Overview

In 2003-04, the Saint Joseph’s Hawks became the most unlikely and most captivating story in college basketball. Led by two compelling leading characters, outspoken, media-friendly coach Phil Martelli, a Philadelphia gym rat who had dreamed about coaching St. Joe’s ever since seventh grade, and undersized but dominant point guard Jameer Nelson, the Hawks finished the regular season with a 27-0 record as the only undefeated team in the country. They did this despite having an underrecruited team from an underfunded program housed in underwhelming facilities, where players shared the weight room with students, professors and the general public. Martelli’s tiny, cramped office was more like a closet, and their home court was a mere gym that wasn’t even as modern as many neighboring high schools'. Everything about this mom-and-pop operation felt small-time — everything, that is, except the team, which incredibly rose to be unanimously ranked No. 1 in the country and became the envy of traditional powerhouses like Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina and UCLA. The underdog Hawks, perhaps buoyed in part by the school’s never-quit motto of The Hawk Will Never Die and its ever-flapping Hawk mascot, captivated not just Saints Joseph’s students, alumni and fans, but the entire city of Philadelphia and countless fans across the entire nation. They all were pulled by the notion that you don’t have to have the best or be the biggest to be the best and beat the biggest. Nelson, whose game dwarfed his generously listed height of 6 feet tall, would go on to win the Naismith Player of the Year Award while Martelli would be honored as the John Wooden Coach of the Year after the season. Both Nelson and fellow guard Delonte West, a lightly recruited athletic junior wing who transformed himself into a pro with a work ethic that never had been seen before or since on Hawk Hill, would be drafted into the first round of the NBA after the season. The Hawks were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time ever but lost a heartbreaker in the Elite 8 to John Lucas III and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. To this day, many believe that Saint Joseph’s might have won the NCAA title had they advanced past Oklahoma State. Nonetheless, the underdog Hawks showed everyone in the country that season that, no matter the odds stacked against you, anything is possible.

Full Product Details

9781955041430

Table of Contents

Reviews

""It's a fascinating story told excellently by Bracy who covers basketball in the region...""-- ""All Sports Book Reviews"" ""...it truly is an exceptional read from a wonderful author. I can't recommend the book enough, even if you remember that season like it was yesterday--I am positive you will learn something new about this team.""-- ""Philly Sports Network"" ""You go game-by-game through the season, but new characters are introduced along the way, and new angles are explored with assorted quotes from former players, coaches, fans, and media. These bits and pieces add up to a larger understanding of the team and its fabric.""-- ""Crossing Broad"" ""The love and effort that Bracy put into the Hawks' story is evident from the jump. Every word in the book is supported by first-hand accounts of the folks who were at the heart of the team's story as it played out. Along with the incredible detail, lengthy end notes almost give Bracy's work the feel of an academic textbook.""-- ""On Pattison"" ""Never have 18 seconds seemed so close yet so far away! What a season for Saint Joseph's. Aaron Bracy soars with this epic detailing the [2003-04] season of Phil Martelli's Hawks!""--Michael Barkann, NBC Sports Philadelphia ""A Soaring Season is the perfect read for any sports fan who appreciates greatness. It is a story defined by people who are competitive, united, strong-willed, determined, and, above all, rich in character. An undefeated regular season of 27-0 for a school with a student population of less than 5,000 is a feat that will likely not come to pass again. Therefore, reading Aaron Bracy's account of the 2003-04 Hawks journey is also a history lesson. Often, a book grabs you because you feel the main characters are people you know firsthand. Decorated point guard Jameer Nelson, head coach Phil Martelli, and backcourt mate Delonte West's accomplishments were at the forefront of that incredible journey. Still, Bracy makes sure that you understand the supporting cast was not just critical to that season's success but also provided great side stories along the way. Bracy perfectly captures the magnitude of the 2003-04 Hawks season by pointing out that on February 11, 2004, Sports Illustrated came out donning a picture of senior guard Jameer Nelson, the leader of the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Just one week earlier, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had been the magazine cover's attraction for being a Super Bowl hero in the Pats 32-29 win over the Carolina Panthers. 'You had this little Catholic school all of the sudden in the spotlight, ' Atlantic 10 commissioner Linda Bruno said. Saint Joseph's University, because of its men's basketball team, is now part of water cooler conversations nationwide in 2004. The suspense that builds as the wins pile up without a loss creates a feeling of pressure for you, the reader, even though we know the outcome. A Soaring Season is not fiction; it has no fairytale ending. What it does leave you with is a feeling of inspiration and community stemming from a place called Hawk Hill.""--Dei Lynam, Philadelphia radio/TV sports storyteller ""In the quickly changing world of college basketball, take a moment to enjoy this Philadelphia treasure masterfully detailed by sportswriter/author Aaron Bracy. A Soaring Season tells the magnificent story of the 2003-04 Saint Joseph's Hawks, led by All-American guard Jameer Nelson. The team was coached brilliantly by Phil Martelli, whose close working relationship with athletic director Don DiJulia accomplished so much! The Hawks were undefeated in the regular season and ranked #1 in the country! What else did it take for all of this to come to pass? What place does it hold in Saint Joseph's basketball history? Aaron tells you all about it. You won't put the book down!""--Dan Baker, longtime Phillies PA announcer and former Big 5 Executive Secretary ""The 2003-04 season was a dream for anyone in the orbit of Saint Joseph's 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 isn't only a joyous echo of those days, but it's a deeply reported dive into all the coincidental circumstances required for ordinary people to go extraordinary places. Aaron's work pours forth. An extraordinary amount of interviews tell the story of a school and a season that will never die. A must-read for college hoop fans.""--Brendan Quinn, The Athletic

Author Information

Bracy is a longtime sports journalist in Philadelphia with nearly 30 years of experience as a sportswriter and sports editor, beginning as an undergraduate at Saint Joseph’s (1998), where he wrote for the student newspaper and broadcast games on the student radio station. He then covered high school, college and pro sports for the Main Line Times, Trenton Times, Courier-Post and The Trentonian before leaving journalism full time for a career in education. _x000D_ _x000D_ Since 2008, Bracy has been a regular freelancer for the Associated Press’s coverage of the Philadelphia 76ers, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies and college basketball. In 2010, he started a website devoted to covering Philadelphia Big 5 college basketball. After four seasons, he closed the website. However, in 2023, Bracy revived the idea with a 2.0 version, called Big5Hoops.com, and today is a leading voice for coverage of Drexel, La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Villanova, who comprise the Big 5. _x000D_ _x000D_ A lifelong Philadelphia-area resident, Bracy intimately understands the city’s sports scene and is a well-known, well-respected and well-connected voice in Philadelphia sports. He also is extremely well-read, both in sports, history and fiction, and brings all of his knowledge, experience and passion for sports and writing into this project.

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