Aaron Bracy’s new book, A Soaring Season, chronicles Saint Joseph’s unforgettable run to the Elite 8 in 2004. (Photo by Aaron Bracy)
If you’re of a certain age, there is a nonzero chance you know of Saint Joseph’s University, and—regardless of whether you were introduced to the Hawks before or during their undefeated regular season escapade and run to a regional final in 2004—remember the journey the Philadelphia school went on, skippered by Phil Martelli and willed by the veteran leadership of Jameer Nelson.
Longtime Philly college basketball scribe Aaron Bracy chronicled that forever campaign St. Joe’s navigated over two decades ago in his new book, A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks, which published this past March and is available wherever books are sold. Within the pages, Bracy uses his institutional knowledge and unrivaled storytelling to craft a powerful and interactive account of a time on Hawk Hill that is impossible to forget for those who experienced it firsthand, but also makes the reader who did not know about life between the ropes at St. Joe’s feel as if he or she were on press row as well.
A Soaring Season begins with a foreword by St. Joe’s radio analyst and ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, who sets the scene with a look back at the conclusion of the 2002-03 season, when the Hawks reached the NCAA Tournament but lost their first-round game to Auburn. The background serves as a foundation for what was to come, as Nelson would later announce his return to St. Joe’s for his senior season after going through the NBA Draft process in the summer of 2003, something Bracy delves into with further detail in a later chapter. The first three chapters of the book introduce the main characters that spearheaded the Hawks’ success: Nelson, who then-assistant coach Monté Ross—the future head coach at Delaware and North Carolina A&T—first recruited as a junior in high school in 1997; Martelli, the Philadelphia lifer who grew up watching the Hawks as a boy, once counted Geno Auriemma as his assistant coach at Bishop Kenrick High School, and aspired to lead the program he eventually took the reins of in 1995; and Delonte West, Nelson’s running mate and future teammate of LeBron James in the NBA, whose competitive nature permeated the walls of the locker room and inspired all around him to give the same effort. West’s dedication to be the best, and his drive, recurring themes as the season went on, were best summed up in this quote as he worked tirelessly to expand his game.
“I want to make sure that I left no doubt that they know they have no business being on the floor with me,” he told Glenn Farello, his high school coach, after he practiced with the junior varsity team while rehabbing an injury during his junior year in high school.
Introductions of each member of the supporting cast, as well as a breakdown of Nelson’s decision to finish what he started on Hawk Hill, lead into a chapter-by-chapter account of each hame in the illustrious season, starting with the Hawks’ opener at Madison Square Garden against a Gonzaga team ranked tenth in the nation at the time.
As the season is relived with each passing chapter, Bracy’s greatest gift is revealed by his all-encompassing storytelling. This is not a book where the accounts within are exclusive to St. Joe’s. In fact, Bracy makes it a point to highlight the other sides of each game wherever possible, through interviews with figures from opposing teams as well as with fans and media alike. It is a fitting bedrock to the open-door, all-access policy Martelli embraced during his tenure as coach, where anyone could walk into what is now Hagan Arena and watch a St. Joe’s practice, much like anyone with a media credential could interview any player or coach in the locker room after a game or practice.
The perfect season nearly unraveled in the third game of the year, until Nelson hit a near-40-foot shot in the final seconds to steal victory from the jaws of defeat at Old Dominion. Later in the non-conference portion of the schedule, Bracy explains Martelli’s policy of St. Joe’s not checking out of a hotel until after the game was over and how it created a psychological advantage, tying it seamlessly into Boston College entering The Palestra with its luggage and Martelli subsequently chalking that up to the visiting Eagles being preoccupied with their trip back to Boston, rather than the impending game. He was vindicated, as St. Joe’s won, 67-57. Eventually, the Hawks’ 10-0 start matched Dr. Jack Ramsay’s legendary 1964-65 outfit and eventually eclipsed it after being challenged by a walk-on who used his trash talk as a motivator.
“I knew what our potential was, and I feel like there’s nothing worse than untapped potential,” said Robert Hartshorn, who consistently sought to bring out the best in his teammates.
Bracy highlights the feeling of inevitability throughout his narrative of the season, particularly after West erupted for 33 points on a perfect 12-for-12 shooting night in St. Joe’s win at Xavier, the first for the program in Cincinnati since 1973. That perception heightened after dominating St. Bonaventure, as the Hawks became a headline story in Philadelphia after the Eagles were denied a trip to the Super Bowl by the Carolina Panthers, who won the NFC championship game days before St. Joe’s scored 114 points against the Bonnies.
As the wins racked up and the nation tuned in, Bracy shines by revealing just how much teams learned in defeat against the Hawks. Jay Wright would consider it “perfect timing” that this particular St. Joe’s team came along when it did, as it provided him a valuable tool to shape his own Villanova program into the force it would soon become. Manhattan head coach John Gallagher, a St. Joe’s alumnus and former player under Martelli, also makes an appearance in the book, as Bracy interviewed him for a closer look at the Hawks’ win over La Salle, where Gallagher assisted Billy Hahn that season and actually had the scout for the St. Joe’s game.
“If you just went out and played (St. Joe’s), you had no chance to win,” Gallagher said, proving just how intimate and intricate scouting reports on the Hawks needed to be. St. Joe’s still won that game by 26 points.
After St. Joe’s completed the regular season with a 27-0 record and then lost to Xavier in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament, Bracy pays particular attention to Martelli’s preparation following the loss. Before the Hawks learned their NCAA Tournament fate, he started fresh by re-enacting—to the second—the exact rundown from St. Joe’s first practice of the season back in October. The change in tactics worked, as the Hawks would defeat Liberty, Texas Tech and Wake Forest to reach the Elite 8 after speculation from CBS analyst Billy Packer that they may not have been worthy of a No. 1 seed.
The regional final at what was then known as Continental Airlines Arena—the Meadowlands for those in the New York/New Jersey area—pitted St. Joe’s against Oklahoma State, and it is a perfectly timed climax to a gripping and captivating story. Bracy’s meticulous look back at the final chapter, from pregame preparation to the opening half, and most notably the chaotic final seconds, is an emotional, though heartbreaking, conclusion to a story the likes of which have only been matched a handful of times since in college basketball, if that.
A common takeaway today for those who suited up for St. Joe’s in 2003-04 and still talk about it today is this:
“You played on that team?”
That team, and that story, is a must-read for any college basketball fan.
A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks
Author: Aaron Bracy (foreword by Joe Lunardi)
Publisher: Brookline Books
Publication Date: March 1, 2025
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