Goodbye St Joes

[Masterofreality]

Big East partner St. Johns knocks them off.

St. Joes got to play one postseason game. Congratulations.....and goodbye.

[Westbrook36]

Never, ever underestimate St. Joe's(PA) ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They've turned choking a game away into an art form. I hope Phil stays there forever.

[DC Muskie]

Another flame out by Martelli. Later Hawks.

[Cheesehead]

Yep, they pissed that one away at home, up double digits.

[coasterville95]

Wait, they told me the Hawk would never die!

[XU 87]

Since going to the elite 8, St. Joe has been to the NCAA once in the last 9 years. I would think that Martelli is on the hot seat a bit. That said, it must be tough to convince good recruits to play in that tiny old gym.

[xubrew]

Another flame out by Martelli. Later Hawks.

A flame out?? I was unaware that they even flamed up.

Their biggest accomplishment was being voted the preseason favorite to win the league.

[OTRMUSKIE]

I don't know Phil but I have always liked him. How many Philly teams have actually done that well? Temple always sneaks into the dance and fails. Nova hasn't really dominated since when? Penn, LaSalle have not been world beaters. It's tough to win in Philly and Martelli could have left a long time ago but decided to stay. I wish him the best of luck in whatever he does. Why the hate for him? Did he do something that I am not aware of?

[X-band '01]

Villanova at least has a Final 4 appearance going back to 2009.

[DC Muskie]

Why the hate for him? Did he do something that I am not aware of?

For me, he preaches too much. Back in the Matta era where people booed when we lost to SJU, he got up in press conference and lectured the fans about booing. Like booing is the worst thing that people do at sporting events.

The following year, I sat in Hawk Hill where we made a tremendous comeback and won. Hawk fans started tossing water bottles on the court. Matta removed the team off the court. What did Phil say after that game? Nothing.

He will tell you how to act, but keep his loud mouth shut when his fans do something that is 100 times more egregious.

Xavier fans love him because he kisses our collective ass. I've never seen anyone joke so much about getting his ass handed to him. "When does Stanley Burrell graduate?" Ha! That's hilarious. Hammer is a Champion, something you are not Phil.

He has had talent, and since 2004, he hasn't produced squat. He had Ahmad Nivins, easily one of the best big men in the conference for years, became A10 player of the year, and Phil led that team to a 9-7 finish. Built nothing off the following year when they crapped out in the first year of the Dance.

Since the Hawks went to the NIT finals in 2005, here's how they have finished in the A10:

9-7
9-7
9-7
9-7
5-11
4-12
9-7

He never has finished better than 5th. This season the Hawks were picked to win the conference. We saw how they ended.

Oh and then there is the Todd O'Brien incident. The lovable, highly overrated coach decided that Todd O'Brien couldn't transfer as a graduate student because...well who the hell knows. O'Brien averaged like 3 minutes a game while the Hawks raced to a 5-11 A10 season in 2010. O'Brien wanted to go to UAB so he could sit the bench there and get his advanced degree, but Good 'Ole Phil would have none of it. He denied the transfer then hid behind privacy laws that "he couldn't about the issue."

Basically he's a fraud. His coaches who helped him in that six year stretch when the Hawks were actual contenders have left, and Phil has replaced them with crap.

I like St. Joe's I really do. They deserve better than Martelli.