The Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team represents

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 ...

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...

. Saint Joseph's competes as well as part of 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 ...

. Their home court is the Hagan Arena. The team is coached by

Billy Lange William Lange (born February 11, 1972) is an American college basketball coach, currently the men's head coach at Saint Joseph's University. He was previously an assistant head coach with the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to joining the 76ers, he was ...

, who was hired on March 28, 2019, after Phil Martelli was fired as head coach on March 19, 2019, after 24 seasons. Through the years they have produced a number of

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

players Players may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Players'' (1979 film), a film starring Ali MacGraw * ''Players'' (2012 film), a Bollywood film * ''Players'' (Dicks novel), a novel by Terrance Dicks, based on the television series ''Doc ...

. Saint Joseph's primary rivalry is with the Villanova Wildcats. Other rivals include the Temple Owls, the La Salle Explorers, the Penn Quakers, who make up the rest of the Big 5. Saint Joseph's basketball program was ranked 43rd best of all-time by Smith & Street's magazine in 2005.

History

Men's basketball is the most popular sport at Saint Joseph's University. The Hawks have competed in 21 NCAA Tournaments and 16 NIT Tournaments. Throughout the school's history, 29 different players have been drafted into the

. The Hawks have been ranked 77 times in their history, 51 of which have been in the top 10. The Hawks appeared in 11 NCAA Tournaments between 1959 and 1974. They were coached by

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

coach "Dr. Jack" Ramsay from 1955 to 1966. Ramsay compiled a 234–72 record in his 11 years at Saint Joseph's. They reached the Final Four in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

(although their 1961 third-place finish was later revoked by the NCAA). Ramsay went on to coach several

teams and won the 1977 NBA Championship. Jack McKinney took over after Ramsay left and led the Hawks to four more NCAA tournaments between 1969 and 1974. Following the 1974 season, the Hawks, with 11 fellow larger schools from the Middle Atlantic Conference, formed the new East Coast Conference. In 1980–81, the Hawks, led by coach Jim Lynam, finished in second place in ECC play and won the ECC Tournament to receive a bid to the NCAA tournament. As a #9 seed, the Hawks defeated Creighton in the first round and upset the #1 seeded and #1 ranked DePaul to reach the Sweet Sixteen. The Hawks defeated

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

to advance to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual national champion Indiana. Lynam also left the Hawks to enjoy a long career as a coach and executive in the NBA. Saint Joseph's joined the

prior to the 1982–83 season. The Hawk's basketball program has also produced several NBA coaches. The first St. Joseph's player to become a professional team coach was George Senesky, who led the Philadelphia Warriors from 1955 to 1958. When Jack Ramsey left Saint Joseph's in 1968 he became the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Ramsey then coached the Buffalo Braves from 1972 to 1976 before moving to the Portland Trail Blazers where he won the NBA championship in 1977. This victory upset the favored 76ers who featured Julius Erving and George McGinnis. From Portland he moved on to coach the Indiana Pacers from 1986 to 1988, after which he retired. Another noted St. Joseph alum who coached for many years in the NBA was Jack McKinney. Coach McKinney, who followed Dr. Ramsey as the Hawk's head coach, left St. Joseph's to become an assistant head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks for two years before joining Dr. Ramsey at Portland. In 1979, coach McKinney was selected as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. His tenure in LA lasted only 14 games when he suffered major injuries in a bicycle accident. Assistant Head Coach and another St. Joe alum Paul Westhead took over for the injured McKinney and led LA to the NBA Championship. He stayed with the Lakers for three years and left to coach the Chicago Bulls and then the Denver Nuggets. He left Denver and became an assistant coach for three other NBA teams retiring in 2009. Following recovery from his injuries and with the success of Coach Westhead with the Lakers, McKinney took the head coaching job at the Indiana Pacers. After four successful years with Indiana, Coach McKinney ended his career in a nine-game stint with the Kansas City Kings. Hawk basketball standout Jim Lynam started his NBA coaching career in 1981 as an assistant in Portland. Two years later he got his first head coaching job with the San Diego/LA Clippers. After two years in the West Coach Lynam came back home to Philadelphia to be an assistant with 76ers and in 1987 he was named the team's head coach. He remained in that position for five years before leaving to coach the Washington Bullets. In 1987 he left head coaching to become an assistant for three NBA teams before retiring in 2010. Jim O'Brien began his NBA coaching career in 1987 as an assistant with the New York Knicks and then two years later the Boston Celtics. In 2001, he was named the Celtics head coach and stayed through part of the 2004 season. A year later he was at the helm of the 76ers then left for a four-year stint with the Pacers. He finished his coaching career as an assistant for three teams retiring in 2017. Matty Guokas, a successful NBA player in his own right, became an assistant coach of the 76ers in 1983. He went on to coach Philadelphia from 1985 to 1988. He then left the Sixers and took the head coaching position with the Orlando Magic and retired after four seasons.

Perfect regular season

The 2003–2004 Saint Joseph's University Hawks were the last Division I College Basketball team to finish the Regular Season undefeated before the Wichita State Shockers did so in 2013–14. Saint Joseph's ended the regular season with a 27–0 record and secured a #1 national ranking and a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Hawks were led by a backcourt of Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, both of whom were drafted in the 1st round of the 2004 NBA draft. The Hawks advanced to the Elite Eight with wins over Liberty, Texas Tech, and #17 Wake Forest. In the Elite Eight, they lost to Oklahoma State 64–62. Nelson was named National Player of the Year while coach Phil Martelli was named Coach of the Year. In 2009, the 2004 Hawks were named the best single-season team of the decade by Sports Illustrated.

Current era

The 2004–05 team attempted to repeat the prior year's success without its two star players. The Hawks again won the A-10, but lost the A-10 tournament championship to

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

and failed to receive a bid to the NCAA tournament. However, they did receive a bid to the NIT and advanced to the Championship game before losing to South Carolina, 60–57. The Hawks were able to repeat their trip to the NIT in 2006, but the Hawks lost in the second round to Hofstra. The 2007–08 team finished in 4th place in A-10 play with a 21–13 record. They lost to Temple in the A-10 tournament and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. There, they lost to

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

in the First Round. The Hawks made trips to the NIT in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, losing in the first round both years. The 2013–14 Hawks finished the season with a 24–10 record and a third-place finish in A-10 play. The Hawks won the A-10 tournament by beating #23 VCU and earned the school's first bid since 2008 to the NCAA tournament. The Hawks lost to eventual National Champions, Connecticut, in the Second Round (formerly the First Round). Following the NCAA appearance in 2014, the Hawks looked to build on their success in 2014–15, but suffered a setback, finishing the season with 13–18 record. The most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament came in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

. The 2015–16 team finished the season with a 28–8 record, a game out of first place in A-10 play. DeAndre' Bembry was named A-10 Player of the Year. The Hawks won the A-10 tournament for the fourth time by defeating VCU. The Hawks were awarded a #8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated 9 seed Cincinnati in the First Round before losing to 1 seed Oregon.

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Hawks have appeared in the NCAA tournament 21 times. Their combined record is 19–25.

NIT results

The Hawks have appeared in the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

(NIT) 16 times. Their combined record is 16–16.

Rivals

The main rival has been the Villanova University Wildcats which is locally referred to as the Holy War. Saint Joseph's also has a heated rivalry with the Temple University Owls, the

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...

Explorers, and the University of Pennsylvania Quakers. Because games against

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...

are in-city, the two teams are sometimes considered rivals but Saint Joseph's leads the all-time series 43–6. The all-time series between La Salle and the Hawks is 63–49 in SJU's favor. They are losing the all-time series against Temple 63–75, Villanova 25–50, and winning the series with Penn 45–32.

Traditions

Fans of the Hawks often chant "The Hawk Will Never Die!". In a September 2003 issue, Sports Illustrated listed that cheer among ''The 100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate (Whatever the Cost)'', calling it "the most defiant cheer in college sports". :*Midnight Madness The first men's varsity basketball practice, Midnight Madness is an event which allows students and fans to attend. Players entertain the crowd by putting on events such as slam dunk contests. :*The Drum It is believed the Drum played a significant role in many important wins. The Drum leads the student section during fight songs and chants. Today this tradition lives on with a new generation of drummers. :*Rollouts During Big 5 match-ups, each student section prepares written messages on large rollouts that are passed down the crowd. :*The Double Dip Anytime the Saint Joseph's Hawks win the same day or night the Villanova Wildcats lose. The ultimate double dip occurs when the Hawks beat the Wildcats. :*Fight Songs 'When the Hawks Go Flying In' is sung before every game and 'Mine Eyes' is sung immediately after every game regardless of the outcome. :*Cheers Cheers include "Let's go St. Joe's!" and of course "The Hawk Will Never Die!" which is reserved for the end of games. :*54th Airborne The student section at SJU basketball games is known for being deafening. At Hagan Arena there are about 1,200 seats for students (over 1/4 of the total seating). The section, along with the pep band, leads the cheers for the rest of the crowd. In order to formalize the student section, the 54th Airborne was created in 2010 by Bryan Keister '12. The name is derived from the location of Hagan Arena at the corner of 54th St and City Ave, and while Airborne is appropriate for a Hawk mascot it also pays hommage to the military focused second place mascot name from student led voting in 1929, "Grenadiers". The core members of the 54th Airborne continue to make up the Student Booster Club. These students work to come up with the rollouts for Big 5 games.

Retired numbers

The Hawks have retired four numbers for seven players, with No. 4 retired in honor of four players:

Accolades and achievements

*In 2004, the Hawks—as Atlantic 10 East Division champions—were one of the three inaugural-year recipients of the Pride of Philadelphia Award from the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. *In 2005, the Saint Joseph's University men's basketball team was ranked 43rd best of all-time by Smith & Street's magazine. *In 2009, the 2004 Hawks were named the best single-season team of the decade (2000–2009) by ''Sports Illustrated''. *The Hawks have won seven Atlantic 10 regular season titles and four A-10 tournament championships and rank 33rd all-time in wins with 1,439 and 44th all-time with a .605 winning percentage. *Saint Joseph's recently ranked 57th in the "Prestige Rankings" of the best programs since 1985 by ESPN.

Notable players

NBA Draftees

* 1947 – Round 2, Pick 16: Norman Butz (

Philadelphia Warriors The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden St ...

) * 1950 – Round 4, Pick 39: Paul Sensky (

) * 1953 – Round 11, Pick 88: John Doogan (

) * 1957 – Round 4, Pick 2: Kurt Engelbert ( Detroit Pistons) * 1957 – Round 4, Pick 6:

Ray Radziszewski Raymond A. Radziszewski (born March 1, 1935) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's Hawks. Radziszewski attended James J. ...

(

) * 1959 – Round 6, Pick 3: Joe Spratt (Philadelphia Warriors) * 1960 – Round 3, Pick 3: Bob McNeil (

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

) * 1960 – Round 7, Pick 7: Bob Clarke (Philadelphia Warriors) * 1960 – Round 9, Pick 69: Joe Gallo (Philadelphia Warriors) * 1961 – Round 3, Pick 6: Jack Egan (Philadelphia Warriors) * 1961 – Round 15, Pick 1: Vince Kempton (New York Knicks) * 1964 – Round 3, Pick 8:

Steve Courtin Stephen Edward Courtin (September 21, 1942 – August 6, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Saint Joseph's University, where as a senior in 1963–64 he was co-awarded the Robert V. Geasey Tr ...

( Cincinnati Royals) * 1966 – Round 1, Pick 9: Matt Guokas (

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

) * 1966 – Round 5, Pick 9: Tom Duff (Philadelphia 76ers) * 1967 – Round 4, Pick 4: Cliff Anderson (

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

) * 1967 – Round 8, Pick 11: Al Grundy ( San Diego Rockets) * 1970 – Round 9, Pick 12: Mike Hauer (Philadelphia 76ers) * 1973 – Round 1, Pick 8: Mike Bantom (

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

) * 1973 – Round 2, Pick 10: Pat McFarland (New York Knicks) * 1980 – Round 9, Pick 19: Luke Griffin (Philadelphia 76ers) * 1981 – Round 8, Pick 15: John Smith ( Portland Trail Blazers) * 1982 – Round 2, Pick 2: Bryan Warrick ( Washington Bullets) * 1982 – Round 6, Pick 8: Jeff Clark (

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

) * 1982 – Round 9, Pick 11: Mark Dearborn (Portland Trail Blazers) * 1984 – Round 2, Pick 10: Tony Costner (Washington Bullets) * 1984 – Round 3, Pick 19: Kevin Springman (Detroit Pistons) * 1985 – Round 5, Pick 5: Bob Lojewski ( Sacramento Kings) * 1986 – Round 1, Pick 16: Mo Martin (

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 ...

) * 1987 – Round 7, Pick 3: Wayne Williams (New York Knicks) * 2004 – Round 1, Pick 20: Jameer Nelson (

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

) * 2004 – Round 1, Pick 24: Delonte West (

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 ...

) * 2009 – Round 2, Pick 26: Ahmad Nivins (

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

) *

– Round 1, Pick 21: DeAndre' Bembry ( Atlanta Hawks)

Active professional players

* C. J. Aiken -

Taoyuan Pauian Archiland The Taoyuan Pauian Archiland (), also translated as Taoyuan Pure-Youth Construction, is a semi-professional basketball team formerly in the Super Basketball League (SBL) of Taiwan. History The franchise derives its history from the celebrated ...

(Taiwan - Super Basketball League) * DeAndre Bembry - Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) *

Charlie Brown Jr. Charlie Brown Jr. was a Brazilian alternative rock band from Santos, São Paulo. The group was popular with disadvantaged youth because of their relatable commentary about social issues and the frequent use of skate punk and hip hop slang in ...

(NBA) * James Demery - Koping Stars - (Sweden - Basketligan) * Langston Galloway -

(NBA) * Darrin Govens - Cholet Basket (France - LNBA Pro A) * Jordan Hall - San Antonio Spurs (NBA) * Carl Jones, "Tay"- Mineros (Mexico) *

Lamarr Kimble Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble (born September 28, 1996) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Worcester Wolves of the British Basketball League (BBL). He played college basketball for Saint Joseph's and Louisville. High ...

- Worcester Wolves (England - British Basketball League) * Isaiah Miles -

Promitheas Patras B.C. Promitheas Patras B.C. (Greek: Προμηθέας Πατρών K.A.E.) is a Greek professional basketball club that is based in Patras, Greece. The club currently competes in the Greek Basket League and the EuroCup. It is Patras' prominent baske ...

(Greece - Greek Basket League) * Shavar Newkirk - NSH Mountain Gold Timika (Indonesia - Indonesian Basketball League) *

Garrett Williamson Garrett Williamson (born June 15, 1988) is a Canadian-American professional basketball player for the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). Born in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, Williamson played high school basketball ...

- London Lightning (Canada - NBLC)

Men's basketball in Saint Joseph's athletics Hall of Fame

*Cliff Anderson (1999, Men's Basketball, '67) *Mike Bantom (2000, Men's Basketball, '73) * Rodney Blake (2001, Men's Basketball, '88) *Harry Booth (2006, Baseball/Men's Basketball '62) *Kurt Engelbert (1976, Men's Basketball ‘57) *Bill Ferguson (2006, Men's Basketball) * James "Bruiser" Flint (1998, Men's Basketball, '87) *Matt Guokas Jr. (2000, Men's Basketball, '67) *Mike Hauer (2011, Men's Basketball, '70) *The Hawk (1999, Mascot, '56) *Dan Kelly (2011, Men's Basketball, '70) *Jim Lynam (2003, Men's Basketball, '63) *Maurice Martin (2006, Men's Basketball, '86) *Paul McDermitt (2006, Baseball/Men's Basketball/Golf/Track, '59) * Pat McFarland (2005, Men's Basketball, '73) * Jack McKinney (2004, Men's Basketball/Track, '57) *Bob McNeill (2001, Men's Basketball, '60) *Mighty Mites (2000, Men's Basketball, 1934–38) * Jameer Nelson (2011, Men's Basketball, '04) *

Ahmad Nivins Ahmad Naadir Nivins (born February 10, 1987) is a former American professional basketball player currently working as an assistant coach for the Lakeland Magic of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Saint Joseph's. High school car ...

(2018, Men's Basketball, '09) * Marvin O'Connor (2008, Men's Basketball, '02) *Jack Ramsay (1999, Men's Basketball, '49) *George Senesky (1999, Men's Basketball, '43) *Joe Spratt (2002, Men's Basketball, '59) *Tom Wynne (2003, Men's Basketball/Baseball. '63)

Current coaching staff

– Head Coach (2019) * John Griffin III – Assistant Coach (2019) * Justin Scott – Assistant Coach (2019) * Brenden Straughn – Assistant Coach (2019) *Eric Lang - Head Strength and Conditioning Coach (2019) *Amanda Casale - Director of Men's Basketball Operations (2019) *Thomas Boyle - Director of Scouting and Analytics (2019) *Reggie Cameron - Graduate Manager (2019) *Michelle Thomas - Program Services Specialist (2019)

All-time head coaches

Alumni Who Are Current Div. I Coaches/Administrators

* Geoff Arnold (1982–1986 – player) – Assistant, Rider *

Kevin Baggett Kevin Baggett (born May 3, 1966) is the current college basketball head coach for Rider University. He was promoted to his current position on May 12, 2012, following six years as an assistant and associate head coach at the school. Head coachin ...

(1986–1988 – player) – Head Coach, Rider * Rich Carragher (1996–2000 – student manager) – Associate Athletics Director, Monmouth * Na'im Crenshaw (1998-2002 – player) - Assistant, West Chester * Mike Farrelly (2001–2003 – player) – Assistant, Penn State * John Gallagher (1995–1999 – player) – Head Coach, Hartford * Matt Grady (1997–2001 – student assistant) – Associate Head Coach, Manhattan * Dwayne Lee (2002–2006 – player) – Assistant, Quinnipiac * Phil Martelli Jr. (1999–2003 – player) Associate Head Coach, Bryant * Bill Phillips (1999–2002 – player) – Assistant, Delaware * Rob Sullivan (2002-2006 – player) - Associate Athletics Director, Saint Joseph's * Ryan Whalen (2005–2008 – student assistant) – Assistant, Saint Peter's *Ernest Pearsall (2000–2004 – student assistant) – Assistant, Mississippi Valley State

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph's Hawks Men's Basketball