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LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA
CONFERENCE: Atlantic-10 (East Division)
LAST SEASON: 12-18 (.400)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 5-11 (t-5th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 0/5
NICKNAME: Hawks
COLORS: Crimson & Gray
HOMECOURT: Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (3,200)
COACH: The Palestra (8,722)
record at school Phil Martelli (Widener '76)
career record 68-55 (4 years)
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ASSISTANTS: 68-55 (4 years)
ASSISTANTS Matt Brady (Siena '87)
Monte Ross (Winston-Salem '92)
Mark Bass (St. Joseph's '96)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 17-19-26-11-12
RPI (last 5 years) 48-63-12-138-140
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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The afterglow was sweeter than sweet, but the aftertaste is getting old. Two years removed from arguably the best season in its history, St. Joseph's appears ready to move on. The Hawks had better be. They are running out of explanations for their recent losing ways. A pair of long seasons has the faithful wanting more. The 1997-98 team, coming on the heels of an Atlantic 10 championship and NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, lost for the most basic of reasons. It did not have enough players. Losing an NBA talent like Arthur "Yah" Davis to academic indifference set the program back even further than feared. The 1998-99 team was different. It had enough players, but there was virtually no experience. Head coach Phil Martelli employed four newcomers in the starting lineup for the first time in school history, and the results were predictable. The Hawks were wildly inconsistent. One night, they would cough up 24 turnovers and lose at Old Dominion. The next, they would nip a nationally-ranked team (Tennessee) in the closing seconds. In mid-January, after an encouraging 9-7 start (including a 3-2 conference record), St. Joseph's embarked on a nine-game losing streak that defied all logic. Along the way were understandable setbacks (at Temple, 62-47), revenge-minded city rivals (at La Salle, 98-95, in double overtime) and terrific efforts in tough places which fell just short (at Massachusetts, 59-58, after leading for 39 minutes).
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B- BENCH/DEPTH B+
FRONTCOURT B INTANGIBLES B
If Rashid Bey was still around, this would be a Top 40 team. A distributor like Bey would maximize the talents of Crenshaw, O'Connor, Wilkins, Howard and Reid. Instead, the Hawks are generally left to fend for themselves offensively. That is one reason Martelli hopes to run. More transition baskets will help mask the lack of a quality playmaker. The other reason for a change in offensive philosophy is that St. Joseph's shooting can be, well, offensive. The Hawks connected on only 39.8 percent of their field-goal attempts last season. Again, a few layups never hurt. In a perfect world, Martelli would identify a set rotation and play to its strengths. The reality of this team, however, is that he may have to find the hot hand(s) on a given night. There are plenty of options, and it is conceivable that SJU may end up with five double-figure scorers before the season is through. "Our whole message is that older isn't necessarily better," Martelli said, "but that better is better." St. Joseph's will indeed be better, probably a game or two over .500. Also look for a reversal of last year's pattern and for this group to play its best basketball at the end of the season. The Hawks may be erratic early while piecing their many parts together, but they could be a dangerous team in March. |
The Hawks hit bottom in mid-February with no-show efforts at George Washington (94-70) and Fordham (76-68). Rarely a smooth offensive team, SJU also neglected to defend or rebound in the latter stages of the streak. A cooperative schedule helped St. Joseph's to victory in three of its last four regular-season contests, including the first A-10 win outside Philadelphia (at St. Bonaventure) since the '97 title team. Then came an 81-54 wipeout against La Salle in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, a loss which left even the affable Martelli in a sour mood. "I can only pick out a handful of games [in which] we did not compete," Martelli said. "Unfortunately, the taste in my mouth is the last game. We did not compete." At least the young Hawks didn't have to wait all summer for a shot at redemption. SJU had the good fortune of a foreign tour scheduled for late May, and Martelli took the opportunity to ease in a pair of impact transfers as well as to re-structure the offense into a running, up-tempo attack. Sophomores Marvin O'Connor (Villanova) and Bill Phillips (William & Mary) are clearly good enough to start for the Hawks this year. With five starters returning, their arrival will create both welcome competition and more depth than St. Joseph's has enjoyed in recent memory. "We have a backup at every position," said Martelli. "Whoever emerges as the starter is going to be backed up by an equally capable player." In Italy, where the Hawks went 1-4 against high-level professional competition, everybody played and had their moments. The 6-4 O'Connor (4.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg in 1997-98) has an explosive offensive game which brings to mind the school's all-time leading scorer, Bernard Blunt. He will surely claim a starting position. Even more important is the competitive edge he brings to an otherwise quiet group. O'Connor never hit it off with Villanova coach Steve Lappas. Yet last year, when not nursing nagging foot and leg injuries, he was often St. Joseph's top practice player. The 6-9 Phillips (8.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) did not practice often due to recurring knee problems, so the Italian tour was especially valuable for him. He displayed excellent hands, a fine shooting touch out to the three-point line and a willingness to mix it up when necessary. Phillips will not likely supplant 6-9 sophomore Damian Reid (9.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg) as the starting center, but his presence should push Reid into more consistent play. Reid had some huge games as a rookie (14 points and 14 rebounds vs. Tennessee, 23 and 13 vs. Xavier, 17 and 13 at UMass). But he seemed to run out of gas down the stretch, failing to reach double figures in four of the Hawks' final five contests. Power forward Andre Howard (11.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg) was St. Joseph's best all-around player and also the team's top performer abroad. The 6-7 senior transfer (Pitt) won both the Tennessee and St. Bonaventure games with clutch shots in the final minute, yet he was equally likely to commit a costly turnover at the wrong time. Howard's 2.9 tpg were not an awful number, but the timing was often brutal. He would also fail to run the floor defensively just when his team really needed a stop. Small forward Rob Haskins (8.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg), a 6-8 fifth-year senior, is likely to be replaced in the starting five. Haskins became an offensive liability (.358 FG, .358 FT) despite a solid work ethic. He may be better suited to a reduced role in a season few expected he would have (Haskins, an accomplished artist, earned the additional year by overachieving in the classroom). O'Connor could play Haskins' position if Martelli elects to go "small." Or the starter could be 6-9 junior Frank Wilkins, an intriguing talent (8.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg) who appears just about ready to blossom. Wilkins was the team's most improved player on tour, and he has also gained some much-needed upper body strength. The guess here is that O'Connor will start and that Wilkins will become a candidate for the league's top sixth-man award. Both starting guards return in 6-5 junior N'aim Crenshaw (10.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and 6-1 sophomore Larry Jennings (6.3 ppg, 2.8 apg). Crenshaw was about as good as expected as a redshirt soph, shooting a solid .379 from three-point range and handling tough defensive assignments despite a wiry frame. Jennings, on the other hand, was a disappointment. A highly-touted rookie point man, he was neither a shooter (.161 3PT) or creator. In fact, Crenshaw produced five more assists than his backcourt partner. Jennings' backup, 6-3 senior Tim Brown (7.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg, .396 3PT), is by far the better offensive player. Martelli likes Brown's range and leadership off the bench, however. This is not a bad strategy, provided the mild-mannered Jennings can more effectively makes plays for his teammates. He was a little more creative (and a good bit more vocal) overseas. That's nine guys who will play, at least one or two more than Martelli normally likes. And it is not counting 7-1 sophomore Alexandre Sazanov (3.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg), who was raw but unafraid in spot duty as a rookie. It is the clear the Russian can catch and shoot at a good enough level if he can just add some strength. One school of thought says to keep spotting Sazanov as a sophomore. The other is to let him redshirt while becoming a weight room regular. No decision had been made at press time. 6-5 junior Erick Woods (0.9 ppg), 6-8 junior Lionel Ngounou (10 appearances), 6-0 senior Ryan Leib (seven appearances) and 6-2 senior Matt Zielenbach (seven appearances) are the deep reserves. "How do you fit this together?" Martelli asked rhetorically. "That is the coaching dilemma for this year. For this team to be successful, we are going to need a little bit from everybody."
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