Flying Slow...

I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting the greatest season by the Hawks. Yes, I thought for sure they would be competitive and possibly punch a ticket to March. With a player like DeAndre Bembry how could you not think that they had a chance? However, it pains me to watch this team play as of late. Phil Martelli’s squad is in the bottom 300 for NCAA teams in ppg, the has lost to two easily beatable teams, and now they have a tough schedule the next few days. This may be a bad few weeks for Saint Joseph’s.

This team has potential; however they just have not lived up to it lately. They are struggling hard and not producing on the offensive side of the basketball at all. A team cannot be successful if they are ranked 318^th in the NCAA in points per game. It is impossible for a team to win games if they are not scoring and this has just been bad of late. The Hawks have only broken 70pts once this season and that was when the team went to overtime. The Hawks also fall at 326^th in the league for field goal percentage as well. A team will not win games if they are not hitting their shots and if they are not scoring baskets. This so far has been the main problem for this Martelli’s team. If they want to start competing they will have to get their points per game up.

SJU has lost to two teams that experts would say were easily beatable. St. Joe’s has now brought their record to 3-3, a record that should be 5-1. Losing to FDU was a tough pill to swallow, however losing to WKU is even tougher to take. This team should have won these two games, there is not a doubt in my mind or many experts minds as well. The team lost today by 3pts after an atrocious start, and they lost by 1pt against FDU. Two teams that do not have a winning record, that is inexcusable. The Gonzaga loss was expected from this team, Gonzaga is one of the best teams in the country and SJU truly did not have a chance going in. But, I will say again they should easily be 5-1 this season going into the Temple game.

After, a tough loss tonight the Hawks have to go into a tough rivalry week ahead of them. Wednesday they take on a much underrated Temple team. Temple is a team that has played extremely well this season even though there were low expectations going in. Temple lost to UNLV a few days ago however they played very well. They kept UNLV to only 57pts throughout the game, playing very strong defense. The 3-2 Owls will play a very good game against the Hawks, and Martelli has to start game planning. After, Temple the Hawks will take on their archrival the Villanova Wildcats. The 5-0 Villanova team has been playing unbelievable as of late. They have truly earned their #12 ranking in the country. This will most likely be a blow out for the Hawks team. I do not foresee them being able to out play the high Nova offense.  With two very tough games coming up, SJU fans have to stay positive.

The Hawks have struggle this season. They have not played up to what many expected, even though that was not much. The team has talent and has skill, they just need to show it and play it out. If there is any positive to take out of the team from late it is how well DeAndre has played. Bembry has scored 23, 17, and 22 in the team’s last three games of the season. Bembry will be the one constant with this team for this season. Expect big things out of this team in the future; however don’t expect great play anytime soon. If this team can put the points on the board they will be able to compete and they will be a top team in the A-10.

-Brett

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Dallas SUCKS!

It is hard to have a rivalry with a team that SUCKS! 

The current state of the Eagles and Cowboys rivalry is overrated. The Dallas Cowboys are not in the Eagles’ backyard like the Giants. To get to the Giants’ MetLife Stadium all you have to do is drive up interstate 95 for about 2 hours. When Dallas was “America’s Team”, the hate was at an all-time high. The south is known for their football, and also for being rednecks. I guess that is how the Cowboys have fans. They are the most passive fans in the country. This is probably the case because their high school football is more exiting. Dallas’ fans do not know much about the game. Their football IQ matches their real life IQ. They do not match the same strong dislike that Eagles fans have for them. There would be more of a rivalry if the dislike was mutual or if their fans could argue intelligently with us. 

Cowboy fans are too easy going. But, at least there is a reason why this is the case, there team is boring. Dallas represents corporate America, which is just as boring as their team. It begs the question, what is more boring, the Cowboys or their city? Cowboys are the team that pompous celebrities pretend to be fans of. Saying you’re a cowboys fan is the same thing as saying you have no excitement in your life and just follow what media’s decision. 

Dallas’ team is run by Jerry Jones, an old man that is more proud of his stadium than his team. He always shows up in the media saying something stupid. Why is he in the media when he says something moronic? Who would have thought that somebody running a dreadful football team would say something only an idiot would say? The answer to these questions is because he wants attention and knows he would not get it from his team being successful. There was a time when the Cowboys were successful. That was when there was a rivalry. Now they are just a national embarrassment.

This season the Dallas Cowboys are at top of the division along with the Eagles and are playoff bound. Even though their end of the season dramatic failure is inevitable, nobody wants to count them out just yet. It is almost December. Soon, the Cowboys will burst into flames and collapse. Going into Thursday’s Thanksgiving divisional “rival” matchup, the Cowboys and Eagles have the same record, 8-3. It is away, at Dallas; but that is not home field advantage for Dallas because their fans suck just as much as they do. For the past four years, the Cowboys record was 8-8. They can still do it this year. They are America’s team of mediocrity. 

Dallas’ nonchalant fans ruin the rivalry. The fans do not go to the game to watch their football team. I guess they go to watch their cheerleaders. I mean I wouldn’t go to watch their football. 

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The Hawks Defend Their Nest

The Saint Joseph’s Hawks had their backs up against the wall after their worst loss in history. They rebounded with a win against Vermont after a devastating 52 point loss against Gonzaga. It was a team effort, but Isaiah Miles led it with his corner threes. The team is setup for Isaiah Miles to be the three point shooter. If Miles is consistent with his outside of shots, the team can find success. When Miles fills the three point role, it will take the pressure away from DeAndre Bembry. Miles production helped to propel the Hawks to an 8 point victory and if it continues they can be contenders moving forward.

The Hawks created turnovers with their pressure inside the arc. It proved that they know how to defend any pass within the perimeter. St. Joe’s excels attacking off a break-away. Even though Aaron Brown did not play his best against Vermont, he still impacted the game by taking on the bigger forwards and defending the perimeter well. They executed high pace counter attacks that led to points for each player. This helped SJU to easily surpass their points per game of 50.3. The Hawks defense controlled the entire game after the first five minutes.

Unlike Miles, James Demery and DeAndre Bembry’s role is running along the sidelines and attacking the basket. The team plays their best when they are flying down along the sidelines. They were able to play that style of basketball in the second half. Bembry looked comfortable for the first time this season being the team’s number one shooter and being guarded by the opposing teams best defender. It is possible for Bembry to be the top scorer on the team; however it is appears unlikely that number 43 will not consistently be the top scorer. The Hawks can contend with the top teams in the A-10 if each player is on the top of their game and playing together.

Moving forward they must stay focused, which might be difficult for a young team to do. Watching SJU grow their lead, you can tell that the team was gaining confidence. They began the game down 11-1 and then came back as they were building character and identity. The Hawks did not look back after gaining the lead going into halftime. However, they were not able to put away Vermont as they were always within ten. The young and now .500 hawks should not get too comfortable with their success against Vermont, and keep the pressure on the opposition. Let us hope we will see Bembry and company put LIU Brooklyn away in their upcoming game Tuesday November 25th at 7PM at Hagan.

-Pants

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The Suxers

Together we build… that’s the Sixers saying this season. However, the real saying is “Together fans wait, as the Sixers profit.” That’s right people if you haven’t realized it yet Sam Hinkie doesn’t care about building a championship winner, nor does he care about putting a good team on the court. All Hinkie and the rest of his boys care about is making the almighty profit. The Sixers organization has become a money hungry team that for all we know may be leaving the Philadelphia area in a few years. The Sixers or should we call them the Suxers have embarrassed themselves on the court every game this season, but Hinkie keeps stating they have a plan.

Though Brett Brown is the protégé of Gregg Popovich and seems to have the capability to actually coach in the NBA and lead the team to a championship one, it may not come for a few years. Like I previously stated, the only thing on the mind of the Sixers is to profit from the revenue sharing and TV contracts the NBA is providing them. They don’t care about fans coming to the games or providing Brown with a team capable of winning a game this season. This team has truly embarrassed themselves almost every game they have played this season, and I don’t see any letting up in the near future. It has come apparent that Brett Brown understands this and that he understands that he will be here when this team has the opportunity to win it all in the future.

So fans as the Sixers have been handed their 10^th loss of the season, don’t expect anything else. The team has to face some decent teams in their upcoming games. Even if they have a chance to win any of their upcoming games, they will choose not to. The Sixers don’t want to win any of these games; they want the opportunity to once again get that top pick. Sixers do not be surprised if the Sixers decide to trade Nerlens for an opportunity for another good pick. Noel has not performed to the ability many people were expecting, and with the draft containing tons of strong, talent Power Forwards, Nerlens time may be up before it began. The Sixers, this season will end up with two picks in the top ten this season, and you can quote me on that. So… Sixers fans “Just, Keep, Waiting…”

Phil Sticking to his Hawks

As we start every blog post, Saint Joseph’s Hawks lost three starting seniors that were good, strong NCAA basketball players. The three players Galloway, Kanacevic, and Roberts were also three of the top twenty players in the Atlantic-10.

The Hawks have played two games so far Fairleigh Dickinson and at Drexel. After the Hawks season opening loss, Hawks fans began to question the team’s ability to score. Even though there has been some moments of brilliance and excellent play. In Monday’s game against Drexel, it became apparent that the Hawks did not actually win the game, however Drexel lost it. Drexel turned the ball over and allowed the Hawks to get a lead. The Hawks held on with freshman PG Shavar Newkirk stepping up and making both free throws.  Demery, the other freshmen stepped up scoring 12 points. Accompanying Demery at the wing guard position, Bembry scored 13 points. Together they accounted for 25 out of the 54 points to beat Drexel Dragons by three. Though the freshman played much better this game, it is apparent that Drexel another team that is not tops of its league was able to contain the scorers on the Hawks. This should now be a worrisome feature on St. Joe’s offense; due to the fact FDU and Drexel were able to contain players like Bembry and Demery. St. Joe’s truly did not play a good game in either of its first two; however the team is still 1-1.

Coach Phil Martelli has decided to stick with his strategy from the beginning of the season, and the team seems to be on the right track. Many thought that Phil may give up on his freshman early and allow Evan Maschmeyer more time, but he stuck with his guns. Phil is learning what the team can and cannot do; he is observing the potential that they have. Even though they played another close game, it has become apparent that this team will need to find its stride and come together. The Hawks have a lot of untapped potential, and if they put it all together they will be able to compete. 

-Brett

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Changes for Drexel

After a tough loss to FDU, Hawks fans are starting to get worried. St. Joe’s plays Monday against Drexel and concerns should not be too high. The Drexel Dragons are considered the worst team in the “City Six”. Sju just needs to bring everything together and pull off an easy win. A win would help the Hawks to gain their confidence back. It became apparent during last game that this team was truly lacking confidence, and it looked as though Phil could not get them to believe in themselves during the game. St. Joes’ clearly has the talent to compete in this league; Phil just needs to get it out of them.

Looking towards this game Hawk fans should be looking for a few things to be different in this game. First, Miles will not shoot the ball as much as he did the first game. Even though Miles did have a double-double in the first game of the season, these numbers lie about his real performance. Although Miles was productive, he shot the ball too much. Miles’ job should be to be the clean-up guy, kind of like what Halil did. He needs to score off rebounds due to the fact this is where he is most productive. Additionally, look for Evan to get even more minutes this game. In the first game, Evan played twelve impactful minutes at the guard position. It is apparent that both Demery and Shavar, are not ready to take control of the starting role. Both players struggled on the court taking bad shots and making huge foul mistakes. The pace of the game seemed to be a bit too much for Demery. From the buzz that we heard out of practice, that was not the case. Both of the freshmen that received playing time should not start. Moreover, Demery is likely lost his starting wing position, opposite of Bembry. The last thing to look for in this game against Drexel is Aaron Brown starting. Brown plays with energy and intensity that will be rub-off on the rest of the team. Aaron proved to not only SJU fans but himself that he deserves to be starting. The guy is not only super athletic, but he plays unbelievable defense and can provide some relief to DeAndre. 

Coming into this season many thought that the Hawks had an opportunity to start the season at least 2-0 before going to Gonzaga, however that will not be happening. This team can clearly compete due to the fact that on paper they have one of the best players in the A-10 in DeAndre Bembry. However, it looked like DeAndre felt some pressure in game one of the season.  This team will get it together and will be contenders in the A-10 this season, and against this Drexel team look for the starting lineup to become more stable and older. The lineup should be Chris, Evan, DeAndre, Brown, and Miles, with Javon coming up with some valuable minutes off the bench. This team has the talent to compete even though they lost their three main seniors last season.

The Hawk Will Never Die

-Pants

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FDU Loss is a Start

Saint Joseph’s Hawks lost their season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson 58-57 from a crushing three by FDU to win the game with almost less than 3 seconds to go. Hawk fans desperately wish to have the “Big 3” back after the loss to Fairleigh Dickinson; however Roberts, Galloway, and Kanacevics are all playing profession basketball. Many of us on HawkHill thought that we were in for a long, tough season. But, nobody thought the losses would start after the first game. The young SJU team is officially 0-1 to start the season, losing to an FDU team that they were seen as clear favorites against. This loss proves that the Hawks  may not be ready to take the next step after the loss of their seniors last season.  Fairleigh Dickinson was their first game of the season and as a completely new unit. This season’s team will play differently together and will win together. 

Phil Martelli will tell you, the team wins as a team and lose as a team. It will take a few games before the Hawks play as an entire unit up and down the court. Though St. Joe’s lost, there were bright spots throughout the game: Evan played tight defense, Javon was a solid rebounder, and Wilson looked strong controlling the game. Isiah Miles took advantage of his size. Miles had a double-double. He battled down low, even though his shooting left more to be desired. At different points of the game, a new player stepped up. That is great to see, however; the team struggled throughout and FDU shut DeAndre Bembry down.

DeAndre Bembry has an immense amount of responsibility this season. For what Bembry accomplished last year, he is a humble individual. Number forty-three for the Hawks know he needs to do better. He knows that he has to score at least 15 points a night to even have a chance. DeAndre cannot rely on the “Big 3” to carry the team. Bembry has to accept the challenge putting this team on his shoulders. 

Hawk fans knew coming into this season DeAndre Bembry was going to be covered by the best player on every team SJU faces that DeAndre was going to have to fill in for the “Big 3”. Everyone knew that DeAndre would get shutdown against better teams in the conference and in the NCAA, however no one expected DeAndre to be shut down by FDU last night. He struggled trying to create open shots. He even passed up shots when they should’ve been taken. DeAndre last season was not known as a shooter, but more of someone who can drive the ball. He worked all off-season to become a reliable outside shooter and perfect his game. Though his shot has gotten better, it looked as if DeAndre did not trust himself shooting the ball. DeAndre is an unbelievable talent and may be the best player to play as a Hawk since Jameer. As DeAndre grows into his leadership role, the team will gain confidence. Last night we saw that DeAndre doesn’t want to be a ball hog, and doesn’t want to shoot the ball when he gets it. He would rahter distribute it. It is time for DeAndre to take charge and take over a game. DeAndre Bembry needs to take charge in order for him the team and him to reach their full potential.

After the loss to Fairleigh Dickinson Saint Joseph’s will not repeat their illustrious 03’-04’ season by going undefeated. It is a long season ahead. There is no reason to panic yet. SJU returns to action on Monday night at Drexel and the again on Wednesday against Gonzaga in Spokane. Gonzaga is a tough opponent and has the potential to not be a pretty matchup. The season started fast for the Hawks, and it will prepare them for the pre-season NIT tournament.

The Hawk Will Never Die

-Brett and Glen 

Are the Flyers contenders?

The Flyers have struggled mightily this season, posting a record of 7-5-2. The Flyers had a horrendous start to the season losing their first 4 games. The problems seemed to be endless with the horrible play of Mason and the defense. However, it now seems like the Flyers are on the right track once more winning their last 3 games. All the gears in the Flyers offense and defense seem to be clicking, but the question is now can and will this be sustainable throughout the entire season. Flyers fans know that if they want to compete and have the ability to make it to the championship everything has to be working including the goalie, the offense, and the defense.

The two big questions going into this season was whether Steve Mason would be the successful goalie needed to take the team to the Stanley Cup and if Claude Giroux was the true captain of this team. Though Mason has struggled this season, and many questioned whether or not he would finish this season as the Flyers goalie. It seems that he is finally back on the right track, and that he will be able to help lead this team to a championship. The other worry coming into the season for Flyers fans was if Claude was the right guy for the job, if he was truly the captain needed to win it all. Well it now seems like he is the right person. Claude has produced 4 goals and 18 pts this season. He has been playing extremely well lately, even scoring two goals against the Avalanche last game. Though Claude’s performance has been better, the team needs their other players to step up as well. This seems to be happening this season as well, with guys like Voracek who have been playing unbelievable lately scoring 6 goals and 22 pts. It is apparent to me as well as Flyers fans that this season is the young Voracek’s coming out party. He can be a great asset for a playoff run this season.

If the Flyers want to have success this season they will need all their cogs to work together to provide the best opportunity for them to win. With Giroux, Voracek and Simmonds dominating on the offensive end, it is apparent that they can score with any team in the league. The question is now whether their beat up defense and their up and down goalies can keep it together to get this team to the playoffs. It is still too early to tell if the recent Steve Mason is the real Mason or will he go back to his struggling ways. If this team wants to win it all they have to strengthen their defense to have the best chance of winning it all.  

-Brett 

Phil's Contract

In the city of Philadelphia the careers of coaches do not last very long. But, one head coach has remained constant for 20 seasons, which is Saint Joseph’s University’s Phil Martelli. 20 seasons Phil has been at the helm of the Hawks basketball team and now once more there are rumors that he is looking for an extension. Since 1995, Martelli has been providing HawkHill with great players and tremendous opportunities, leading the team to an undefeated season in 2004 and to the A-10 Championship last season. Now the question is brought up whether or not Phil actually deserves an extension or should 2016 be his final season.

Martelli  is in his 20^th year and has always been a sign of stability on HawkHill. Now the question is, does he deserve an extension. Many of the coaches in the A-10 who have recently had success have received extensions. Martelli’s current contract is worth in the neighborhood of $900,000; which for a coach of 20 years may not seem that much. The Hawk’s head coach’s last extension came after the last time the Hawks were in the tournament in 2008, for 8 years. In Martelli’s 19 years he has taken SJU to the NCAA tourney six times and won the A-10 Championship twice. In 2004, the year every Hawk team wants to replicate, the team had its undefeated season in 2004 and Phil was the Coach of the Year.

Though after the 2004 season Martelli and the Hawks seemed to struggle only providing above average teams with average talent. But, it now looks like Martelli has the Hawks on the right track once more, winning the A-10 Championship in 2014. This coming year is Coach Martelli’s biggest task. Phil does not want to fall into the same pattern like he and the team did the season after going undefeated. They played average and were not true competition to the league. This upcoming season Phil has players such as Bembry, Demery, and Miles. The Hawks look like they have the players that will allow them to compete for years to come and not play average the season after having successful.

Martelli has provided the Hawks with leadership that is unmatched and should be taken into consideration when extension time comes around for Phil. Phil Martelli has had his ups and downs as coach of the Hawks producing a career record of 362-247. HawkHill will not be the same if Coach Martelli leaves, and he deserves to have an extension. This team is finally turning things around, they are finally are the right track. There is only one man for the job, Phil Martelli. The Hawks have a promising future with DeAndre Bembry, a player that could potentially be A-10 Player of the Year. Who is better to coach him through his entire college career than Phil?

Saint Joseph’s University and Phil Martelli are both dedicated to one another. There is no question that he deserves an extension after the tournament birth and the conference championship. In addition he has positive momentum for better things to come with each recruiting class over the last few years being better than the last. The question for Don Dijulia and whoever makes the decision, is not whether if he deserves an extension, but how long it is for. He has two seasons left now. One thing that Phil should consider himself is if he is willing to coach in his seventies. Coach Martelli should at least be given the consideration for a contract extension until 2018, thus giving him enough time to finish off his goals at SJU.

-Brett