St. Joe's v. Gonzaga

[Muskie]

I'm trying to decide if I should stay up for this one. is St. Joe's any good?

[X Factor]

They're only down 43 points with 18 minutes left...lot of time to make a comeback!!!

[boozehound]

So glad we are out of the A-10.

[Muskie]

I decided to head to bed instead. I made the right decision.

[X-band '01]

Given the way the Hawks have looked, it's going to be a bad loss for Drexel this year.

[xubrew]

I'm trying to decide if I should stay up for this one. is St. Joe's any good?

No. Neither is Fairleigh Dickinson, who beat them.

[muskiefan82]

What has happened to St. Joes? I always liked Martelli. Has he lost his ability to recruit? They just don't have it anymore. Did the whole transfering athlete stance that Martelli took really hurt this team that much? (See Todd O'Brien 2011)

[waggy]

They probably gave UConn a better game than any other team in the tourney last year. Of course they didn't get the W, and so now they suck.

[xubrew]

What has happened to St. Joes? I always liked Martelli. Has he lost his ability to recruit? They just don't have it anymore. Did the whole transfering athlete stance that Martelli took really hurt this team that much? (See Todd O'Brien 2011)

They just lost all their good players.

They were slow out of the gate last year, but with the exception of one game where they shat the bed against La Salle, they were really good down the stretch. They finished strong, won the Atlantic Ten Tournament, and then lost to UConn in overtime in a game that they really should have won in regulation. That's how they ended last season. A strong finish that ended with an overtime loss to the national champions in a game that they really should have won. I'm not saying they would have gone on to win it all if they had, but they were playing really well.

This year....not so much.

[X-band '01]

What has happened to St. Joes? I always liked Martelli. Has he lost his ability to recruit? They just don't have it anymore. Did the whole transfering athlete stance that Martelli took really hurt this team that much? (See Todd O'Brien 2011)

He's a decent bench coach but a hit-and-miss recruiter. He got a Sweet 16 out of Rashid Bey and Yah Davis (1997) and an Elite 8 out of Jameer Nelson and Delonte West (2004). Other than that, all they've had are a few NCAA appearances here and there.

[PMI]

He's a decent bench coach but a hit-and-miss recruiter. He got a Sweet 16 out of Rashid Bey and Yah Davis (1997) and an Elite 8 out of Jameer Nelson and Delonte West (2004). Other than that, all they've had are a few NCAA appearances here and there.

I kind of see it the other way around, and I know most SJU fans do too. Martelli might not get great talent every year, but he does tend to get some really good players here and there. I think his in-game coaching leaves quite a bit to be desired honestly. But I do like him.

[bleedXblue]

I kind of see it the other way around, and I know most SJU fans do too. Martelli might not get great talent every year, but he does tend to get some really good players here and there. I think his in-game coaching leaves quite a bit to be desired honestly. But I do like him.

They are what they are. Hard to recruit into that market considering they also have Temple and Villanova. Add to that the facilities and they are not high on many good players lists.

[PMI]

They are what they are. Hard to recruit into that market considering they also have Temple and Villanova. Add to that the facilities and they are not high on many good players lists.

There are TONS of good players in Philly and the Mid-Atlantic region in general, so it's not hard to recruit from a geographical standpoint, and wouldn't be even if there were 12 other teams in Philly (which sometimes it seems like there is.) I agree their facilities aren't great, but that makes it all the more impressive that they have landed some of the guys they have. They've landed some highly ranked players under Martelli, and also some guys who would've been ranked highly if it weren't for some other factors (like Delonte West.) St. Joe's lost a lot of good players from last year. They won't get great classes every year for obvious reasons, but they generally have a handful of good players on the team. It's hard for me to see an argument that Martelli overachieves with a relative lack of talent in the A10, over the course of his tenure.

[DC Muskie]

Martelli is terrible coach, but he kisses our ass so I guess that makes him a good guy.

He gets talent. He lost a ton of assistants, lost, had a POY in the conference and still couldn't get into the tournament. But he's hilarious to some, so that makes him a good guy.

Last year was an aberration, not a normal occurrence.

Good guy though.