Men's Basketball | Saint Joseph's guide to Paradise

This upcoming weekend, the Saint Joseph's Men's Basketball team hits the islands. The Hawks were invited to compete in the Paradise Jam Tournament, being held in St. Thomas Virgin Islands.

The Hawks will compete against some of the top basketball programs in the country in this preseason tournament. It will be a true test of how this young team matches up with what will be some of their toughest competition of the season.

In addition to St. Joe's, seven other colleges were invited to the Paradise Jam: DePaul, Boston College, East Carolina, Purdue, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, and Tennessee.

The Hawks have a tough road beginning with Boston College, who is currently receiving votes to be ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll. If they were to get by the Eagles, they would play the winner of South Dakota State and Purdue before being able to reach the Championship game.

The Hawks themselves are coming off a good win against a city rival in the opening game of the Michael J. Hagan, '85 Arena. Darrin Govens, '10, poured in 23 points as he led the Hawks in scoring in the overtime thriller versus the Drexel Dragons. His fellow double-digit scorers were Idris Hilliard, '11, Carl Jones, ' 13, and Garrett Williamson, '10, who scored 16, 13, and 11 points respectively. It seems that the key to the Hawks success is how deep they can go on their bench. Seven players played 17 minutes or more, and head coach Phil Martelli will look to work different combinations of players until he can get the right chemistry.

Tough competition awaits the Hawks in the Virgin Islands. Only time will tell how the Hawks do, but they have the talent and ability to do so, we just have to see about the execution.

The Hawks first game is Friday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. as they square off against Boston College.

Boston College

Just like the Hawks, Boston College won their home opener, but in a bit more definitive way. The Eagles beat up on Dartmouth University 89- 58 to start their season off on the right foot. 6-foot-7 senior forward Tyler Roche led the Eagles with 30 points, while sophomore guard Reggie Jackson added 16 in the winning. Along with that, juniors Cortney Dunn, Corey Raji, and Rakim Sanders were unable to play due to suspension, but will be available Friday against the Hawks. The Eagles present a tough match-up for the Hawks given their size, with their frontcourt ranging anywhere from 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-10. Another advantage for BC is their experience. The Eagles have only started one sophomore, and the rest of their starters are upperclassmen. This opener will be a battle between the Jesuit Universities and should be a hard fought game.

East Carolina

The East Carolina Pirates are another team that opened the year with a victory. The Pirates won their home opener 77-60 over Virginia-Wise University. East Carolina was lead by 6'10 junior center Chad Wynn as he tallied a double- double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Pirates make their money in the paint, outscoring their first opponent 52- 18. East Carolina would provide an interesting match-up against the Hawks as they have an inside-out system. By pounding it inside with Wynn and sophomore Darius Morrow, they are able to open up shots for junior Brock Young and the rest of the East Carolina offense. The Pirates also rely on their experience to get them through games, having just one starter who is not an upperclassmen and only two sophomores that even come into the mix. East Carolina opens the Paradise Jam against the University of Tennessee

DePaul

The University of DePaul opens up the first game of the Paradise Jam against Northern Iowa. DePaul, who opened their season this past Tuesday, is still trying to find their identity as a team. They are one of only a few teams actually younger than the Hawks. The Blue Demons start only two upperclassmen, senior Will Walker and junior Mac Koshwal , who are considered the leaders when it comes to the team and scoring. The rest of the starting lineup is comprised of several underclassmen, as well as significant bench players. Depaul is a Big East team that is known to have a consistently competitive program year in and year out, but progress in the Paradise Jam may be hard to come by.

Northern Iowa

Once again the Paradise Jam welcomes another team that won its home opener. The University of Northern Iowa Panthers head to the Virgin Islands after a victory at home against the University of Denver. The Panthers put a team on the court that is the epitome of experience and balance. In their first game, four of their five starters were in double figures, with the three starting seniors: Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Ali Farokhmanesh, and Adam Koch scoring 18, 16, and 13 points respectively, while their fellow teammate, senior center Jordan Eglseder, posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards. Although the Panthers drew DePaul in the first round, they still will look to their age and balance to keep them in the game, and maybe steal a win from the Blue Demons.

South Dakota State

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits were one of the few teams in the Paradise Jam tournament that spent their first game of the season on the road. Regardless of the location, the Jackrabbits continued the trend of winning teams entering the tournament with a 77-61 win over the University of Wyoming. The Rabbits were lead by junior Clint Sergent, who drained five threes in the first half, and senior Kai Williams, who poured in 17 points off the bench as the Rabbits never looked back after an early lead. The Rabbits are a team who can hit shots from beyond the arc, and if they get hot they can be a tough team to deal with. Unfortunately for South Dakota State, they drew the highest-ranked opponent in the Paradise Jam this tournament, the eighth-ranked Purdue Boilermakers. The odds are stacked against the Jackrabbits in that game, but stranger things have happened.

University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee Volunteers opened their season this past Friday at home and did not disappoint. The Volunteers came away with a 29-point victory against Austin Peay University, 83-54. The 10th-ranked team in the country got off to a slow start, but was able to get in gear by the time the second half came around. With a young but developed team, coach Bruce Pearl thinks this year they will be able to compete with nearly anyone in the country. Sophomore Scotty Hopson led the Volunteers in scoring with 16 points, and teammates Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith were able to get going in the first game with 11 and 14 points, respectively. The Volunteers will not only rely on their experienced players, but also on the young athleticism of some of their young players like Hopson and sophomore Cameron Tatum to get the job done on the court. With Pearl being able to spend another off-season with his team, there is no telling what this team can accomplish, but we will get to see soon as they open the tournament against East Carolina this coming Friday. The only time the Hawks would be able to square off against the Vols, however, would be in the Championship game.

Purdue University

Purdue University enters the Paradise Jam Tournament as the highest-ranked team in the tournament. Ranked seventh in the country, Purdue is most likely the favorite in the tournament and for good reason. With a three-guard lineup and some quick forwards, Purdue has a team that can run nearly anyone off the court. In their home opener, Purdue put a hurting on Cal State Northridge, winning 89-64. Junior Robbie Hummel led the Boilermakers in scoring, and as the team's leader showed his squad how to seal the victory, adding six boards and four assists in addition to his scoring. Hummel's frontcourt partner and classmate JaJuan Johnson was second in the team in scoring with 15 points in only 20 minutes. Along with those two, the Boilermakers have several guards that chip in and accumulate for a majority of the scoring. With the type of team Purdue has put together, it will be a tough match-up for anyone, and if the Hawks play them, it would be in the second round.