Recap of Season
The Saint Joseph’s Hawks finished the 2023-24 regular season with their best record in years. The Hawks were able to clinch a 19-12 overall record and 9-9 conference record, placing them 7th overall in the Atlantic 10. This is the first time in the Coach Billy Lange era that the team was above .500 and didn’t finish in the bottom quarter of the league. Which, yes you heard right, no more pillow fight for the Hawks! Feels weird not to see them play on a Tuesday!
To say the season was full of ‘ups and downs’ would be an understatement. This team has had their highs and their lows. But, if you told fans at the start of the season that the Hawks would finish above .500 overall, and 7th in the conference, they would admit that there was real improvement from last year. It’s always good to put this in context, especially for a team that has had some great flashes on the court. However, consistency was not their friend.
With that said, Saint Joe’s has a chance to make waves in this conference tournament. Do I expect them to win the entire thing? Probably not. Would I be surprised if they go on a three game win streak and make waves, definitely not. However, it’s now win or go home. Let’s look take at the first matchup, George Mason.
Keys to Success
This will be the second time this season that Saint Joe’s and George Mason face off. The last game was on January 31st and was hosted at Hagan arena. Saint Joe’s won that game 75-73 in what was a thrilling matchup, which helped to snap SJU’s home losing streak to the Patriots.
George Mason’s Keyshawn Hall will be top of mind for Saint Joe’s. Hall leads the Atlantic 10 in defensive rebounds and total rebounds per game. For context, Hall averages around 8.4 rebounds per game. He is also the Patriots top sorcerer, leading with 17 points a game. In January’s game against Saint Joe’s he finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds.
On the other end, Saint Joe’s will be looking to their big men to help guard the paint. Rasheer Fleming leads in the A10 in total offense rebounds, so look for him and Hall to battle for loose balls. Freshman Christ Essandoko and Junior Kacper Klaszek will also be key. Saint Joe’s is a strong team when they have three forwards who can rotate through the lineup. Especially if foul troubles come into play, which has been the case especially with Fleming.
Of course, it would be foolish not to mention that the leaders of this team, the guards, are what will make or break Saint Joe’s. The scoring campaign starts and ends with Erik Reynolds II who was awarded first team all A10. Reynolds, Lynn Greer III and Xzayvier Brown (A10 rookie of the year btw) dictate the pace and style of play. Billy Lange needs at least two of those three to come out hot and help drive the offense. If that happens, the previously mentioned Forwards, and senior Cam Brown, will do their part to help close the game out. But, that can’t happen if the leading three aren’t at their best making the decisions when taking the ball down the court.
Final Thoughts
Saint Joe’s has a tough matchup to start this tournament. George Mason will in no means be an easy team to beat. But, if you asked me to give a prediction, I have to say that I think Saint Joe’s will beat the Patriots and make a significant run in the tournament, like they did last year. I don’t think they will win the entire thing, but there is a world in which I see them beat Mason and Richmond. Would I put money on it? No. But, the pieces are there to get it done.
As I said, guard play is going to be key. Inconsistency has plagued this team. But when those three guards are active and engaged they are impossible to beat. And that’s just if they are making the right plays on offense. At their best, they disrupt passing lanes and generate easy fast breaks. That’s when the team is dangerous, but that can only happen if those guys want to make it happen. Defense is a mind set, they need to hit the ground running and weather any storms of adversity.
There are few starting fives as well rounded as this team. Saint Joe’s can be the team we saw beat Villanova and give Kentucky headaches. The question is, do they want to be that team this week?
Saint Joe’s v. Mason will tip off at 11:30 am EST and will air on USA Network.
