Men's Basketball | A look at seasons past...

Let’s not mince words: this year’s St. Joe’s men’s basketball season has been bad. But just how bad? In head coach Phil Martelli’s 15th season on Hawk Hill, this may be the worst team he has fielded, at least on paper. Here are its three closest competitors:

1997-98
Record: 11-17, 3-13 A-10
Martelli’s third season was his first missing out on post-season play and the lowest win total to date. Off a Sweet 16 berth the previous year, the Hawks struggled in a very strong A-10 that put five teams in the NCAA Tournament to the tune of their lowest conference win total in their 28 years in the A-10. They were 0-7 against ranked opponents, but carried an 8-4 record out of conference, including winning the Sun Classic in El Paso. They were only outscored by an average of 3.9 ppg, and won five games away from home in 16 chances. They never lost more than three straight games all season, and the largest margin of defeat was 24 points in the season finale against Temple.

1998-99
Record: 12-18, 5-11 A-10
The Hawks produced a second straight losing season, but still earned five A-10 wins. The highlight of the season was a win at home against No. 21 ranked Tennessee, the Hawks’ only ranked opponent that season. They were outscored by only a 1.4 point margin per game, and were defeated by more than 25 only once. Offense was an issue, as no one averaged over 12 points per game (Andre Howard, ’99, was the team’s leading scorer at 11.9 per). They languished through a nine-game losing streak that lasted exactly one month from Jan. 18 to Feb. 18, and were 1-6 against teams from Philadelphia. The lone bright spot was Damian Reid, ’02, who was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team.

1999-00
Record: 13-16, 7-9 A-10
The last of Martelli’s three losing seasons was the second straight year in which the win total rose. The Hawks, behind All A-10 performer Marvin O’Connor, ’02, fresh off his transfer from Villanova, earned seven conference wins, including a serendipitous upset of then No. 5 Temple at the Palestra on Leap Day. They were almost even on scoring for the season (70.7 points allowed against 70.5 points scored), and never lost more than four in a row. This team’s young core, including O’Connor, Bill Phillips, ’02, and Na’im Crenshaw, ’02, set the foundation for six straight postseason appearances.

2009-10
Record: 9-19, 3-11 A-10
    This year’s team is Martelli’s first losing squad in a decade. With two games remaining, they need one win to ensure that they better the program-low total of three wins in A-10 play. The Hawks are 0-4 against ranked opponents thanks to the strength of the A-10 this year, and are being outscored by an average of 7.3 ppg. They have only one win in 14 games away from home. When they lose, they lose big, as evidenced by separate seven- and five-game losing streaks (the latter of which is ongoing). They have five losses by 25 or more points, including a 37-point drubbing at Charlotte the last time out. Right now, they most closely resemble the 1989-1990 squad, which in Jim Boyle’s last season at St. Joe’s went 7-21, but even then managed five wins in 18 A-10 games. It’s the last time a St. Joe’s team recorded single digits in wins.