previous Friday. “But on Monday, I talked to the team about how the time we’re
on the court is the most important part of the day. We can deal with the other stuff
at other times, school starting, and adulation from your peers, the media requests;
we can deal with all of that. If that seeps into any of the time we spend preparing
for a game, then we’re setting ourselves up for this to be gone in the snap of a
finger – and it will. If we lose a game, everyone goes on to the next story.”
As the arena began to fill-up, almost immediately some highly spirited cheering
quickly deteriorated into the types of threats and exchanges that you could get jail
time for. Some concerned Saint Joseph’s officials quickly convinced the Hawk
faithful to focus their energies on supporting the team and to ignore the obviously
drunken and hostile St. Bonaventure students.
Although the retorts from the Hawk fans faded quickly, for the most part, the
fuse had already been lit and the Bonnies fans proceeded to be very aggressive and
they took some “cheap” shots at Jameer’s family.
The good news is that the game was over almost before it started. A blink, and
it was 20-3.
The newspaper articles written about this game summed it up very succinctly:
“St. Joe’s Wins 17th in a Rout”, “Hawks Fly Past Bonnies, 114-63.”
The Bonnies sellout crowd came in from the bitter cold in full throat, chanting
“overrated” at the Hawks and booing Jameer as he took his final warm-up shots in
front of the Bonnies student section.
It took all of five minutes for Saint Joseph’s to silence 6,116 St. Bonaventure
faithful at the Reilly Center.
“It was certainly St. Joe’s night. They are an excellent basketball team in all
aspects of the game,” said head coach Anthony Solomon. “They really executed
tonight and proved why they are ranked number three in the nation.”
The Hawks made an astounding 20 of its 30 shots (67 percent) in the first half,
including 12 for 18 (66 percent) from three-point range. The Bonnies were
deflated by the Hawks’ immediate and stellar performance and their deficit
continued to grow. The Hawks took a 62-27 advantage into intermission. The
Bonnies shot just 25 percent (10-for-40) from the field in the half.
The shooting woes for the Bonnies continued in the second half, as they shot
only 28 percent. The Hawks finished the game shooting 66 percent (37-for-56)
from the field, including an incredible 65 percent (17-for-26) from behind the arc.
“You have to give Saint Joseph’s credit, said coach Solomon. “They gave us a
lot of problems tonight because of their defense.”
The Hawks held the Bonnies’ senior point guard Marques Green to 12 points,
12 below his season average.
“They had a hand in my face on every shot, but I just didn’t make shots,” Green
said. “I knew Saint Joseph’s was good, just not this good.”
“I think it (defense) is the key,” Martelli said. “I really believe our offense
comes from our defense. We get up and we pressure the ball. The numbers are the
numbers. These guys take great pride in their defensive stops.”
The Hawks had four players in double figures as it set a season high in points.
Delonte West netted a game-high 21 points to go with 8 assists. Jameer Nelson
scored all 19 of his points in the first half, and ended a perfect 6-for-6 from the
field, including 4-for-4 from three-point range. Pat Carroll added 17 points on 6for-7 shooting and had made 13 of his last 15 shots from the arc. Chet Stachitas
had 10 points.
Dave Mallon had a career-high 8 points and all of them came in the second
half. He also equaled his career-high by grabbing 5 rebounds.
Martelli cleared the bench in the second half, and 12 of the 13 players who saw
action scored.
The crowd remained intense throughout the game, and one middle-aged fan,
Mary Palmer, a librarian and long-time Bonnies’ season ticket-holder, provoked a
sharp response from Martelli when she continued to yell at him for pressing while
the Hawks had a 25-point lead. Martelli snapped back, yelling, “Shut up, you
nitwit!” A few seconds later Martelli turned around again and added: “You should
be embarrassed by your own team, you moron.”
The following Monday, athletic director Don DiJulia and coach Martelli both
called Mary Palmer to apologize for Martelli’s remarks and followed that by
sending her a letter. Martelli also made a public apology.
“I’ve known all year that this would be a challenge for my team to conduct
themselves in a manner befitting our standing and the attention that we’re getting,”
Martelli said. “And as the head coach, I need to set that example. My focus is now
directly on Temple, and I would prefer this situation be put behind me.”
As it turns out, there was a happy ending to the Mary Palmer incident.
“I came home and I was livid,” Mary Palmer recalled. “I was going to dash off
an e-mail.”
She never sent it. Within two days the apologies arrived from Saint Joseph’s.
Palmer was surprised a few weeks later when Saint Joseph’s provided her
tickets for an NCAA tournament second-round game against Texas Tech at
Buffalo – about a 90-minute drive north of Olean, N.Y. (St. Bonaventure).
It was enough to smooth over any hard feelings, to the point where Palmer
found herself rooting for the Hawks during their tournament run – and was
crushed by their loss.
At one point that spring, Palmer sent Martelli an e-mail and was impressed that
he responded.
“I was thrilled because he took the time for this woman he yelled at, he took the
time to respond,” Palmer said. “It was very nice.”
Mary Palmer also attended the Hawks/Bonnies game the following year (200405) and was there to support Martelli. “I’ll be his little guardian angel,” Palmer
said prior to the game. “And maybe I’ll bring some duct tape to make sure I keep
my mouth shut.”
At the same time as the Mary Palmer incident, the basketball season was also
unnerving for Coach Jim Calhoun of Connecticut. He, too, lashed out with a
profanity laced tirade against newspaper columnist, Dave Solomon, of the New
Haven Register after UConn’s loss to Providence. Calhoun, like Martelli,
apologized in that situation, as well.
“The mental makeup of this team is just astounding,” Martelli said. “Their
poorly received introductions to the St. Bonaventure fans were about as noisy as
I’ve heard, and these guys just blanked it out. You feel good for a team that gets in
that situation. It’s just us rolling downhill. It’s the passing, the three-pointers, and
the defense. It was a pleasure to watch, let alone coach.”
The mental aspects of the game, which Martelli spoke about, indeed were a
significant part of the game.
John Giannini, the new head coach at LaSalle, has a doctorate in sports
psychology and he said this, “Our first task is to develop the team not just in terms
of skill and learning the system, but also in terms of developing a winning
mentality. Teaching basketball is not difficult, but teaching a winning mentality is
difficult. Teaching people to think in a superior way, to be more focused, more
poised, more intelligent and more committed, is the greatest challenge in
coaching.”
THE STATISTICS THAT GOT THE HAWKS HERE
The Hawks’ win at St. Bonaventure was the 17th in a row, breaking the
school record set by the 1964-65 team coached by Jack Ramsay.
And still the pundits were not convinced that Saint Joseph’s was a legitimate
basketball team worthy of a No. 3 ranking. Sure, the Hawks were not a physically
big team and were being out rebounded by an average of almost four per game.
Sure, they played four guards a lot. It was this set of facts that led people, who
followed the game, to conclude that, “When the Hawks are ousted in the NCAA
Tournament, it will be because their frontcourt can’t hang with the true big boys of
college basketball.”
What all of those who made these predictions failed to factor in was that
although the Hawks’ lean and undersized frontcourt made them appear vulnerable
against quality big men, that hadn’t been the case simply because the Hawks deep
and quick backcourt made it so difficult for opposing teams to get the ball down
low.
The Hawks also had five regulars shooting more than 39 percent from the arc.
Good luck trying to guard this team. The Hawks, as a team, shot 40.2 percent from
the arc, which was the equivalent of 60.3 percent in two-point attempts. The team
was an incredible plus 261 points from the arc.
There were 326 teams in Division I. Saint Joseph’s was in the top 35 in 12 of
15 team categories.
The fact was that it had been a long time since anyone had seen a backcourt as
outstanding as Jameer Nelson and Delonte West. Trying to find a backcourt as
effective as Delonte and Jameer would take you deeper into the game’s history
than you would imagine. So the notion of Saint Joseph’s as some sort of outsider
among the year’s best teams was absurd. The Hawks had weaknesses, but they
were an excellent team. Perhaps winning the championship was not expected, but
the idea of reaching the Final Four was a distinct possibility. Although the team
may not have looked like a Final Four contender to some, they played like one,
sucking the life out of its opponents with great guard play and a suffocating
defense.
The Rating Percentage Index (RPI) had been used by the NCAA since 1981 to
supplement the selection of at-large teams for the NCAA basketball tournament.
In the January 19, 2004 ratings that were derived from three component factors:
Division I winning percentage (25 percent), schedule strength (50 percent), and
opponents schedule strength (25 percent), the Hawks were rated No. 1. The Hawks
were followed by Kentucky, Duke and Louisville. Undefeated Stanford was rated
seventh.
The RPI has, from time to time, been adjusted to make it more meaningful. In
that regard, the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee had made a change for the
2004-05 season in the RPI ratings criteria. I pointed out earlier that Saint Joseph’s
number of “away” games exceeded those of other top ranked schools. Although
even without the new changes, the Hawks rated very highly, the newly adopted
changes would have further solidified their standing. The new changes sharply
increase the importance of road games in the RPI computer rankings. In my
opinion, the Committee had made a smart change. Road games will count more
and home losses will hurt more. That’s the way it should be.
ON DELONTE WEST
Although Jameer had proved he was the leader of this team and was the star,
Delonte West was proving that he was a force to be reckoned with as well. He was
the shooting guard for the No. 3 team in America. He and Jameer formed the most
productive and most valuable backcourt in college basketball. While Jameer was
on his way to breaking several of the school’s records, Delonte, in just his third
year, needed just 53 points to become the Hawks 42nd 1,000-point scorer. At
this point in the season, Delonte was averaging 18.6 points and was shooting 52.3
percent from the field. He was also a wonderful ballhandler with great athletic
ability who was almost impossible to guard one-on-one. If somebody was open,
West was able to find him. He was way more than a scorer. He made what
basketball coaches call “basketball plays.”
“I’ve always been a basketball freak,” Delonte said. “We had a crate up on a
telephone pole and played on that. There was just something about basketball,
making the ball go through the hoop. It just spoke for itself. You didn’t have to say
any words, no trash talk; just the ball going through the hoop says it all.”
Although, at first, Delonte and his teammates didn’t say much about the
prospect of winning a national title, they began to realize that such an achievement
was not beyond their ability.
“At the beginning of this pre-season, I threw something out there just to see
how the teammates would react, Delonte said. “I mentioned something about a
national championship. I was just bouncing something off the guys. Since I’ve
been here, I had not heard one player mention something about a national
championship. I felt compelled to say it….”
“I was surprised some guys got into it. But I don’t think anybody really
believed what they were saying. They were just saying it because it was the thing
to say … as the season goes on, the team is starting to believe it, like ‘Let’s go get
this.’ ”
So, as the team began to shatter school record after school record, even Delonte
had set his sights on the biggest achievement of all.
“Let’s be the first in school history to do it.” West said of the feeling
enveloping the team. “Somebody’s got to do it, why not us?”
Other thoughts were also beginning to creep into Delonte’s head. If his season
continued as it had to this point, he would consider doing what Jameer did after
the last season: declare for the NBA draft, not hire an agent, go to Chicago for the
pre-draft camp and then get a feel for his draft status. Come back to school if he
doesn’t get a first-round guarantee and go if he does.
When asked the question about his professional desires and the steps needed to
get there, Delonte simply said he might do that “if the option was available to me.”
JAMEER, PLAYER OF THE YEAR?
Lots of “pots were boiling” at this point in the season. Thirty players had been
named to the Wooden Award Midseason List, and it was interesting to watch Phil
Martelli and Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun lobbying for their players to be named
Player of the Year. At this time, in my opinion, there legitimately were only two
contestants in the competition: Jameer Nelson and Connecticut’s 6’9” Emeka
Okafor.
It was pretty widely felt that if any other coach claimed his player deserved
consideration for the honor, you would know that coach was shamefully
huckstering or trying to make sure that his guy got on an All-American team. It
would have taken an incredible second half for anyone other than Jameer or
Okafor to win.
Lots of people were making predictions or comments about Jameer. Dick
Vitale, true to his larger-than-life form, made the most entertaining comments
about Nelson.
“Nelson is such a positive force, and he has a winner’s mentality. I love the
way he smiles on the court and enjoys the game of basketball. He was so smart to
say no to the NBA and return to St. Joe’s this season. Forget his size, because
pound-for-pound, inch-for-inch, he is the best pure talent in America. Nelson is
awesome with a capital A!”
It was true. Jameer was simply the most fun player to watch. He looked like he
was genetically engineered to play basketball, and when he got on the court, he
owned it. You wanted the ball in his hands when the game was on the line, as he
had successfully shown several times during the season. If those situations were
not enough for you to accept his wizardry and you needed numbers to prove it,
how about 19.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists per game, and a 17-0 record for
the Hawks, a school record. The numbers don’t lie! Or, as Coach Martelli would
say, “The numbers are the numbers.”
AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
One week before the Saturday, January 31, 2004 game with Temple at the
Liacouras Center (10,206 capacity) Temple’s Director of Athletics, Bill Bradshaw,
announced that the game was sold-out. This would be the largest attendance at the
Liacouras Center in its seven-year existence. Basketball fans wanted to see the
Hawks. In a city desperate for a winner, Saint Joseph’s had become the latest team
of destiny.
Phil Martelli knew when the attention of the fans focused on Hawk Hill this
basketball season. It was the day after the post-mortem for the Eagles loss to the
Panthers in the NFC championship game. The Eagles had been the city’s hope for
a championship. Now it was up to the Hawks.
Photos of Jameer and Delonte splashed across the front page of the
Philadelphia Daily News. Five local TV stations did live shots from the Saint
Joseph’s campus. The Hawks’ unbeaten record had sport fans everywhere rooting
for them. It was college basketball’s feel-good story. It was hard to believe and to
understand how a tiny program like Saint Joseph’s had a shot to go undefeated
during the regular season and make the Final Four.
“I whole-heartedly believe this is lightning in a bottle,” Martelli said.
Everybody wanted to watch the Hawks, and the game at Temple was no
exception.
With every game, the question got more interesting. With each week that
passed in the college basketball season, the idea and possibilities of an undefeated
season and a national championship became more enticing and the stakes got a
little higher.
In the space of just a month or so, Saint Joseph’s had gone from being a
promising team with a great backcourt, a team off to a fast start, to a team with a
chance to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament and perhaps even go
undefeated.
“I think they are capable of getting to a certain place in the NCAAs, provided
nobody gets hurt,” said John Chaney, who recorded his 700th career victory with a
win over St. Bonaventure. “I think they are a perfect fit. We’ve had our magic
moments. But I think they have their magic moment right here, right now. You
know, you have to seize the moment when you have a special team, and Saint
Joseph’s has a very special team. I’m very proud of the fact that they’re in our
league. They create extra opportunities with their quickness and defense, forcing
about 18 turnovers a game. I’ve seen Duke and Connecticut. I think Saint Joseph’s
might run into trouble with them if they meet up, but for the most part I have not
seen too many teams that can handle them. Saint Joseph’s has a very special
team.”
“For a man like John Chaney to say we have a special team – that, I trust and
believe in,” said Martelli. “I am humbled by what he had to say about our team.”
Coach Chaney also talked about his strategy to try to stop the Hawks.
“We’re going to try to show them a lot of different faces out of our zone. They
have a way of moving the ball around. Jameer has a way of swinging it to those
guys like Delonte West and Pat Carroll, both great shooters. They have a way of
spreading you. If that’s not working, Jameer will slice through you. We have to
provide the defense to make them take long shots, and I have to hope they miss
those long shots.”
If nothing else, at least it was a strategy. That is not to say that Coach Chaney’s
strategy was not sound. The part that didn’t work was the part about “I have to
hope they miss those long shots.”
On this day, no strategy was going to put a scare into the Hawks. The Hawks
kept giving up good shots for better ones, solid looks for gotta-take-its. With more
than eight minutes remaining in the game, the Hawks had set school, conference
and building records for three-pointers in a basketball game.
“The first 30 minutes were terrific – maybe it was beyond there – I don’t
know,” coach Martelli said.
On this Saturday, at the Liacouras Center, the Hawks became an 18-0 team
with a fairly thorough dismantling of Temple. The final score of 83-71 is a credit
to the Owls but doesn’t begin to explain the true nature of the afternoon.
What we saw was a conference record for three-point field goals (20), the
product of Temple’s sagging zone, to be sure, but also of basketball skills on the
part of the Hawks. The ball sped around the perimeter, skipped occasionally,
reversed direction, and found itself in the hands of the open man. It didn’t seem to
matter to the Saint Joseph’s players which of them became the open man, only that
the open man was located.
To put it in its simplest terms, it is likely that the first 30 minutes of the game –
when Saint Joseph’s built a 29-point lead before drifting to the wire – the Hawks
were the best college basketball team in the country. For those 30 minutes, it
couldn’t get any better in any conference, in any place.
The very first sign that the Owls were in for a long day was when John Bryant
got to the foul line after an offensive rebound on the first Hawks’ possession, then
Dwayne Jones scored inside and got fouled for a three-point play on the next trip
down the court. After that, the threes started raining down.
Temple fans, stung by the one-sided nature of the game, had to wait until the
Owls made a late 20-3 run fueled by David Hawkins who tied a career high by
scoring 36 points. That late effort by Hawkins made the final score look a little
more respectable.
Jameer Nelson and Delonte West scored 21 points each, and also split 11 threepointers and 13 assists between them. When Pat Carroll and Chet Stachitas heated
up and combined for nine three-pointers – including 7 of 12 in the first half – the
Owls knew their fate.
Pat Carroll scored 20 points and Chet Stachitas added 12.
“I shot a lot more today,” Carroll said. “We knew, with their zone, that 3s
would be available. And Jameer and Delonte will find you if you’re open.”
Carroll, who entered the game having made 13 of his last 16 3-point attempts
was 5-for-10 from beyond the arc.
The arithmetic was baffling – Saint Joseph’s scored 75 of its 83 points on threepointers and free throws – but the outcome was clear. The Hawks were the best
team and they were the highest ranked team to appear on Temple’s campus since
Massachusetts came in No. 1 in the 1995-96 season.
In the final minutes, the Temple rooting section chanted, “Overrated.” The
Hawks’ fans responded with a cry of “Undefeated.”
“I chant at them every day,” Martelli joked, adding, “It’s better than chanting,
‘never rated.’ ”
The Hawks’ old three-point record had been 18, set against Temple in 1999 in a
game Temple actually won. The Atlantic 10 record had been 19, set by Temple
twice and against them once. The Liacouras Center record had been 18, set by the
Owls against Fordham in 2002-03.
THE HOT VILLANOVA—SAINT JOSEPH’S RIVALRY
By blistering Temple’s zone defense with an Atlantic 10 Conference record 20
three-point shots, Saint Joseph’s took care of the first half of what many
considered their most treacherous weekend of the regular season. The next part
would come on Monday night, February 2, 2004 when the Hawks visited that
hostile place: Villanova’s Pavillion, or what had widely become to be known as
the Ski Lodge.
Philadelphia is in some ways the world’s biggest small town, and, in such an
insular place, Saint Joseph’s-Villanova offered the classic parochial antagonism.
The Universities are only seven miles apart, but the gulf between these ambitious
institutions might best be described in terms of perceived “class” instead of
distance.
In the terms in which rivalries are often briefly described, fans of Saint
Joseph’s find Villanova supporters haughty and condescending, while Wildcat
supporters find the Saint Joseph’s faithful jealous and insecure.
Villanova is situated on the wealthier “Main Line,” while Saint Joseph’s is on
Philadelphia’s less affluent western border. Villanova fans brag that they belong to
the upscale Big East conference, while Saint Joseph’s defends the competiveness
of the Atlantic 10 conference. Villanova is affiliated with the Augustinian Order,
Saint Joseph’s the Jesuits. Both are pre-eminent Catholic Universities in the
Northeast United States. Both have grand basketball traditions.
Many fans and officials have ties to both universities, which perhaps are more
alike than either cared to admit. Each considered itself sufficiently elite to charge
about $35,000 annually for tuition and room and board.
But in sporting terms, the two agree on little beyond shared disdain. They could
not even agree if they played each other 61 or 62 times in a heated rivalry that is
known as the “Holy War.”
The Saint Joseph’s fans were anxious to play Villanova. After all, they had
what appeared to be the best team in school history and they got positively crazy
every time they heard Villanova people tell them this is just another game and that
Villanova’s Big East games matter much more to them. It was obvious, by their
actions, that the Wildcat fans did not believe that.
Even the very young Hawk fans’ emotions for the game with Villanova were
heating up! On January 30, 2004, three days prior to the game, the following
messages were posted on the Hawk Hoop Clubs Web site – The Hawk Forum:
“Students in Delaware County are allowed and encouraged to wear Saint
Joseph’s University T-shirts and sweat shirts over their uniforms today. Sister
Mary Anne Sweeney (Principal) is a big time Hawk fan, and is encouraging the
kids to show their support this coming weekend. I know for a fact that there are
quite a few “NOFUN” (Nova) alums that have kids going to school
there…HAHAHA. I love it.” And,
“I know Mother of Divine Providence in King of Prussia has something going
on. Kids are making ‘Beat Nova’ posters and placing them in strategic locations.
The Principal, Mrs. Duff is another Hawk fan.”
And referring to these two messages the following was submitted:
“These are just two more examples of the advantages of a Catholic education.
Teach them young…and deliver them from evil.”
On Monday, February 2, 2004 The Hawks were scheduled to face Villanova, a
team that Coach Martelli acknowledged he had not scouted or seen that year.
“The only thing I am well aware of is the raucous atmosphere, in their
Pavillion” Martelli said. “But we’ve been through this now. We’ve been to Xavier,
we’ve been to Temple (Liacouras), and we were at St. Bonaventure. It’s not going
to have an impact.”
As Villanova was putting the finishing touches on a 73-58 victory over West
Virginia, at their home court (Pavillion), coming from the student section behind
one of the baskets was, “We want St. Joe’s!” The rest of the Villanova fans heard
the call and joined in, chanting in unison. “We want St. Joe’s!”
With the Hawks game looming before them, the win over West Virginia was
one that Villanova was glad to get out of the way.
“To me, it’s a relief,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “Now we can play the
game everybody has been talking about, and we have tried, very hard, not to talk
about. It’s been a challenge to keep our players and coaching staff focused on our
immediate schedule. Playing Saint Joseph’s is always big, but playing St. Joe’s as
the number three team in the country, that’s a big game. Now it’s fun. We can
prepare for it and go play.”
It had been almost four years since Tyrone Barley came down the New Jersey
Turnpike from Newark for the first day of classes at Saint Joseph’s University.
When he checked his course load, “hate Villanova 101” was not included. But
after his first full day on campus, he began to wonder why.
“I had no idea about the rivalry with Villanova,” he said. “But I remember it hit
me my first day of school, when people started telling me I wasn’t supposed to
have any friends from Villanova, stuff like that. I thought ‘Hate ‘Nova’ was a class
you had to take.”
Barley’s teammate, Delonte West, couldn’t, at first, understand why Hawk fans
got so lathered up about Villanova.
“I thought to myself, ‘What’s this all about?’ I mean we don’t even play in the
same league,” he said. “But when I went there my first time, into that hostile place,
and saw the way their fans were on us, that’s when I realized how much they hate
us.” West shrugged, and then he added, “So I guess we’re supposed to hate them,
too.”
The Hawk fans absolutely hated the fact that Villanova gets 3,000 tickets when
the Hawks host the game at the Palestra (capacity: 8,722) while Saint Joseph’s
gets just 250 tickets to the 6,500-seat Ski Lodge. That ticket split was negotiated
as part of the new Big 5 agreement when Villanova agreed to play the full roundrobin again in 1999 after eight seasons of playing just two Big 5 games. Almost all
of the 250 tickets allowed for Saint Joseph’s fans went to students or to the
families of the players.
The bitter rivalry between Villanova and Saint Joseph’s was being fought
verbally, everywhere. Here’s some examples found on the internet that were
prompted in part by the game being played at Villanova and not in some larger,
neutral venue:
“Re: Why Phil Is Steamed at Nova.
---“SJU is just annoyed that this may be the only game they lose this season…
The Nova game is the most difficult game left on their schedule, because it is at
the Pavillion? …. Man is that pathetic!….Dayton on Hawk Hill is not a tough
game this season…I believe they only play two other teams with winning
records.” And another message:
---“I say if Phil Martelli does not like the fact that this year’s Villanova-Saint
Joseph’s game is being played at the Pavillion, then I think the series between
Villanova and the rest of the Big 5 schools should be discontinued. I am sick and
tired of seeing Villanova always being portrayed as the bad guy when half of the
accusations are absolutely bullshit. As far as I am concerned, I do not care if we
ever play St. Joe’s or Temple again, because of all the negative crap that comes
from Martelli and Chaney about us.”
And another message:
---“Why do you guys at St. Joe’s always seem to suspect an air of superiority
from everything we utter from our mouths? Believe it or not, what you hear from
Nova fans is usually their stating an obvious point about Villanova being on a
level with other nationally respected programs. Recent success or not, many of
you St. Joe’s guys find it hard to digest the fact that Villanova is still the most
(historically) prominent name in college basketball in the Philly area. This is even
considering the enormous success the Hawks are having this year. Get rid of the
inferiority complex already.”
And, in rebuttal:
---“Every team in this city can lay claim to periods when they had great teams.
The issue with many Nova fans is that they believe college basketball started with
the Big East and it’s only how a team performed in 1985 that matters. Nova had
good teams under Jack Kraft (Saint Joseph’s grad). LaSalle had some awesome
teams.The same with the Hawks, Penn and Temple.
You (Villanova) keep talking about being a Top 20 program of all time, but the
fact is since 1988, Nova has not been to a Sweet 16. They have won only three
NCAA games since 1988 and haven’t gone to the NCAAs in four years.
This doesn’t sound like the resume of a Top 20 program to me!”
If the Saint Joseph’s players felt the need to find some friendly faces at the
6,500-seat Pavillion, they would have to crane their necks. However, it was not
expected that the 250 or so Hawks’ followers who were allowed into the Pavillion
would suffer the same fate that the Hawk fans of two years ago did. Two years ago
they probably felt like sneaking out the back door after the Wildcats manhandled
Saint Joseph’s, 102-73, with the same kind of three-point shooting performance
the Hawks had put on in the Temple game the past Saturday.
“A 30-point loss, that’s what I remember,” said Jameer Nelson, who had 21
points and seven assists. “I remember they got really physical with us and did
things that made us uncomfortable. But back then, we were a team that just wanted
to score.”
Jameer was implying that this season’s Hawks were more committed to
defense, just as they were the last season when they avenged the loss to the
Wildcats by routing them 92-75, at the Palestra. In that game, the Hawks ran off to
a 40-9 lead. This time the pressure would be on Saint Joseph’s to keep their
unbeaten record alive while playing at Villanova.
“Oh, man,” Delonte West said, “their crowd is going to be really hyped. It’s
going to be crazy. But we just have to play our game.”
“It’s going to be crazy, rowdy and all that,” Barley said. “Let’s face it, they
don’t like us, and we don’t like them. It should be a good fight.”
Close to 2,000 Saint Joseph’s fans would watch the game on four large screens
and enjoy a game-like atmosphere at the Hawks’ Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
Dan Griffin was a senior at Saint Joseph’s in 1982, a year after the Hawks upset
No. 1 DePaul and fell one win shy of the Final Four. That was a wonderful time
for any Hawks’ fan.
For Griffin and so many others from Saint Joseph’s, there is one game that
matters among all others. It was not easy for Griffin when Villanova recently won
five straight in the “Holy War,” two of those coming when the Hawks went to the
NCAA Tournament under Phil Martelli (1997, 2001). He makes no bones about
the depth of his disdain for Villanova.
“There are two different kinds of Villanova fans,” Griffin said. “There are the
pre-’85 fans and the post-’85 fans. The pre-’85 fans were friendly. We had a great
rivalry, and it was always a lot of fun. After ’85 (when Nova won the national
title), they all thought they were Duke.”
So when the NCAA-bound Hawks blew out the Wildcats the previous season at
the Palestra, Griffin quickly thought up a way to commemorate it for posterity.
After 13 minutes, the Hawks led 40-9. The score just seemed frozen up there on
the Palestra scoreboard. It was really what most people remembered from that
game.
Griffin definitely remembered. He quickly ordered a new Pennsylvania license
plate. On the back of Griffin’s car, his tag read: “SJ 40--VU 9.”
The Hawks’ Pat Carroll was also looking forward to this game. His three-point
shooting, after a slow start, was beginning to heat up. He was shooting 3s better
than many college players shoot free throws. Over the last four games he had
taken 26 3-pointers and made 18 – for a rather robust .692 shooting percentage –
and when he was shooting well, his left-handed jump shot sure was something to
see.
“It has been great,” said Carroll, who led the A-10 in 3-point percentage (.450)
the previous season. “The favorite thing for me is shooting the ‘3’.”
No one would argue with the notion that Jameer and Delonte were the Hawks’
most important players, but this was a different team when Carroll was shooting
well. He was, as West called him, a “zone-buster,” another option that an opponent
had to account for aside from the nation’s best backcourt pair. All you had to
know about what he meant to the Hawks was this: he had been struggling with his
shot before burying a key three-pointer in the closing moments of an 81-73 victory
over Xavier on January 17, 2004, and in the three games since, he had averaged
19.0 points and the Hawks had won by an average of more than 24 points.
“I was frustrated during each game when it happened,” he said of his slump.
“But when I would enter into a new game, I would come in with a clean
conscience and a new confidence every single game. Mainly, because of Jameer
and Delonte, the defense has to be focused on them so much that you’re eventually
going to get open shots.”
It appeared that Pat Carroll was ready for the Villanova game.
Nearly 150 media credentials were issued for the game. In fact, you probably
could make a case that no game in the series (they played 61 games) had been
anticipated as much as this one.
For the first time ever, No. 3 Saint Joseph’s was into February without a loss.
For many weeks, even some Villanova fans had been openly rooting for the
Hawks, and not because they liked them.
They wanted Saint Joseph’s to cruise up to the Villanova campus without a
loss. They wanted their team to be in a position to be the first to beat the Hawks.
In this regard, the Wildcat fans were no different from all the other Hawk
opponents, and they had their wish.
As one of the most intense rivalries in college basketball, “The Holy War”
lived up to its billing. Although it was not a pretty victory for the Hawks, it was
bitterly fought. The Hawks showed their heart in a hard-fought 74-67 win.
Despite a scrambling effort, the Wildcats never got the ball with the chance to
take the lead after the score reached 9-5 in the opening minutes of the game. For
Villanova, there wasn’t a hole in the top of the basket until way too late in the
game.
Villanova played an awful first half, almost beyond awful, and was still down
by just 11 points. Based on how the Wildcats played, it could have been 20 or 30.
Saint Joseph’s was able to get out to a big lead – the score was 27-8 after
Villanova missed 16 of its first 19 shots. However, it was not merely that the
Wildcats played poorly, the Hawks used some impressive defense to go on a 23-3
run and take that 27-8 lead with 8:22 left in the first half.
Villanova’s defense improved in the second half and the Wildcats made several
runs at the Hawks and with 6:46 left the score was 54-50.
Carroll, who entered the game 22-for-30 from 3-point range over his last four
games, hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to make it 60-52 with 5:47 to go.
Villanova’s Andre Bloch hit a 3 with 5:30 left to make it 60-55, but Nelson and
West combined for all but one of the Hawks’ points the rest of the way. They went
7-for-8 from the free throw line while shooting into a blue-and-white pompomwaving Villanova student section.
“When they made their run, we did a good job holding our composure,”
Delonte said. “When you see that your coach is calm, it filters down to the players,
and Coach was definitely calm. We didn’t panic at all.”
The Hawks backcourt tandem of Jameer Nelson and Delonte West combined
for 44 points and Pat Carroll added 16 (4-for-4 on threes), to lead the third-ranked
Hawks to a 74-67 victory, and extended the school record to 19-0.
“Pat Carroll is our silent assassin,” West said. “People think he’s out of the
game and concentrate on Jameer and me, and ‘Boom, boom.’ That’s the killer, the
backbreaker.”
While Delonte was heaping praise on Pat Carroll, he deserved to be in the
spotlight. Delonte played a game-high 39 minutes (one more than Jameer), scored
21 points, shot 10-for-10 from the free throw line, had a game-high 11 rebounds
and a game-high 6 assists.
There was plenty of praise to go around. When Mike Nardi, the Wildcats’
talented, hyper freshman guard, had become a problem for the Hawks with his
three-point shooting, Martelli called on Tyrone Barley to cool off the kid. Nardi
never again got a clean look at the basket.
Still, Nardi was the best player for the Wildcats. Jameer must have sensed it,
because when he and Nardi went nose-to-nose at crunch time, Jameer showed the
up-and-coming teenager why he is an all-American. With the Hawks in front, 6757, Carroll stole an inbounds pass and the Saint Joseph’s players cleared out as
Jameer was isolated on Nardi. Jameer faked a move toward the basket, Nardi
stumbled backward, and Jameer stepped back and drained a jumper from the top
of the key to make it 69-57.
With a little more than a minute left in the half, a shiver momentarily went
through the Hawks when West went down, clutching his left ankle after he hustled
downcourt to try to block a shot by Nardi. Villanova’s student section cheered,
they then chanted an obscentity at Delonte.
“Oh, man, they were definitely getting a little personal,” West said with a
smile. “That’s why I wanted to hop right up and start playing again.”
This was a tough game to play – mentally and physically. This game had a
special appeal, which was why Villanova students were standing outside the
entrance more than two hours before the tip-off, loosening their vocal cords while
anticipating the thrill they would get watching their guys send the third-ranked
Hawks down to defeat. So, the idea of Villanova knocking its Catholic rival from
the ranks of the unbeaten, “throwing a pie in their face” on national television,
reverberated from the standing-room only crowd of more than 6,500.
“The mental makeup of this team continues to astonish me,” Martelli said.
“That’s as raucous an atmosphere as I’ve ever been in but you could just see the
calm in their faces. A normal team doesn’t win that game. The atmosphere was
that over the top, really. It was hard to think.”
This was a taste of March Madness on the second day of February. This was an
atmosphere that the Hawks were encountering at every away game.
The only target that was now bigger than their No. 3 ranking was the zero in
the right column of their record, 19-0. Right now the Hawks were one of the
bullies on the block.
Still, there were the questions about this team, their record, their schedule, and
their conference (A-10). The doubts regarding this team never seemed to go away.
“This is certainly a statement about this team. So far all this nonsensical
rhetoric that is going on, ‘Well, who did you play?’ It doesn’t matter who we
played. We’ve beaten everybody we’ve played – end of story. We’ve played tough
teams on the road. I want this vividly in my player’s minds,” Martelli said. “The
team that beats us, if one beats us; we are going to have to stand there and wait to
shake their hands. They are going to roll around on the floor. They are going to
run all over the floor because that is the nature of the sport. When you have a team
at the level we are, when you have the number we have with a zero in the lost
column, people are going to make a run at you.”
That’s exactly what Villanova did. And as much as the Villanova fan base tried
to talk down the importance of this game, with remarks such as, “Our conference
games are more important,” their actions and attention to this game spoke far more
loudly than their words. They even went “retro” in trying to break the Hawks’
streak, wearing throwback uniforms worn by its 1985 national championship team
for the first time.
Some Villanova foes called the Wildcats’ demeanor, “hypocritical.” And if
there was any envy in the rivalry at that moment, it belonged to Villanova.
With the win over their local rival, on the road, the Hawks (19-0) and No. 2
Stanford (18-0) remained the only unbeaten teams in Division I.
Saint Joseph’s had eight regular season games left, all against Atlantic 10
opponents and only three against teams with winning records.
THE MEANING OF BEING UNDEFEATED
Was the perfect regular season, something last done by UNLV in 1990-91, on
the Hawks’ minds?
“We have the mentality right now that losing is not an option,” Delonte said.
“When you set high goals for yourself, high standards, you have to answer it every
day. We believe in ourselves but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We
would love to be unbeaten. It would be great for Saint Joe’s basketball and a big
deal for college basketball but we have to stick to our game plan. Hopefully at the
end of the season we’ll have a zero in the loss column.”
It would have been almost impossible for the Hawk players to not think about
being unbeaten. The tracking of the unbeaten teams was a daily mention in the
newspapers. Even Jay Wright, the Villanova coach, when asked about the Hawks’
winning streak said, “You have to do so many things well to be 19-0. They’re not
just two great players, they play as a team. It will be a joy to follow them the rest
of the season.”
Conventional wisdom indicated that this tiny school could not bang with the
big boys of college basketball. Yet Saint Joseph’s, the oft-overlooked university
woke up to a consensus No. 3 ranking for the third week in a row. The message
from the pollsters was clear: the Hawks were as good as advertised.
Before slipping a few decimal points the previous week, the Hawks were the
No. 1 ranked team in the RPI – no small feat for a team from a mid-major
conference like the Atlantic 10.
There was no telling how high the Hawks could soar, as their success was
without precedent. Certainly, no Saint Joseph’s team in the program’s 94-year
history had posted so gaudy a winning streak. This team was breaking individual
and team records it seemed, at every turn.
But the naysayers abided, more than willing to supply a dose of tempering
reality to the Hawks enchanted season. How can they expect to hang with the big
boys? Jameer Nelson may be Player of the Year and the Hawks may boast the
nation’s best backcourt – but can they really go 40 minutes against a Big East or
ACC superpower? Can Phil Martelli’s six-guard rotation compete against the
vaunted Duke corps of Duhon, Reddick, Deng, Dockery and Ewing?
Time would tell. March was looming. But in the meantime, the Hawks had to
finish up what was for now an undefeated regular season.
It was a fact that some people would not be sold on the Hawks until they beat a
Duke or a Connecticut. And yes, when it comes to non-conference scheduling, it
was true that coach Martelli shied away from the baptism-by-fire favored by
Temple’s John Chaney – the Hawks had faced only one ranked opponent, beating
then No. 10 Gonzaga convincingly in the season-opening Coaches vs. Cancer
Classic.
But the strength of Saint Joseph’s schedule – the 32nd toughest out of 326
Division I teams -- was moot. It was not which opponents you play, as Martelli
insisted, but how you play against them. The Hawks had dispensed of all comers –
A-10 or otherwise – winning their games by an average of 16.9 points, the fifth
best margin of victory in the nation.
But, more than that, the reason the Hawks’ RPI was so high was because, while
they hadn’t played many high profile teams, they also had not played those “over
200 RPI” teams that so many of the other Top Ten teams had played. The Hawks’
out-of-conference schedule was No. 1 in the country.
“I think people are starting to believe it,” Delonte West said. “We definitely
have confidence in each other and our coach has confidence in us. When a coach
is confident, it starts to trickle down to the players. We’re not a team that’s going
to come out and bang our chests. We’re just going to get the job done.”
The early season rumblings were now at a fever pitch on Hawk Hill. Perhaps
like no other time in the long proud history of Saint Joseph’s basketball, there was
a feeling of exhilaration enveloping the campus. And everyone, it seemed, wanted
a piece of the Hawks – on the court and off. On the court, the Hawks had so far
answered every challenge. Off the court, such success brought a different kind of
challenge, especially for a coach who was more accessible and forthcoming than
most, and for players such as Jameer Nelson, who had a hard time saying no when
asked for a few minutes of his time.
“Managing time has become a real challenge,” Martelli said. “I’m an avid
newspaper reader, but I haven’t even had time to do that the last few days. But I’m
not going to change. I and our program are going to remain open and welcoming.
It’s just that this could go on for 16, 18 hours a day if you let it.”
As Martelli spoke, he was shuffling through a pile of letters. Messages for
interview requests littered his desk. His office, which is the approximate size of a
walk-in closet, was burgeoning with basketballs, T-shirts and photographs for his
players to autograph. The phone never stopped ringing.
But Martelli acknowledged he was concerned that as the amount of attention on
the Hawks continued to build, it could become a distraction for the players.
“I’m telling the players, and I keep telling myself, that the most important time
is when we are practicing, that we must make sure that nothing takes away from
preparation for the next game,” he said.
Despite the demands on his time, Martelli said he was thoroughly enjoying the
attention the team and the university was receiving across the country.
LASALLE AT THE PALESTRA
It was no surprise that the game with LaSalle, scheduled for Saturday, February
7, 2004 at the Palestra was soldout! It seemed that everybody wanted to see the
Hawks in person. The contest would also be televised nationally by ESPN
beginning at 2 p.m.
As a side note, Saturday had been designated as National Coaches vs. Cancer
Awareness Day, created by the Coaches vs. Cancer Program and the Philly Six
Coaches. To bring attention to this cause, all coaches would be wearing sneakers
to their games as a sign of support for the Coaches vs. Cancer program that the
National Association of Basketball Coaches had instituted, concentrating on
bringing an end to Cancer.
The Philadelphia Coaches were deeply involved with the program and ranked
second only to Syracuse in the amount of money that they had raised for the cause.
Coach Martelli had promised that this year would be the year that the Philadelphia
Coaches would surpass Syracuse in the effort to raise funds for the program.
It would have been understandable if LaSalle coach Billy Hahn felt a headache
after a long morning reviewing videotapes. What he saw was, “Five guys who can
shoot the three-pointer. Not two, not three, but five. A lot of times you can plan a
defense that you might think might slow down a team. But there’s nothing you can
do against those guys. They’re averaging 86 points in conference play. So how do
you stop them?” he said.
“And everybody talks about their offense, but they guard you too. In eight
conference games they have played, their opponents are shooting 38 percent from
the field and 23 percent from three-point range. That’s amazing!” Hahn said.
Coach Hahn, in his third season at LaSalle coached under Maryland’s Gary
Williams for 12 seasons, so he saw a lot of great Atlantic Coast Conference teams
and he had this to say about the Hawks. “They’re right there with our great
Maryland teams, and the great Duke teams that we saw. They remind me a lot of
how those Duke teams played, the way they shoot the three, spread you out,
defend, drive and kick, and fill in from behind. Phil Martelli has done a great job
with that team.”
Although LaSalle (8-12) was not having a great season, they had streakshooting Gary Neal, a sophomore guard who was averaging 20.4 points a game,
and aggressive sophomore forward Steven Smith, who was averaging 16.1 points
and 7.9 rebounds per game. But, they did not have much help beyond those two
players. And, although, when Big Five teams met, emotion sometimes had a way
of evening the playing field, the way the Hawks were playing this year, emotion
probably would not be enough. An upset on Saturday seemed unlikely, but there
was some precedent. On February 20, 1986, a Saint Joseph’s team that would
finish 26-6 and win the Atlantic 10 Tournament was going for a City Series sweep
against a LaSalle team that would finish 14-14. LaSalle won the game, 74-69.
Incidentally, that game was dubbed the “Lionel Simmons Bowl.” Lionel
Simmons, the great player from Southern High, was in the process of making his
college decision. He was thought to be between LaSalle and Saint Joseph’s. Both
teams left him tickets. He changed sides at halftime, sort of like the president at
the Army-Navy game.
In the end, Simmons chose LaSalle, and the Explorers went on to win over 100
games over the next four seasons. The Hawks won 46.
The Explorers had no Lionel Simmons in this game against the Hawks. Jameer
Nelson and Delonte West combined for 42 points and the Hawks won its 20th
game in a row, cruising past LaSalle, 89-63. The score could have been anything
the Hawks wanted it to be. Ahead by 30 points with 10 minutes left in the game,
coach Martelli pulled Jameer and Delonte and kept them on the bench for the
remainder of the game.
LaSalle’s Steven Smith led all scorers with 24 points, but the Hawks did a
splendid job of taking Gary Neal off his game, holding him to 7 points.
Delonte reached a milestone on his 11th point of the game with a layup at the
9:31 mark. He finished the game with 22 points and 7 rebounds on 9-for-13
shooting and became the 42nd player in SJU history to surpass the 1,000 point
mark for his career. Later that week Delonte was named the Atlantic 10 CoPlayer of the Week, sharing the honor with Keith Waleskowski of Dayton. It was
Delonte’s third A-10 honor this season.
Jameer, who missed only 4 shots on the day, scored 20 points and handed out 5
assists. Chet Stachitas added 10 points off the bench and Dwayne Jones had 8
points and 6 rebounds.
The Hawks were 20-0 overall, 9-0 in the Atlantic 10 and 3-0 in the Big 5.
After the game, Martelli talked about how much he was enjoying the streak, but
also about the dangers of being carried away by the growing media focus on the
Hawks, who along with No. 2 Stanford were the only undefeated teams in
Division I.
“It’s starting to reach monumental proportions,” he told reporters. “It’s very
taxing physically, mentally and emotionally for everyone involved. But, we’ve
done it with great joy. This is an once-in-a-lifetime experience, and all of you are
getting to see a team for the ages, in my opinion. I still don’t think we’re great. I
think we’re real good. We’re headed for great.”
Every year someone makes a run at being undefeated, lining up the W’s and
ignoring the L’s. When that happens Jerry Tarkanian gets a call. He happens to be
one of the remaining authorities on the subject. His UNLV team went 30-0 in
1991.
Tarkanian said, “It’s so hard to do, because there are so many good players
around, anybody can beat you. You have to be good and lucky, and that’s a rare
combination.”
You also have to have a good set of earplugs. Tarkanian said the hardest thing
about that magical season wasn’t always winning the games. Often, it was shutting
out the noise.
Jameer said there was no danger that he or his teammates would lose focus.
“Nobody’s getting ahead of themselves,” he said. “We’re focusing on one
game at a time. We know people are going to come at us. Like Coach says, we just
have to keep punching the punching bag.”
Added Delonte: “It’s not tough at all to keep your head. Losing is not an option
for us.”
As soon as Coach Martelli got back to the locker room, he went to the
blackboard, and scrawled the following:
Dayton 66, SJU 56.
Dayton 76, SJU 73.
Those were the scores, if the players needed any reminding, by which the
Hawks’ next opponent, the 18-3 Dayton Flyers, had beaten them by last season.
“I felt that they were the only team that really beat us last year,” Martelli said.
“We were 23-7, but they were the only team that really beat us. The numbers are
the numbers. But numbers for this coming week are that three of our seven losses
from last year (Dayton and Rhode Island) are coming up.”
So the next big moment of the dream season was to come on Wednesday night
February 11, 2004 at the Saint Joseph’s Fieldhouse, when the Dayton Flyers came
to town. That game was just four days away.
Said Delonte West: “We have a personal chip on our shoulder about this one.”
In the meantime, a shot at the buzzer kept Stanford perfect at 20-0.
Nick Robinson, a Stanford third-stringer, in the closing seconds of a tie game
with 12th ranked Arizona, scooped up a loose ball and hit a running three-pointer
from about 35 feet at the buzzer, to give Stanford an 80-77 win. Thus, Saint
Joseph’s and Stanford remained the only undefeated Division I teams. That shot
also gave Stanford a school record with their 20th straight victory of the season.
THE QUESTIONS ABOUND
And still, there were doubters regarding the legitimacy of Saint Joseph’s
ranking!
This was a letter written to Sports Illustrated and the reply to it as written by
Greg Wahl, one of the magazine’s writers.
“How can you keep a straight face when you state: ‘Given St. Joe’s tough noncon schedule, you’d have to give the Hawks a No. 1 seed if they can run the table
until March.’ The Hawks play one – count it, one – ranked team all year. And that
team is Gonzaga, which is currently ranked in the bottom half of the top –25 polls.
If Penn (a sub-par team at best) and Boston College (ditto) are the best “legit
wins” you can come up with, maybe a few red flags should go up. If the Hawks
are not willing to schedule games against quality opponents, how in the world can
you even consider them a top-20 team?” −Ben Fisher, Gainesville, Fla.
And the response:
“By assuming that Saint Joseph’s is ‘not willing’ to schedule top opponents,
you’re showing your ignorance. The fact is, the Hawks would be willing to play
tougher teams, but those teams won’t play them. Yet Saint Joseph’s still put
together a good (not great) non-conference schedule that included Gonzaga,
borderline NCAA tournament teams Penn and B.C. and a virtual road game at Cal
(whose disappointing year hasn’t been the Hawks fault). Nor is it SJU’s fault that
the Atlantic 10 is down this year (though Dayton was ranked at one point). Forget
for a second all the RPI and strength-of-schedule stuff and just ask yourself: Based
on what I’ve seen from this team, are they one of the top teams in the country? My
reaction upon seeing Gonzaga-SJU live in November was this: Both of these
teams are top-10 teams. Unfortunately, most committee members don’t use their
eyes so much as their printouts when determining seedings, and the little guy (as
usual) will suffer as a result. Should Saint Joseph’s get a No. 1 seed if it enters the
tournament undefeated? Yes. Will it? No way.” –Greg Wahl
While Saint Joseph’s seemed to be on the receiving end of the criticism for its
high ranking in the polls, Stanford seemed to be getting a “free pass.” When you
took a close look at the statistics surrounding both teams, you found that the
Hawks rated as superior to the Cardinal.
Here are the numbers:
RPI
Strenght of Schedule
OUT OF CONFERENCE
RPI
Road Games/Neutral
Vs. Teams In Top 50
Vs. Teams In Top 51-100
Vs. Teams In Top 101-200
Vs. Teams In Top 200+
STANDFORD
6
81
SAINT JOSEPH’S
2
27
14
8-0
4-0
5-0
7-0
4-0
1
14-0
4-0
7-0
9-0
0
Despite the “doubters” who were comprised of staunch rivals, haughty big-time
conference followers, or just interested basketball fans, when you considered what
the Hawks had already done this season, and what they might do in March, there
was not a more feel-good story than this blue-collar team. They were fun to watch
and, if you listened to Phil Martelli, even more fun to coach. They played a game
that was unfamiliar these days, especially to a generation that shuns passing and
shooting for dunking and showboating.
The Hawks were not the only practitioners of this style of basketball. Duke and
Stanford, the two teams ranked ahead of the Hawks played similar games. But,
there was something distinctive about Saint Joseph’s.
From the size of their 54-year-old Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (3,200
capacity) to the lack of top high school players, the Hawks were definitely a
throwback. The Hawks were showing the high-powered basketball world that you
can still do things in the right way with the right people. You don’t have to cheat.
You don’t have to compromise. You don’t have to spend like a pro franchise.
“To me it’s humbling at times to think what’s been created,” said Coach
Martelli. “It’s exciting and I don’t shy away from knowing that the spotlight is so
bright. But, it boils down to five guys against five guys. All of the other trappings,
they make it a nice story, but that’s not playing the game. We’re here to play the
game.”
THE DAYTON FLYERS AT THE FIELDHOUSE
In the eleven days prior to the upcoming Dayton game, the Hawks had to get
emotionally ready for games against three of their four rivals in the Big 5 –
Temple, Villanova and LaSalle. Now, coach Martelli had to get his team prepared
for the fourth straight game that had a lot riding on it. The game with Dayton
would be a clash of the Atlantic 10 division leaders, and the Flyers were bringing a
nine game winning streak with them.The Hawks were 20-0 overall and 9-0 in the
Atlantic 10 Conference. Dayton was 19-3 overall, and 9-0 in the Conference. The
matchup would also be the first in the Atlantic 10 history between teams that were
9-0 in conference play.
Some teams might have been susceptible to a letdown after three very
emotional games, but Martelli didn’t expect that to happen on Hawk Hill. If the
enthusiasm he saw at the practice on the Monday, two days before the game, was
any indication, Martelli thought the Hawks would have no difficulty getting up for
the showdown with the Flyers.
“I think there’s a lot left in the tank,” Martelli said. “I think we’re energized by
the fact that we’re playing a really good Dayton team. It’s a disgrace that they’re
not ranked.”
Martelli said he couldn’t understand why some of the top 25 teams who have
lost three or four times in a two-week period continue to be ranked, while Dayton
has been left out since its December 23 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats and a onepoint loss at Wyoming, a tough place to play.
“For a first year coach, Brian Gregory hasn’t missed a beat,” Martelli said.
“I’ve just watched four tapes (of Dayton games) and I’m tired from watching him
on the sidelines. He has more energy than I do.”
Some experts were saying that Dayton was the only team in the seven
remaining on Saint Joseph’s schedule that had personnel good enough to upset the
Hawks. That is, they were a team that had good guard play and strong post
players.
“I can tell you that by the pace of the calls this morning, that our campus is
very excited about this game,” Martelli said.
The Dayton team had perhaps the A-10’s best combination of post players in
7’0” foot Sean Finn and 6’8” Keith Waleskowski. Together, they were averaging
26 points and 17 rebounds per game. Waleskowski was shooting 51 percent and
had 10 double-doubles. Finn was shooting 68 percent. They also were the reason
that the Flyers led the conference with a rebounding margin of plus 7.2. That was
an additional problem since the Hawks were frequently beaten in the rebounding
department. Martelli had said his team would try to keep the ball out of their hands
as much as possible.
“We’re going to play small,” he said, indicating that Saint Joseph’s might
concentrate on preventing UD’s perimeter players from “running their offense.”
That too, was somewhat of a problem since the Flyers had swift veteran guards in
Ramod Marshall, their leading scorer, and Mark Jones.
It was no secret that Dayton’s coach, Brian Gregory, was going to try to take
advantage of his team’s size and slow the game down. Gregory knew that he had
to keep the game close. The Hawks had yet to be tested by someone with a
dominant inside game, and in the A-10, Dayton was the top rebounding team.
The fact that Saint Joseph’s had relied on their press and transition game to
thrive this season also was no secret. Thus, Martelli’s disclosure that he was going
to “play small” indicated that he had full confidence in his team’s ability to shut
down Dayton and score on the Dayton big men. After all, the Hawks were
averaging 79.3 points per game and were a very dangerous team in transition.
They led the league in turnover margin, a plus 4.8, and those turnovers led to
baskets.
Obviously, they are an unbelievable team in terms of their firepower
offensively,” Gregory said. “I’ve been very impressed with their defensive
intensity and their ability to go with a smaller lineup a lot and still not really get
hurt inside. They do it with quickness. They do it with a physical toughness that I
kind of like.”
JAMEER – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
The whole Saint Joseph’s phenomenon was now so big that star point guard
Jameer Nelson would appear on the cover of the issue of Sports Illustrated that hit
the newsstands on Wednesday, February 11, 2004.
The undefeated Hawks were featured in a cover story, written by Michael
Bamberger.
There had been no shortage of coverage about Saint Joseph’s. Coach Phil
Martelli had been on nearly every talk-radio show in America. Newspapers from
New York, Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Hartford and Los Angeles
had been to Hawk Hill to do a story. USA Today had been there.
Now, a Sports Illustrated cover! But, the question was: Does the Sports
Illustrated jinx apply?
It was the first time in the fifty year history of the magazine that Saint Joseph’s
was featured on its cover. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb appeared on the
cover the previous month just days before facing Carolina in the NFC
championship game. And the Birds lost.
The mailman rang the bell at Linda Billings’ home yesterday morning. When
she opened the door, he was holding a magazine up in front of his face. He said
one word, by her recollection: “Surprise.”
That was the moment when Jameer Nelson’s mother first saw her son’s picture
on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Jameer was standing alone and smiling on the
cover, with text reading, “Meet Jameer Nelson. The Little Man from The Little
School That’s Beating Everyone.”
“I can’t tell you how excited I am,” Billings said. “I mean, it’s like a dream
right now. What I’m feeling is excitement. What I’m feeling is that I’m in shock.
And you know what I keep saying in my head, over and over? Is this really
happening?”
“I subscribe to SI,” said Floyd Nelson, Jameer’s father. “When I got home, it
was sitting there on the table, waiting for me. I mean you start out with him at 5
years old, and you do baseball and football and basketball, and now this.”
“You never see him nervous. You don’t see pressure, nothing. He never
changes. It’s always the same.”
“And now, from 5 years old to the cover of Sports Illustrated – it’s one of the
great feelings I’ve ever had in my life.”
On the night of the game, signs were posted at the entrances to the Fieldhouse:
“COMPLETELY sold out. NO standing room at all!”
As the fans walked into the Fieldhouse before the Dayton game it was a
bustling cauldron, and the magazine was Topic A. It was possible to hear more
than one reference to “the jinx,” the legendary Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Jameer
Nelson said he wasn’t even aware of it until recently, when someone mentioned
what happened to the Eagles’ Donovan McNabb in January.
Nelson’s reply was this: “That’s two different sports. He’s throwing a ball with
laces.”
“The cover is cool,” Jameer said. “It’s great for the university. It’s not all about
me … I appreciate things, but I also know that I have to go out and play.” Jameer
said he hadn’t seen the magazine before the game. In fact, while talking to
reporters, he snatched one out of an adjoining locker and got his first real look at
fame.
And what did he think of the picture? “Handsome, man!” Jameer said.
Each game the Hawks played, the stakes got a little higher. With each victory
they got closer to an unbeaten regular season, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA
Tournament and an unmatched legacy in the history of this basketball-loving
school.
And as for the game with Dayton, there was no jinx here! The Hawks ended the
only losing streak it had known lately. With no loss from which to rebound this
season, Saint Joseph’s turned back the calendar to last year, for inspiration, when
they were beaten twice by the Flyers.
The Fieldhouse was crazed during introductions and for much of the night the
noise was unrelenting. Dayton, to its credit, played through much of the madness.
“With the noise at introductions, I thought, ‘Who could humanly handle
that?’ ” Martelli said. “And they did.”
Unlike so many of its victories this unforgettable season, win No. 21 for the
Hawks was more a methodical beating. There was no one devastating run,
although there were plenty of mini-runs.
Delonte West had 24 points and Jameer Nelson added 16 points and 7 assists to
help the Hawks remain undefeated with an 81-67 victory over Dayton on
Wednesday night, February 11, 2004.
Tyrone Barley was 3-for-4 from 3-point range and had 14 points for the Hawks.
The game was going at Dayton’s pace until Tyrone appeared on the court. He
instantly made the game go faster than Dayton wanted it to go. It was then that
things began to happen for the Hawks.
“Good things happen when you’re aggressive,” Barley said.
John Bryant and Dwayne Jones, overshadowed much of the season by the
Hawks’ superior backcourt, helped shut down the interior and hold Dayton to just
seven assists.
“When people say something negative about the frontcourt, I take it personally
because I’m in the frontcourt,” said Jones, who blocked 3 shots. “My attitude
every game is to shut people up. Hopefully, I shut them up tonight.”
The Hawks enveloped the Dayton post players when their teammates were able
to enter the ball. They won almost all of the individual one-on-one matchups.
The Flyers kept Saint Joseph’s off-balance early and played tough perimeter
defense, holding the Hawks to a 1-for-7 start from 3-point range.
But Dayton also struggled early on the offensive end, hitting just 5 of its first
19 field goal attempts and thus the Hawks only trailed for 48 seconds. When the
Hawks took the lead with 14:12 left in the first half, they never looked back.
Jameer was held scoreless until he stole a crosscourt pass and took it the length
of the floor for a layup that put the Hawks ahead by 8 with 5:22 left in the first
half. Jameer made a running layup on the next possession and Pat Carroll knocked
down a three from the corner to extend the lead to 13.
Nelson had two 18-footers over the next three minutes to stave off a Dayton run
and give the Hawks the 36-25 halftime lead.
In the second half, the lead was trimmed to 8 points on three different
occasions, but it got no smaller.
With 4:38 remaining, Nelson delivered a quick bounce pass in the lane to West,
who finished with a spectacular layup. West made a three on the next possession
and another layup with less than two minutes to go that gave the Hawks their
biggest lead of the game.
When the game ended, the home crowd closed out the game with the now
familiar chants of “Undefeated” and “The Hawk will never die.”
Once again the Hawks, although winning, found themselves with a rebounding
deficit. Dayton had a 37-30 rebounding edge over the Hawks, but lost for the first
time all season when they out rebounded their opponents.
Dayton’s Keith Waleskowski finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds and he
was the last Flyers’ player to make his way through the postgame handshake line.
While most of his other exchanges had been rote efforts, when he came upon
Jameer Nelson first, then Delonte West, the senior forward greeted both the same
way. He gently wrapped an arm around the head of each and pulled them close for
a heartfelt embrace. They responded, in kind, patting him on the back and saying
something in his ear.
“He’s one of the great players in this league and I’ve battled against him for
years,” Nelson said of Waleskowski. “You know the guys who are the backbones
of their team and you kind of share something with them. That’s what that was all
about.”
As for Keith Waleskowski, he had this to say. “After you go out and knock the
hell out of each other for 40 minutes – especially in a college basketball
atmosphere like we had tonight – you want to end it the right way,” Waleskowski
said. “You got to have respect for two guys like that. They’re the big reason this
team is unbeaten and No. 3 in the nation. The thing with them, if you make a
mistake, they capitalize on it every time. And tonight we made just enough
mistakes to lose like we did.”
“This was a little gym, but this atmosphere is what college basketball is all
about,” Waleskowski said. “We were warming up when they opened the doors an
hour before the game and you could see the people literally running to their seats.”
The week following the game, Jameer was named as the Atlantic 10 Player of
the Week. It was his sixth award and tied Marcus Camby (UMass, 1996) for the
second most in A-10 history behind the seven Xavier’s David West won last
season. Nelson had 12 citations in his career, trailing only the 14 accumulated by
David West, who was the previous season’s National Player of the Year, from
2000-2003.
How big had the Saint Joseph’s phenomenon gotten? It had gotten very, very
big.
The television ratings for the Hawks’ game with Dayton on CN8 were bigger
than those for the 76ers-Washington Wizards game on Comcast SportsNet.
Various television networks were clamoring to air the remaining games, and
you couldn’t find a copy of the Sports Illustrated magazine, with Jameer on the
cover, any where in the Philadelphia area.
The winning had meant that there were wildly enthusiastic crowds at the
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, with scalpers along 54th Street asking $70 for $18
tickets, students lining up 90 minutes before game time to get choice seats, and a
flood of national publicity, with the story line being the gutsy little school that’s
doing it right.
Another development in the wake of the success of Saint Joseph’s was that
while practices would remain open, the autograph policy had changed, because of
the overwhelming demands on the players.
“We are only going to sign for charity, with a letter, and the items to be
signed,” Phil Martelli said. We are going to sign on February 20 and March 5.”
You could still try to get individual players for autographs, but you probably
wouldn’t have much luck getting items signed. Some signed Saint Joseph’s items
recently showed up on eBay, and the Hawks didn’t want to be exploited by people
seeking to use their success to reap personal profits.
“We had to have a couple of people escorted out of practice yesterday,”
Martelli said.
The Hawks were also getting calls from all over the country, wanting them to
play in every exempt tournament imaginable the next season.
Somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 of its fans were at Madison Square
Garden for the November 14 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic against Gonzaga. That
large turnout was not lost on tournament promoters.
With this win, the Hawks essentially clinched the No. 1 seed in the A-10
Tournament, which would begin March 10, 2004. But that is later.
First, six more regular-season games remained. Three months after the season
began at Madison Square Garden against Gonzaga, it would continue on Saturday,
February 14, 2004 against Rhode Island on Hawk Hill. Win No. 22 awaited.
The good words about Saint Joseph’s and its basketball program came from all
corners. Most of the things that were written you had heard before. But this team,
this coach, and this University had struck a chord with basketball fans everywhere
and those fans could not get enough of the good stories coming out of Saint
Joseph’s.
Adrian Wojnarowski is a columnist for the Bergen Record in New Jersey and is
a regular contributor to ESPN.com. His article follows:
[On Phil Martelli’s walk across campus to tape his television show –
undisputedly the best in the history of those otherwise dry and unwatchable
weekly productions – three young female undergrads passed him on the way to
class.
“Good luck tomorrow, Phil,” one of them said.
Would they do that at Duke? Good luck, Mike.
How about Texas Tech? Good Luck, Bob.
“That’s what I love here,” Martelli says by phone from his office. “It didn’t
have to be, ‘Hey Coach.’ Just Phil. ‘Hey, Phil!’ ”
Whatever the polls say, whatever the historic cover of Sports Illustrated means
this week, he is still the neighborhood coach of the neighborhood team on Hawk
Hill. St. Joe’s is still winning with Philly kids who go to class every day and
graduate every year. College basketball has changed dramatically since the 1960’s,
when St. Joe’s was a national power. St. Joe’s never did. They’re still playing at
the Fieldhouse, 3,200 seats of sheer bedlam born out of the last, great basketball
city in America. They still have the most magnificent mascot of all, flapping his
wings from layup line to the final buzzer, from Jack Ramsay to Jim Lynam, Jim
Boyle to Phil Martelli.
There are no athletic dorms, no flat-screen television in the locker room, no
coach leveraging his bosses for raises with job offers. Nowhere does St. Joe’s
resemble big-time college basketball, except on game nights.
College basketball needs the two schools chasing perfection this season – St.
Joe’s and Stanford. In the past year when colleges everywhere were convicted of
selling souls for basketball glory, these two schools sell something rarer on the
college landscape: balance and perspective.
For the good of college basketball, this isn’t Memphis and Missouri running the
table, but St. Joe’s and Stanford.
“If people really understood our story, really knew what we’ve done here, this
would brighten everyone’s day,” Martelli says. “We don’t have 52 cards in our
deck.”
Stanford has a small national pool of recruits it can court, its rigid academic
standards making it harder to keep up with the Arizonas and UCLAs of the Pac10. Stanford coach Mike Montgomery always finds a way, always sells the
smartest kids on the idea that they can compete for national championships
without sacrificing the value of a near-Ivy League degree. The Cardinal can still
recruit the nation, though. Stanford still has a cachet to get itself into living rooms
that Martelli wouldn’t waste his time trying. It should be hard for Stanford to be
ranked in the nation’s top five. It should be impossible for St. Joe’s.
“There are avid people who follow our program, with great passion for the
game, but I don’t think they even completely understand the uniqueness and just
the extraordinary level that we’ve gone through the past four years,” Martelli says.
“I can’t even worry about the casual fan. They think we have everything that the
two teams have we’re mentioned with now in the polls – Duke and Stanford.”
“When I’m driving by myself, I’m so focused on today, there’s just no time to
pause and say, ‘What does 20-0 really mean.’ If someone comes into my office
and looks around, they’ll laugh. ‘Is this your office?’ We don’t spend much time
complaining about what we don’t have here. What do we have, let’s see how we
can sell that. Because we don’t have a lot to sell.”
The Hawks are still a mom and pop store of college basketball’s elite right
now, the inspiration of a magnificent coach, and the superstar point guard, Jameer
Nelson, out of nearby Chester, Pa., who went from a solid freshman year to a clear
senior favorite for the Wooden Award.
As much as anything, St. Joe’s is the school where smart high school coaches
send kids because they know they’ll be taken care of, because they know they’ll
go to class and graduate, and because they know they’ll never lose their loyal,
principled coach to bright lights and bigger stages. Maybe most of all, they know
their kids will be coached. This isn’t true everywhere – even in the Top 20. It’s
true here, with Martelli.
Martelli doesn’t get All-Atlantic 10 and All-American players at St. Joe’s.
He makes them.
“There’s this attitude of, ‘We can do this,’ Martelli says. “I don’t think Saint
Joseph’s is a Cinderella. We have this chip on our shoulder and we’re saying,
‘Why don’t you come and knock it off?’ Maybe Jack Ramsay translated it
differently to his players, but maybe it’s just being Philadelphia bred with that
same attitude. There’s this drive for Jameer Nelson for being told he was too
small, for Delonte West for picking St. Joe’s because we were the biggest school
recruiting him. We have several guys who only had one scholarship offer.
“If you go underneath all the layers here, they all have a little bit of a chip on
their shoulder – and they play with that.”
Maybe this isn’t Cinderella, but they’re still the underdog. They’ve always
been there, but they’ve come out of nowhere. Again. Everything changed in
college basketball, and maybe there’s something comforting to remember that
there are still a few amazing places, like Saint Joseph’s, that never did.]—End of
Adrian Wojnarowski article.
As I have continued to point out, all the words written and spoken about the
Saint Joseph’s basketball team were not complimentary. Even though they were
undefeated and untied, they were still unappreciated by people like ESPN’s Digger
Phelps, who called the Hawks “pretenders” a day or two before the Dayton game,
it was a word that would live in infamy on the Hawks’ campus.
Jameer Nelson heard the whispers about how third-ranked Saint Joseph’s
wasn’t really that good. He watched some of the talking heads on television
express their doubts about the Hawks, and listened to them say that they will be
exposed sooner or later by a team with a formidable frontcourt.
Always quick with a smile or a humorous quip, the all-American guard wasn’t
one to carry a chip on his shoulder. But when asked whether the 81-67 victory
over defending conference champion Dayton was a reply to the skeptics, Nelson
offered a response to the critics.
“People can say what they want,” he said. “The bottom line is we’re winning.
I’m really getting tired of people saying we’re pretenders and all that stuff. I’m not
the kind of person who’s going to come out and be cocky. But at the same time,
we’re out there working hard like everyone else. So why would anyone want to
take something away from us?”
That was a good question, and it was going to be tough to take anything away
from the Hawks. The Hawks were for real. They would prove to be worthy
“contenders” and were doing their talking on the court.
As much as coach Martelli refused to say it, the Hawks were playing great.
Martelli preferred to say, “Saint Joseph’s is good, not yet great.” or, “good, not
great.”
But, for the people who saw the Hawks play, it was difficult for them to not
say, “Great.” The Hawks were about to accomplish something that no other team
since the 1991 UNLV Rebels had done. You had to face it; they were headed for
an undefeated season.
They had just defeated the next best team in the Atlantic 10. Dayton was touted
as the last remaining stumbling block on their schedule.
Jameer and Delonte were putting on clinics in every game.
The perimeter ball movement was something to see. The passing often brought
gasps from the fans.
Tyrone Barley was the premier defensive specialist in the league, and Dwayne
Jones, a question mark coming into the season, held his own against the premier
big men he faced.
The Hawks evaded the Sports Illustrated jinx.
They had stayed healthy.
And, even as the players piled brick upon brick onto a monument of
achievement, they continued to act like none of that was a big deal. They had
continued to focus on a single game, a single challenge every time on the court.
And that challenge was as simple as, being the best that they could be – and to let
the other guys try to deal with that.
Tyrone Barley did offer this, “We have a special group.” I guess that was
Hawk-speak for great.
Before Saint Joseph’s magic carpet lifted off in mid-November, Coach Phil
Martelli broke one of his personal rules when he told the Hawks their goal should
be 23 victories.
“I never set numerical goals before a season because I believe that puts you in a
box,” Martelli said. “But I did mention the number 23 because reaching that
number would mean that Jameer Nelson and Tyrone Barley would end up as part
of the winningest class in school history, and that record would always be
something they would always have on their resumes.”
THE RHODE ISLAND GAME
The Hawks were looking to keep its perfect season alive on Saturday, February
14, 2004, when the Hawks hosted Rhode Island in a conference matchup. Game
time was noon at the always sold-out Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
A victory would give the Hawks the longest winning streak by a Big 5 team
since LaSalle won 22 in a row during the 1989-90 season, when the Explorers
went 30-2 with a team led by All-American Lionel Simmons and coached by
Speedy Morris.
The Rhode Island Rams were not able to stop the streaking Hawks!
Jameer Nelson scored 20 points, had 6 assists and 6 steals. Jameer now had
1,879 points, 106 shy of Bernard Blunt’s school record, and 236 steals, 14 shy
of Jeff Clark’s record. He already had a school record 659 assists.
Delonte West added 14 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds.
Tyrone Barley (14 points) came off the bench to play 26 high-energy minutes
and to set the defensive tone, as always, to help the No. 3 Hawks remain
undefeated with a 73-59 victory over Rhode Island.
“I don’t even look at my offensive stats,” said Barley. “I look at how the other
team’s top scorer did. That’s how I judge my game.”
The latest target was Dawan Robinson, who came into the game with a 17 point
average, tops for Rhode Island.
In Martelli’s man-to-man defensive scheme, Jameer started out playing
Robinson tough. Then Tyrone came into the game, and things got even harder.
Robinson finished with 6 points on 2-for-13 shooting from the field. He sat out a
long stretch of the second half because it was clear the Hawks’ defenders had
taken him out of the game, figuratively and then literally.
Rhode Island entered the game as the only team with a winning record left on
Saint Joseph’s schedule and they appeared to be the biggest threat to the Hawks’
undefeated regular season.
For a half, at least, the Rams trailed by only 5 points thanks to their tight
defense, a huge rebounding edge and uncharacteristically poor three-point
shooting by the Hawks.
Saint Joseph’s turned the game around in the opening minutes of the second
half, getting two three-pointers from Pat Carroll – he was 0-2 in the first half –
during a 13-2 run that made the score 49-33.
While the Hawks didn’t end with a blowout, as had been their norm for most of
their wins, one result did stay the same - the chants of “Undefeated” from the
sellout crowd.
Although Saint Joseph’s stayed undefeated, Coach Martelli found something to
complain about: the Hawks’ effort.
“We demand a strong effort from them every single day. We didn’t get it
today,” Martelli said. “The attention to detail was nonexistent.” He wondered
about his team’s “alertness, awareness.” Then, he said, “I am not at all pleased.
That is as disappointed as I’ve been with this group all year.”
One source of the “lack of effort” charge stemmed from the Hawks plodding
along in the first half and finishing the game outrebounded by 22. Being out
rebounded was not unusual, but by such a large margin was not acceptable. It
didn’t help that 6-11 Dwayne Jones spent half the game on the bench in foul
trouble. The Hawks leading rebounder surely would have lessened the rebound
deficit.
Martelli said the Hawks appeared mentally tired during practice the previous
day and it seemed to carry over.
The locker room was quieter than it had been most of the season after the
players were chewed out by Martelli. His message was, don’t get caught up in the
expectations and the hoopla.
“Everything that’s going on can go away with a snap of a finger,” said Nelson,
now bothered by a slightly sprained right shoulder from Friday’s practice. “We
don’t want to let that happen. We know we can’t win every game by 30 points, but
sometimes, Coach has a right to get mad at things other people don’t. He’s right,
we can’t be full of ourselves.”
Although the game was far from perfect, and a game rarely is perfect, when
you have watched a team play so well for so long, as Martelli had, you get
accustomed to great play. But, great play is not possible every game. The Hawks
did make some mental mistakes they usually do not make, and the coach was
genuinely upset.
“Today, I think guys were looking at the rankings and that hurt our
performance today,” West said. “Coach came and questioned our heart. There are
going to be games like this.”
It was not as if the Hawks were ever in danger of losing the game. They were
not. Still, the reality was that this team had been so good that at least one person
got upset with a 14-point win.
At this point in the season, rebounding was the only statistic in which the
Hawks trailed their opponents. It was, of course, better if they did out rebound
their opponents. It would help make the wins easier to achieve.
Over the season, the Hawks were getting about 2.5 rebounds per game less than
the opponents. However, they got more shots, and made a higher percentage of
those shots. The Hawks shot more three’s and made a higher percentage of their
three’s; shot more fouls and made a higher percentage of those foul shots. The
Hawks got 3 more steals per game than the opponents, and forced more turnovers.
In summation, even though the Hawks got 2.5 fewer rebounds per game, they got
7.8 possessions from steals and turnovers. That translated to 5.3 more possessions
with which the Hawks did better than their opponents with those possessions. All
this equaled a 22-0 record.
The pressures on the players continued to mount. Only Stanford and Saint
Joseph’s remained unbeaten and the Hawks had five regular season games
remaining.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM PHIL MARTELLI AND THE HAWKS
Saint Joseph’s made another announcement related to its rules regarding access
to the players:
Philadelphia (2/13/04) – We wish to thank all of you for your enthusiasm and
support. We are working hard to make you proud.
We have received several hundred requests for team and/or individual
autographs and have tried to accommodate as many as possible. The time
commitment has become overwhelming. A policy needs to be in place so the
players can continue to prepare for each and every contest, study and fulfill their
necessary requirements and have the opportunity to “enjoy” being a college
student.
As of February 13, 2004, autographs will be signed for charities only. A written
request must be made along with the item to be signed. We will sign the provided
items on February 20 and March 5. We are discussing the possibility of making
the whole team available in another way to further accommodate some requests.
We thank you for your continued support. – Phil Martelli
Indeed it had been getting crazier each week. Autograph seekers, many of them
mercenaries with no connection to Saint Joseph’s, had been lurking outside every
Fieldhouse door. Jameer said that people were following him to classes, following
when he’s driving, waving magazine covers in his face to sign.
“Some people are crazy, man,” said the star guard, who had difficulty saying
no. “It can be hard, but at the same time I have to be mature enough to handle it.”
Maybe it was time to take the Saint Joseph’s basketball team a little more
seriously. In Las Vegas the sports book at the Venetian in Vegas listed Duke as the
favorite to win the national championship.
Guess who was second? Saint Joseph’s was going off at 9-2, ahead of Stanford,
which was 6-1.
While Jameer was playing like the Player of the Year, Phil Martelli was making
a strong argument for himself as National Coach of the Year with a system that
featured a revolutionary four-guard offense. The Hawks were making up for their
noticeable lack of rebounding with a suffocating perimeter defense that forced
opponents into turnovers. At the same time the Hawks were also the only team
which could offer five legitimate three-point shooters – guards Pat Carroll,
Delonte West, Jameer Nelson, Tyrone Barley and Chet Stachitas – in their eightman rotation. They also were one of the few teams that limited turnovers by
always making the extra pass for a good shot.The only downside, sited for the
Hawks, continued to be a lack of point production from the frontcourt and the
perceived notion that a good opposing big man would be able to impose his will
inside.
To this point in the season, the Hawks had met all of the challenges.
Everyone was enjoying this glorious ride!
On the Hawk Forum Web site, these notes about the revival of the singing of
the old and traditional Saint Joseph’s fight song “When the Hawks Come Flyin’
In” were made:
-- Bean-Countin-Hawk wrote: “That sure sounded great coming through the TV
tonight. I started singing along and my 13 year old daughter asked what it was. I
gave her the lyrics and she’s been singing it ever since. It would be great to do that
at the Fordham game next week.”
-- Joe Cabrey wrote: “It was great – and my thanks to all who helped to get it
started… we had 3,300 copies printed tonight – and had one on most of the seats
before the game started…..the “standing room only” folks had the rest.
Special thanks to student Joe Battista and those he recruited in the Jameericals
at 54th Street and Wild Wild West Clubs, and others who helped get copies to
everyone.
I hope the students enjoyed it…I know you may not realize it yet how much it
meant to the alumni who remember it as one of the most beloved traditions.
I know the team heard it…and were surprised by the outpour of emotion from
alumni and students alike---Jameer’s Mom thought it was very cool.”
There was great demand for information about the Hawks and Phil Martelli was
doing his part to provide it, with announcements like the following:
“Phil Martelli’s Hawk Talk television show will be taped live on Monday,
February 16, in the Hawk Hard Rock Café located in the Campion Student Center.
Students, alumni, and fans are welcome to join the audience. The taping will take
place from noon until approximately 1:00 p.m.
This week’s guests include Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and renowned
author John Feinstein. The show airs on Comcast SportsNet on Thursday at 7:00
p.m.”
AND THEN THEY WERE NO. 2
The undefeated Saint Joseph’s Hawks moved up to number two in the nation in
both national polls – Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today on February 16,
2004. It matched the highest ranking ever for Saint Joseph’s as the Hawks
were in the same spot on December 21, 1965.
Stanford, the nation’s only other unbeaten team, moved up to number one in
the poll following Duke’s loss to North Carolina State the previous day. Duke
dropped to third in the rankings.
Saint Joseph’s had been ranked number three in both polls for the four previous
weeks.
“Duke and Stanford are in excellent company,” quipped new university
president Timothy R. Lannon, S.J.
During the 1965-66 season, the Hawks started out the year ranked fourth in the
preseason and then moved up to third on December 7. The Hawks then moved up
to second on December 14 and remained there in the December 21 poll until
dropping to eighth the following week. SJU finished that season ranked fifth in the
final poll.
.
That No. 2 ranking was also the highest ranking at this point in the season since
1964-65, when Saint Joseph’s was ranked third for eight consecutive weeks,
including the final poll of the season.
The Hawks also held the top spot in the nation in the current RPI, as calculated
by the Pomeroy Ratings.
As the Hawks were leaving on their bus to go to their North Jersey hotel on
February 17, 2004 in preparation for their game with Fordham in the Bronx, Phil
Martelli commented about the No. 2 ranking in the polls.
“The rankings to me are the result of good basketball,” Martelli said. “For a lot
of places, like Duke and Kentucky, it might not matter. Here, it matters. It adds to
the zaniness, and then to know we are going into the media capital of the world
next…”
“This ride will impact this program for years to come. All the distractions have
been worth it. I can only tell you, in the recruiting world, we are getting calls from
places and people that we never would have heard from in the past.”
Many of the people who voted for Stanford, as the number one team in the
nation, reasoned that an undefeated record in a “major” conference was pretty
impressive. Obviously, the knock on the Hawks was the perception that they had a
less-than-overwhelming schedule – in the normally weaker Atlantic 10
conference.
However, the Atlantic 10 was not weaker than the Pac 10. Not this season
anyway.
A close examination of the top teams revealed that, of the top teams, Stanford
had played what was clearly the weaker schedule.
Jerry Palm’s RPI site ranked Stanford’s schedule as No. 88, compared to No.
22 for Saint Joseph’s and No. 6 for Duke.
To repeat what was shown in the tabulations on page 152, the Cardinal was 4-0
against the top 50 and 9-0 against the top 100, including just three road wins and
two neutral-court wins over top 100 teams.
By contrast, Saint Joseph’s also was 4-0 against the top 50, but 14-0 against the
top 100, including 8 road wins and a neutral-court win against top-100 foes. Duke
was 10-1 against the top 50 and 14-2 against the top 100.
Saint Joseph’s may or may not have been the best team in the country, but the
Hawks’ 22-0 record was clearly more impressive than Stanford’s 21-0 record.
On February 18, 2004, Jameer Nelson along with Syracuse’s Hakim Warrick
was named as a finalist for the Naismith Award as the men’s college basketball
player of the year.
The winner, named annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, would be honored
April 9.
The Naismith board of selectors included basketball coaches, journalists and
administrators.
THE HAWKS AT FORDHAM
Wherever the No. 2 Hawks went, the opposing crowds serenaded them with
derisive chants of “Over--rated…over--rated.” However the “overrated” chant was
far from what they really knew. That is, that the Hawks could play the game of
basketball.
Seats were filled in places where they often gathered dust, like they filled them
at Fordham on Wednesday, February 18, 2004. Every pre-game warm-up move by
Jameer Nelson was intently watched. Opposing fans were filled with the hope that
theirs would be the team that would bring Saint Joseph’s back to earth. Players for
the other team were excited at the possibility of an upset.
Fordham coach Dereck Whittenburg looked around the crowded media room
and asked with a wry smile: “Are all these people here to see me?”
The Rams coach knew the answer: an emphatic, No! The reason for the buzz at
Fordham was that the second-ranked Saint Joseph’s basketball team was paying a
visit to the oldest venue in Division I basketball -- Rose Hill Gym. It was built in
1925. They came to see one of the only two undefeated Division I teams in the
nation.
They filled the gym with 3,200 screaming fans, the first sell-out at Fordham
since February 9, 2002, also against Saint Joseph’s.
The dynamic backcourt of Jameer Nelson and Delonte West led the Hawks to
their 23rd win by a score of 74-52.
With the victory, Hawk seniors Jameer Nelson and Tyrone Barley set the
school record for victories by a four-year class with 91. With the victory, the
Hawks also clinched their second straight Atlantic 10 East Division title.
Nelson and Barley had compiled a 91-26 record in their four years, eclipsing
the mark of 90 held by the 1981-82 class of Bill Healy, Mark Dearborn and
Brian Warrick.
“It’s very special to break the record. I told Ty after the game that I wouldn’t
want to spend my four years with anyone else,” said Nelson. “He’s helped me so
much over the years. Just facing him every day in practice has helped me so much.
He gives tremendous effort all the time.”
Jameer had 18 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds and played bothersome defense
before he was pulled with 10 minutes remaining and the Hawks in front, 62-31.
Delonte added 16 points and pulled down 5 rebounds. Pat Carroll chipped in with
12 points and Tyrone had 10 for the Hawks, who matched the 1981-82 West
Virginia team for the second-longest winning streak in Atlantic 10 Conference
history. Saint Joseph’s was approaching the conference record of 26 straight
wins set by Massachusetts in the 1995-96 campaign.
The only time the Hawks looked fallible was in the first 13 minutes as Fordham
actually was able to stay close. The Rams got within 21-19 when an alley-oop pass
from Jermaine Anderson found Michael Haynes, who ended the sequence with an
emphatic dunk as Rose Hill erupted.
But, the applause was short-lived as the Hawks ran off 12 straight points. A
layup by Haynes (24 points) with 2:16 left stopped the streak, but Nelson
answered with a jumper, helping Saint Joseph’s take a 37-21 lead at the break. The
Hawks ran off 17 straight points early in the second half to leave no doubt as to
whom would win.
As the final seconds ticked away, the Fordham students still had the gall to
shout, “Over--rated,” but the small section of Hawk fans behind the Hawks’ bench
had a better reply, which they had used before, and they answered with the now
familiar “Undefeated.”
Fordham coach Dereck Whittenburg had high praise for the Hawks.
Whittenburg said, “I know who the best guard in the country is. We got that right.
That kid’s special. I still think there are a lot of people who, in the back of their
minds, still think that they’re not that good. They’ll find out. They can play a fastpaced game, a slowdown game. Pat Carroll kills you. The role players kill you.
They’re a tremendous basketball team. I think they’re a Final Four team. They
should be a No. 1 seed and a Final Four team.”
Although Phil Martelli was thrilled by all the attention Saint Joseph’s was
getting, he was not thrilled by “Digger” Phelps’ recent comment about the Hawks
being “pretenders.” Phelps also said, in an effort to back-up his statement that the
Hawks needed 20 threes to beat Temple by 12, apparently not knowing that the
last of those threes came with the Hawks leading by 29 points.
Immediately after the Fordham game, Martelli took advantage of the
opportunity, when he was questioned by one of the reporters covering the game, to
seize the moment to tell the audience about how he felt about Phelps’ comments.
When the last question was by someone who wanted to know if the Hawks
would be a No. 1 seed should they be unbeaten going into selection Sunday,
Martelli said, “You’re kidding, right? How would you answer that question? It’s
easy. The only ones who wouldn’t think that would be the nonsensical talking
heads who are paid a lot of money and utter complete nonsense. I am not putting
you down. It’s just silly.”
“With the 20th ranked strength of schedule, what is the question? What do they
want to know? And we’ve beaten them all. They get on there and they talk, the
one guy in particular who happened to coach here. (Digger Phelps) Yeah, that’s
the guy. He talks too damn much and he doesn’t know what the hell he is talking
about. We would be a No. 1 seed.”
On February 9, 2004, Jameer and Delonte were named to the National
Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I All-District 3 First Team,
as chosen by the NABC. Jameer and Delonte were part of a group of 150 athletes
who were eligible for the NABC All-American Team, which would be announced
at the end of the season.
On the same day, Jameer was named as a finalist for the inaugural Bob Cousy
Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. This award was sponsored by the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. It was a new honor which would
recognize the best true point guard in all three NCAA Divisions. It would be
announced at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio on Monday, April 5, 2004.
The question to Connecticut women’s coach Gene Auriemma was simple.
What do you think of Saint Joseph’s basketball team?
Gene Auriemma and Phil Martelli had been friends for years. They coached
together. They “knew” each other.
When Auriemma began to answer the question, it was clear he was not
answering as a friend. He was answering as a coach who knew what good
basketball looked like.
When he watched Saint Joseph’s, Auriemma loved to watch the movement of
the ball and the players. “They don’t look at each other and ask ‘why did you do
that?’ Auriemma said. “And that makes them hard to scout, very unpredictable…..
But, it’s so fundamentally sound that it’s kind of throwback basketball. It’s so
perfect for the kids that they have and the style that they have.”
Auriemma had heard all the negatives about the Hawks and defended them
where he lived.
“I told my friends up there. There are teams that possibly can’t lose in the first
round of the NCAA Tournament. Impossible. They’re too big. They’re too
athletic. They’re whatever. If somebody can get Saint Joseph’s on a night where
(the opponent) makes a bunch of threes and their inside game is really good, they
could get knocked out in the first round. That could happen.”
“They could also go to San Antonio and win the whole thing. I don’t think
anybody that knows anything about basketball, except for those guys on ESPN
that are saying it can’t happen, would be surprised. Those of us who have seen this
happen before would not be surprised.”
“Right now, let’s appreciate what they’ve done up to this point. And what
they’ve done has been nothing short of miraculous. We’re not talking $25 million
budget here. We’re talking 3,500 kids on Hawk Hill and a coach who spends part
of his time doubling as Ray Romano’s father on ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’ ”
Jameer Nelson and Delonte West were working together perfectly in Saint
Joseph’s backcourt. They were carrying the scoring load and helped smother other
teams with their tight man-to-man defense. And their no-look passes always
seemed to end up on target.
What they hadn’t completely shared was the spotlight for keeping the Hawks
undefeated. Delonte had been pretty much in the shadows of Jameer, who had
been featured in countless major sports publications.
However, that began to change more and more as the season progressed. It
changed especially on Hawk Hill. You just had to glance in the stands at any game
and you would see fans donning cowboy hats and “Wild, Wild West” T-shirts.
“We’ve had the best point guard in college basketball for years and no one
wanted to listen,” Martelli said. “Now we have an All-American two-guard and no
one wants to really believe you can have two All-Americans on a team at Saint
Joseph’s. I say why not?”
With his numbers, Delonte should have been named for the honor he deserved,
all-American. West was shooting 52 percent from the floor, 43 percent from threepoint range and 90 percent from the free throw line, and was second on the team in
scoring (18.9 points) and rebounds (5.4). He also set a school record hitting 30
straight free throws.
Against Xavier in January, he went 12-for-12 from the floor, including three 3pointers and 6-for-6 from the line for a career-high 33 points.
This year Delonte had been injury free, and as the numbers indicated, he was
playing sensationally. More than that, he and Jameer played well with each other.
“We just click,” Nelson said. “We have a good understanding for each other,
especially our personalities. He’s crazy and I’m crazy.”
TEMPLE AT THE PALESTRA
Next up for Saint Joseph’s was Temple on Saturday, February 21, 2004 at 4:00
p.m. at the Palestra.
It was announced before the game that Dave Mallon would not be available for
the game due to an injury. In a best case scenario, Mallon could be back for the
Atlantic 10 Tournament, which would begin for the Hawks on March 11. Mallon
was hurt while taking a second-half jump shot in the game against Fordham.
The tendon was not torn. That would have required surgery. There was slight
tearing, but trainer Bill Lukasiewicz said it appeared that it might be more in the
muscle than the tendon. If that is the case, Mallon had a much better chance of
healing more quickly.
“Just my luck, my family is coming down for the game,” said Mallon, who is
from upstate New York, near Buffalo. “I will just have to wait it out.”
Dave had not had a lot of luck in his two seasons at Saint Joseph’s. The
sophomore forward had played on some very good teams, but he hadn’t always
been able to enjoy it.
He suffered a concussion in the first game of his career. He played much of the
previous season with a stress fracture in his right foot. Now, he is out for at least a
week with an injury to his Achilles’ tendon. So, the Hawks would be without their
only experienced big man off the bench against Temple.
One of the interesting sidelights of this game was that it would feature the
dueling shooting guards, Delonte West and Temple’s David Hawkins.
In the summer, when they were home in the Washington, D.C. area, those two
Big 5 stars often ended up alone on a playground court, going one-on-one.
“It always starts out just checking the ball, taking long distance shots,” West
said. “I guess as the game wears on, maybe the second or third game, it gets to
more physical play, and really wanting to win. We’re two competitive guys. You
can picture that in your mind.”
The pair knew each other in their high school days but became friends when
West, now a junior, joined the Temple senior in Philadelphia.
“He kind of showed me the ropes around Philly,” West said. “And back home,
we hang out. We’re best of friends, and we kind of run in the same circles.”
“We’d see each other probably once a day, even if we’re not playing
basketball,” Hawkins said.
“We might put on some highlight reels for the fans,” West said.
Another item which created more than a little interest, in what was already a
highly anticipated contest, was the remarks made by Temple’s assistant coach
Mark Macon.
The Owls’ career scoring leader, puffing out his chest, told the Philadelphia
region, while a guest on Comcast SportsNet, that this year’s Saint Joseph’s team
would be no match for the 1987-88 Owls, breaking down every individual
matchup in Temple’s favor. Howard Evans was at least Jameer Nelson’s equal and
perhaps Nelson’s superior as a point guard, Macon said, and it would take only
two weeks of training for Macon to get himself into shape to take it to Delonte
West and the rest of the Hawks.
If Macon was trying to get in West’s head, and disrupt his confidence, it didn’t
work.
“When I got to campus, people were like, ‘Did you hear what the guy said?’ I
finally heard the comments, and I kind of laughed. He needs his two weeks,” West
said. “I’ll still be here in two weeks.”
“I don’t know if he was trying to take us out of our game or what,” said West,
who heard about the interview the day after it aired. “I hope not. All I know is that
guys came into practice with more fierceness in their eyes than usual.”
The Saint Joseph’s students were also riled up about Macon’s comments and
were prepared to let him know how they felt about his remarks. They showed up at
the Palestra with rollouts, some of which read:
“Chaney = A Legend. Macon = A Legend In His Own Mind”
“Delonte vs. Macon = Hawk Hill vs. Over the Hill”
“Hey Macon, Is the Water on Broad Street Making You Delirious?”
“Macon’s Comments Ain’t Macon Sense”
And finally, after the win:
“Hey Macon, Don’t Hate – Congratulate”
This was supposed to be the danger game for the undefeated Hawks, but it
didn’t turn out that way.
John Chaney’s Owls had made their annual February turnaround and came into
the game the winners of five straight games. If the Hawks were going to lose a
game this season, Saturday afternoon’s meeting with Temple was going to be it. It
wasn’t!
Saint Joseph’s followed the formula that it had used for most of the season. The
Hawks used a first-half run to break open a tight game and rolled from there,
defeating Temple 76-53 and moving to 24-0.
For the second straight season, the Hawks won the Big 5 by finishing 4-0 in the
city series.
“My chest is definitely feeling a lot bigger now,” said Delonte West, who led
the Hawks with 20 points to go with 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
For the record, Hawkins, who was third in the nation in scoring, with a 24.4
points per game average, finished this game with 13 points. While the Owls’
defense centered on Nelson, the Hawks concentrated on Hawkins. In the first
meeting, Hawkins scored 36 points.
Saint Joseph’s remained one of two undefeated teams in the nation. No. 1
ranked Stanford cruised past UCLA to improve to 23-0. The Hawks had three
games remaining in the regular season, beginning with UMass at Amherst. They
then had to head to Providence to face Rhode Island before returning home to face
St. Bonaventure.
There was a notion that by now, the Saint Joseph’s Hawks should be twisted in
knots over all the hype about possibly finishing the regular season undefeated, and
that they would be intoxicated by the debate concerning their place among the best
teams in Big 5 basketball history.
So each game, as the spotlight got brighter, the skeptics were looking to see if
Saint Joseph’s was beginning to crack as they searched for warts in this too-goodto-be-true story.
“I don’t know why, but we’re taking all this really well,” Tyrone Barley said
after the game. “Maybe it’s because of the kind of guys we have on this
team…kind of quiet,” he said. “I mean, we all know we’re going to go unbeaten.
It’s not that we’re cocky or anything. We’re just confident because we know how
to stay focused only on the next game.”
Some people thought that the Hawks’ second game, this season, with the Owls
would be a danger zone. Not because certain people thought the Hawks were
vulnerable because of a perceived weakness in the frontcourt, or that they took too
many three-point shots-- you know the old bromide, “Live by the three, die by the
three.”—instead of that, it was because Hall of Fame coach John Chaney would
tweak his defense for the rematch and because Temple had always been scary
good in February. This February he was 5-0, and for the past three years in
February he was 20-3.
The Owls did make some defensive adjustments, but they didn’t matter. The
box-and-one defense the Owls tried first on Jameer didn’t have much effect. Nor
did the other defensive schemes the Owls employed.
“You knew there was going to be some anxiety early trying to figure out how
they were going to change it up,” Martelli said. “They played man-to-man
basically on the perimeter, and a lot of switching and matching – something we
hadn’t seen much of, and we addressed it.”
Jameer scored 18 points, pulled down 9 rebounds, and handed out 4 assists.
Jameer now needed 71 points to break Bernard Blunt’s record of 1,985
points to become Saint Joseph’s leading scorer.
When the Hawks had the ball, they were brilliantly efficient. Their strength was
crisp ball movement and deadeye long-range shooting. One led to the other. The
Hawks had both going for them, shooting 11-for-20 from three-point distance and
52.2 percent overall.
“I played some man-to-man and still got my butt whipped,” Chaney said.
“We’re a freight train with no passengers. They have a lot of passengers. You can
beat a team with one guy scoring, but they’re a team with many scorers, one of the
best teams this town has ever seen.”
“It’s very frustrating when Hawkins gets tied up, he kicks it out to somebody
who’s got an ice-cream-and-cake shot and they can’t put it down.” Chaney said.
“You run back and you play all this defense in the world – and it means nothing.”
Chaney, known for his matchup zone defense, had enough of playing man-toman.
“(Bleep) man!” he said. “Everybody says Chaney is too stubborn to play man. I
played man-to-man, and I still got my ass kicked by a better team.”
As to the Macon comments; Macon sat silently on the Palestra sideline as the
Hawks’ 76-53 victory neared completion and its undefeated season remained
preserved. And, Delonte West, after being substituted for, just walked past the
Temple bench to his own, letting his solid game speak for him.
Although Delonte indicated that he didn’t take any that was said personally, he
definitely played with a chip on his shoulder. He was not taking anything from
anybody. When Temple’s Mardy Collins was upset with a foul call and was
walking away from an official, West stepped into his path. The two bumped, hard,
and Delonte didn’t change his expression.
In the second half, with the game pretty much under the Hawks’ control, West
was thrown to the floor at the offensive end. Later, when Jameer Nelson stole the
ball, West was suddenly slashing through the lane. He took Nelson’s pass and
drove hard to the basket, taking another shove on the way. As the officials called a
foul, Delonte intentionally walked through a couple of Owls on his way to the
free-throw line.
While Delonte was generally gracious in his responses to Macon’s comparison
of the ’88 Owls and the ’04 Hawks, Jameer was a little more defiant.
Even after Macon pulled him aside, prior to the game, to whisper an
explanation in his ear, Nelson still didn’t take kindly to what he thought was an
insult.
When asked what Macon had whispered to him, Jameer said: “He said, he’s not
that type of person and he didn’t want to disrespect anybody,” Nelson said. “He
didn’t say he was sorry. I feel as though he disrespected me. He disrespected
Delonte, too.”
So, with the clock running down toward the end of the game and a 24-0 record
assured, Nelson couldn’t resist. He stalked past the Temple bench, looked Mark
Macon in the eyes, and issued a challenge to him, to Digger Phelps, and to every
other naysayer in the nation.
“I told him,” Nelson said, “to put a uniform on.”
While Macon’s comments added a little extra plot twist, the very fact that Saint
Joseph’s was playing Temple was enough incentive for the teams.
The Hawks were playing well and plays like the following exhibited their
dominance. Late in the second half, Delonte stood at the top of the key dribbling
the ball. As the shot clock wound down, the Hawks’ students packing the seats
behind the basket chanted 10, 9, 8, 7 …. then West made his move. He went
behind his back to elude Temple’s Hawkins and, just before getting to the basket,
flipped the ball to center Dwayne Jones, who, as the students shouted “one,”
emphatically slammed home two points. The students went nuts.
The Hawks were now facing pressure that most other schools were not used to
seeing on a daily basis. So when Nelson let out his roar after Jones’ dunk, Martelli
who never celebrated much, began to smile. He knew Temple wasn’t used to
surrendering the spotlight this time of year, and that this was a significant win.
And, there was one more rollout. But, this one, that came near the end of the
game, was for Digger Phelps: YO, DIG(ger) THIS, 24-0!
Jameer Nelson was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the seventh
time, tying Xavier’s David West for the Atlantic 10 one season record set in 200203. It was the 13th weekly honor of Nelson’s career, just one shy of the 14
accumulated by West from 2000 to 2003. Jameer, who was one of the favorites for
the National Player of the Year award, was averaging 20.0 points, 4.6 rebounds,
5.4 assists and 3.2 steals per game.
On February 22, 2004, the following article was published by College Insider
and appeared in The Coach Column. It was written by Phil Martelli.
[There isn’t a day that goes by without the thought of life without Jameer
Nelson. What he has done for this program extends well beyond the confines of a
basketball court. No one ever wants to face the inevitable, but the reality is that
this is his senior season.
Having had the opportunity to coach Jameer for the last three-plus seasons, it is
easy to understand why I would push him to the top of the list for college
basketball’s player of the year accolades.
There are so many great players in the game and coaches can easily make
compelling arguments for their respective stars, but it would be difficult – if not
impossible – to convince me that any is better than Jameer.
It’s well-documented that we are in the midst of one of – if not – the best
season in the history of Saint Joseph’s basketball. And there is no question that we
would not be where we are without Jameer.
This is an exceptional “team,” in every aspect of the word. Not only do they
possess the physical ability, but they have shown a mental toughness and a true
understanding of the expression, “one game at a time.”
There is simply no individuality on this team. The way in which they conduct
themselves on the floor is second to none and their willingness to improve is
unparalled.
From the time they step on the floor for shoot-around, there is a distinct belief
that they are going to win. This group is not cocky or overconfident, by any
means, but rather is confident in its ability and confident in one another.
And that begins with Jameer.
There is an expression that “one bad apple can spoil the bunch.” Negativity can
be contagious. But having a player the caliber and quality of Jameer Nelson can
have the exact opposite effect.
And what he brings to this team has affected everyone.
Our effort on the defensive end has been the driving force behind this team’s
success. But defense is more than just good positioning. It’s a mindset. One has to
be dedicated and committed; two words that help define this team.
And these qualities are regularly visible in Jameer.
Many in the media have tabbed Jameer and Delonte West as the best backcourt
tandem in America. But they should not be talked about in terms of a tandem, but
instead discussed in “singular” fashion.
Each makes the other better, which is something that permeates the entire team.
Until this season, Tyrone Barley was a backup. Now a starter, his senior
leadership has also been invaluable. He has demanded that others get better and –
to a man – every player expects the same from one another.
That mindset is what this group is all about and that begins with Jameer
Nelson.
Many in the media have looked at these characteristics of our team and tried to
assess just how far the Hawks can go in 2004, but I have never been known to
look further down the road than our next opponent.
However, I have contemplated the future without Jameer leading the way.
What he has done in his three-plus seasons will undoubtedly help to attract
other great players to Saint Joseph’s. But while many more great players will
come through this program, it would be difficult to imagine that any will bring as
much to this institution as Jameer.
His accomplishments on the basketball court are surpassed only by his persona
as a person.
And I will certainly miss those moments when he walked by my office –
peaked in – and said, “Hello, Coach.”]-- End of Martelli article.
It may have come as a surprise to the many that recognized that Jameer Nelson
was arguably the best passer in the country, but Delonte West had been the leader
in assists since January 1, 2004.
In the 14 games the Hawks had played since New Year’s Day, West had 74
assists for an average of 5.3 per game. In the same span, Nelson had 69 for an
average of 4.9 per game.
“In my opinion, Delonte’s passing ability is overlooked,” coach Martelli said.
In the A-10 Conference, West ranked a close third behind Nelson in assists-toturnovers ratio. Delonte was proving that he had the skills and court sense to be an
NBA point guard. Fans were beginning to realize that there was a possibility that
Jameer and Delonte could someday face each other in the NBA.
Delonte had drained 35 straight free throws, a school record. For the season
to this point, Delonte was a spectacular 101-for-111 (91 percent) from the freethrow line, ranking sixth in the nation. He had missed more than one free throw
in a game only once, when he shot 4-for-7 against Pacific on December 27, 2003.
Since that game, he had missed only three free throws, shooting 66-for-69 (95.7
percent).
Up to this point of the season, Jameer had 129 assists, an average of 5.4, and
Delonte had 118, an average of 4.9. This was an indication of the unselfish play
that characterized the Hawks: 62 percent of their baskets had come off assists.
DEALING WITH THE ATTENTION AN UNBEATEN RECORD EARNS
The hype was not subsiding and Jameer and his teammates were quickly
getting accustomed to the fame that comes with a 24-0 record and a No. 2 ranking
in the polls. The autograph hounds – that includes dealers, classmates and children
– were hovering around the open practices and the media requests were piling up
faster than the victories.
So far, the added distractions hadn’t been a problem. The Hawks were as cool
off the court as they were on it.
“They embrace the hype,” Phil Martelli said. “They embrace the accolades and
the rankings, but they’re not over excited about what people think about them.
They just want to know what they have to do today.”
Martelli said having a veteran team has helped them stay levelheaded about the
experience, even if it isn’t always easy.
Even though security had to be employed to keep the crush of autograph
seekers and others away from the players, coach Martelli did not change his open
practice policy, which allowed everyone from fans to the media to NBA personnel
to stop by Hawk Hill. For some fans it was the only way to see the Hawks with
every game at the 3,200 Alumni Fieldhouse sold out.
“It’s fine as long as people are respectful and understand we’re here to work,”
Martelli said. “We’re not here to entertain people.”
That, however, didn’t stop the Hawk faithful from finding ways other than at
the arena to grab a signature.
Dwayne Jones was at a local mall with his younger sister when they realized
they were being followed in and out of every store. Dwayne finally stopped and
started signing dozens of autographs.
“My sister was like, ‘I don’t want to go to the mall with you no more,’”
Dwayne said, laughing. “I’d rather have people notice you than not notice you at
all.”
All Dwayne had to do was ask Tyrone Barley about not being noticed. Tyrone
was at a mall when he took a random poll to find out who had heard of him. The
number who knew him matched the number of losses the Hawks had – none.
“Everyone’s talking about Jameer and Delonte,” he said with a smile.
The attention was only going to magnify if the Hawks entered the NCAA
tournament without a loss. The Hawks were also paying close attention to No. 1
Stanford (23-0). Although there had only been two unbeaten teams in the NCAA
Tournament in 27 years, it looked like there could be two this March.
But, if an undefeated season meant more autographs and more exposure for the
Hawks, Martelli welcomed it.
“It’s tremendous fun because it puts an immense spotlight on these players and
this university that we can’t buy,” Martelli said. “We had to earn this and we’re
going to enjoy every minute of it.”
When a local college basketball team gets television ratings twice what the
76ers and Flyers are getting, people notice.
Comcast SportsNet executives were trying hard to find a way to get Saint
Joseph’s next game at Massachusetts on the air.
The Saint Joseph’s/Temple game at the Palestra did a 4.4 rating, which was
unheard of for local college basketball.
Tickets to home games were impossible to buy, so TV had become the only
outlet.
It had been determined by ESPN2 that if the Hawks were still unbeaten on
March 2, when the Hawks played St. Bonaventure at the Fieldhouse, they were
going to televise the game nationally. That is the very definition of big.
And, the debate and opinions on how to beat the Hawks went on. Here’s
another opinion that someone named Chet wrote on BasketballBoards.net:
“Best in the A-10 – Until coaches get it through their thick dense skulls that
you cannot beat SJU by allowing them to shoot three-pointers, nobody will come
within 10-12 points of them. If you put a cork in their treys and force them to
shoot twos, you have a legit chance. I’ve yet to see a team, however, honestly
approach their defensive game plan with this in mind. Time and time again, and
again, and then some more. Then they cheat off shooters again and get burned
again, and then a few more times.
You have to play SJU straight up. Force their guard dominated lineup to put it
on the floor every time and beat you off the dribble. They will, and quite often, but
holding them to twos and not threes gives you a solid chance if you can hit some
shots.
If you give SJU an open try, it’s pretty much going to go in, even if it’s from 35
feet. I haven’t seen many teams guard SJU shooters though beyond 21-22 feet.
They think (dense skulls again) that you don’t have to guard them to 24-25 feet.
Anything less and you are simply giving away points.”
Here is one reply to Chet’s message:
“Chet could not have seen the Rhode Island/St. Joe’s game. I don’t think any
knowledgeable hoops fan would say UR cannot defend. We defended the three
and they could still hit a good number. They can also blow by you or wear you out
with precision passing. We did pull it down to about 7 points with about three to
go, but not enough. The Hawks’ team is special – I hope they win it all.
Heavy-handed champion boxers like to say this about their opponents,
especially those quick of foot: ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the
mouth.’ ”
The same theory applied to stopping the steamrolling Saint Joseph’s. The
Hawks’ opponents knew how to beat them – or so they thought. Then the
basketball game began, and everything unraveled and another victim was left
staggering on the ropes.
Athletic Director Don DiJulia was not immune to the “Hawk Fever” that had
enveloped basketball fans and Hawk fans in particular. He was in the eye of the
storm.
“He’s the godfather of this whole thing,” said Martelli. “He’s the link between
the past, the great traditions, and the present. He’s the bridge to this world.”
At this point of the season, DiJulia was being called on to do the almost
impossible. He carried his walkie-talkie everywhere. Gone for 25 minutes, he
trudges back to his office to find a clutter of telephone messages impaled on a
spike on his secretary’s desk.
“My e-mails are up to 120 or more a day,” he said with a sigh. “I answer them
late at night, or at 5:30 in the morning. Got a call from Northeast High the other
day, requesting a Jameer appearance. I called back, told them it was the 1,236th
request this week.”
“Merchandising? Can’t keep it on the shelves. Sponsors are calling us to renew
for next year. I say, ‘Fine, as long as you don’t ask for tickets.’ There’s a waiting
list for 2005-06.”
“The Villanova game, we could have sold out a domed stadium, drawn 30,
maybe 35,000. Temple game we could have filled Lincoln Financial Field.”
“This was not God’s plan. This just happened. What were we ranked, 17th in
the preseason? We came out of December with wins against Pacific and Delaware
feeling pretty good, but no one could see this coming. We didn’t.” said DiJulia.
“No school without major college football has ever, e-v-e-r, had a zero after
their name at this point in the season. Football, football, football is the best way to
be good in basketball. Why is it? That’s another book,” said DiJulia.
All of this was happening because of the success of the basketball team at this
small Jesuit school, the school that many in the media loved to refer to as “the
little school that could.”
The Hawks now had three games remaining in the regular season, and the first
two would be on the road in New England, beginning with a visit to Massachusetts
on Wednesday, February 25, 2004. Game time was scheduled for 7 p.m. They
would then remain in New England for Saturday’s game with Rhode Island, which
was expected to be the most challenging of the three remaining games. The Hawks
would wrap up the regular season Tuesday night against St. Bonaventure at
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
AT MASSACHUSETTS
In January, the Hawks defeated Massachusetts, 92-67, with the help of 19
points from Delonte West and 13 from Jameer Nelson.
“We can always be spoilers,” said Massachusetts coach Steve Lappas. “But I
think for that to happen we will have to play extremely well and they will have to
play not as well. The big thing for us is being able to score because they’re such a
great defensive team. They produce a lot of offense off their defense.”
Coach Lappas wasn’t talking about a burly, board-banging group of Hawks but
about their ability to come up with steals. “They play pretty small most of the
time, they’re quick at the perimeter,” he said. “They can play four guards and they
can make you pay.”
The statistics were cold but realistic: Saint Joseph’s 83, Massachusetts 58.
Delonte West scored 23 points and Jameer Nelson added 19 with 8 assists. Pat
Carroll added 14 points in the win on 4-for-7 shooting from three-point territory,
and Tyrone Barley scored 12 off the bench.
Steve Lappas had his undermanned team really ready to play the Hawks and
the Minutemen actually led for the first eight minutes. They had a seven-point
lead, the Hawks’ third-biggest deficit of the season. But, in reality, the Minutemen
never had a chance.
At first, the Hawks had no bounce in their step. Massachusetts was beating
them to loose balls and offensive rebounds and seemed to be playing with a keener
sense of purpose. Jameer Nelson seemed to be doing it alone.
“As a point guard, you’ve got to see what your team needs and try to give it to
them,” Nelson said. “I saw that we came out flat – I don’t know why – and I just
felt I had to get in the lane and try to make some things happen.”
But, as we had seen before, when Coach Martelli needed to give the Hawks a
jolt, he had an answer. He sent Tyrone Barley in the game and, suddenly, Saint
Joseph’s got back the energy to show why it was ranked No. 2 in the country and
on the cusp of making basketball history.
In a snap, Barley nailed a pair of three-point baskets and quickened the pace
with his snarling defense. The rest of the Hawks joined in and the ultimate result
was a convincing conference victory.
“The way we started, we weren’t tough enough mentally on defense, and on
offense, we looked like we were in quicksand,” said Barley, who shot 4-for-4 from
three-point distance for all 12 of his points.
“Once we start speeding up the other team with our defense, it creates some
easy shots for us. That’s what happened.”
The Hawks’ formula for victory – suffocating defense and deadly long-range
shooting – was as effective as it was predictable. The only question was at what
point would they fast-forward the action and wither their opponents. When the
surge does come, there is nothing else to consider. The game is over.
Saint Joseph’s was 25-0 overall and 14-0 in the Atlantic 10. They had won 18
of their games by double figures. Only two of their A-10 wins had been fewer than
10 points.
How dominant had the Hawks been? There are 326 Division I teams. Saint
Joseph’s was in the top 10 of six of the major statistical categories. They led the
nation in scoring margin (17.7 points per game). They were second in threepointers per game, fourth in three-point percentage, seventh in fewest turnovers,
ninth in field goal accuracy and ninth in field goal defense.
How the Hawks won was unorthodox, which is why many people didn’t
understand what was happening, or why.
“I’ve never seen a team win 25 games in a row like that without someone to go
to on the inside,” UMass coach Steve Lappas said. “It’s amazing to be able to play
that good for that long a period of time without being able to go inside (for lowpost offense).”
It really did go against acceptable basketball wisdom.
Simply put, the Hawks got great shots and made a high percentage. They made
you take difficult shots. They had a fearless last line of defense in Dwayne Jones
and John Bryant. They did not beat themselves. And they killed you with threes.
They had outscored their opponents by an overwhelming 381 points from the arc.
The Hawks had trailed their opponents for just 76 of 1,000 minutes of playing
time and they were just 80 minutes from regular-season perfection.
It was about conditioning, coaching and intelligence. Through 25 games it had
been an unbeatable combination.
AT RHODE ISLAND
The game at Massachusetts was the first time since January 10, at Duquesne,
that the Hawks did not play before a sell out, a span of 11 games. That would not
be an issue at Rhode Island.
Rhode Island had given the Hawks a difficult game at the Fieldhouse two
weeks prior to the upcoming game. Saint Joseph’s won, 73-59, but got killed on
the glass, 48-26. So how did the Hawks win by 14? The Hawks had forced the
Rams into 21 turnovers. They held them to 36.1 percent shooting. Jameer had 20
points, 6 assists and 6 steals. Delonte had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists.
“We look at this game as a challenge,” Tyrone Barley said. “They played us
tough in our home. They are a really good defensive team.”
“This could be one of the craziest games of the year,” Pat Carroll said. “I know
they are all hyped up to have us go in there. I know all of us are excited to go in
there.”
Still, it was always about the next game.
“That’s all this team has done this year,” Martelli said. “The question is always,
‘What do they have to do to win the next game?’ It’s great. It’s overwhelming.
However, it doesn’t drive us, either way. We don’t get happy because we’re 25-0.
Or we don’t get nervous because we’re 25-0 and say, ‘What could happen?’ We
say ‘What does tomorrow bring?’ Now it’s about Rhode Island.”
Following the Massachusett’s game, before traveling to Rhode Island, Coach
Martelli visited the ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut and appeared on a few of
their programs. At 6 p.m. he appeared on SportsCenter and then on the halftime
show of the Marquette-South Florida game which aired at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Coach Martelli was working hard to honor the demands on his time that the
undefeated season had brought.
It was also announced on February 26, 2004, that Phil Martelli would be one of
three individuals who would be enshrined at the eleventh annual Catholic Youth
Oganization’s (CYO) Hall of Fame Banquet. The banquet is held in partnership
with the Philadelphia 76ers, as a friend and fundraiser, to benefit the many
programs of the Philadelphia Catholic Archdiocesan Office for youth and young
adults, including Youth Development Leadership programs, Community Service
Corps and CYO sports programs.
It seemed that there was no end to the offers and invitations to speak at or
attend various functions. Even walled up in his office, a broom closet by the
standards of big-time college basketball, he first did the Philadelphia sports-talk
radio show, then the New York sports-talk show, then the five minutes with
ESPN. And CNN was still waiting for him to come on camera and explain it all
again. The questions kept coming.
How did little Saint Joseph’s – 3,700 students – end up as the home of the No.
2 team in the nation? How is it the Hawks, of all teams big and small, were the
ones close to completing the first undefeated regular season in Division I men’s
basketball since 1991? How did this happen here? How did this happen to him?
He finished with the ESPN interview and popped out of his office and onto the
floor of the Fieldhouse, wearing a wide smile and rubbing his hands together.
“Who’s next?” Phil Martelli said.
Stanford University won in a romp over Oregon State by a score of 73-47, at
Stanford, California. The Cardinal was now 24-0 overall and 15-0 in the Pacific
Ten Conference.
When the Hawks traveled to Kingston, Rhode Island to take on the Rams, it
was only the second time in the history of Rhode Island that a team ranked as high
as No. 2 would play at Rhode Island University. In addition, the Rams had never
beaten a top 10 team at home. But, the Rams had just won three straight games at
home and would be playing before a full house of 7,657 and a national TV
audience. Dick Vitale, Dan Shulman and Doris Burke would be on hand to call the
game. It would be just the sixth national television appearance for the Hawks.
Like most of the Hawks’ recent games, the students at Rhode Island wanted
their team to be the one who upset the Hawks and knock them from the unbeaten
ranks.
In preparation for the game, the students staged an old-fashioned pep rally at
noon on the campus. The Ram’s coach, Jim Baron, and his players along with the
cheerleaders were there to further boost the emotions of the already anxious
students. They were sure their team could beat the Hawks. After all, didn’t they,
on February 14, 2004 provide one of the toughest challenges for Saint Joseph’s?
They were within five points at halftime, but shot 9-for-29 (31 percent) in the
second half en route to a 73-59 defeat. They did, however, exploit one of the
Hawks’ weaknesses, finishing with a 48-26 rebounding advantage. It had often
been said this year that a team with a solid inside game could give the Hawks
problems, and URI did just that, grabbing 22 more rebounds and pulling down 16
more offensive boards.
“They’re going to get physical again,” Nelson predicted. “They’re going to try
to pound us down low. We have to do a good job on them.”
With starting center Dwayne Jones nursing a sore back and reserve big man
Dave Mallon still out due to a partial tear in his right foot, the already-thin
frontcourt was not at full strength for the game.
And the always-boisterous Rhody crowd would let the Hawks know, at every
opportunity, that they were in the Ram’s home. Signs all over the arena made light
of the Hawks’ record and their themes ranged from “Not In Our House” to “Just
Say No To 26-0.” One particularly talented artist drew a rendition of the recent
Sports Illustrated cover that had Jameer Nelson on it, with “25-1” in big numbers
across the sign. It was not surprising to hear the now familiar chant of “overrated”
ring out from time to time throughout the game.
With a home date the following Tuesday against struggling St. Bonaventure,
the only other game left on the schedule, this game with the Rams was by far the
biggest challenge for the Hawks’ run to immortality.
After the game, the headline of the newspaper read:
WHEW! ST. JOE’S STAYS PERFECT, EDGES RHODE ISLAND.
The Hawks narrowly escaped the jaws of defeat. A three-point shot at the
buzzer didn’t fall for Rhode Island, and the Hawks barely came away with the
win, edging the Rams 57-55. Jameer had 21 points and Delonte West added 19 for
the Hawks. No other Hawk player scored in double figures. Pat Carroll and
Dwayne Jones each scored 5 points.
But the Hawks were now at 26-0 and had one more regular season game to go.
It was good to win a tough, hard fought game in a hostile environment. It had
the ingredients for a road loss. The Hawks shot less than 50 percent (.358), were
beaten on the boards (25-39 deficit), and had double digits in turnovers (SJU had
10). It was exactly the kind of game the “talking heads” had the Hawks losing
under those conditions. It was not pretty and the Hawks were glad to get it out of
their system.
“People have been saying, ‘What’s going to happen when they shoot 4 for 20?’
“Well we did, and still got out of here,” said Phil Martelli.
The Hawks and the Rams were within three points of each other for the final
9:29 minutes in the game, and for the last 5:42 it was two points or fewer with
three lead changes and three ties. Rhode Island led by two before Delonte hit a
three with 57 seconds left to make it 56-55.
The Rams couldn’t convert two chances on the next possession, and then after
Delonte made it a two-point game with a free throw with 19 seconds left, Rhode
Island called a timeout. Earlier in the game, Delonte had extended his school
record of 37 consecutive free throws before missing. Amazingly he missed
before making the second shot to give the Hawks its 57-55 lead.
After the timeout, the Ram’s Dawan Robinson got the ball in a crowd in the
lane and missed, then teammate Steve Mello grabbed the loose ball rebound and
fired a hurried 3-pointer that bounced off the rim. The buzzer sounded as they
scrambled for a loose ball.
The Hawks hadn’t had a game that close since December 20, 2003, when
Nelson hit the game-winner against California with 5 seconds left. Saint Joseph’s
had won its last 6 games and 12 of its previous 14 by at least 10 points.
“We’ve had a lot of challenges during the regular season,” West said. “We
played a physical game against California. Rhode Island had a game plan to play
us physical. Everything so far has been a learning experience.”
That this was a physical game was evident in the Hawks dressing room. It
was difficult to find a player who didn’t have an ice bag tied around a knee, elbow
or shoulder, or without a fresh bruise or welt.
“We were challenged,” said Jameer, who scored 21 points but was not his usual
brilliant self, with 5 turnovers, in the dramatic victory. “We accepted it, and we
did what we had to do.”
It was the first time since January 17, 2004 when the Hawks played Xavier, that
they didn’t have the lead at halftime.
It seemed that not a week went by without the naming of a member of Saint
Joseph’s team as the Atlantic 10 Conference’s player of the week. But, this week
the Hawks’ Delonte West had to share the award with Temple’s David Hawkins.
Delonte had been playing at a high level. He had the winning three-pointer
against Rhode Island and had 23 points in the game against Massachusetts. This
was his fourth award of the year.
In some quarters, the Hawks could not get the respect they deserved.
The most brutal attack, from anyone this season, came from a most uninformed
writer from the West Coast, named Skip Bayless. Bayless had been described by
one basketball writer as, “One of those guys who’s always just sort of hung
around. He’s a guy who now writes to provoke more than to take a genuine or
informed stance. He’s a professional provocateur.”
Bayless wrote for his paper in San Jose, California, a scathing evaluation of the
Hawks in comparison to the Stanford Cardinal. Bayless said:
[“Undefeated St. Joe’s doesn’t belong in the same sentence, paragraph or fourvolume anthology with undefeated Stanford. Underappreciated Stanford is a
textbook Final Four team peaking just as February turns to March Madness. St.
Joe’s is an overrated East Coast media sensation – or creation – that will go
quickly from March Madness to Sadness.”
“Here is a Cinderella story that will not end happily. Here, truth be told, is a
team that would struggle to win the National Invitation Tournament. The NCAA’s
Sweet 16 is as sweet as it will get for this 26-0 member of the Atlantic Tin
Conference.”
“I’m sorry, but St. Joseph’s is not in Stanford’s league. I’m also sorry that, to
some East Coast fans and opinion-makers, Stanford might as well be in Tokyo’s
time zone. The only Cardinal they’re aware of is in Rome. Some Easterners seem
to think this ‘Stan Ford’ they keep hearing about is some descendant of
Henry’s.”]—End of Bayless article
It was clear that Bayless was not well-informed and was writing just to be
contentious.
It was also becoming clear that the Hawks were going to have to do well in the
NCAA Tournament to prove to the naysayers that they could play with the “Big
Boys.”
THE HAWKS VS. ST. BONAVENTURE AND SENIOR NIGHT
After the wild finish at Rhode Island, the win set up what would be one of the
most memorable nights in the history of Saint Joseph’s basketball. The Hawks
would go for the perfect regular season against St. Bonaventure three nights later
on Tuesday, March 2, 2004 at the Fieldhouse.
It was Senior Night. Jameer Nelson would be honored. So would fellow
seniors Tyrone Barley, Rob Hartshorn, Brian Jesiolowski, Chris Bertolino
(The Hawk) and Caitlin Ryan, the team’s director of basketball operations.
Brian Jesiolowski
Senior year of college is supposed to be one of the best times in a person’s life.
With the real world beckoning, that last year before adult responsibilities pile up
alongside bills that need to be paid, is one best spent having loads of fun and
making memories that will last a lifetime.
When Brian Jesiolowski makes his way into life, he doesn’t figure to feel that
he missed out on that essential part of the college experience. The way this
basketball season had gone, most college students can only dream of having the
type of senior year Brian was experiencing.
The Lebanon Catholic grad was riding the wave that is Saint Joseph’s men’s
basketball, and was having an absolute blast doing so.
Brian was a reserve forward for the Hawks, who made the team as a walk-on in
his junior year. He played sparingly and, up to this point, was yet to score a single
point in his collegiate career. Ironically, he did score in the last second of the final
regular season game against St. Bonaventure. But, more about that shot, later.
Brian received little recognition for what he contributed, and yet, he couldn’t be
happier if he tried.
“I couldn’t have planned it any better,” Jesiolowski said. “It’s crazy. I’m loving
every minute of it. It’s like I’m on cloud nine right now. It’s just a great
experience.”
I watched Brian in many practice sessions and was always amazed that he did
not play more in the regular season games. He was very athletic and had good
leaping ability. His athleticism and 6’7” frame got him many rebounds and he
seemed to be able to score well while scrimmaging with the other varsity players.
His lack of playing time did not faze Brian. Like any competitive person, Brian
would like to have had more playing time and more opportunities to make tangible
contributions. But he was mature enough to know that the role he played was an
important one.
“I’d definitely like to play more,” Brian said. “But, right now, practice is like
playing for me. Practice is a lot of fun, and I’m actually getting more minutes (24
in nine appearances) than I expected. So it’s cool. It doesn’t really bother me. If
we were 5-14 or something, I might be a little upset. But I can’t complain.”
Brian made this observation about Delonte West and Jameer Nelson. “It’s
crazy, because I hang out with my teammates a lot, and to me, in those social
situations they’re just people on my team. But once we get on the court, you can
tell how special they are. Every day in practice they do something that amazes me.
They’re fun to watch, but I hate to guard them.”
As for Coach Martelli, Brian knows, even if others aren’t aware of his efforts,
Martelli is.
“He definitely notices what all the players are doing. He’ll often point out what
a walk-on can do for the team,” Brian said. “He treats everybody the same. He’ll
make an example out of anybody (who makes a mistake in practice). But we joke
around a lot. He’s a real cool guy.”
Brian was pretty cool himself. He was one of the funnier guys on the team. His
ability to imitate people kept the other players and coaches in stitches.
Brian’s brother and brother-in-law started a Web site devoted to their favorite
Saint Joseph’s player. “It’s interesting,” said a chuckling Jesiolowski. “They have
a little internet talent and way too much time on their hands. My whole family’s
really hyped about this. They support me a lot.”
Robert Hartshorn
Robert started as a varsity cheerleader at Saint Joseph’s University. The main
impetus behind that, however, was so he could have one of the best seats in the
house for the men’s basketball games.
The Clearview Regional High School graduate was the Hawks’ biggest
cheerleader, and still is, even though he is now a player on the team. Hartshorn
was in his second season as a reserve for the Hawks.
The day I met Rob Hartshorn, was the same day I met Tyrone Barley. Both
were seated at the breakfast table with me after a Sunday Mass and breakfast
specifically for the basketball team. Rob was absolutely a joy to talk to. He was
not at all intimidated by the adults at the table and contributed much to the
conversations. I left that breakfast very much impressed by his poise and
demeanor.
“Cheerleading is a real team sport,” Hartshorn said. “In cheerleading, its like,
‘we’re not going to go anywhere if we don’t pull through this together.’ The same
can apply to basketball. I tell them (the basketball team), ‘I got your back the
whole 40 minutes of this game. In the second half, especially, you are all going to
hear me right in your ear.’ I yell to those guys all game, nonstop.”
The 6’3”, 195 pound Hartshorn appeared in 11 games the previous season as a
deep reserve and had only averaged 2.5 minutes per game this season. As a twoyear letter winner at Clearview, he averaged 15.1 points and 7.2 assists per game
in his final season. He also played two seasons of football.
However, he wasn’t really recruited for basketball out of high school, although
he says he did have a few Division I opportunities for football. He ended up
gaining an academic scholarship to attend Saint Joseph’s.
“I came here; I never really gave up on my dream,” he said. “I wanted to set
myself up in good academic standing first. I sat my first two years on the sideline
watching, trying to figure out how to play the game on the college level. After my
first two years, I felt I had a pretty good grasp on it, so I went out for the team. By
the grace of God, I’m here today.”
“I just kept pushing it,” Rob said. “A girl came up to me one day and said,
‘Why don’t you come out for cheerleading, we get to go to the games for free!’
‘That’s better than courtside seats.’ I said, ‘I’ll try it.’ And it worked out pretty
well.”
As to the undefeated season, Hartshorn said, “I’m loving every second of this.
Last year was an unbelievable year. This year is surpassing that…Our attitude is
so great, you’ve still got guys showing up 45 minutes early for practice working
on their jump shots.”
“It’s a pleasure to be around these guys. We’ve got one of the best coaches in
the country in Coach Martelli. This is such a great city for basketball and we have
such a wealth of talent from all over the place.”
The talkative Hartshorn did not leave his cheerleading skills behind. He was
also the cheerleader on this team. His enthusiasm could not be hidden, it fueled the
team. In the pre-game huddle his animated style and his dives into the huddle
through the legs of the players whipped the team into quick playing starts. He was
the enthusiastic catalyst throughout the game at every game.
“I love to bring things together,” he said with a laugh.
And he loved to be the cheerleader.
One game stood between Saint Joseph’s and history. Saint Joseph’s and topranked Stanford (25-0) were the only unbeaten teams remaining in the nation.
Only 25 teams in NCAA history had completed the regular season without a loss.
“For it to be this close, it’s now palpable,” said Martelli. “We have felt it for
about a week. I knew last week when we started in preparation for UMass that we
were eight days away from something that just isn’t ordinary. It’s extraordinary
because it’s an unusual event.”
So unusual that Saint Joseph’s considered moving the game to the Palestra to
accommodate several thousand more fans. Jameer Nelson, however, would not
even think about playing his final home game at any venue except the 3,200-seat
gym on Hawk Hill.
“This is where I started my career,” Nelson said. “The Palestra is good, but it’s
not the Big 5. This is a home game for me. I guess this little gym holds some type
of significance for me.”
“We’re all looking forward to Tuesday,” Martelli said. “If you have a ticket for
the game you will be seeing history.”
Jameer and Tyrone, of the seniors to be honored, were members of the
winningest class in the program’s history. Part of the program planned for Tuesday
night was the retiring of Jameer’s No. 14 jersey, cutting the nets down, and some
speeches by Tyrone and Jameer.
Tyrone Barley was one who rarely showed any emotion on the court. But this
would be different.
“”I don’t even know if words can explain it,” Tyrone said. “I might even shed a
couple of tears. It has been that special for me.”
“I’ll be a lot emotional,” Martelli said. Part of my brain races to, ‘What is it
going to be like when these two kids are introduced and they receive their jersey
before the game? What’s it going to be like when Jameer is introduced for the last
time as a starter in this building?’”
At 7:55 a.m. on Monday, the sun was just beginning to creep through the upper
windows at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, greeting the sleepy players and their
irritable coach. Martelli wasn’t a morning person.
This practice in preparation for the Hawks’ game against St. Bonaventure was
routine. Players’ classes dictated the early hour, but Martelli dictated the pace,
carefully interspersing the Bonnies’ plays with shooting drills, stretching and free
throws.
Nothing was left out or left to chance.
“The way they practice is the way they play,” said former head coach Jim
Boyle, who, with Jack Ramsay, is watching the workout from the sideline. “I knew
in the preseason this team was very special…you’re watching “Hoosiers.”
After practice, Martelli invited Boyle and Ramsay to speak to the team. Jack
Ramsay was in town for a book signing, and he focused his remarks on how
special it was for the team to run through the regular season undefeated. But,
Ramsay cautioned, there is more work to be done.
“Having an undefeated season is just incredible,” Ramsay said later. “But going
undefeated has no bearing on the tournament. You have to prove yourself all over
again in the tournament. But don’t let anybody tell you you can’t do it, either.”
Asked about Martelli, who was standing nearby, Ramsay said, “He’s holding
up well. I think he’s enjoying this, which he should.”
“I absolutely am cherishing every moment with this team because of the way
they approach each day,” Martelli said. “I’m allowed to coach them and, in this
day and age, there are not a lot of kids that want to be coached anymore. They all
have the answer or their parents have the answer or the AAU coach has the
answer. But these kids, nobody looks sideways. They enjoy being coached. They
enjoy being together.”
More than 50 media and scout credentials had been issued for the game, which
would start at 9 p.m. and be telecast by Comcast SportsNet and ESPN2, using
different crews. On this night, the Fieldhouse was surrounded by TV trucks. They
were beaming this game to a nation that was curious about the undefeated team
ranked higher than Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky and the rest of the monster
schools. Photographers from 10 organizations would be on hand, as would every
television station in the area.
Even the usually in control Coach Martelli had been caught up in all the
anticipation and emotion of playing this last game of the season against St.
Bonaventure. The Bonnies were a team that the Hawks beat on January 24, by a
score of 114-63, and when asked about his prediction for the outcome of the game,
Martelli said, “David had a better chance than St. Bonaventure has. Maybe I
shouldn’t say that, but it’s the facts.”
The night of the game was special. The Hawk faithful had pushed all things out
of their minds except the thoughts of this night and the playing and the winning of
the game with St. Bonaventure.
Six hours before tip-off, the Pi Kappa Phi guys were commemorating the
occasion their own special way, grilling hot dogs in the driveway right in front of
Saint Joseph’s Fieldhouse.
With four hours to go, all the die-hards were out there. The Wild, Wild West
guys, who honor Delonte West with their cowboy hats and that horse on a stick,
were visible in the crowd. In addition, the students with their “Jameeracle on 54th
Street” shirts on were cheering wildly. Others with “Friends Don’t Let Friends Go
To ‘Nova” shirts, couldn’t sit still.
This was the night when Hawks fervor hit a fever pitch.
When you entered the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse you wanted to look
around, take it all in, load up your memory with as many details as possible. For
one last night, this team belonged to the 3,200 spectators – that’s what they told
the fire marshall, anyway – who crammed the Fieldhouse. Inside, the place was
simply bursting at the seams.
The crowd included the four guys who’s T-shirts spelled out “C-H-E-T” for
Chet Stachitas and the student zanies who tested the integrity of the bleachers by
standing and jumping and chanting on them for three solid hours. It also included
Jameer Nelson’s mother and the alumni who park five blocks away and walk up
54th Street to the Fieldhouse.
When the Hawks emerged from their tiny locker room, the walls shook with the
applause. The first players on the floor were seniors Rob Hartshorn, who spent two
years as a cheerleader before making the team as a walk-on last year and Brian
Jesiolowski, another walk-on. You can bet that Stanford, the other undefeated
team, didn’t have any Hartshorns or Jesiolowskis (walk-ons) on its roster. Nor
Duke and its bench full of all-Americans.
Jameer and Tyrone Barley were the next to enter and then the rest of the
Hawks. When the pre-game ceremonies began, each of the seniors was introduced,
along with their families. And, when Jameer Nelson’s name was called he was
greeted with a roar and chants of MVP.
“It’s special,” Nelson said. It’s “Senior Night. It’s one of the reasons I came
back, for moments like this. I knew we were going to be special – but not this
special.”
“This is a group that deserves to be celebrated. They deserved to be applauded
and the crowd certainly made them feel loved and appreciated for what they’ve
done,” said Martelli.
After the pre-game ceremonies to honor the seniors, Coach Martelli walked off
the court and into the locker room. Fans called out to him, but Martelli had his
head down. This is the part of the job that only coaches can understand – the
saying goodbye to young men you’ve taught and learned from and yelled at and
cried with – and Martelli was feeling it.
The game itself was just part of the show. St. Bonaventure was the sacrificial
lamb in a night dedicated to celebrating the Hawks’ undefeated season and the
final regular-season game for the best player in their history. The Hawks won
easily by a score of 82-50.
The night was Jameer’s. He scored a quiet 9 points in the first half, and the
Hawks, who scored the game’s first 7 points, led 47-27 at the break. In the first 20
minutes, the Hawks made 8 threes and held the Bonnies to 9 field goals.
The real party began in the second half.
The Bonnies lightning quick guard Marques Green hit a bucket 13 seconds in,
but St. Bonaventure wouldn’t score for another 7:02. Jameer caught fire, the
Hawks scored the next 21 points, and the countdown began. Jameer entered the
game needing 31 points to break Bernard Blunt’s school scoring record.
First, Nelson drove to the goal for three points the hard way. Then he nailed a
three from the top of the arc before taking a pass from Delonte for a fast-break
layup to give Saint Joseph’s a 59-29 lead.
Shortly after cutting to the hoop for another layup, Nelson swished a rainbow
three, his 25th point of the game, to make it 71-31 and jogged back downcourt with
a smile. Nelson had 1,980 career points, and the point countdown sign held by
a couple of students behind the Hawks’ basket read “6.” It didn’t get any
smaller.
Almost on cue, the Hawks committed a foul, and while the Bonnies’ Green
stood at the line, the crowd stared at Nelson and urged him to keep shooting.
Jameer, who at first motioned for the crowd to calm down, quickly changed his
mind and waved to the crowd in encouragement.
“I felt the emotion,” Nelson said. “I got a little thrill from hitting the three and
my crowd supporting me.”
Jameer missed a few more shots and after each missed shot the crowd groaned.
They wanted Jameer to break the scoring record on this memorable night. Forget
about embarrassing St. Bonaventure they thought. This was a season and a game
never to forget.
Jameer left the game with 8:08 to go and the Hawks up 77-38. Jameer ended
the game with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Another round of MVP chants
reigned down from the student section.
Chet Stachitas ended with a career-high 16 points and Delonte West added 15
points on 6-of-9 shooting.
“Everything was done as planned and went according to plan,” Martelli said. “I
felt the game could be in hand, and we had a sequence of when guys would come
out. He deserved to come out last. He wasn’t out there because of the record. He
took a couple of threes – had he made one, I would have been tempted to give him
one more run down the floor.”
Jameer said he didn’t realize how close he was to the record until he was taken
out. But he did know that the fans wanted him to shoot.
“I was just trying to give the fans a show,” Nelson said. “It was the first time I
ever did that in my life – and the last …it would have been special, but it’s going
to come someday.”
“The record, he knows it’s coming,” Martelli said. “We know its coming. It
would have been nice here, but that was not the intent of the evening. The intent of
the evening was to win with dignity and do this as a team, and I felt strongly that
we did that.”
There was something, however, that didn’t go the way Martelli had thought it
would.
I’m going to get in a little trouble here,” Martelli said. “I really thought the
ovation for Jameer when he came out of the game for the last time, in my mind I
thought it would last for the rest of the game. I was a little startled that it ended so
suddenly.”
“But everything else, it was exactly how I pictured it in my mind. I thought
that we could control the game. We could dictate when we took guys in and out,
and most importantly, Tyrone and Jameer would be the last two guys to leave the
floor. And then I wanted the walk-ons because, how many times do they get
applauded? Nothing was done by chance tonight.”
A little over a minute earlier, Barley nailed a three and was taken out to a
standing ovation and chants of Ty-rone Bar-ley, Ty-rone Bar-ley.
The game’s final minutes were for the senior walk-ons and the other subs.
Brian Jesiolowski earned a roar from the crowd for a spectacular play he made in
the waning moments of the game. Brian made a very difficult spin move in the
lane and hit an acrobatic layin for his only points of the game.
The move was so sensational, that it was shown on the national telecasts of
ESPN as the “shot of the week.”
After the final buzzer sounded, the fans, as they had been instructed to do,
remained seated. Or more accurately, remained standing at their seats. Martelli
triumphantly pumped his fist, and the post-game ceremony began.
First Martelli instructed the crowd to recognize the 15 players on the bench,
and then he introduced Jameer by saying, “The numbers Jameer has compiled are
astounding. Somebody is going to have more points, or more assists, or more
steals. But, the No. 14 will never be worn again.”
“With all due respect, welcome the greatest player ever to wear a Saint
Joseph’s uniform,” Martelli said. “And by the way, they’re far from finished. We
have 9 games left.”
When Jameer stepped to the microphone, he reiterated it by saying, “Like
Coach said, we have 9 games to go. We’ve got unfinished business.” Jameer then
added, “I asked him to keep that uniform on my back.”
With every sentence Martelli and Nelson spoke, the fans roared their approval.
Tyrone Barley’s opportunity to speak was greeted with long and thunderous
applause. He was heading out of the program secure in the knowledge that his
toughness, defense and three-point shooting were surely the soul of this team that
started winning in mid-November and kept on winning through early March.
“You guys made my last year on Hawk Hill something special,” Barley said to
his teammates while the crowd roared. “And I’ll never forget it.”
Barley started for the first time all season because usual starter John Bryant
asked Martelli if Tyrone could start.
“You all wouldn’t allow us to lose,” Tyrone said to the fans.
The ceremony ended with the Hawks cutting down the nets – something that
Martelli planned on doing again.
“In our program, we don’t leave anything to chance. We practice everything,”
Martelli said. “These nets are coming down because we’re practicing for Dayton,
and we’re practicing for the Meadowlands, and we’re practicing for the
Alamodome.”
“There isn’t anyone, anywhere,” Martelli boomed into a microphone, “who
doesn’t know about Saint Joseph’s now.”
I had waited a long time to see a celebration like this at the Fieldhouse. I
waited from the mid 1950’s when I was a student at Saint Joseph’s with Jack
Ramsay as the coach during the height of the Big 5 and from a time before the big
football schools wanted to own college basketball too. It was gratifying to know
that this could still happen at a little school in Philly. Saint Joseph’s was a place
where David was really beating Goliath.
And now Saint Joseph’s was on its way. The Hawks now hoped that its streak
would roll through the Atlantic 10 Conference and NCAA tournaments to the
school’s first national championship.
“This is a sign of excellence over a long period of time. You’ve gone out and
done it right 27 times. You know, you pinch yourself,” Martelli said.
On the west coast, Stanford barely survived in its win over host Washington
State. The Cardinal scored the game’s final seven points in the last 20 seconds.
Washington State led by 61-56 before Stanford’s Dan Grunfeld cut it to a point on
a rare four-point play, hitting a long three-pointer from the corner and making a
free throw.
Stanford, trailing by one point, 61-60, got the ball with 17.2 seconds remaining
after Washington State was unable to inbound the ball, leading to a 5-second
violation.
Stanford tried to hold the ball for the last shot, but it was knocked away from a
Stanford player. A wild scramble followed, and Nick Robinson, who hit the lastsecond shot to lift the Cardinal past Arizona the previous month, picked the ball
up and flipped it to Matt Lottich who made the desperation three-pointer.
Stanford won 63-61. They remained undefeated at 26-0.
In the eleven days before their first game in the A-10 Tournament, the
preparation for the A-10 Tournament would be no different than the preparation
for any “next game” in the regular season.
“We’re not great yet,” Martelli said flatly. “Five guys still don’t always block
out. We’re going to face teams that are going to try to take our perimeter game
away by being big and strong. We’re going to have to screen better. And still our
communication needs to be to a higher level. The best part about it is these guys
will look forward to practicing so that we can become great.”
The team was back in the gym the next day for some light shooting.
The Hawks would have an intrasquad scrimmage Friday at Friends’ Central
because the Fieldhouse was being used for the women’s A-10 Tournament.
The following Tuesday morning, they flew to Dayton to get ready for the
conference awards banquet that night. It was a banquet at which they heard their
names called over and over again.
The Hawks would open their quest for the Conference title on Thursday,
March 11, in the quarterfinals at the University of Dayton. The Hawks would take
on the winner of the first round Xavier-St. Bonaventure game at noon.
Saint Joseph’s, Dayton, Temple and George Washington each earned opening
round byes to the Championship.
On March 5, 2004, ESPN.com was the first organization to honor their choice
for the top player of the year award. Jameer Nelson edged Connecticut’s Emeka
Okafor for the honor.
Okafor, Providence’s Ryan Gomes, Oregon’s Luke Jackson and North
Carolina State’s Julius Hodge completed the first team.
The basketball season at Saint Joseph’s unofficially began June 19, 2003. That
was the day Jameer Nelson withdrew his name from consideration for the 2003
NBA draft.
What had transpired since then had been an ascension to new heights by both
Jameer and Saint Joseph’s: a perfect 27-0 record, a No. 1 national ranking, and a
variety of school and conference records that had been broken along the way.
The tattoo Jameer had inked across his back the previous summer, “All Eyes
On Me,” had become prophetic. Jameer had become the leading candidate for
college player of the year, his image on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and the
crowds of autograph-seeking fans outside the locker rooms continued to grow.
Yet, the reputation of Jameer and the rest of the team remained one of humility
mixed with old-school unselfishness and intense man-to-man defense in which the
individual was never greater than the team.
Jameer played with an impressive combination of intelligence, determination
and skill. He would leave Saint Joseph’s, a school that had been playing
basketball since 1909, as its most decorated, most successful and greatest player.
THE HAWKS ARE VOTED NO. 1 IN THE NATION
Stanford waited until its final regular-season game to run out of miracles and
the Cardinal lost to Washington University by a score of 75-62 at Washington on
Saturday, March 6, 2004.
As a result of Stanford’s loss, on Sunday, March 7, 2004, the Hawks were
assuming they would replace Stanford and be voted as the No. 1 team in the
nation in the Associated Press men’s basketball poll. On the next day, Monday, it
was official. The last perfect team in America would ascend to the top spot in the
polls for the first time in Saint Joseph’s history.
The Hawks got 67 of the 72 first-place votes in the AP media poll. All 31
coaches (one from each conference) voted them No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Today
poll.
The Hawks began the year at No. 17 before moving up to 13th, then 12th,
followed by 11th, 10th, 9th, 6th, 3rd, 2nd and finally, 1st. Stanford and Saint Joseph’s
had been 1-2 in the last three polls. In the prior three polls, it was Duke, Stanford
and Saint Joseph’s, in that order.
“Some teams are expected to become No. 1 throughout the season,” Jameer
said. “Nobody gave us a chance. Nobody thought we were even going to be in the
rankings. They probably counted us out in the game against Gonzaga. From there,
after we won that game, it gave us a lot of confidence.”
“The word we’ve been using around here is surreal,” said Martelli. “It’s a
surreal experience to even think that we would be this good or enjoying this level
of success. It chills you in a way to know that today we’ll see in the newspapers
that we’re the No. 1 team—whether we are or not, that’s what it will say—and
that’s a remarkable statement for our players, our program and our fans.”
“We’ll just kind of handle it like we’re used to it, which we’re not. But we’re
pretending we are,” Martelli said.
Martelli had often talked about each team having to build its own resume and
he said, “These kids will forever be able to say, ‘I was on the team that was
ranked No. 1.’ ”
“It’s a dream come true,” Jameer said. “At the same time, we have to take care
of business these last few games. We’ll still approach each game and practice the
same way.”
“Watching the ticker Saturday night, it was funny,” Hawks’ assistant Mark
Bass said. “My fiancée, when we first met, she wasn’t even into basketball, even
into sports. I’m watching. She’s on the computer refreshing every 30, 60 seconds
telling me Stanford’s losing… Stanford’s losing. You try to stay calm. You don’t
want to get too excited. It’s just like a dream, riding a dream and you hope it
never ends.”
Martelli said, in jest, that he had a speech ready for Friday morning had the
Cardinal gone down to Washington State. But by Saturday night, Martelli’s world
was turned upside down. He and his wife, Judy, had plans to go out for dinner
with the Hawks off on the weekend after finishing against St. Bonaventure.
But, by the time they got out of the house after the phone calls and e-mails
started filing in once Stanford’s loss to Washington was official, they were
pushing closing time.
“We were like a golfer who was already in the clubhouse,” Martelli said. “I
find it ironic that here we are on a campus with 3,500 students, in a major city and
we have all kinds of people following the Stanford-Washington game. Doesn’t
that seem weird?”
“I’ll bet you very few people could name Lorenzo Romar as the coach of
Washington here in Philadelphia, yet the Huskies had fans here,” Martelli said.
“I had friends call me and tell me that they had announced the Stanford score
at the Sixers game and there was an ovation. I had a friend call me and say they
announced it at a wedding reception and they cheered, and at a church function
where they started to chant, ‘Let’s go, St. Joe’s,’ ” Martelli said.
No. 1 or not, the Hawks after 9 days away from the court, would have a
difficult road through the Atlantic 10 Tournament. On Thursday at noon in the
Dayton Arena, Saint Joseph’s would almost certainly play Xavier. The 19-10
Musketeers, winners of their last 10 and playing just 45 minutes from their
Cincinnati campus, needed only to beat St. Bonaventure in its Wednesday
opening round to get a date with the Hawks.
While the Hawks had dominated the A-10, the A-10 West dominated the rest
of the A-10 East. West Division teams Dayton, George Washington, Richmond,
Xavier and Duquesne were 22-3 against East division teams not named Saint
Joseph’s. Four of the West Division teams would surely be playing in a postseason tournament.
Saint Joseph’s had a tough job ahead of them in order to win this Conference
Tournament. Although the Hawks had won the regular-season title, and that
earned a first-round bye, the other perk that a No. 1 seed usually enjoys, that of
getting to open against a weak opponent, was denied them.
But, the attitude around the Hawks’ campus was upbeat with comments like:
“We know it’s a tough draw, but what it comes down to, is that you have to go out
and compete.”
No other top-seeded team in a conference championship tourney had a more
difficult road to a championship than did this Hawks’ team.
Jameer Nelson was named the Atlantic 10 Conference player of the week
for a record eighth time this season. The previous record in a season was seven,
set last year by Xavier’s David West. Nelson’s 13 career citations were second to
West’s 14.
Jameer earned the honor when he had 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in the
82-50 win over St. Bonaventure.
THE “BEST GUARDS” DEBATE
John Chaney was speaking. Someone had jogged his memory about the
exploits of the legendary backcourt combination of Guy Rodgers and Hal Lear.
“The two of them were absolutely the very best,” Chaney said. “Guy’s passing
ability was just unbelieveable. He passed through seams, and he could pass off the
dribble like nobody else. Hal Lear probably had the finest first move that anyone
could ever have and was just a great shooter. Their chemistry was the very best.”
“There have been a lot of other great backcourt combinations that came out of
Philly, but I’d say those two are absolutely second to Lear and Rodgers.”
By “those two,” Chaney meant Jameer Nelson and Delonte West.
Fifty years ago, Guy Rodgers and Hal Lear were the standard bearers in a city
where guard play was next to basketball godliness. They made Temple basketball
supreme.
Some fifty years later, that other tandem, Jameer Nelson and Delonte West,
were making the kind of music that had all of Philadelphia marching to their
drumbeat.
“They’ve brought back memories of Rodgers and Lear,” said Jack Ramsay.
Rodgers and Lear were very unusual because it was rare in those days to have two
players on the same team with as much speed and skill as they had. They just ran
by people.
“Nelson and West are outstanding. They’re both skilled. They can both shoot it
inside and out, and they’re both quick enough to get to the basket. They’re both
excellent passers, and they’re team guys who play to win. It might be a stretch to
say they’re as good as Rodgers and Lear, but I’d say they are alike as a pair.”
Jack McKinney, who succeeded Ramsay as Saint Joseph’s coach, said Nelson
and West are throwbacks to the Rodgers-Lear era because of their unselfish play
and willingness to involve their teammates.
“It’s a joy to watch them play together because they do everything well and
it’s obvious the thing they care about most is winning,” McKinney said.
Comparisons are the lifeblood of many sports debates, and this one was no
different. It’s very difficult to compare players from different eras, as it is not an
exact science. It is definitely for amusement purposes only and not for reaching
reliable conclusions.
I saw both of these tandems play many times. I had been just as thrilled by
what Jameer and Delonte had done as I was when watching Guy and Hal. As a
matter of fact, Penn’s Steve Bilsky and Dave Wohl dominated City play during
the 1970-71 season. And following Rodgers and Lear, Bill “Pickles” Kennedy
and Bruce Drysdale were dominant at Temple. And how could you not mention
the guards the Hawks had produced over the years: Bob McNeil and Joe Gallo,
Matt Guokas, Billy Oakes, Jim Lynam, etc.
All of the city teams had produced wonderful guards, but this Hawk duo was
for today and this record-breaking undefeated team.
THE ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT
While the “best guards” debate was going on, Jameer Nelson was the
overwhelming choice for the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year
award in voting conducted among the Conference’s head coaches at the A-10
banquet.
Tyrone Barley was chosen as Sixth Man of the Year, and Phil Martelli was
chosen as Coach of the Year.
Delonte West was named on the All-Conference first team along with Jameer
Nelson, David Hawkins of Temple, Xavier’s Romain Sato, and Keith
Waleskowski of Dayton.
The Hawks also placed three players on the all-defensive team: Nelson, Barley
and Dwayne Jones, who led the league with 57 blocked shots.
Tyrone Barley and Jameer Nelson had won 95 games in their four seasons at
Saint Joseph’s. Two of them had come in the Atlantic 10 tournament.
“Me and Jameer, we haven’t even played in our final game,’ Barley said. “You
would think we have. This was our goal from Day 1. It wasn’t going undefeated.
It wasn’t being No. 1. It was winning the A-10. That’s all we want.”
When the two seniors were freshmen, they lost in the A-10 semifinals to
Massachusetts. The next season, they lost in the quarterfinals to Dayton. Last
season, they lost to Dayton in the semifinal game.
“Think of it,” Martelli said. “Jameer and Tyrone have had all of this success,
but they haven’t won an Atlantic 10 championship. They don’t have a
championship ring to show for it.” He said that while holding up his own A-10
championship ring.
“In a lot of ways,” Martelli said, “this ring drives them crazy. They don’t like
the fact that I have one and they don’t. So every now and then I wave it in front of
them or tap them on the head with it.”
The team was practicing well and Coach Martelli liked what he saw.
“What I’ve witnessed the last two days have been as strong a practice as we’ve
had so, if we’re going to get knocked out, we’re going to be knocked out by
somebody that’s pretty damn good because we’re awfully good right now,”
Martelli said.
As for Jameer, here’s what he had to say. “I’m not even going out there
thinking about losing. I’m going out there thinking about winning. Why should I
change my approach to the game now? Every time I stepped on the court this
season, I felt I was going to win. Not to be cocky or anything, I think we’re going
to win.”
Sophomore forward Dave Mallon was back at practice and would be able to
play in the tournament. He missed the last three regular-season games with a
strained Achilles’ tendon.
The Hawk fans who were hoping for an upset of Xavier by St. Bonaventure in
the opening round were disappointed.
The Musketeers dominated the game from the opening tip, by thumping the
Bonnies, 90-64, it set up a quarterfinal matchup with the Hawks on Thursday
March 11, 2004, at noon.
The Musketeers barely had to break a sweat against the Bonnies, Xavier never
trailed in the game. Center Anthony Miles led Xavier with 20 points while four
others scored in double figures.
Xavier was anxious to play the Hawks. Not only were they playing well at this
point in the season, with a 10-1 record in its last 11 games, they were looking
forward to avenging their earlier (January 17) loss to the Hawks. The earlier game
was a game that the Musketeers led with little more than three minutes remaining
before the Hawks rallied for an 81-73 win.
“We’re playing the best team in college basketball,” said Xavier coach Thad
Matta. “It’s something that, as a competitor and a player, you look forward to.
These guys are really, really good. As everyone in college basketball is, they’re
on a mission. Their mission – and they’re the only one’s who can say this – is that
they’re trying to stay undefeated.”
Xavier’s Lionel Chalmers pointed out that both teams had developed since
mid-January. “That’s in the past,” he said. “It’ll be two different teams out there
tomorrow.”
As Chalmers noted, the chance to knock off the nation’s top-ranked team is
something every Saint Joseph’s opponent will crave.
“They’re the No. 1 team in the country,” he said. “They’re 27-0. If you’re not
aware of the opportunity there, something’s wrong.”
The dreadful newspaper headline read:
THE HAWKS ARE NO LONGER PERFECT!
The Xavier Musketeers seized the moment and humbled the Hawks by an
overwhelming 87-67 score. The 20-point victory margin was the largest by an
unranked team over a No. 1 opponent ever.
As the game progressed and during each time-out, Pat Carroll would glance up
at the scoreboard and blink in disbelief as Saint Joseph’s kept falling further and
further behind Xavier.
Like his teammates, and just about everyone else who showed up at University
of Dayton Arena, Carroll figured Xavier would eventually miss a shot and the
Hawks would start making some.
“I kept thinking we’d eventually get into the flow of the game, but we never
did,” Carroll said, still shaking his head in disbelief in the Saint Joseph’s locker
room. “I kept looking at the scoreboard and we weren’t getting any closer and I
thought, ‘Damn, we haven’t had this feeling before.’ ”
“They just jumped on us at the beginning, and we didn’t match their intensity,”
Tyrone Barley said. “I don’t think we realized how desperate they were to win.”
By winning their 11th game in the last 12 and defeating the Hawks so handily,
the Musketeers stated their case for inclusion in the NCAA tourney. By winning
their 20th game, Xavier could hardly be thought of as a “softy.”
“I think we are one of the 64 best teams in the country,” Xavier coach Thad
Matta said after the court was cleared of the Musketeer fans celebrating their huge
victory.
The NCAA selection committee agreed with Coach Matta. The Musketeers
were selected for the tourney and they surprised many by fighting their way to the
Elite Eight before finally losing to Duke 66-63.
The Hawks did not lose to a weak team!
Neither coach Martelli nor any of his players offered any excuses. Not the
unusually long layoff since their last game on March 2 (11 days). Not the “road
game” atmosphere in a building that was overwhelmingly pro-Xavier. The
Musketeers’ campus was a one-hour drive to the south.
“No, I didn’t think the layoff had anything to do with it at all,” Martelli said. “I
just saw us lose to a better team that was obviously hungry and desperate.”
The beating the Hawks took could not have been more thorough. The team that
had never trailed by more than 9 points during its 27 game winning streak was
behind by 22 at the half and eventually by 37, at 74-37.
In the first half of the game, Saint Joseph’s, which ranked 14th in the nation
with 48.4 percent field-goal shooting, shot 8-for-28 (28.6 percent). The Hawks
missed 40 of their first 51 shots. The crisp ball movement wasn’t there either, as
Xavier consistently double-teamed Jameer and Delonte. They had combined for
61 points in the Hawks’ mid-January win at Xavier.
In this game, Jameer needed 21 shots to score 16 points. He became the
Hawks’ all-time leading scorer with 1,996 points, but it didn’t ease the pain of
the loss.
“The loss is painful, but the good thing is our season’s not over,” Nelson said.
“But if we lose again, I have to turn in my uniform, and that will be even more
painful. I don’t want this feeling again.”
West, who scored 33 points and shot 12-for-12 in the earlier win at Xavier,
also struggled, making only 4 of 14 shots for 16 points. Pat Carroll ended with 10
points and Tyrone Barley with 11 points.
The Hawks, who were tied for third in the nation in three-point shooting
accuracy, made only 9 of 33 (27.3 percent) against the Musketeers.
Even when their shots were not dropping, the Hawks had been able to rely on
their strangling defense. This, too, was missing as the Musketeers shot an
incredible 71.1 percent (32 for 45) an A-10 tourney record. The Hawks had
been holding its opponents to 38.4 percent shooting.
“We take pride in our defense, and we let ourselves down by not taking pride
in it today,” Jameer said.
As astonishing as the rout was, the sight of Jameer momentarily losing his cool
in the second half was way out of character for him. After he was knocked hard to
the floor under the Xavier basket, Jameer charged up the court and had harsh
words for Xavier’s 6’9” Justin Doellman.
Afterward, Jameer said he was angry because Doellman elbowed him. In
Jameer Nelson fashion, however, he regretted his action and said, “I went up to
him after the game and apologized. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Saint Joseph’s became the first top-seeded team to lose its A-10 tourney
opener since 1991, when the Hawks upset Rutgers.
Coach Martelli vowed that the Hawks would work hard to regain their form.
“We got here together and we’ll leave here together and we’ll take this like men.
When their eyes clear, we’ll go about our business.”
The next chance for the Hawks to do their business would be at “the big
dance,” and the key now was for them to collect themselves after this crushing
emotional fall.
Just as everybody suspected, the detractors gleefully pounced all over this one.
They were claiming, as usual, that the loss to Xavier was decisive, irrefutable
proof that Saint Joseph’s was somehow fraudulent. The same themes would be
heard over and over again. They are too small. They won’t be able to cut it against
a hot-shot team.
Saint Joseph’s would run into trouble when they met an opponent physically
superior inside and pretty close to equal with the Hawks’ stellar guards. Also, the
Hawks would have to go cold from the field, since there was no way they could
keep up their high-percentage shooting. That was exactly what happened at the
Dayton Arena against Xavier. But, wouldn’t that be true for any team who
matched up favorably with an opponent as Xavier did with the Hawks? More than
that, Xavier shot at a record pace. Lots of things had to come together for the
Musketeers to win. However, the same circumstances would have to come
together for any opponent who attempted to beat the Hawks.
As was stated earlier in this work, there is a fine line between winning and
losing, and until the defeat by Xavier, the Hawks had been able to stay on the
right side of that line.
The Hawks had answered every question before this one. They had met every
challenge. They were now being called upon to do it again.
Xavier University won the Atlantic 10 Tournament by beating Dayton University
by a score of 58-49, and won an automatic place in the NCAA Tournament.
The Hawks’ reign as No. 1 was all too short—four days—and ended all too
swiftly, in one monstrous, mountainous loss. In the final Associated Press men’s
college basketball poll following this loss, the Hawks fell to No. 5 behind
Stanford, Kentucky, Gonzaga, and Oklahoma State.
Here is an example of what was being said on Duke University’s web site,
Devils Illustrated.com, an unofficial source for Duke Blue Devil coverage. Under
an original post titled:
Re: St. Joseph’s is a joke:
“A four guard offense is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of in my
life. If they played someone like UNC or UConn their big men would eat them
up.
This has nothing to do with bias. They play in a pathetic conference where even a
funeral home basketball team could win out. Yes, they may be a good team but
have they really played anyone? Let’s say they played in the ACC, I’d say they
would be fourth or fifth. They wouldn’t last one week in a good conference. I will
reiterate, St. Joseph’s is a joke. Call it what you want, but in everyone’s mind they
are not worth a number 1 seed.”
SELECTION SUNDAY FOR THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Conventional wisdom didn’t hold that a small Jesuit school on the outskirts of
Philadelphia could bang with the big boys of college basketball. Yet the message
from the pollsters was clear: the Hawks were as good as advertised. They had
ranked at the top or near the top of the RPI all season, and the polls reflected that
RPI rating.
The next test for the Hawks would come on Sunday, March 14, 2004 when the
NCAA Tournament selection committee revealed their seedings for the
tournament.
Were the committee members looking for reasons to give the Hawks a top
seeding or for ways to push them down? It wasn’t hard to come up for reasons to
support either approach.
With a record of 27-1, a No. 3 Ratings Percentage Index computer ranking,
and the No. 1 non-conference RPI, the Hawks normally would receive a No. 1
seed in the tournament, because the RPI is usually the top seeding factor.
However, the loss to Xavier, by such a lopsided score, did not strenghen their
position for a top seed. And add to that the weak teams in the A-10 East, with
whom the Hawks competed, and you have another factor which had to be
considered as a negative for the selection committee to ponder over.
Although the Hawks record against the stronger teams in the A-10 West was
impressive, the Hawks played their last six games against teams in the East
Division. Against those East Division teams, the Hawks were 9-1 over their last
10 games, but the average RPI rating of those 10 opponents was 116, which was
sub-NIT territory.
The best bet still had the Hawks heading for Buffalo to play their first-round
NCAA game Thursday, March 18, whether they were a top seed or a No. 2 seed.
Although the seeding situation was distracting, Martelli was thinking about
logistics – “the basic thing is to just get organized” – in looking at the travel,
scouting reports, notifying teachers, what kind of ball they use in the NCAA
tournament, etc.”
“I have a whole checklist in my bag,” Martelli said. Obtaining a No. 1 seed
actually wasn’t on the list.
“They’ll go into a room, they’ll take the numbers, they’ll study the numbers,
and whatever it will be it will be,” Martelli said of the NCAA tournament
selection committee. “The celebration on Sunday should be just that. We’re going
to the tournament two years in a row. That hasn’t happened since 1982. It’s been
over 20 years since this has happened at Saint Joseph’s. Whatever the number is,
it’s the right number, and I’m not going to spend any of my time in preparing,
thinking ‘What are they thinking?’ ”
On Hawk Hill the gloom from the Hawks’ 87-67 beating from Xavier had
finally lifted. You could see it in the faces of the team and in the faces of the
people who had filled the Fieldhouse to witness the selection process on a large
TV screen that had been installed on the basketball court.
“At 2:30 today when we finished practice, we put Thursday behind us,” Phil
Martelli said. “Now it’s time for a celebration.”
Jameer Nelson showed up for the Selection Sunday festivities at Alumni
Memorial Fieldhouse wearing a black cap and a Saint Joseph’s jersey with the
number 15 and the name “West” across the back.
“Why not?” the Hawks’ smiling all-American said of his backcourt mate,
Delonte West. “I like the guy. He made me who I am.”
As he had done so frequently during the two seasons he had played alongside
of Nelson, Delonte took the pass and went with it.
“I’ve raised Jameer since he was a little boy,” he said. “Yeah, I noticed him
wearing my jersey. That’s just how we get down with each other.”
Everyone knew the Hawks would be in the tournament, the only questions
were: where would they be seeded, who would they play and where would they
play?
The people in the Fieldhouse, watching the selections on the big screen, were
patient as the first three No. 1 seeds were announced. Everybody in the
Fieldhouse was waiting to explode. They just needed to see the name “Saint
Joseph’s” pop-up on the screen out on the court. Suddenly, they saw it and
exploded.
The Hawks, indeed, did receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for
the first time in school history. Saint Joseph’s was the first Big 5 team since
Temple in 1988 to get a No. 1 seed.
If you were Kentucky or Duke or Stanford, you know about No. 1. If you are
Saint Joseph’s, in this season of firsts, it was really all that was left to accomplish
– until the NCAA Tournament games actually began on Thursday, March 18,
2004.
The Hawks were scheduled to face Rev. Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University
Flames from Lynchburg, Virginia in Buffalo, New York at approximately 2:45
p.m. Jerry Falwell was the founder and chancellor of the school.
Liberty University was from the Big South Conference and won that
conference’s title by beating High Point in the title game 89-44.
If the Hawks were to beat Liberty, they would then face the winner of the
game between Texas Tech, with its Hall of Fame coach Bobby Knight, and
Charlotte. The winner of that game would move on to Continental Airlines Arena
in East Rutherford, New Jersey on March 25 for the Sweet 16.
Immediately after the No. 1 seeds were announced, CBS analyst Billy Packer
sitting with his broadcasting partner, Jim Nantz, blasted Saint Joseph’s seeding.
“There comes a time when you can’t worry about statistics, when, as a
basketball person, you say, ‘Who would win this game?’ And believe me, I don’t
believe St. Joe’s can go and beat Oklahoma State. I don’t think they can go and
beat a club like Texas and a club like Pitt and a club like Connecticut, particularly
having to play them night after night after night,” said Packer.
The teams Packer had mentioned had not received a No. 1 seed.
An emotional Phil Martelli was livid with what Packer had said. He did not
hold back. Grabbing the nearest microphone Martelli shouted:
“Being perfectly blunt, Billy Packer can kiss my ass,” he screamed to the
Fieldhouse crowd.
CBS asked Martelli how he felt about the naysayers.
“I said I just wish that guys like Billy Packer could go in uniform,” he said.
“Then, we would book our room in San Antonio today. I think he’s a complete
jackass. For him to go on national television and talk about a team he’s never
seen, he can kiss my ass.”
Packer later countered by saying the last time he played against St. Joe’s, his
school (Wake Forest) won. That would have been the 1962 Sweet 16 at
Maryland’s Cole Fieldhouse. The year before, the Hawks beat Wake in the East
Regional final in Charlotte to make their first (and only) Final Four.
For the record, the Hawks were 6-1 against NCAA tournament teams this
season. They beat Gonzaga, Boston College, Pacific, Dayton, Richmond and
Xavier.
When the national camera shut off and Martelli met the local media, he was
still fuming.
“He has an agenda,” Martelli said about Packer. “His agenda is big school, big
school, big school. He attacked us. He called us out. It doesn’t matter if we could
play in the ACC (Packer’s former conference), because we don’t. If we played in
the ACC, we wouldn’t have Jameer Nelson (who at that point was arguably the
nation’s top player) because we couldn’t recruit him because nobody would have
let us recruit a 5’11” guard from Chester.”
“Our strength of schedule is higher than some of the other number ones. That
selection committee goes in the room and studies everything, and now he’s
smarter than the committee? He can kiss my ass.”
“The doubters all have this idea of basketball being played a certain way and
that it has to be played their way,” Martelli said. “We play against conventional
wisdom. We play small. We give up a lot of rebounds. But we do turn you over
and we do shoot the three … and for anybody not to appreciate and understand
that you’re seeing good basketball …”
The thought didn’t need to be finished. All the Hawks had to do was win the
next game, and go on from there.
For his part, Jameer almost seemed oblivious to what was going on around
him.
“Right now, I’m just happy that we have another chance to play another
game,” Nelson said. “It’s a question of us playing up to our capability. If we do,
we move on. If we don’t, then they’ll be collecting our uniforms. And I don’t
want that to happen.”
Delonte West shook his head and laughed. “That’s our coach,” West said. “So
I guess we should feel the same way about him (Packer). We’ve been hearing
stuff like that all year, but we haven’t been listening. It really didn’t matter to us
where we were seeded. You still have to go out and win the next game, no matter
if you are a one seed or a six seed. But it’s an honor that they appreciated what we
did all year.”
Delonte summed it up pretty well. The selection committee apparently looked
at the Hawks total body of work and past their one disastrous loss in the A-10
tournament in awarding the Hawks the top seed.
“It was great to see the No. 1 seed flashed in front of our name,” Pat Carroll
said. “We’re looking at this as a fresh start, feeling we have to prove ourselves
again.”
There seemed to be a wide range of opinion on the Hawks. The naysayers were
lying in the weeds, just waiting for the Hawks to stumble. Billy Packer had a lot
of company. Even after their undefeated regular season and their excellent RPI
rating, the fact that they were demolished by Xavier in the Atlantic 10
Tournament quarter-finals left many people skeptical about their chances to
advance beyond the first game in the tournament. It was believed that such a
devastating loss to Xavier ripped a hole in the team’s psyche.
The Hawks were still attractive enough to the NCAA selection committee
to retain that top seed, but much of the prestige the Hawks built up during the
season dissipated after the Hawks were thrashed by Xavier.
“When we got pounded by Xavier, kicked to the curb, really our psyche was
scarred,” Martelli said. “You would think that’s strange for a team that had won
27 in a row; how could your psyche be scarred? But we were. We had to build
emotionally.”
That building had to start by beating Liberty University. To advance farther
would require Jameer to rally his team and that he and Delonte, considered to be
the only scorers on the team, had to bring their “A” game every time out.
At the same time, it was felt that playing Liberty would help the Hawks get
some of their swagger back.
THE OPENING ROUND - LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
The Hawks came out to play Liberty University in new uniforms and new
warm-ups. They were just shipped in from Tennessee around noon, an hour
before the team left for the arena. But, they still had the same old “Nelson” on the
back of Jameer’s shirt.
Coach Martelli, knowing how important Jameer was to this team, had a few
extra private words for his player as they departed the dressing room. “Today is
what great players live for,” Martelli said. “Great players lead in this situation.”
Nelson’s response was to nod.
“He already knew,” Martelli said. “He always does. That’s why he is the best
player in the country. He has a remarkable ability.”
On the day that he became the first Hawk to score 2,000 career points,
Nelson scored his teams first nine, including a three, 94 seconds into the game
with Liberty to pass the magic mark. He had 22 by halftime, but, even though he
became more of a passer in the second half of the game, he found time to score 11
more and finish with a season-high 33 points. Jameer left the game with 8 minutes
still remaining.
“The beginning of the game was the biggest concern for us because of the
layoff and also the idea of, are you still good enough after coming off a loss,”
Martelli said.
None of that mattered. The Hawks were quick, sharp and smart in the decisive
first half. The Hawks’ ball pressure quickly got the overmatched Flames into a
fretful and hasty state. Liberty turned the ball over on 4 of their first 5 possessions
and never recovered. The pressure by the Hawks was often over the full court.
Saint Joseph’s had a season-high 15 steals and forced 26 turnovers.
The Hawks did exactly what they normally do. Their defense became their
offense. They scored in flurries. They led 16-6 before Tyrone Barley hit a pair of
threes and Nelson another in just 1:10. The lead became 25-8, and the contest part
of the game was officially over.
All the Hawks played well, and Delonte, who limped through his only
previous NCAA tourney game last year with a leg injury, ended the game with 18
points and 9 rebounds.
Dwayne Jones got 2 fouls in the first 5 minutes of the game and 2 more in the
first 5 minutes of the second half. He managed 3 blocks in just 16 minutes, but did
not really feel a part of the game.
“I had a lot of phantom calls today,” he said with a laugh.
A very active John Bryant got to the foul line 10 times and scored 8 points. Pat
Carroll, who did not make a shot in his NCAA tournament debut last year, only
got 6 shots. He had 5 points, but, like Bryant, was very active on both ends of the
court.
The Hawks won a relaxing 82-63 first round game in the NCAA Tournament.
Liberty coach Randy Dunton got an up-close look at the player of the year.
“We found out today just how good Jameer Nelson is,” he said. “We’ll be able
to tell everybody in Lynchburg, Virginia just how good he is when we go home.”
As for Packer’s comments influencing his players, Martelli said: “They don’t
even know who he is because his time has passed. These kids are impacted by a
different group of people in the media.”
The Hawks had won—easily, and the blackboard in the middle of the Hawks’
locker room spoke loudly. It read: “No satisfaction.” And they played on.
THE SECOND ROUND – TEXAS TECH
The next game did not figure to be as easy as the first game against Liberty.
Texas Tech coached by the legendary Bobby Knight had advanced by beating
Charlotte 76-73 and would be the Hawks’ opponent in the second round. Texas
Tech (23-10) was a solid team from the Big 12 Conference.
Saint Joseph’s assistant coach Monte Ross had been looking at Texas Tech
game tapes since the NCAA Tournament field was announced the previous
Sunday. On March 18, he got his first chance to see the Red Raiders in person at
the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York.
“They are an unbelievably good defensive team,” Ross said. “They don’t run a
lot of plays. They run a lot of motion.”
Tech coach Bobby Knight essentially invented the motion offense, which is
based on screening, cutting, spacing and reading the defense. He had been around
the game of basketball for a long time and was proving that he could still coach.
When Coach Knight took over the program at Tech, they had been 9-19 the
previous season and were coming off four consecutive losing seasons. After his
arrival, Tech was 23-9 in his first season, 22-13 in his second, and 23-10 this
season.
“It’s going to take a serious defensive effort from us,” Monte said. “We will
have to be of the highest level of communication for this game….they set any
type of screen that you can imagine and they get good shots. And, they are not
going to beat themselves.”
Phil Martelli had a positive opinion about Bobby Knight’s superior coaching
ability. However, he didn’t explain his admiration for Knight’s basketball acumen
in the conventional way.
For years, Martelli had ranted about the ridiculousness of college coaches
referring to each other as “Coach” instead of by their first names, as every other
person in the world does.
“Somebody’s going to break their neck because at coaching conventions, when
somebody says ‘Coach,’ everybody turns to see who they think is calling them.
Everybody screams ‘Coach,’” he said. “In my humble opinion, there are a few
guys who have raised their level to ‘Coach.’ Knight is one of those guys. He’s in
the Hall of Fame. There are times when I’ve been in the Hall of Shame,” Martelli
said.
When coach Martelli shook hands with Bobby Knight at game time, it was the
first time that they had met and spoken to each other.
The fans in Philadelphia, and for that matter, fans from all over the country
were ecstatic about the Hawks. They couldn’t get enough information about the
team, the coaches and the school. The newspapers provided gobs of information.
Every day the Daily News and/or Inquirer carried extensive articles and full size
pictures of the Hawk players.
The Comcast Sports Network had reporters assigned to cover the Hawks’
every move. They titled their effort, “Hangin’ with the Hawks,” and indeed they
did.
The Philadelphia Daily News reporters followed the Hawks everywhere and
published, in diary form, articles describing in detail what was entailed in
preparing for and participating in, the pursuit of an NCAA title.
Here is an example of what was written on the day that the Hawks were to play
Texas Tech:
Saturday, March 20, 2004
10:45 a.m. Buffalo Marriott Ballroom 5
The team is going through a final walk-through. Coach Phil Martelli is
showing his players some of the offensive sets that Texas Tech will use to initiate
its flowing motion offense. He explains to them that these are guidelines, and that
once the motion starts, they are “on their own.”
3:08 p.m.
Saint Joseph’s president, the Rev. Timothy Lannon, S.J., is celebrating Mass in
Ballrooms 2 and 3, where earlier in the day the team had eaten its meals and a
makeshift ticket office had operated.
The rooms were jammed with Hawks’ fans in red shirts. All that is missing is
two baskets. Just outside the ballrooms, the Duke-Seton Hall game is on
television. It is an imponderable scene.
The fans/parishioners begin to cheer wildly when Lannon explains the day’s
sermon. It will be about love, jealousy and forgiveness, he says. But, “Texas Tech
may not be able to forgive us for what we are about to do to them on the court
today,” Lannon preaches.
This is the same president who said at halftime of the Hawks’ first-round win
over Liberty, it is important to “keep (Tech coach Bob Knight) away from the
salad.” Everybody should enjoy life so much.
Lingering by the ballroom doorway, Saint Joseph’s bus driver, Pat Horan,
says to me, “Put in there that I was at church so my sister-in-law can read it. She
makes sure we’re all on track. We call her Mother Cabrini.”
3:20 p.m.
The Gonzaga-Nevada game appears on the TV. The Zags were the Hawks’
first opponent back on Nov. 14. The two Jesuit schools are kindred spirits. Only
one of them will be playing at the end of the day.
3:25 p.m.
Mass ends the only way possible. Lannon’s final words are, “Go Hawks.”
3:28 p.m.
Marie Wozniak, Saint Joseph’s first-year assistant athletic
director/communications, says that if the Hawks win, “My record in Buffalo will
be 4-0.”
She was in the same position at Seton Hall when the Pirates caused much
heartache in Philadelphia in 2000 by taking out one of John Chaney’s best
Temple teams in Round 2.
“I am going to figure out my record at the Meadowlands,” she says.
If the Hawks win, they will advance to Continental Airlines arena, where Seton
Hall plays its home games.
3:32 p.m.
The churchgoers have filled up a long hallway outside the ballrooms, forming
a human tunnel. The players take an elevator down to the second floor and then
walk down one flight so they can head through the human tunnel on the way to
the bus. It looks and feels like a high school scene, where the town gathers to send
the players off to the state championships. Somehow, you figure this is not
happening at Kentucky or Duke.
“That gave me the chills,” says Caitlin Ryan, the team’s manager of basketball
operations.
Martelli hugs his son, Phil, a former Hawk and now an assistant at Central
Connecticut State, just before he boards the bus.
And so the diary went day after day.
During this time, I was in Naples, Florida and the hysteria there, among Hawk
fans, was no less intense than it was on the home front. A dozen or more Saint
Joseph’s graduates and friends of the Hawks gathered at a sports bar to watch the
game on satellite TV. In the group was Jack McKinney, a former Hawks’ head
coach, two former star players, Tom Wynne and Bob McNeil, and long-time
Hawk supporters Bernie Morgan, Dick Smith, and Gerry Mullin. Even NBA
coach George Karl, a former North Carolina player joined our group and cheered
for the Hawks. The Hawk followers were everywhere.
No matter what Billy Packer said, this was the feel-good story of the year. This
was Everyman’s team!
“It’s the kind of David-and-Goliath situation everybody roots for – everybody
but the opponent,” said Jack Ramsay
Phil Martelli, although still bitter about the verbal shots that Billy Packer had
taken at the Hawks, said that he was stepping away from the brouhaha with CBS
analyst Packer. But even before he did, he stepped all over Packer’s legacy from
his playing days at Wake Forest, the school that would play the Hawks Thursday
night in the semifinals of the East Rutherford Regional if the Hawks beat Texas
Tech.
“He has the last word, because he has the mike,” Martelli said. “You pick your
fights where you think you can win, and this is one we can’t win now. So I’ll
walk away.”
And, facetiously, he added, “That as coach of Saint Joseph’s, I am still bitter
that Packer hit the two shots against the Hawks in 1962 that sent the semifinal
game of the East Regional into overtime.”
Martelli’s remarks were made to counter Packer’s original jibe that, “Martelli
needs to learn a little history about the school where he coaches.” Packer was
inferring that when he wore a uniform his team did beat Saint Joseph’s.
“The only thing about his playing career was in Cole Field House, Saint Joe’s
was up four with 10 seconds left when he played,” Martelli said, proving he knew
his basketball history. “We missed a foul shot. He came down and got a layup.
Then they stole the inbounds play, and he got a layup to tie the game, and we lost
to them in overtime. We don’t easily forget 40 years ago, those losses.”
The Deacons, who trailed by six points with 1:02 remaining, beat the Hawks
96-85, then got past Villanova in the regional final to reach the Final Four for the
only time in Wake Forest history.
As for me, I appreciated the fact that Packer was willing to have an opinion on
college basketball. That is, in part, what he does. But, I thought he stepped over
the line with his Saint Joseph’s rant during CBS’s selection show. His big
conference and ACC bias was showing. He sounded downright offended that the
Hawks would get a top seed in place of Oklahoma State or Pitt.
The Hawks beat everybody on their schedule, except Xavier in the postseason
tournament. They could do no more. It is worth noting that Saint Joseph’s went 61 against teams in this year’s tournament. Texas Tech, the next opponent, went 26 against teams in this year’s tournament. It was ironic that the Hawks still had to
prove their legitimacy. How could a team outside one of the big football
conferences have the nerve to deliver sustained greatness over the course of an
entire season?
Packer wasn’t the first person to publicly doubt the Hawks. Their gradual rise
toward an undefeated season made them a frequent target of skeptics. But when
they lost to Xavier, were trampled by Xavier, the belief was that they couldn’t be
that good. What the critics refused to see was that Xavier was a talented team in a
strong A-10 conference.
Xavier would prove that they were one of the strongest teams in the country.
On another front—High School basketball and the PIAA Class AAA
Basketball Championships—another Philadelphia area school was also making
history.
Holy Ghost Prep with a 31-0 record was bidding to become the first
undefeated state basketball champion in area history. One more win would net the
Firebirds a 32-0 perfect season and a PIAA Class AAA boy’s basketball
championship.
In its history, Holy Ghost had won two state championships and had been to
the final four times.
For the record, Holy Ghost lost to Moon Area High School by a score of 5250.
One of the reasons that I mention this about Holy Ghost is that it so much
mirrors the Saint Joseph’s experience.
Like Saint Joseph’s it was in the midst of an undefeated season and is a small
school with high academic standards and a glorious basketball tradition. The
coach, Tony Chapman, was a former student and basketball player at Holy Ghost
and played baseball at LaSalle University.
As Coach Chapman said, “It’s a small school and a tight school. You might go
there as a freshman and might know one or two people. But by the time you are a
senior, man, you know everybody. And most of the kids go on to pretty successful
lives.”
“Many of our graduates have tremendous fondness for the school, and what the
basketball team has done has given us another thing that pulls us together,”
Chapman said.
The same could be said for Saint Joseph’s.
So here we were. In Bobby Knight and Texas Tech, Martelli’s Hawks were
about to face the first great challenge of the tournament. Texas Tech, as you
would suspect, appeared to be very well-coached against their first round
opponent, Charlotte, and played selflessly. It was reasonable to expect that the
Hawks would be severely challenged by the Red Raiders.
Against Coach Bob Knight’s well-drilled, battle-hardened Red Raiders, the
Hawks needed all the heart and toughness it could summon to pull out a tense
game and advance to the Sweet 16. Possession by possession, the players from
both teams bounced off one another like pinballs, fighting through screens that
seemed to be built from bricks as they tried to keep track of whomever they had to
guard.
The Hawks wanted to play fast but could do so for only about 8 minutes of the
first half and found themselves down by 21-12. When it seemed the Hawks might
fall hopelessly behind Texas Tech in the first half, coach Martelli called what
turned out to be the most important time-out of this magical season.
Recalling how the Hawks panicked after falling behind Xavier in their only
loss, Martelli used the time-out to allow the Hawks to reset their game. Among
other things Martelli did, was to insert Dave Mallon. The statistics show that
Dave had three points and one assist in six minutes of play. What the numbers
don’t show is the impact he had on the Hawks’ 70-65 victory over Texas Tech.
The Hawks were down, 21-12, and reeling when Mallon entered the game with
11:41 left in the first half. What he did in the next three minutes turned the game
around and maybe, just maybe, saved Saint Joseph’s season.
Mallon nailed a three-pointer the first time he touched the ball, then contested
a missed shot by Texas Tech forward Devonne Giles that led to a jumper by
Delonte West. Mallon’s box-out allowed Tyrone Barley to grab a defensive
rebound and get the ball to West for another basket. Mallon followed with a pass
to West for a three-pointer, then he dove to the floor for the ball to create a Tech
turnover and a West layup.
Mallon didn’t see much action the rest of the first half and didn’t play in the
second half. But that three-minute sequence ignited a 24-2 run and put the Hawks
in control.
“My job is to come in and do whatever I can to help the team. I didn’t expect
to be in a position to shoot a three-pointer just coming into the game. As soon as I
touched it I didn’t think about anything. It felt good as soon as it left my hand.
From then on, the adrenaline started going and I started seeing the game in slow
motion. It felt so good.”
Of all the plays Mallon made in his brief appearance, the three-pointer was the
topic of conversation in the locker room.
“When he knocked the three down, we were like, “He shot the ball?” Jones
cracked. “I’m glad he stepped up.”
Jameer Nelson called Mallon’s trey the turning point in the game.
“It’s the play that really got us going,” he said. “Everyone wants to play great
basketball. With Dave being at home, making that shot had to be special. I’m
happy for him and his family.”
Delonte West also was remarkable in that 24-2 run. He was on the receiving
end of some good passes, but he was the player who put the ball in the hoop. He
was the guy who came through with the offensive explosion in that torrid 7 1/2
minutes of flawless play.
After the Dave Mallon three-point basket West followed with four baskets in
little more than one minute.
“At that point in the game, I just recognized what my team needed,” said West,
who went on to score 15 points, hand out 8 assists, and pull down several
rebounds.
Saint Joseph’s went from a 21-12 deficit to a 36-23 lead.
The rally not only gave control of the game to the Hawks, but it also provided
a huge sense of relief for Martelli because the panic he saw against Xavier was
gone.
“Then I had confidence in my team and knew they would fight for 40
minutes,” Martelli said.
In the second half, the Hawks never led by more than eight points. The Hawks
fought off the Red Raiders with huge baskets, but Knight’s team would not go
away. Tech kept going hard to the basket, drawing fouls. They canned seven of
eight free throws to pull even, 60-60, with 5:09 remaining.
But Pat Carroll, who scored 14 critical points, swished a three-pointer for a 6360 lead. A three-pointer by Jameer made it 66-62. The Hawks stopped Tech on
four straight possessions, and Dwayne Jones, who had 12 rebounds, clinched the
win with a dunk off a pass from Delonte that made it 70-65 with 13 seconds to go.
Jameer ended the game with 24 points, while Tyrone Barley provided his
defensive specialty. Tyrone led a defensive effort that tightened the screws on the
Red Raiders and their star, Andre Emmett. After Barley came into the game with
13-plus minutes remaining, Emmett shot 1-for-5 for the remainder of the game.
Few coaches can appreciate the kind of hustle and determination that the
Hawks displayed more than Texas Tech coach Bob Knight, who demands every
ounce of sweat from his players.
“It’s good for kids to see a really good team play like these kids do,” Knight
said.
Indeed, the Hawks paid a physical price to overcome Texas Tech. Delonte and
Chet Stachitas both suffered minor injuries for their extreme efforts in diving and
scrapping for loose balls. Meantime, Jameer’s back spasmed so badly in the
second half that trainer Bill Lukasiewicz had to massage him during time-outs to
keep him going.
“It was an honor when Bob Knight spoke to me before the game about my
team, about the way they play, and how he feels they’re good for college
basketball,” Martelli said. “And I’d like to mention that kid Marshall. In all that
jubilation our guys were having on the court, he sought me out and he said very
directly, ‘We’re very tough. We take great pride in our toughness, and I want you
to know that your team is as tough as any team we’ve faced, with your heart, and
because of that everybody at Texas Tech will be pulling for you to win it all.’ ”
So it was, the Hawks (29-1) continued to prove worthy of their No. 1 seed.
Saint Joseph’s prevailed and the Sweet 16 awaited them. It would be the first time
in seven years that the Hawks had made this trip.
Like his teammates, Chet Stachitas had been programmed by Coach Martelli
to accept each victory with indifference.
Yet when Stachitas saw Martelli face a large contingent of Saint Joseph’s
supporters and thrust his arms in the air after the horn signaled the conclusion of
the Hawks’ win over Texas Tech, he knew that this one meant so much more.
“If we had gone out before the Sweet 16, I’m sure that’s what most people
would have remembered about us,” Chet said. “When I saw Coach Martelli throw
his arms in the air and look to the crowd, I knew it was all right to celebrate.”
What Stachitas saw was a man whose stomach knot had loosened after the
Hawks earned the right to move on.
“There was an internal pressure I felt,” Martelli conceded. “I think if we hadn’t
made it to the Sweet 16, it would have been ‘You failed. You’re not that good.’
So, yes, I felt a sense of relief when the game ended.”
“When the buzzer sounded, it was like a big weight had been lifted,” Tyrone
Barley said. “Winning one game in the tournament wouldn’t have been good.
We’d have all been so disappointed. We’re still not satisfied, but at least going to
the Sweet 16 brings a sense of accomplishment.”
For the most part, the Hawks had dismissed those that had dismissed them, as
if it were beneath them to prove their worth to anyone other than themselves.
“We don’t need them to motivate us, but we don’t ignore them either. What
are they going to say now? That our uniforms are ugly?” asked Jameer.
“We’re together,” Jameer said. “All we need is us.”
At the same time, the No. 1 seed in the Phoenix Regional, Stanford University
was eliminated from the tournament after losing by 70-67 to the Crimson Tide of
the University of Alabama.
The other two No. 1 seeds in the tournament, Kentucky and Duke won.
THE SWEET 16 AND WAKE FOREST
As much as the Hawks would have preferred not to talk about their detractors,
the Hawks were bombarded with questions about Packer, because he was the star
point guard for Wake Forest in 1962 and the Hawks were slated to face Wake
Forest in their next game. And you knew this had to happen. CBS had assigned its
top announcing team, Jim Nantz and Billy Packer, to the East Rutherford, N.J.,
Regional tournament site. They would announce the game between Saint Joseph’s
and Wake Forest.
Typically, announcing teams have short meetings with coaches the day before
games. Coach Martelli said he would meet with Packer, if asked.
“He’s a professional and has a job to do,” Martelli said. “I am a professional
and have a job to do. Any information that helps promote my team and my
school, I will do. I will anticipate that he will apologize now that the “weak”
Atlantic 10 has two teams in the Sweet 16 (Xavier/Saint Joseph’s). But I won’t be
holding my breath on that.”
Xavier, by upsetting No. 2 seed Mississippi State by a score of 89-74,
advanced to the Sweet 16 in the Atlanta Regional where they would face No. 3
seed Texas. Xavier was a No. 7 seed.
The Saint Joseph’s/Wake Forest matchup promised to be entertaining. The
Deacons, who were in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1996, were among the
nation’s highest scoring teams, averaging 83.7 points a game. Like the Hawks,
they relied on their speed. And also like the Hawks, they were not dominating
rebounders.
But, they did have Chris Paul, a high school all-American from just outside
Winston-Salem, N.C., who had brought many of the qualities to the Deacons (219) that Jameer had brought to Saint Joseph’s.
The previous Saturday night on ESPN, hoops analyst Dick Vitale said – make
that shouted – that he would pay to see the matchup between Nelson and Paul,
who scored 29 points in Wake’s 84-80 win over Manhattan.
After Paul shot 10-for-14, collected 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and made the
pass that led to the clinching basket at the end Saturday, Manhattan coach Bobby
Gonzalez said: “I thought maybe he was the best player we’ve seen this season. I
just thought he was on another level.”
Chris Paul was indeed a very good player. He had scored 22 points and added
7 assists in Wake’s 79-78 opening-round win over Virginia Commonwealth. He
was shooting 50 percent for the season overall and 46.4 percent from three-point
distance, and was averaging 5.8 assists. He had scored 20 or more points in three
successive games and seven of his last 10.
The Hawks strategy to control Chris Paul would fall to Tyrone Barley. When
asked about Paul, Barley responded: “I really don’t know too much about him. I
hear he’s an excellent player, but it doesn’t really matter.” For Tyrone, it really
didn’t matter. After all, Tyrone had been going chest-to-chest in practice sessions
against the likes of Jameer Nelson and Delonte West for years.
Game after game, when an opposing player started going off on a scoring
binge, coach Martelli pulled Tyrone off the bench with the simple instruction:
“Stop him.” And, typically, Tyrone climbed into his opponent’s jersey and drove
him to distraction
While planning strategy for Thursday’s game, Martelli was in his office
talking to Wake Forest’s coach Skip Prosser on the phone. This was not normal
behavior for coaches of teams scheduled to play each other in the Sweet 16. But
they had known each other for years and coached against each other when Prosser
was at Xavier. Prosser left 3 years ago for Wake Forest.
Martelli had returned Prosser’s call wherein Prosser had left a message which
said: “We are just a couple of ninth-grade coaches. I don’t know what we are
doing in this game. Congratulations to you and the staff.”
Martelli and two of his staff had been watching a tape Prosser had sent him of
Wake Forest’s win over Manhattan in the second round and he had stopped the
tape to talk to Prosser.
“Skip’s a nice guy,” Martelli told his staff. “He said he hopes we get whatever
we want from the tape.”
While the three of them were watching the Wake tape, assistant Mark Bass
was in his office checking out Pittsburgh, just in case Pittsburgh were to become
an opponent. Coach Matt Brady was working on Oklahoma State. Monte Ross’
main focus was Wake Forest.
“We feel more comfortable when we’ve had some time to prepare for a team,”
Chet Stachitas said. “We only had one day to prepare for Texas Tech. We have
more time to get ready for Wake Forest.”
Billy Packer got his first live look at the Hawks as they practiced at
Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. on Wednesday, March 24.
The brief courtside meeting between Packer and Martelli was uneventful. Martelli
approached Packer, shook his hand, and tried to diffuse the tension by telling him
that he (Packer) owed him (Martelli) a pizza, with pepperoni. Packer did TV
advertising for the Poppa John’s Pizza chain. CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz
jokingly urged Packer to converse with Martelli. “Let’s just watch them play,”
Packer said. “I have no agenda.”
Like generations reuniting for a once-in-a-lifetime event the students and
alumni converged on the Meadowlands. They couldn’t miss this. It was an
obligation.
Years, distance, life had divided them. Some had never met before this day.
But their Saint Joseph’s Hawks connected them like blood. Their favorite college
basketball team, playing for the first time as a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed,
brought them together in celebration.
All of the sudden, it was one big happy family. Here in the tailgating pool, you
were surrounded by surrogate family: current SJU students, graduates from
decades past, spouses and children of graduates. This was a network of Hawk
fans, bound by passion – and a fierce loyalty.
Just before the team left its nearby hotel for the arena, it gathered on a balcony
overlooking nearly 1,000 of its passionate and loyal fans in the lobby. School
president Rev. Timothy Lannon, S.J. spoke to the crowd and directly to the team.
“Our promise to them is we’ll be right there tonight,” Lannon said. “We’ll be
with them Saturday and we’ll be with them in San Antonio.”
With that the band began to play and the team walked through the lobby to the
bus.
Fans behind the Hawk bench held up signs that taunted: “Hey, Billy, how’s
your bracket? See you in San Antonio,” and listed such high seeds as Kentucky
and Stanford, which already had been knocked out of the tournament.
Never in their lives, these fans said, had they seen Saint Joseph’s bask in so
bright a spotlight. First came the No. 1 seed, then, came Packer’s comments on
national TV, which prompted Phil Martelli to blast Packer and set off one of the
biggest off-court stories in the tournament. Then there was the Hawks’ close
second round win over Bobby Knight-coached Texas Tech, which set up the
grudge match with Packer’s alma mater.
Just as they had done against Texas Tech, the Hawks got off to a wobbly start.
Wake Forest connected on 5 of its first 7 shots and ran off to a 17-8 lead.
Chris Paul, lightening quick, seemed to have his way early, penetrating and
finding open teammates. And rangy Jamal Levy, a 6’9” junior, alternately
guarded West and Carroll.
But the Hawks, who had often used four guards, decided to use that strategy
again. Martelli inserted Tyrone Barley in the game and he gave the Hawks an
instant burst of energy at both ends of the floor. The ball movement quickened,
allowing shooters to find open space behind the three-point arc, and the defense
tightened.
When Tyrone came on the floor, he immediately introduced himself to Paul
with a chest bump, and Paul retaliated with a forearm in an attempt to drive
Barley off him.
Barley nailed his first shot, a three-pointer, and the Hawks went off on one of
their patented runs, outscoring the Demon Deacons by 17-4 to take a 25-21 lead.
They got a three-pointer from West and another from Barley in the spurt. Guarded
by Barley, Paul seemed to fade into the background a bit.
During the run, Jameer and Delonte stepped to the forefront, exciting the
crowd with their cohesion. On one play, Jameer stole a pass while airborne and, in
one motion, spun and lifted a delicate pass over a Wake Forest defender to
Delonte, who banked in a shot.
Before the game, Martelli had suggested that Wake Forest, the second-highest
scoring team in the nation, would be difficult to defend because of its balance.
Indeed, it was Wake’s balance that allowed it to overtake the Hawks before
halftime and leave the court with a 38-37 edge. Wake had shot 53.6 in the
opening half and eight different players scored.
As the second half began and it became apparent that every little play would
matter, it seemed that Nelson’s pregame comment would be prophetic.
“It’s going to come down to who’s going to go out there and get dirtier, who’s
going to go out there and get the loose balls,” he had said.
The Hawks jumped on Wake Forest at the outset of the second half, grabbing a
48-42 lead on a three-pointer by West with 14:52 to go.
Earlier though the Hawks had lost Dwayne Jones when he picked up his fourth
foul and went to the bench, leaving 6’7” John Bryant as the tallest Hawk on the
floor and forcing him to deal with 6’9”, 275-pound Eric Williams.
With Jones on the bench, the Deacons tried to take advantage, looking to get
the ball inside to Williams, who scored two baskets to get them within 3 points
(56-53). John Bryant soon picked up his fourth foul as Wake pounded the ball
inside time after time.
No matter, the Hawks began to take control. A baseline jumper by Delonte
pushed the Hawks’ lead back to five, and both teams ratcheted up their defense as
crunch time approached.
As the game neared its conclusion, with 66 seconds remaining and the Hawks
leading 79-68, the large contingent of Hawk fans began chanting derisively, “Bill-l-ly Pack-err, Bil-l-l-ly Pack-err.”
For some anxious moments, it seemed that the fans might have to eat their
chants. The Demon Deacons made a furious effort and pulled within 79-77 with
43.6 seconds left.
Chet Stachitas then scored his only 2 points of the game when he deposited a
rebound off a driving layup try by Jameer to give the Hawks an 81-77 lead with
35 seconds remaining. Chet said that he was expecting a pass from Jameer
because his defender had left him to defend Jameer.
“Jameer and I made eye contact as he drove to the basket because my defender
left me alone to try to help out on Jameer,” Stachitas said. “I knew that would
happen because in our preparation we talked about how Wake Forest guys try to
block every shot.”
Foul shots by Jameer and Delonte finished the scoring by Saint Joseph’s and
gave it an 84-80 victory.
Pat Carroll hit some huge three-point baskets in the second half and scored 17
points, 15 on three-point shots.
“He stepped up and made some really big threes for us, and that’s our game,”
Martelli said.
Delonte West and Jameer Nelson each scored 24 points. Tyrone Barley added
13 points and put the clamps on Chris Paul, who scored only 12.
“What we really tried to do was really lean on Paul’s right hand,” Martelli
said. “We thought he was very heavy righthanded. And we tried not to give him
any gaps.”
Dwayne Jones, who sat out for nearly 10 minutes because of his foul trouble,
made his presence known when he returned to the game. Dwayne collected 4 of
his 7 rebounds in the final 5 minutes, one on the offensive end that led to his
making 1-of-2 free throws to help blunt a 9-2 Wake Forest run. The run trimmed
Saint Joseph’s lead from 70-59 to 72-68 with four minutes left.
The Hawks shot 50 percent from the field and were 12-for-24 from 3-point
distance. Wake shot 52.9 percent from the floor and were 8-for-16 from behind
the arc.
The game was pure excitement and by midnight (the game ended a few
minutes after midnight) the Hawks had reaped revenge on Wake Forest alumnus
and ACC shill Billy Packer. The Hawks spoke with their actions.
“We let the coach do all of the trash-talking.” A beaming Jameer Nelson
laughed about the Martelli-Packer joust.
“The experts say we can’t, we can’t, we can’t, and all we do is keep winning,”
Martelli said.
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser now knew that no one controlled a game
better – or was more equipped to play at any speed – than Jameer Nelson.
Ultimately Jameer would drive the Demon Deacons crazy. The genius of Jameer
was that he could patiently let the game come to him and then take it completely
over. Led by Jameer, the Hawks refused to lose.
“I think he’s really got his hands on the throttle as well as any player in
America,” Skip Prosser said.
You had to believe the Hawks (30-1) could go to the Final Four!
As I had stated earlier, I was in Naples, Florida while the NCAA Tournament
was being played.
At Mass on Sunday, following the Hawks’ win over Wake Forest, the priest
who was the celebrant at the Mass, Reverend Monsignor Robert Coll, a Saint
Joseph’s Prep and University alumnus, University class of 1952, greeted the
parishioners with the news of the Hawks’ victory and stated he would be praying
for their continued success.
When he made the announcement, I was shocked. Even though my mind was
full of Hawk basketball, I didn’t expect an announcement about Saint Joseph’s
basketball to come from the altar. I certainly did not know that the celebrant was a
Saint Joseph’s graduate! At the same time I had a warm and proud feeling that I
was some how a part of all that was happening with “our” team. I wanted to shout
to the congregation and identify myself as a member of the Saint Joseph’s
University family.
The Saint Joseph’s fans were everywhere!
MORE ABOUT DEFENSE
A bit about the Hawks’ defense: It was true that the defensive stopper for the
Hawks was Tyrone Barley. There were not a lot of players who could impact the
game the way Tyrone did without ever touching the ball. The Hawks built their
defense around him, and when they needed a key player stopped, Tyrone got the
assignment.
Wake Forest’s Chris Paul was a player who needed to be controlled. Tyrone
got that assignment.
With Paul only scoring 12 points, it was clear that some other Wake player
was going to have to beat the Hawks. In the first half, Paul took four shots and
made one of them. In the second half, he took his first shot with 46 seconds left in
the game.
However, it wasn’t just Barley on Paul. The Hawks never played defense that
way. One time, Paul fought through a screen only to find Delonte waiting for him
with a little forearm to the ribs, 20 feet from the basket.
“We’ve got guys with great basketball IQ’s,” assistant coach Monte Ross said.
“They took it upon themselves to say, ‘OK, this guy’s coming, this is an easy
switch.’ ”
These man-to-man switches evolved over the season. Players and coaches say
there was no sudden “magic moment,” no game when everyone realized how
effective the switches were. But with the Hawks increasingly using four perimeter
players, the switches became part of the defensive equation.
The Hawks felt the switching man-to-man defense had been a huge factor
against Texas Tech’s motion offense. Other teams, most notably Oklahoma State,
had switched to a zone defense against Bob Knight’s team. Saint Joseph’s didn’t
have to resort to that against Wake Forest. It was a different kind of a game. Most
times it came down to one man stopping his man. Tyrone Barley understood that
and as usual he provided the stop.
More than a few times during the season I saw the cohesiveness and
understanding of the defense help the Hawks make a stop and turn it into a steal.
That usually happened when one of the Hawks aggressively turned an opponent
(doubled) into a trailing defender and the opponent subsequently had the ball
stolen away.
That kind of defensive play only comes from knowing the capability of your
teammates. And, the only way you learn that is by playing long hours in games
and scrimmages with your teammates and having the basketball “savvy” to
recognize opportune defensive situations.
This team knew defense.
THE ELITE EIGHT – OKLAHOMA STATE
The Hawks’ next opponent, Oklahoma State, wore down Pitt to reach the Elite
Eight. Oklahoma State had to overcome Pittsburgh’s aggressive, intimidating
defense and control of the backboards to win this game by a score of 63-51.
No matter what happened next, these Hawks would finish the season with the
most wins and fewest losses in school history. They had everybody’s player of the
year. They had their unbeaten regular season. They rose to No.1 in the polls. They
got a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Every bit of that is a lifetime memory. And if Saint Joseph’s could beat No. 2
Oklahoma State in the East Rutherford Regional final, it will be off to San
Antonio to be part of college basketball’s annual celebration. The Final Four
would surpass all of it, individually and collectively.
Xavier was also in the Elite Eight in the Atlanta Regional. They had advanced
to a meeting with Duke University after beating Texas University by a score of
79-71.
It was surprisingly serene at much of Saint Joseph’s campus the morning after
the victory over Wake Forest considering the nail-biting leap the Hawks had made
into the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in 23 years.
But not at the ticket office at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, where fans blearyeyed from celebrating the night before, leaned across the ticket counter begging
for a chance to get tickets to the next game against Oklahoma State.
Nor was it quiet or calm at the campus bookstore, where fans were swarming
around the racks of jerseys and other paraphernalia to select such items as caps,
balls and even wigs in the team’s colors.
“Great game!” someone shouted as they burst into the bookstore wearing a
Saint Joseph’s sweatshirt with a big “Hawks” button pinned to the chest. The
Hawks’ victory over Wake had fueled the Hawks’ fans fervor. The entire campus
was swept away by the teams play.
“Another student was heard to say: “The energy’s insane. I don’t want it to
end!”
T-shirts and other items of clothing were easy to get. But, tickets to the game
were not. Even though the ticket office manager would not have tickets to sell
before 1 p.m., the fans were waiting and fidgeting in line early in the morning.
When the ticket office finally opened, only students who had been season
ticket holders and had gone to earlier tournament games were lucky enough to get
passes for the Oklahoma State game.
One lucky purchaser of a ticket said, “If somebody wanted to buy it, I would
never give it to them,” as he walked away with a $60 ticket in a pocket of his
notebook. “Nobody could pay me enough for this experience.”
Another student who wasn’t able to get tickets said: “I didn’t get tickets, but I
promise you I’ll be at the game.”
According to the Hawks’ ticket office, and Continental Airlines Arena, there
were no tickets available for the game.
Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton was 68 years old, had been coaching for
45 years and had won 753 games. That was, for one example, more wins than
Hall of Fame coach John Chaney had compiled, and it was the ninth most wins by
any coach.
If Saint Joseph’s were to win this game, they would have to defeat the master.
Oklahoma State was a tall team and physically imposing. Thus, it was said,
that the Hawks would have to shoot their way to the Final Four. It would be a case
of accuracy over strength.
As with every Hawks’ opponent, the defending of the Hawks’ three-point
shooting was their first job. That thinking worried Coach Sutton a little bit. He
knew that the Hawks had a shooter’s chance to take his Cowboys out of the
tournament. He called the Hawks “probably the best three-point shooting team
I’ve seen in a long, long time.”
He even went so far as to suggest that his players would change their usual
procedure and not help so much when Jameer and Delonte penetrated, because
that would leave three-point shooters open.
“Sometimes it’s better to give up a two-point basket than it is to allow
somebody to break your defense down and kick it out and shoot,” Sutton said.
The Cowboys had given up only a total of 23 threes in their last seven games.
Oklahoma State with their 30-3 record was obviously a good team, and there
might not have been a better guard matchup than John Lucas and Tony Allen
against Jameer Nelson and Delonte West.
John Lucas, the son of the former 76ers coach, was a third team all-American
and Tony Allen was an honorable mention, even though he got some votes for
first team and was the Big Twelve coaches’ choice for player of the year.
One other factor which the Hawks had to be aware of was the rebounding. The
Hawks had often been outrebounded during the season, while Oklahoma State had
consistently outrebounded its opponents. The Hawks had to look for the Cowboys
to be physical on the inside.
The Hawks were trying to avoid looking past Oklahoma State. During this
long basketball season, the Hawks had been able to focus on their next opponent.
But, with the rush of adrenaline still pulsing through their veins after the victory
over Wake Forest, it was increasingly difficult to avoid thinking about San
Antonio and the Final Four.
“All season we’ve been really good at focusing on nothing except our next
game,” said Pat Carroll. “Now that we can see that its right in front of us – the
Final Four – and we want it so bad,” he added. “We’ll be focusing on Oklahoma
State. But with the Final Four right in front of us, it might be a little tougher.”
Despite the fact that the Hawks had played a hard game against the Demon
Deacons, didn’t leave the arena until about 1:40 a.m., arrived at their hotel 20
minutes later to a rousing reception from adoring fans who jammed the lobby,
downed some soup and sandwiches, and then went to bed, they slept very little.
“They created a wall to let us through,” said Chet Stachitas. “It was so late, we
didn’t get much time to celebrate. Then it was a little sleep and starting to get
ready for Oklahoma State.”
Chet further said he believed there was not any danger that they would get
carried away by thoughts of the Final Four. Coach Martelli, he said, had already
emphasized the mindset they should have for this game.
“The first thing Coach Martelli told us after the game is that we’re playing to
beat Oklahoma State, not playing to get into the Final Four,” Stachitas said. “I
think we’re mature enough to approach it that way.”
Even though on paper it looked like the Hawks, who were slight underdogs,
couldn’t hold up against the Cowboys’ blend of speed and power, Tyrone Barley
was fearless.
“We’ve been told all year we’re too small to be that good and all that,” Tyrone
said. “Size seems to matter so much to a lot of people, but it’s really the size of
your heart. We’re going to take away the lane and make them make jump shots. If
we can do that, we’ll win.”
Said Martelli, who was impressed with Oklahoma’s bulk, “Hopefully, it’ll be
their strength against our quickness.”
Told that Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton had been known to put football
pads on his players for practice, Martelli smiled.
“We don’t have football at Saint Joseph’s, so I don’t know where I would
come up with the pads.”
On March 28, 2004, the Hawks entered the game with the Cowboys as the
oddsmakers’ underdog for the first time since they opened the season against
Gonzaga on November 14, 2003 at Madison Square Garden.
The story line for this game seemed to be wrapped up in a frenzied and thrilling
final minute of play. In short, the Hawks came within a loose ball here, a barely
off-the-mark shot there, of making it to the Final Four. The magical season for the
Hawks came to a heartbreaking end with the Hawks falling just two points shy by
a score of, 64-62.
A John Lucas miss, or a Jameer Nelson made shot, and the Hawks would have
been in the Final Four.
The Hawks will forever look back on this loss and believe everything that they
have ever heard about how the smallest detail can mean the difference between
winning and losing.
It was a crushing end to a wonderful season.
In the first half of the game the Hawks managed to keep ahead of the Cowboys
and ended the half with a 33-27 lead. Astonishing as it may seem, the Hawks
could have been comfortably in front if their three-point shots were dropping the
way they typically had during the season. But they made only 3 of 15 threepointers during the first 20 minutes of the game and ended 8 for 26.
The Cowboys’ defense, however, had little to do with the Hawks poor longrange shooting, as the Hawks had plenty of unobstructed looks at the basket.
In the end, the Hawks were done in by their failure to make open three-point
shots, which was the strength of their offense, and by a cold start to the second
half of the game, when they missed nine of their first 10 shots and the 33-27
halftime lead turned into a 41-35 deficit.
Pat Carroll, who was a sizzling 9 for 14 on three-pointers in the wins over
Texas Tech and Wake Forest, was 3 for 11. But, he did hit the crucial shot that
had the Hawks within 29.9 seconds of making it to the Final Four.
With 29.9 seconds left in the game, Carroll had hit a three-pointer from the top
of the key, giving Saint Joseph’s a 62-61 lead. “It felt good for about two seconds,
to be honest with you,” Carroll said. “Everything just goes so fast in this game.”
The rest goes down in Saint Joseph’s history.
On the next Oklahoma State possession, the Cowboys’ Joey Graham lost,
momentarily, possession of the ball as he neared the left side of the top of the key
at the Hawks’ end of the floor. Pat Carroll, who was guarding John Lucas out to
Graham’s left, saw the brief fumble and left Lucas to try to get the ball. Graham,
however, was able to just tip the ball in Lucas’ direction. Lucas launched a shot
from the left wing, and it went through the hoop with 6.9 seconds remaining. The
Cowboys were ahead 64-62.
Up to that point, Lucas was 2 for 11 from three-point distance.
“I never saw him even in practice shoot as poorly as he did the first half,”
Coach Eddie Sutton said of Lucas, who needed 20 shots to score 19 points. But,
he made the shot that put the Cowboys ahead.
Down by two with 6.9 seconds on the clock, Jameer, without hesitation,
brought the ball up the floor, as he had done thousands of times before. He started
a drive toward the basket, stepped back, leaving the Oklahoma State defender
Daniel Bobik helpless, able to do no more than wave weakly at the jump shot as it
left Jameer’s hands. Jameer hung in the air. When Jameer landed, he slipped
backward when he hit the floor while in a sitting position. He watched the shot
fall short, just short, as it caught the front rim. With that missed shot, the Hawks
had lost in the most excruciating manner imaginable.
That picture of Jameer sitting on the floor will always be with me.
And then something happened, something that tells you as much about the
mark Jameer Nelson left on his sport as any award he had gotten or all-world
team recognition he had received.
Several of the Oklahoma State players walked over to him. Ivan McFarlin, a
forward from Texas, pulled Jameer to his feet and hugged him.
“They could have just celebrated,” Jameer said later, his eyes rubbed red and
raw. “That was good sportsmanship on their part.”
But, more than that, it was a sign of respect for Jameer. And that, as much as
anything else, should be Jameer Nelson’s legacy as a college basketball player.
Later, there was speculation as to whether Martelli should have called a
timeout to set up a play for those last 6.9 seconds. But there was no secondguessing by Martelli on that play. Jameer was the player who needed to have the
ball in his hands in a situation like that. And, if he had called a timeout to set up a
play, it would have given the Cowboys a chance to set up their defense.
“Who better to have the ball in his hands?” Pat Carroll said. “He’s the best
player in America.”
The Cowboys would play for another week, the Hawks would not.
“It’s not even about the type of season we had,” said Jameer, who scored 17
points and had 8 rebounds, 8 assists and no turnovers. “It was a great season. But
everybody said this was a magical season. I think it’s a better team than the
season we had.”
Delonte West led Saint Joseph’s with 20 points while Pat Carroll had 9 points.
The Hawks committed only 5 turnovers, and Barley, the defensive wizard,
helped limit Cowboys’ star Tony Allen to 12 points.
Saint Joseph’s brought the kind of sticky defense that can compensate for cold
shooting. While Oklahoma State, which went into the game leading the country in
shooting percentage, tried to take advantage of its size and weight advantage by
pounding the ball inside time after time.
The Cowboys out rebounded the Hawks, 42-24, but they had only two more
second-chance points than the Hawks. Their size advantage over the Hawks was
not the difference. In a game in which every possession mattered, Oklahoma State
made the big shot in the end.
For the stunned Hawks’ fans that stood near their seats and lingered long after
the finish, for the children who wore smaller versions of Jameer’s No. 14 jersey,
they began to discover the waves of emotions at the end of their ride. That would
be how a 30-2 season would be remembered.
A group of players sat in a dressing room and cried with their coach at the end
of their journey.
“All he could do,” Delonte said, “was grieve with us.”
The proclamation shouted through decades of Hawk basketball proved to be
painfully correct. The Hawk did not die, just its dream.
I was with a group of old Hawks that watched the game in Naples, Florida at
the home of former Hawk coach Jack McKinney. Among the group was Jack
Ramsay, Bernie Morgan, Jerry Mullin and our wives.
Jack McKinney told us about the following:
Don DiJulia, who insisted that he was not superstitious, just as Phil Martelli
did when asked about his behavior before and after Hawk basketball games,
called Jack McKinney before each of the four NCAA tourney wins and asked him
for a message to the Hawks players.
“So far, he’s 3 for 3,” Di Julia said before the Oklahoma State game.
The day of the opening-round game against overmatched Liberty, McKinney’s
message was, “Anyone can lose. Just go out and kick butt.” The Hawks routed the
Flames, 82-63.
Before the second-round game against Texas Tech, McKinney told DiJulia,
“Tough guys find a way to win.”
“Sure enough,” DiJulia said, “the first thing Bobby Knight said to me and Phil
after the game had to do with our team’s toughness.”
For the win over Wake Forest, McKinney’s message was, “Think and play
positive and expect to win.”
For the Oklahoma State game, DiJulia remained true to his ritual and called
Jack McKinney for his message to pass along to Coach Martelli.
“Jack’s message this time was, ‘You’re good enough to beat them if you play
your game. Keep your poise and make them catch you.’ ” DiJulia said.
Unfortunately, John Lucas was somehow able to get his hands on the ball and
make the shot that caught the Hawks.
After the game, and on our way home after leaving Jack McKinney’s house, I
called my son on the cell phone. He was at the Meadowlands, in East Rutherford,
N.J. with his family watching the game. When he answered, and after we briefly
discussed the game, he asked me to speak to my grandson. When young Stan got
on the phone, he could hardly speak through his sobs. He was completely
heartbroken about the Hawks’ loss.
It took him a long time to get over that final loss. Even at the banquet held to
honor the team, he cried again while listening to the player’s short speeches after
the meal.
It was just one more example of the impression this team left on its fans.
On April 2, 2004, Jameer and Phil Martelli were in San Antonio, Texas, the
site of the Final Four games. Both were there to receive awards for their excellent
accomplishments during the season.
The Final Four teams were Georgia Tech vs. Oklahoma State, and Duke vs.
Connecticut.
Georgia Tech was defeated by Connecticut by a score of 82-73 on April 5,
2004 for the NCAA Tournament Championship.
Jameer was following protocol, politely answering questions and smiling for
the cameras inside a hotel ballroom as he posed alongside the glistening trophy he
was awarded after he was voted the Associated Press player of the year by a
media panel.
His heart and his mind, though, were away inside the Alamodome where the
teams were preparing for the Final Four doubleheader.
“I would rather be at the shoot-around or practicing over there right now,”
Jameer said wistfully. “I can imagine myself being out there. I was hoping to
come to San Antonio with my teammates. Unfortunately, somebody has to lose.
Somebody’s going to be cutting down the nets and be crowned the champion, but
we’re the best team.”
Jameer also remembered the credo he spent the last four years hearing from
Coach Martelli, who had just received the AP award for coach of the year.
“Our coach said anything is possible,” he said. “But it’s impossible for us to be
out there because of what happened last week.”
The loss was still lingering and Jameer said: “The hurt is still there but the
bitterness is starting to go away.”
The awards would continue to come to Jameer, to Phil Martelli and to the
team.
Jameer’s No. 14 would be retired at the Hawks’ annual basketball banquet
and the demand to attend the banquet was so large that it had to be held in the
Fieldhouse.
Not much had been typical for Saint Joseph’s basketball since Jameer arrived
four years ago and went on to set school records in scoring (2,094 points), assists
(713) and steals (256). During Jameer’s career, the Hawks went 98-27, the most
by a four-year player.
For Martelli, he was touched deeply by the whole experience. “Humbling,”
Martelli said, over and over. “Lots of guys out there are better coaches than I am.
Better at ‘x-ing and o-ing.’ And someone is going to cut the nets down Monday
night, and someone will go to the White House, but none of them will ever have a
team better than the one I had.”
EPILOGUE
Both Jameer Nelson and Delonte West were selected by NBA teams in the first
round.
Jameer played his first season with the Orlando Magic; worked his way into a
starting position and had a very good start to his professional career.
Delonte West was selected by the Boston Celtics and after struggling with a
series of hand injuries became a solid contributor for a team that made the
playoffs.
Tyrone Barley started his professional career by playing in New Zealand for
the Nelson Giants. It was ironic that Tyrone would end up playing for a team with
the name “Nelson.”
The team “left behind” by these three players had an excellent season and
fought their way into the championship game of the National Invitational
Tournament at Madison Square Garden.