At least we have the Pope...

There is no doubt that this Saint Joseph’s team is much better then last season. They are more skilled all-around and have much better chemistry in general. The main weakness in years past for St. Joe’s was their struggle to score, this year they have overcome that. However, like in years past the Hawks still struggle against true competition and cannot get much needed wins.

After tonight’s loss to Villanova the team will fall to 4-2. It was expected that the Hawks would fall to Nova. If you asked any reporter or fan they would agree. However, fans did think they would get a better showing out of the Hawks. They did fight hard at the start of the 2^nd half, but in reality the Wildcats were just bigger, faster, and stronger. They were overall a more skilled team, as was expected. Even though the Hawks did lose to Villanova, the more disappointing loss came last week against the Gators.

St. Joe’s had the win against the Gators in the bag last week and fell apart in the final minutes. This would’ve been a very good win for the Hawks, but they were not able to hold on. They Hawks needed their star players to step up in that game, however they did not. Again, the Hawks struggled to put all their talent together to get a win. But, like tonight they showed they can stay in games against very good teams.

If St. Joe’s is going to be a team that ranks higher in the A-10, they need to see their best players step up.  DeAndre Bembry was basically non-existent for long stretches in both of the Hawks losses. We will need to see Bembry step up and become that team captain, and NBA player that is expected. The fact is Coach Phil Martelli has to get the best out of his players every single game, we saw that early on but not lately. Coach Martelli has to see the talent he has on the court and learn how to best utilize, because if he does not he is just wasting their time.

As we look towards the next two games the Hawks face off against Ivy League teams. They will have a hard game against the Princeton Tigers; however don’t expect much of a game against Columbia. The Hawks will need to step up in their next few games and if they are lucky they will be 6-2 after these Ivy League games. No matter what, just remember the Pope is a Hawks fan!

-Brett

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Mauled by a Wildcat

Bad basketball… That is all I have to say. This is no longer a rivalry; this is just pure domination on the part of Villanova. It’s time to be honest, Big Five basketball rivalries no longer exist, sure LaSalle and Temple still go at it pretty strong as well as Temple and SJU but Villanova is far beyond any team in the “Big Five.” I think it is official time to say this rivalry is not alive. Villanova students view the Saint Joseph’s Basketball team like they are a joke. They see us as just an opportunity to beat up on the school down Lancaster Avenue. Nova just purely dominated SJU and this was not the first time. The past two meeting Villanova has defeated the Hawks by a combined 58pts. They have won twice in the past ten years. Overall, the Holy War has brought bad basketball. Before the game, there was not a person expecting the Hawks to compete with Villanova.  Villanova is 8-0 and ranked 10^th in the country. Nova has a tremendous chance to be in the top 5 by the end of the season. Villanova has made it known recently that they are one the best teams in the country, none the less Philadelphia. But, this game was just terrible basketball and sad to watch for any St. Joe’s fan.

This game did not have many positives to take from it, as Coach Geoff Arnold said this was going to be a learning experience for these young guys.   Though a learning experience this game was just tough to watch all around.  The team looked as if they were not ready for the big stage against Villanova. Youth got the best of the Hawks today. It’s tough to win games when your best player is going 5-15 from the field with 13pts, and your “ESPN Top Performer” is a walk on player named Brendan Casper. In all honesty, Casper was the best Hawk out on the court today.

Casper played 20 strong minutes with 9 points and 9 rebounds. The kid made the most of an opportunity and proved himself worthy of some minutes in the near future. Hawks fans were reminded of the play style of Halil. Though Casper played well, the rest of the team did not.

Miles, who was the team’s leading scorer last game and has been playing extremely well struggled, as he was on the court for only 9 minutes and fouled out. That is just unacceptable and he would be the first person to tell you that. There needs to be work done to keep him in the game.  Adding to that Javon also only played 9 minutes, the two big men for SJU combined for 18 minutes together.

Freshman Guard Shavar Newkirk has not played well in his first eight games of the season, shooting .233 from the field and today going 0-8. Coach Martelli may need to make some changes in the guard role if he wants the team to become more productive.

As I said before do not be surprised if Maschmeyer receives more minutes by the end of this season. It has been great to see how well the Senior Guard has played on defense.

Aaron Brown once again showed his value scoring 7 points in 24 minutes. This brings up the question if there is going to be changes made in the starting lineup soon.

The team has shown flashes of skill and brilliance throughout the season, however today they just lacked everything. Villanova did not have to worry about today’s game, Coach Wright was already thinking about Illinois. Nova is a great team there is no doubt about it and may be in the championship this season, but SJU embarrassed themselves today. There is a lot to take from this game, and for guys like Miles, Demery, and Newkirk this is a learning experience. It looks as though changes in the lineup will have to be made if Coach Martelli wants to compete this season.  #THWND

-Brett

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Villanova

Saint Joseph’s University plays their biggest rival, the Villanova Wildcats this Saturday at 1:00 at the Pavilion. While the Hawks chances of winning are slim, we hope the team can hold their own. Villanova has several players that can easily put up 15 points a game, however instead they choose making a difference in other ways. Last year Pinkston and Arcidiacono were the leaders of the team. This year they are contributing in other ways. They aren’t forced to lead the team. If St. Joes’ plays stride for stride with Villanova, there will be a feeling of accomplishment among the team.

Villanova’s greatest strength is their depth. It is the reason why they are ranked 10^th in the country. Depth allows a basketball team to do more throughout the game. A team with depth is not limited with what they can do. SJU fans are seeing the Hawks develop into team with more depth. The previous game against Temple, Isaiah Miles led the team to a victory. St. Joes’ recruited Miles to do exactly what he did against Temple, pick up offensive rebounds and put them into the hoop. Miles had totaled 9 rebounds. James Demery was recruited as a wing guard to attack the basket with ease. He had clutch shooting that propelled the Hawks to victory against LIU Brooklyn. The team is developing better than expected. As the season progresses, we will see more players making bigger contributions to the team like Miles and Demery has. 

It is great to see that DeAndre Bembry does not have to lead the team or play at top of his game. Number 43 on the Hawks was not guarded by the opposing team’s top defender last season like he is this season. Bembry is not going to be putting up 20 plus points consistently. DeAndre only has put up more than 20 points two out of the seven games this season. Other players are picking up the slack from Bembry’s struggle to perform. Even though Bembry is not putting up as many points as many 

experts thought, DeAndre is making a difference in other ways. He is averaging the most assists per game on the team. 

The Hawks can contend against Villanova. In order for Bembry and the rest squad to have a chance they have to perform at the top of their ability on Saturday to have a chance. No matter how it ends, they will grow together. We are seeing the team form an identity.

-Pants

Half Hour Hawks - Geoff Arnold - Discusses the Villanova Rivalry with us

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