A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 Saint Josephs Hawks

ISBN: 1955041431

Author: Bracy, Aaron

Condition: New

The 2003-04 season was a dream for anyone in the orbit of Saint Josephs basketball. Being a student on Hawk Hill at the time, I lived every second of it, and long assumed I knew everything imaginable about that team and that time. Aaron Bracy proved otherwise. A Soaring Season isnt only a joyous echo of those days, but its a deeply reported dive into all the coincidental circumstances required for ordinary people to go extraordinary places." - Brendan Quinn, The AthleticIn the 2003-04 season, Saint Josephs became the most unlikely and most incredible story in college basketball. The underdog Hawks captivated the entire city of Philadelphia and much of the nation with a unique, guard-oriented style and team-first mentality featuring players who were not wanted by power conferences. Big-time programs passed over star point guard Jameer Nelson because of his height, but Nelson played an oversized, sensational game that dwarfed his 5 feet, 11 inches height. Nelsons backcourt mate, Delonte West, was a lightly recruited prospect out of high school but transformed himself into an NBA first-round draft pick with a work ethic and competitive drive that never had been seen before or since on Hawk Hill.Outspoken head coach Phil Martelli-overlooked for the only job he had ever wanted until he was nearly 41 years old-surrounded Nelson and West with a perfect cast of complementary players. Individually, none of Nelson and Wests teammates would be mentioned as an All-American candidate. Put all of the Hawks together, however, and you had a practically unstoppable force. Not only did the players accept their roles, they relished them. And each ones contribution, from Nelson and West all the way down to former cheerleader and walk-on Robert Hartshorn, was crucial to the entire teams success.The Hawks, spurred on by a mascot who never stops flapping its wings and a never-quit school mantra-The Hawk Will Never Die-played their games in a gym that wasnt even as modern as many high schools. Not much about the Hawks home felt big-time-not much, that is, except their team. It was this low-budget, mom-and-pop mens basketball program that overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to complete a perfect regular season, rise to the unanimous No. 1 ranking in the country, and become the envy of the blue bloods of the sport. St. Joes provided hope then and today by reminding everyone that you dont have to be the biggest to beat the biggest or have the best to be the best.