The 2003–04 Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team represented

Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh olde ...

during the

2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 10, 2003, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on Apri ...

. The group is one of 25 teams to finish the regular season undefeated in men's division I basketball. They were the last to do so until

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

did it in 2014. Under 9th-year head coach

Phil Martelli Philip Martelli Sr. (born August 31, 1954) is an American college basketball coach, who is currently the associate head coach for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball, Michigan Wolverines. As the former head coach of the Saint Joseph's Hawks ...

, the Hawks held an overall record of 27–0 and a conference record of 16–0 in the regular season before losing to Xavier in the A-10 tournament and

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

in the East Regional Final of the NCAA tournament.

Roster

Jameer Nelson Jameer Lamar Nelson Sr. (born February 9, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as assistant general manager for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's Hawk ...

, (20.6 ppg/4.7 rpg) *

Delonte West Delonte Maurice West (born July 26, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dallas Mavericks. He als ...

, (18.9 ppg/5.4 rpg) * Dwayne Jones, (6.4 ppg/7.0 rpg) *

Pat Carroll Patricia Ann Carroll (May 5, 1927 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress and comedian. She was known for voicing Ursula in ''The Little Mermaid'' and for appearances in CBS's ''The Danny Thomas Show'', ABC's ''Laverne & Shirley'', and NBC' ...

, (10.1 ppg/3.6 rpg) *Tyrone Barley, (7.2 pgg/1.0 rpg) *Chet Stachitas *John Bryant *Dwayne Lee *Dave Mallon *Arvydas Lidzius *Artur Surov *Robert Hartshorn *Brian Jesiolowski *Rob Sullivan *Andrew Koefer

Schedule and results

''Asterisk designates NCAA D-1 tournament game.''

Rankings

Regular season

The Hawks dominated the regular season, going 27-0 . In the Atlantic 10 tournament, the Hawks received a #1 seed, which included a first-round bye. However, they lost badly to the

Xavier Musketeers The Xavier Musketeers are the 16 teams representing Xavier University in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. The Musk ...

87–67. Despite their early exit, the Hawks still received a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Hawks also won the

Philadelphia Big 5 The Big 5 is an informal association of college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is not a conference, but rather a group of NCAA Division I basketball schools who compete for the city’s collegiate championship. The Big 5 c ...

, going 4–0.

NCAA tournament

The Hawks received a #1 seed and defeated

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

, and Wake Forest in the First, second, and third rounds, respectively. In the

Elite 8 In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...

match-up against

, the Hawks lost by 2 points.

John Lucas III John Harding Lucas III (born November 21, 1982) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketba ...

of Oklahoma State hit a go-ahead three with only a few seconds left. Jameer Nelson attempted to tie the game on the ensuing possession, but his 15 ft. shot fell short.

Accolades

Notes

* The Hawks progressed to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1981. * Sports Illustrated named shouting Saint Joseph's staple chant, "The Hawk Will Never Die," as the number 12 thing "you gotta do before you graduate." * The Hawks earned a spot in the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame after receiving the Pride of Philadelphia award in 2004.

Draft list

was the 20th draft pick in the NBA draft of 2004 by the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. *

was the 24th draft pick in the NBA draft of 2004 by the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. *

was a second round draft pick in the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

draft of 2009 by the

Iowa Energy Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

. * Dwayne Jones was signed as a free agent in 2005 by the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

.Minnesota Timberwolves Sign Free-Agent Forward/Center Dwayne Jones
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2003-04 Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team Saint Joseph's Saint Joseph's Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball seasons