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[Fudd]

Per WH on the A10 board:

http://www.basketballforum.com/atlan...t-josephs.html

ST. JOSEPH'S

The key to the Hawks' success is to get lots of production from the program's most talented crop of newcomers in years; shoot better from outside (30%, 12th in the A-10); get more inside scoring; hit the boards harder (a whopping -8.0 margin, worst in the league); and improve in every area defensively (45% FG defense, 12th in the A-10).

In short, do everything better.

The Hawks are one of the youngest teams in the league, but the good news is that Phil Martelli appears to have sharply improved the talent level. SJU fell short in so many areas last season mainly because of a overall lack of talent. That won't be the case this year, but expect lot of growing pains for the youngsters. The A-10 is much better top to bottom than it was just a few years ago. No longer can Martelli take a team with mediocre talent and coax a winning league record out of it.

Keep an eye out for combo forward Ron Roberts, though skinny big forward C.J. Aiken could be the next big star after he gains some weight. There's also lots of buzz around wing guard Langston Galloway.

SJU has a ridiculously tough schedule for such a young team, but if the newcomers are as good as their reputations, the Hawks will get much better in January and February, pull off some big upsets and look like a team to be reckoned with for the following season. Assuming, of course, that Phil Martelli has only lost his hair and not his mojo.


NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE

W - WESTERN KENTUCKY
L - At Penn State
W - NORFOLK STATE
L - At Fairfield
W - Rutgers (Palestra)
W - At Drexel
L - At Villanova
L - At Princeton
L - MINNESOTA
L - At Creighton
W - At Boston University
W - At Holy Cross
W - SIENA
W - PENN (Palestra)


NONCONFERENCE RECORD: 8-6

This is a surprsingly tough slate for such a young team coming off a tough season. St. Joe's opens with a hard game vs. Western Kentucky, but the Hilltoppers have suffered heavy graduation losses the past two years and have lots of new faces. They will probably win 20 games, but the Hawks catch them early.

Playing at Penn State is a tough one, too. Nittany Lions fell apart last year and lost 20 games, but Penn State is deep and experienced. I expect them to bounce back this year, starting with a win over SJU. Norfolk State is decent enough but the Hawks should prevail.

Fairfield has perhaps the best player in the MAAC in Derek Needham and the Stags are favored to win their conference. The program has been on the upswing and won 20 games last season. I expect them to beat the young Hawks. Rutgers has a fine new coach in Mike Rice, a former assistant to Martelli, but the roster is depleted. SJU should win.

Drexel plays excellent defense, but Bruiser Flint's team lacks the offensive firepower to beat the Hawks. SJU needs to beat Drexel because the next four games are daunting.

Nova is a top 10 program. Princeton has a lot of experience, discipline and shooting ability. Both teams should prevail at home over the Hawks.

A veteran Minnesota team is too big and physical for the yougish Hawks. And while Creighton lost Dana Altman, new coach Greg McDermott has big success at Northern Iowa. Altman also left him a darn good roster, including Rutgers transfer Greg Echenique.

Road games at BU and Holy Cross arent a walk in the park, but both teams are somewhat down. BU lost a trio of top seniors, though the Terriers are good enough to beat the Hawks if SJU doesnt give a good effort. The Cross fell apart last year after coach Ralph Williard left and they already fired his orginal replacement.

These are must games for the Hawks after a killer stretch.

SJU finishes at home with Siena - minus coach Fran McCaffery and three key players from last year. The Saints are certain to be good again, but much more beatable than they were the last two years. And Penn still hasn't recovered from losing Fran Dunphy. SJU is simply better at every spot on the floor.

BONUS A-10 PREDICTION: 5-11 (13-17 overall)

The Hawks pair up with Massachusetts, Richmond and Temple (dropping St. Bonaventure). SJU went 0-5 vs. that trio last season. This is a tough group and I could see the Hawks going 2-4.

SJU also goes on the road at Fordham, LaSalle, St. Louis, Dayton and Charlotte. Hard to see the Hawks winning more than two, and one is more likely.

	Temple TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple College became Temple University in 1907. Located in Philadelphia, Temple is a comprehensive public research university with 34,000 students, 8 campuses, and 300 academic degree programs. Notable alumni include Bill Cosby and Daryl Hall. Temple's nickname is the Owls and are fellow A10 Conference members.

	Richmond UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND Founded in 1830, the private liberal arts university in the Commonwealth boasts 2,800 students in 57 majors within its picturesque 350-acre campus. The Robins School of Business is one of the Top-20 business schools in the country. Nickname is the Spiders and are fellow A10 Conference members.

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.

	St Joseph's ST. JOSEPH'S Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851, Saint Joseph's University advances the professional and personal ambitions of men and women by providing a demanding, yet supportive educational experience. One of only 139 schools nationwide with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and AACSB business school accreditation, Saint Joseph's is home to 4,200 full-time undergraduates and 3,100 graduate, part-time and doctoral candidates. Located in urban Philadelphia, SJU is a fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Hawks. Athletic claim to fame is is the Hawk mascot, a university student on full scholarship who wears a Hawk uniform and flaps his wings continuously for an entire athletic event. School spirit slogan is "The Hawk Will Never Die."

	Fordham FORDHAM Fordham University is an independent Jesuit university established in 1841 as St. John's College on old Rose Hill Manor in the village of Fordham, then part of Westchester County in the Bronx, NY. The name Fordham is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "ford" and "ham," meaning a wading place or ford by a settlement. Rose Hill is the name given to the site in 1787 by Robert Watts, a wealthy New York merchant, in honor of his family's ancestral home of the same name in Scotland. The College was originally staffed by diocesan clergy. The name was officially changed to Fordham University in 1907. Fordham's 10 schools enroll 14,448 students. There are 7,652 undergraduates, of whom 3,842 live in University-managed housing either on-campus or in the local community. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams. Athletic claim to fame is consistent mediocrity in nearly all sports and few A10 title winning programs.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

	Charlotte CHARLOTTE UNC Charlotte is one of a generation of universities founded in metropolitan areas of the United States immediately after World War II in response to rising education demands generated by the war and its technology. Now a research intensive university, UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest of the 16 institutions within the University of North Carolina system and the largest institution in the Charlotte region. The university comprises seven professional colleges and currently offers 18 doctoral programs, 62 master’s degree programs and 90 bachelor’s degrees. More than 900 full-time faculty comprise the university’s academic departments and the 2007 fall enrollment exceeded 22,300 students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the 49ers.