by Ryan Inajian
It’s been quite the year on Hawk Hill for Saint Joseph’s. Things started off as you’d expect, with Billy Lange, the head coach of 7 years, suddenly stepping down from his role with the program. Little did we know the eventual Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, Steve Donahue, would step up to save the season.
You’d think the drama would be over, right? Not so fast. General Manager Rob Sullivan exited the building for Rutgers, leading scorer Deuce Jones got removed from the team right before the new year, and just recently, the athletic director announced her move to the Horizon League as commissioner. One would imagine all these waves crashing into the hull of the Hawk boat would cause some sea sickness… but alas, captain Steve righted the ship over and over again to keep the Hawks not just afloat, but piercing through the ocean.
Regular Season Recap
After an exhausting OOC play, the Hawks carried it into the A10, dropping games to both Saint Louis and Davidson in a matter of days. Then… the Hawks started to win… and win… and win some more. Winning streaks of 3, 4, and 6 throughout conference play completely flipped the season for the Hawks, with highlight wins against Dayton (81-74), GW (76-73), and George Mason (81-63). The Hawks end A10 play on that previously mentioned 6-game win streak, arguably the hottest team in the conference, finishing 13-5.
Tournament Path
Saint Joe’s now finds themselves as the 3-seed heading into Pittsburgh with real championship aspirations, their highest seed in the A10 tournament since the 2005 season. The Hawks’ quarterfinal opponent is still TBD. Not one, but two rounds must occur before our matchup is set. The Hawks will be doing a lot of watching the first 48 hours in Pittsburgh, scouting Loyola, Richmond, and Davidson just to start. Three teams that start in Joe’s sect of the bracket, all teams that Joe’s has beaten in the young season. But no matter the fact, every team brings new juice to the conference tournament and as we all know, anybody can beat anybody in the A10. Personally, and this may be biased, but I think Saint Joe’s takes care of business Friday against any of these teams.
Saturday? Potential rematch against VCU? Phil Martelli Jr. against his alma mater, again? I like this a lot. Saint Joe’s is seeking revenge for the close loss suffered at VCU back in January, when some questionable officiating allowed VCU to close out on the Hawks. Martelli has yet to play the Hawks in the keystone state and this new territory may shake things up. Another W in my eyes for Saint Joe’s in the semis (and same result if it’s URI or Duquesne, just less drama).
Sunday… Sunday… Sunday. The day of rest for some, but not the A10 and certainly not the Hawks.
Saint Louis? Perhaps. Dayton? Maybe. George something? There is a chance. But no matter the foe, Saint Joseph’s will be there and ready to hoop. The Hawks have championship aspirations. There is a hunger and a thirst for hardware in West Philadelphia unlike we have ever seen before. First-team Derek Simpson and second-team Jaiden Glover-Toscano have been unbelievable this season, quite literally, as they were both absent from any preseason all-league teams or press. Nobody believed in the Hawks this season, and now some do, even enough do. The defensive-focused Hawks have proven they can play at the top of this league, now it is time to prove they can be the top of this league.