St. Joseph’s Hawks
Atlantic-10 (27-7, 13-5)
Prior to last year’s disappointing season, Saint Joseph’s had been to the NIT or NCAA Tournament three times in a row. All three of those resulted in first game losses. In fact, the Hawks have not won a postseason game since they made it to the second round of the NIT in 2006. This may not be a team that can make a deep tournament run like they did in 2005 in the NIT or in 2004 in the NCAA Tournament, but Coach Phil Martelli has some talent with this group.
Big Wins: 2/8 Princeton (62-50), 12/13 at Temple (66-65), 2/17 Dayton (79-70)
Bad Losses: 11/21 vs Florida (63-74), 2/3 St. Bonaventure (73-83), 2/20 at Davidson (93-99)
Coach: Phil Martelli
Why They Can Surprise:
And there is nobody on the team more talented than versatile 6-6 forward DeAndre Bembry. On top of his 17.3 points and 7.7 rebounds, Bembry leads the team with 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is a unique talent who is extremely difficult to defend. He can shoot over smaller defenders and blow by bigger defenders. Isaiah Miles is having a huge senior season and has really complimented Bembry. The 6-7 senior averages 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. It has been his play that has turned this team from a one man show into a team that competed for an Atlantic 10 title.
Why They Can Disappoint:
However, now it often feels like this is a two man show in 2016. That’s a step better than a one man team in 2015, but Saint Joseph’s has not had a consistent third scorer emerge this season. There are options though and on any given night Aaron Brown, James Demery or Shavar Newkirk could be that guy. Brown, a 6-5 senior, is the most proven option, but he has been terribly inconsistent in the scoring department this year. When he is attacking the basket and getting to the free-throw line, Brown is capable of scoring 15 points on a regular basis. When the Hawks are running the floor, Demery is the guy you want finishing. In the half-court though, he has been relatively ineffective. Newkirk is having a surprising sophomore season, averaging 8.1 points and 2.8 assists, but most of the time he is a steady scorer and a player who can take the opposition’s focus away from Bembry and Miles.
Probable Starters:
Shavar Newkirk, Sophomore, Guard, 8.1 ppg, 2.8 apg
Aaron Brown, Senior, Guard, 10.3 ppg, 1.3 apg
DeAndre Bembry, Junior, Forward, 17.3 ppg, 4.5 apg, 7.7 rpg
Isaiah Miles, Senior, Forward, 18.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Pierfrancesco Oliva, Freshman, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
James Demery, Sophomore, Forward, 8.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Lamarr Kimble, Freshman, Guard, 6.0 ppg, 2.6 apg
Papa Ndao, Senior, Forward, 5.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.9 (89th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.2 (111, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.7 (144, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.2 (69, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.1 (157, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.4 (272, 12)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.6 (106, 4)
Rebound Margin: 2.9 (86, 4)
Assists Per Game: 15.2 (66, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.1 (11, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to Connecticut
2013 NIT First Round loss to St. John's
2012 NIT First Round loss to Northern Iowa
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Oklahoma
2006 NIT First round win over Rutgers
2006 NIT Second round loss to Hofstra
2005 NIT Opening round win over Hofstra
2005 NIT First round win over Buffalo
2005 NIT Second round win over Holy Cross
2005 NIT Quarterfinal win over Texas A&M
2005 NIT Semifinal win over Memphis
2005 NIT Final loss to South Carolina
2004 NCAA Round of 64 win over Liberty
2004 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas Tech
2004 NCAA Regional semifinal win over Wake Forest
2004 NCAA Regional final loss to Oklahoma State
2003 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Auburn
*all team stats through 3/6
