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by
Patrick Wandalowski
December 10th
 Jameer
Nelson scored 24 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and tallied 7 assists
while leading Saint Joseph’s to victory. The Hawks blew open the game
in the second half, shooting 20-for-34 (59% FG) from the field.
This game was not a blowout from the
beginning for the Hawks. Delaware got off to a 9-2 lead, the largest
deficit Saint Joseph’s had faced all season. The Blue Hens led for
most of the half, finally relinquishing the lead when Nelson sank a
free throw to make it 25-24.
Sophomore wing Pat Carroll is really
starting to make a name for himself. The brother of Notre Dame
shooting guard Matt Carroll, Pat has lived in the shadow of his big
brother for quite a few years. Carroll drained two three-pointers in
the first half, helping the Hawks to a slim lead, 32-28.
The Saint Joseph’s frontcourt may be on the
verge of a shakeup. Starters Dave Mallon and Alex Sazonov are playing
few minutes and contributing even less. In a combined 20 minutes,
they totaled a miniscule 4 points and 2 rebounds. The emergence of
7’1 center Alex Sazanov may never materialize. The senior simply
isn’t skilled or disciplined enough to contribute big numbers.
Redshirt freshman Dwayne Jones will likely
see a significant increase in minutes and production due to Sazonov’s
dwindling playing time and performance. Jones was impressive, hauling
down a game-high 11 rebounds and swatting 2 shots. John Bryant should
also see more time. He has a knack for getting rebounds and
contesting shots. But first, John needs to spend an extra hour in the
gym every day shooting foul shots. The sophomore is currently 6-of-17
from the charity stripe for the season. The jury is still out on
Mallon. The East Aurora, NY native was recruited as a 4-year
starter. It is mildly surprising that he is still off to a slow
start, but Hawk fans should not fret just yet.
Pat Carroll knocked down 5 of 6
three-pointers en route to 18 points. He is establishing himself as a
viable 3rd option. Scoring guard Delonte West struggled
with his shot (3-of-10), but contributed in other ways—4 rebounds, 6
assists, and 1 steal. Tyrone Barley was his steady self, tallying 7
points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 22 minutes.
Chet Stachitas got some quality time near
the end of the game. Satchitas, a wing player capable of scoring
points in a hurry, added 4 points and 3 rebounds in limited minutes.
The Hawks limited Delaware to 32% FG and
only 59 points. All 6 opponents have failed to score more than 63
points against Saint Joseph’s. Mike Slattery led Delaware with 18
points. Mike Ames added 14. Delaware was seen as a dangerous team
because the Blue Hens had knocked off a top 25 caliber Penn team.
The Hawks have only 3 games in the next 3
weeks: DePaul (Palestra), @ Pacific, and @ Gonzaga. How will the
layoff affect this team? The Hawks will be challenged by the
frontcourts of DePaul and Gonzaga. It is also nearly next to
impossible to win at Gonzaga’s homecourt, the Kennel. We will have a
good idea how good this team is after those 3 games. But what Saint
Joseph’s needs to do in the meantime is hit the books and make sure
all the players’ academic priorities are in order.
Email:
Patrick Wandalowski
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