Hawks Flying High in Summer League?

The NBA summer league is now in full swing! This allows us to get a look at the NBA’s next batch of superstars! Whether you are watching to see how the first overall pick Ben Simmons is doing or the question mark in the draft Thon Maker, it will be an interesting summer. Saint Joseph’s University students and alumni are glued to their TV’s as well. As we watch how our former superstar DeAndre Bembry adjusts to the NBA, and our former most improved player Isaiah Miles tries to make an NBA squad. Both players bring different unique games to their respective teams. These two have much different paths, but both hope to be great assets to their NBA teams.

DeAndre Bembry- Atlanta Hawks 21^st Overall

There is no doubt Bembry has continued his college dominance right onto the NBA summer league. Many reporters and fans are calling him the best player on the Hawks summer team, and his skills are truly being shown. Not only has Bembry brought his strong ability to take the ball to the rim, and his unbelievable defense to the NBA. But, he also brought along his never quit work ethic. Bembry has increased his basketball IQ, meaning he is taking shots that he is much more confortable with. DeAndre has also improved his ability to distribute the basketball among his teammates, something he was known on Hawk Hill for. In three games Bembry is averaging 10pts 4.7assists and 4.7rebounds. He is bringing his do all attitude right along with him to the NBA. It is clear to see the 21^st overall pick will continue to garner a lot of attention and playing time. Look for Bembry to be in the headlines in Atlanta come this fall.

Isaiah Miles- Dallas Mavericks Undrafted
Unlike his former teammate, Isaiah Miles is taking a much different approach for his path to the NBA. Miles wasn’t drafted, nor was he high on many teams’ draft boards. Miles is looking to take an approach much like that of Langston Galloway his former teammate. However, the former Hawks big man is looking to translate his unique game to the NBA. As someone who is both tall and can shoot the three, there were many questions surrounding how Miles game would work in the NBA. Miles has struggled early on in the summer league only averaging 1.7ppg and 3.3rebounds in three games. Miles though has always been a late starter. Look for his numbers to increase has the summer season goes on. Miles will continue to do his job on the court, he will score when open and pull down rebounds when needed. Minutes will be the biggest enemy for Isaiah Miles. If Miles can continue to improve his shot and rebounding ability, he may find himself a valuable asset in the D-League for an NBA team.

-Brett 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SportsAndRants

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SportsAndRants

Instagram: http://instagram.com/sportsandrants

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SportsAndRants

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SportsAndRants

Instagram: http://instagram.com/sportsandrants

itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sports-rants-brett-pants/id934063452?mt=2&uo=4

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SportsAndRants

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SportsAndRants

Instagram: http://instagram.com/sportsandrants

itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sports-rants-brett-pants/id934063452?mt=2&uo=4

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SportsAndRants

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SportsAndRants

Instagram: http://instagram.com/sportsandrants

itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sports-rants-brett-pants/id934063452?mt=2&uo=4

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 

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