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Philahoops Gives Special Look at St. Joe's
1/17/2012
 | | St. Joe's head coach Phil Martelli roams the sidelines. The Hawks (12-6) visit Cintas Center on Wednesday night.[enlarge] Photo by Aaron Bracy, Philahoops.com |  | | Langston Galloway, a 6-2 shooting guard, for the Hawks makes 51% of his 3-point attempts, which is #2 in the NCAA this season. He averages 16 ppg.[enlarge] Photo by Aaron Bracy, Philahoops.com |
We've got a special preview for the St. Joseph's game Wednesday night. Aaron Bracy of Philahoops joins me for a Q&A about the Hawks. And, if you get the time, head to his article and check out my answer to his questions here.
A lifelong Philadelphia college basketball fan and Saint Joseph’s University graduate, Aaron Bracy is the editor of Philahoops. He is a freelance sportswriter based in the Philadelphia suburbs. Prior to his current career in teaching, Bracy worked for the Trenton Times, Courier-Post and The Trentonian as a sportswriter and editor.
Cris Freese: It seems like the Hawks have made some big time improvements between this year and last. What's been the difference?
Aaron Bracy: A big key simply has been they are a year older. Langston Galloway, Ronald Roberts, Daryus Quarles and C.J. Aiken were thrown into the fire as freshmen last season out of necessity. Galloway, as a long-range threat, and Aiken, as a shot blocker, really have come into their own this season. Roberts is an enormously gifted offensive talent and Quarles is a solid role player and good defender.
Two key players have been Halil Kanacevic and Chris Wilson. Kanacevic, a transfer from Hofstra, adds a toughness that the Hawks lacked last season. He is comfortable doing anything it takes to win and has set up many of the Hawks’ highlight alley-oop dunks (we like to call it “PhilSlammaJamma”) as sort of a point forward. Wilson’s stats won’t jump out at you, but he is a solid backup at the point and really the only true point guard on the team. Watch him get better as he ages.
Galloway is more comfortable off the ball and his backcourt mate, Tay Jones, is a solid handler but more of a scorer and less of a passer.
CF: Everyone loves to talk about Xavier's dynamic duo in Holloway and Lyons, but St. Joe's has a pair of really nice guards in Jones and Galloway. Do you feel like they have just as much impact on games and are as big as Xavier's tandem?
AB: Having only seen Xavier once this season, at La Salle, I can’t completely answer this. Based solely on stats, the answer is definitely yes. St. Joe’s relies on Jones and Galloway to do the bulk of their scoring and when they’re off, as they were in Saturday’s loss at UMass when they combined for 10 points, the Hawks have no chance.
CF: Is Chris Wilson the next great Hawks' guard?
AB: Time will tell. He was a prolific scorer in high school, but that is not his role on his team. I have sensed some frustration that scoring hasn’t come easy for him, and he has talked about trying to learn how to score at this level. From what I have seen, he is a really hard worker and an early-to-practice kind of player. There is not a nicer guy on a team full of good guys. He gets the part about how to deal with the media. He is a star waiting to happen that way. I certainly have liked what I have seen. He is sure-handed, finds his teammates and has shown good if not great ability defensively. It’s too early to call him great, particularly when there’s a certain NBA player who is the measuring stick for St. Joe’s point guards.
CF: Who should the Muskies and their fans be most worried about for Wednesday's matchup?
AB: Aiken defensively and Roberts offensively. These are two above-the-rim players with athleticism the likes of which coach Phil Martelli says only has been topped by UMass great Marcus Camby in the league. Aiken can change a game by himself defensively and has spent most of the season leading the country in blocks. He has impeccable positioning and timing and, amazingly, rarely gets in foul trouble. He could cause problems to the penetration of Holloway and Lyons.
Offensively, Roberts can sap opponents’ confidence with his jaw-dropping dunking ability, as many Musketeers fans may have seen with his ESPN SportsCenter highlight dunk against Creighton. Martelli says those plays are two points on the scoreboard but worth more than that because of the impact they can have on the game. Roberts is a liability at the free-throw line, so opponents may start hacking him rather than letting him rock the rim.
CF: What's the key for St. Joe's, if they hope to bust Xavier's long home winning streak against A10 opponents?
AB: Jones has to get going. This might be hard since he rolled his ankle against UMass. He didn’t practice Monday but is expected to play on Wednesday, according to Martelli. He still leads the league in scoring (17.2 ppg) but his average has dropped more than a point in the last week and he has averaged just 9.7 points in his last four games. During the stretch, he is 8-for-29 (27.6 percent) from the field and 4-for-16 (25 percent) from the arc. St. Joe’s can’t win consistently without him scoring 15-20 points per game.
CF: Do you expect the Hawks to find some consistency during A10 play? It seems like they've been pretty up and down, beating a very good Creighton team, but losing a pair of tough ones against UMass and Charlotte.
AB: No. I’d expect them to continue to be that kind of team, despite Martelli’s wishes otherwise. As they mature, they will become more consistent. Until then, Hawks fans will have to live with good-great-bad, good-great-bad kinds of stretches.
CF: It's been a while since we've seen the Hawks be a consistent player at the top of the A10. Do you feel like they are on their way back? And can they make a run in what has been a jumbled up league thus far?
AB: Absolutely on both. They are on the rise and should contend for a league title in each of the next three seasons. Look for an NIT berth this season and a rise back to the NCAA tournament next year. I have seen much of the conference up close this season, including Xavier, and no one team stands out. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if SJU walks off the court as champion in Atlantic City this year. Next year is more likely though.
CF: I know St. Joe's and Xavier may not be considered a big 'rivalry' by many, but there have been a lot of tough matchups between the two teams. Personally, I always hated seeing Xavier going up against Phil Martelli's team, and having to play at Hawk Hill. Do you have any special memories between the two teams? Or what is your favorite Hawks memory of all time?
AB: I remember the Fieldhouse and now Hagan Arena as loud as I’ve ever heard it practically every time Xavier has visited. The place was packed and rocking an hour before tipoff during my junior year as an undergraduate in 1997 when St. Joe’s won 79-65. My favorite Hawks memory overall was when, as a freshman, I cheered from a packed student section in an electric Palestra when they upset ranked Villanova 60-57 on Dec. 18, 1994. I know, I’m dating myself.
CF: Martelli is one of my all time favorite coaches. He's highly underappreciated and underrated for what he's done at St. Joseph's, and I love watching him during games. Favorite moment from the winningest coach in St. Joe's history?
AB: Tough question. Obviously, the entire 2003-04 season stands out for any St. Joe’s fan and has to be on top of Martelli’s list. I’ll go with that, too.
CF: Expectations for the rest of the season?
AB: This team will keep getting better. They will finish in the top half of the conference and get to at least the semifinals in Atlantic City.
Musketeer Madness and Cris Freese would like to thank Aaron Bracy and Philahoops for taking the time to answer our questions in prep for the Hawks on Wednesday night.
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