By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
While the Hawks were above average defensively, the real problem came on the offensive end, where St. Joe’s was one of the most inefficient teams in the land. With no reliable option on the interior, the Hawks were forced to rely on a steady diet of shots from the perimeter. Fine in theory, but awful in practice when the roster is littered with below average shooters. St. Joseph’s finished tied for 329th in the nation as a team at 29.9% from three. Their year ended fittingly, shooting a season low 25.5% from the field in the A-10 tournament loss to St. Bonaventure.
As with anything, it wasn’t entirely bad news for the Hawks. After a promising freshman campaign alongside the stacked 2014 senior class, DeAndre Bembry was expected to take on a much larger role this past year. He certainly delivered. Still just a sophomore, Bembry put up team highs of 17.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, and 1.9 spg. The following stat tells the tale of just how much the Hawks relied on Bembry.
In the final NCAA stats, DeAndre’ Bembry is the nation’s leader in minutes played per game with his average of 38.6 #thwnd
— SJU Hawks MBB (@SJUHawks_MBB) April 7, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe man had to do nearly everything for his team and almost literally never rested in the attempt. For his efforts, Bembry was awarded first team both All-Atlantic 10 and All-Big 5.
DeAndre’ Bembry named All-Big 5 1st Team and top scorer – will be honored at the April 13 banquet. #thwnd pic.twitter.com/VnigHoo5cz
— SJU Hawks MBB (@SJUHawks_MBB) March 23, 2015
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What I would consider the other lone bright spot for St. Joe’s was the improved play of junior Isaiah Miles. With the starting frontcourt graduating, Miles saw his minutes more than triple this past year, and stepped up by finishing second on the team in both points (10.7) and rebounds (5.1) per game. Acting as a stretch forward, Miles took over half his shot attempts from behind the arc; he was the lone exception to the Hawks’ horrific outside shooting, shooting a team-best 35.3% on threes.
Moving forward, the Hawks aren’t losing much due to graduation, with senior Chris Wilson the only regular leaving Hawk Hill. Wilson was the team’s 4th leading scorer and 2nd on the team in assists, but shot just 37% from the field and 30.1% from three. Normally, you wouldn’t worry about losing that type of player, but unfortunately for Coach Martelli, there’s simply not guys beating down the door deserving more playing time. Freshmen James Demery and Shavar Newkirk both received heavy minutes in the rotation, but each shot abysmally from the field, free throw line, behind the arc, you name it.
The incoming class features 6’3″ shooting guard Chris Clover from St. Joe’s Prep, and 6’0″ point guard LaMarr Kimble from Neumann-Goretti. Both are the type of local, 3-star recruits Martelli typically brings in, not the sort of game-changing talent that can turn around the program. The Hawks will have to hope one of them can make the leap and exceed expectations, similar to what Bembry himself did recently.
In terms of what to expect next season, unfortunately for Hawks fans, it would seem like more of the same. Bembry could certainly take better care of the basketball (2.9 turnovers per game) and maybe improve his shooting efficiency numbers, but it’s hard to imagine him doing much more in terms of sheer volume. It’s difficult to identify any breakout candidate to help right the ship in just one offseason; Coach Martelli will have to rely on gradual improvement across the roster. I’ll say this, you would think simply due to regression to the mean, the Hawks would have to shoot better than they did this best season. Even still, I think it’s safe to say St. Joseph’s fans can put their dancing shoes in deep storage for at least another year.
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