Former SJU softball player files federal law suit

More trouble ahead for the St. Joe's softball team, whose 2015 season was shut down midway through due to hazing allegations from a former player and now former student on Hawk Hill.

Reports emerged on Thursday that this same student has now filed a law suit in federal court in an attempt to get the university to answer her charges.

The Inquirer had a brief synopsis of the reasons for the suit, while Deadspin, to its credit, goes much deeper into the nature of the allegations and misconduct which precipitated the team's shutdown.

SJU suspends softball team amid hazing investigation

Courtesy of the Inquirer

St. Joseph’s University has suspended play for its women’s varsity softball team for the rest of the season following an internal investigation into hazing allegations.

The team has three games remaining in the season. It’s unclear whether the team would have made post-season play. A statement from the university issued on Friday afternoon reads as follows:

"Saint Joseph’s University has concluded a Community Standards review process in the ongoing women’s softball matter.  Due to violations of campus community standards, the women’s softball team will not be participating in scheduled contests for the remainder of the season.  The Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (FERPA) prevents the University from addressing individual student-athletes or specific violations and SJU will have no further statements at this time."

The school declined to comment on violations or punishment for any specific athletes, citing student privacy laws.

The university said last month that it was investigating allegations that members of the team hazed or bullied younger members. Alleged violations reportedly involved alcohol and sexual improprieties. The university has declined to describe the allegations but a source said it occurred off campus in the fall and was revealed about a month ago when a parent came forward.

Four students on the Division I team had been suspended, a source had confirmed.

Friday’s decision impacts the entire team.

Bembry explodes as SJU takes surprise victory at UMass

Amherst, MA -- Just because the countdown to the end of this lost season is near, doesn't mean the Hawk has any shot at expiring.

At times the only player who has shown enough talent and drive to take over a game by himself, DeAndre' Bembry poured in a career-high 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as Saint Joseph's defeated the Massachusetts Minutemen, 82-71, in an Atlantic 10 Conference matchup at the Mullins Center.

The win snapped an eight-game road losing slide for the Hawks (12-15, 6-9 A-10), who also received 15 points courtesy of Isaiah Miles. Chris Wilson netted 13 points, while Aaron Brown scored 11 points off the bench for Saint Joseph's.

SJU also stemmed a three-game overall losing streak, since beating Rhode Island 65-64 at Hagan Arena on Feb. 11.

Cady Lalanne paced the Minutemen (16-12, 9-6) as he registered a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Maxie Esho and Demetrius Dyson contributed 12 points apiece, while Trey Davis recorded a double-double of his own with 11 points and 10 assists. Donte Clark chimed in with 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting from the floor for UMass.

Saint Joseph's took a 36-35 lead into halftime after it connected on 42.3 percent of its field goal attempts and converted 9-of-11 shots at the free- throw line in the opening stanza. The Minutemen were limited to 36.4 percent shooting from the floor in the first half.

UMass continued to struggled after the break as it shot 31.4 percent from the field, including a 2-of-12 clip from behind the 3-point line. The Hawks made good on 4-of-5 tries from beyond the arc and outscored the hosts, 22-16, in the paint in the second stanza.

The Hawks finished with an 18-6 edge in points off turnovers. They'll host Richmond on Saturday, La Salle next Wednesday before completing the regular season at URI on March 7.

La Salle caps Big 5 slate by downing SJU

Philadelphia, PA -- Jerrell Wright finished with a double- double of 19 points and 10 rebounds as the La Salle Explorers knocked off their Big 5 rival, the Saint Joseph's Hawks, 53-48, in Atlantic 10 Conference play at Tom Gola Arena.

Cleon Roberts netted 14 points for La Salle (11-9, 3-4 A-10) while Steve Zack led the Explorers in rebounding with 12, but shot only 1-of-7 from the floor. Khalid Lewis contributed to the victory with eight points, five boards and five assists.

DeAndre Bembry led the Hawks (8-11, 2-5) with 20 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Isaiah Miles finished with 10 points and seven boards in the loss.

Phil Martelli's squad finished City Series play 2-2, while Dr. John Giannini's charged ended up with the same record after beating Penn prior to Tuesday.

The Hawks held a 27-18 advantage going into halftime after they limited the Explorers to just 6-of-24 shooting from the field in the opening period, which included a 1-of-8 mark from 3-point distance. Saint Joseph's netted 35.5 percent of its field goal attempts, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.

La Salle turned it around in the final period, as it connected on 48.2 percent of its field goal tries. The Hawks were held to a 33.3 shooting percentage in the second half, a mere a 1-of-10 mark from 3-point range.

The Explorers, who trailed by as many as 15 late in the first half, outscored the visitors at the free-throw line, 11-2.

Home fans added some spice to the long-time rivalry by staging a mock funeral for the iconic Hawk, who is a fixture at all SJU games and is known for his constant wing-flapping during play.

Quakers down Hawks in Big 5 action

Philadelphia, PA -- Tony Hicks scored 15 points as the Penn Quakers defeated the Saint Joseph's Hawks, 56-52, in a Big 5 battle at The Palestra on Saturday.

Darien Nelson-Henry added 14 points and five rebounds for the Quakers (5-10). Greg Louis contributed 10 points and nine rebounds as Penn broke a two-game losing streak.

The hosts finished City Series play with a 1-3 record. 

As for the Hawks (8-10), DeAndre' Bembry scored 25 points and Chris Wilson added 10 rebounds in the loss, their sixth in the last eight contests. SJU completes its City Series slate on Tuesday against La Salle, having beaten Temple and lost to Villanova.

In a low scoring first half, the Hawks shot just 25.8 percent from the field and made only 1-of-10 from 3-point range. The Quakers connected on 42.1 percent of their shots and finished the half on a 12-4 run to take a 20-17 lead into the break.

In the second half Penn shot 50.0 percent from the field and recorded an 8-1 advantage on second chance points. Saint Joseph's shot 42.9 percent from the field but 4-of-14 beyond the arc after missing three 3-point tries in the final seconds.

Penn, which outscored the Hawks 16-7 at the free-throw line, survived 19 turnovers on the evening.

Hawks get past Rams in battle of A-10 basement dwellers

Philadelphia, PA -- Chris Wilson scored 23 points to lead his lowly Saint Joseph's Hawks to their first Atlantic 10 Conference win this season and a trip out of the conference basement in a 66-55 victory over the Fordham Rams at Hagan Arena on Wednesday night.

 DeAndre' Bembry (13 points, eight rebounds, four assists) and Aaron Brown (12 points, eight rebounds) also netted double figures for Saint Joseph's (7-8, 1-3 A-10) in the victory.

Fordham (5-10, 0-4) was led in scoring by Eric Paschall who had 16 points. Bryan Smith (14 points) and Mandell Thomas (10 points) also contributed to the Rams' scoring effort.

These two Jesuit institutions separated by a little more than 100 miles met for the 37th time overall and the Hawks won for the 10th consecutive time and upped their all-time record against the Rams to 31-6 including a 17-1 mark as a true home team.  They will meet for the second and final time in the regular season on Feb. 15 at Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx.

Neither team shot well in the opening period as the Hawks went just 33.3 percent from the field and Fordham connected on only 29 percent of its first- half tries. Saint Joseph's did knock down five 3-point tries, and held a slim 25-21 lead going into halftime.

Both teams were much better offensively in the second half, as Fordham made 52.4 percent of its tries from the field and the Hawks converted 45.8 percent of their field goal attempts. But Saint Joseph's built on its lead by connecting on 17-of-20 free-throw attempts in the closing 20 minutes, securing its first league win this season.

The Hawks dominated the rebounding battle, 42-25, and had more second-chance points (14-3) than Fordham.

Hawks put up another poor A-10 showing, lose to VCU

Richmond,  VA -- Melvin Johnson and  Treveon Graham led a torrid  display from 3-point range that carried No. 20 VCU to an 89-74 victory over Saint Joseph's in an Atlantic 10 clash.

Johnson  knocked down  6-of-7  attempts  from beyond  the  arc  in a  20-point performance,  while Graham went  4-of-6 en route to 19 points to help the Rams avenge their loss to the Hawks in last year's A-10 Championship Game.

As  a team VCU (13-3, 3-0 A-10) made good on 12-of-23 3-pointers to extend its current win streak to eight games.

DeAndre  Bembry finished  with 16 points and eight rebounds for Saint Joseph's (6-8,  0-3). Aaron Brown  added 14 points and Isaiah Miles had 12 in the loss, the Hawks' fourth straight.

VCU  was on  the mark from the  perimeter right from the outset, burying three consecutive  treys as  part  of an  11-2 game-opening  run.  A 3-pointer  from Johnson  near the  midway stage of the  first half extended the lead to 20-10, though  Saint Joseph's countered with an 11-2 spurt sparked by Miles and Chris
Wilson.

The  Rams  then ripped  off the next  10 points, with  Doug Brooks' triple and Terry  Larrier's  3-point play igniting the  surge, to claim a 32-21 advantage with five minutes left in the half.

Graham  and  Johnson closed out  the period with two  more threes in the final minute  to  put VCU up 46-30  at the break, capping  a first half in which the Rams hit on 8-of-14 tries from long distance.

VCU  continued to pad its margin after the intermission on the strength of its outside  shooting, as  back-to-back 3-pointers from Johnson increased the lead to 57-33 early in the second half.

The  Rams  were ahead  by as many  as 27  points and were  up 80-56 with seven minutes left before Bembry made two threes to lead the Hawks on a 10-0 run.

Notes: The  win was the  150th for VCU head coach Shaka Smart, making him only one of six  Division I coaches  to reach the milestone in their first six seasons ... Rams  guard Briante Weber recorded five steals to move into sole possession of fourth  place in  DI history in that  category (358) ... The Rams have trailed
for  a total  of only  36  seconds during  their eight-game  streak ...  Saint Joseph's  0-3 start  in A-10 play is  the program's worst since it dropped the first eight games of the 2010-11 season.

Ndao to miss senior season for St. Joe's

Saint Joseph’s senior forward Papa Ndao will sit out the 2014-15 season due to medical reasons, it was announced by the university on Friday. 

“Papa’s well-being is our primary concern,” said Hawks head coach Phil Martelli. “While I am disappointed that Papa won’t be with us physically, I expect him to play a significant role as a team leader.”

Ndao, originally from Dakar, Senegal, is one of three seniors on SJU’s squad this year. He played in 31 games in 2013-14 for the A-10 champion Hawks, while making two starts and scored a career-high 13 points in SJU’s win over George Mason last year.

He has played in a total of 85 career games for the Hawks, starting eight contests.

Ndao, who has played three years for SJU, is on track to graduate from Saint Joseph’s in May with his degree in interdisciplinary health studies.

St. Joe's head to NCAA Tournament after topping VCU for A-10 title

Brooklyn, NY -- Ronald Roberts Jr. and Halil Kanacevic both posted  double-doubles  and Saint  Joseph's  captured  its first  Atlantic  10 Tournament title since 1997 with a 65-61 win over No. 23 VCU on Sunday.

Roberts  scored 15 points  with 11 rebounds and Kanacevic had 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Langston Galloway paced the Hawks (24-9) with 19 points, including a 3-pointer that broke a 54-54 tie with 2 1/2 minutes remaining and gave them the lead for good.

DeAndre  Bembry added 13 points and Saint Joe's assured itself a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008, when it lost to Oklahoma in the first round. The Jesuit institution was given a 10-seed and squares off against UConn, Should Phil Martelli's boys advance, a possible matchup with Holy War rival Villanova looms -- provided the second-seeded Wildcats get past 15th-seed Milwaukee.

The  Hawks were seen  as a bubble team entering the A-10 tournament but likely had  already locked  up at least an  at-large bid before Sunday with wins over Dayton and St. Bonaventure.

Rob  Brandenburg had  18 points  and  Treveon Graham  scored 15  for the  Rams (26-8), who will make the NCAA Tournament despite the loss.

They  played without A-10 Sixth Man of the Year Melvin Johnson, who suffered a knee injury early in VCU's semifinal win over George Washington.

Saint  Joseph's shot  24-of-50 from  the field  against VCU's  vaunted "Havoc" defense and held the Rams to just 24-of-65 shooting.

Brandenburg  tied the  score at 35-35 with  a 3-pointer 4 1/2 minutes into the second  half and Graham's  three gave the Rams their first lead of the game at 43-40.

A tight battle ensued. VCU pushed its advantage to 48-42, but Kanacevic scored four straight after a Bembry jumper to tie it.

Bembry's  three-point play was part of an 11-2 Hawks run late in the game that gave them a 61-54 lead with under a minute left.

After  Graham nailed  a trey to make  it a one possession game with 22 seconds left,  Bembry then split a pair of free throws to push the Saint Joe's lead to four.

Galloway missed two free throws with seven seconds remaining, but Roberts came up with a block on Graham at the other end and the Hawks held on.

Earlier,  they jumped out  to an 11-4 lead on a Roberts dunk, but VCU answered with  seven straight to  tie the game with just under 11 1/2 minutes remaining in  the first  half. Galloway then buried back-to-back 3-pointers as part of a 10-2 spurt that Roberts capped with another dunk.

The  Rams cut  the deficit to 28-24  at the half after Juvonte Reddic's jumper with over a minute left.

Notes: VCU's reserves outscored the Saint Joe's bench 12-0, with Papa Ndao attempting the  only  shot for a  Hawks non-starter ...  The Hawks out-rebounded the Rams 40-38  ...  Saint Joe's  had  12  turnovers compared  to  VCU's  five ...  The Hawks shot 11-of-20 from the free throw line and the Rams went 8-of-15.

Saint Joseph's Galloway named Big 5 Player of the Week

PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's senior Langston Galloway has been named the Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week for February 17. It is the second time this season that he has earned the honor and the sixth time in his career.

The 6-foot-2 guard led a balanced effort by Saint Joseph's in the 75-64 win over Atlantic 10 and city rival La Salle. He scored a game-high 18 points, with 10 in the first half, while hitting 5-of-12 from the field and grabbing four rebounds. Galloway went 6-for-6 from the foul line, with 4-of-4 in the last minute of play to seal the win.

Galloway leads the Hawks in scoring with 16.6 points per game and with 1,788 career points is just two points away from moving into fourth place on the Hawks' all-time scoring list. The school's all-time leader in three-point field goals, he currently ranks 22nd in the nation hitting 42.9 percent from behind the arc.

Saint Joseph's, now 17-7 and 7-3 in the A-10, has won 13 of its last 16 contests. The Hawks return to action on Wednesday at Rhode Island.

Saint Joseph's Basketball to Tour Italy in August

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team will embark on a 10-day tour of Italy from August 11 to 21, playing four games and visiting four cities.

It marks the second time that head coach Phil Martelli has taken Saint Joseph's overseas, as the Hawks also traveled to Italy in 1999.

Saint Joseph's will begin the trip in Rome and travel to Florence, Venice and Como. Among the sites the Hawks will visit are The Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica, the Accademia Gallery in Florence, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Grand Canal in Venice, and Lake Como.

"We're excited to make the trip. The basketball opportunity is unique. The overall experience is once in a lifetime," said coach Phil Martelli.

In preparation for the tour, the Hawks are permitted to hold 10 full-squad practices beginning on July 30.

The Hawks return 10 players, including starters Langston Galloway, Ronald Roberts, Jr., and Halil Kanacevic, from last year's squad which went 18-14 and earned a berth in the NIT. Making the trip to Italy with those 10 players will be redshirt freshmen Javon Baumann and Kyle Molock along with incoming freshmen DeAndre´ Bembry and Jai Williams.

The most recent SJU team to take an international trip was the women's basketball team, which toured Ireland and Northern Ireland last summer. The Hawks went on to win the Atlantic 10 Championship and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Saint Joseph’s to play in Old Spice Classic

PHILADELPHIA, PA. - Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball will be one of eight teams competing in the 2013 Old Spice Classic, to be held this weekend, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, Nov. 28, 29 and Dec. 1, at the HP Field House at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.

Joining the Hawks in the field for the eighth annual event are A-10 foe Butler, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Purdue Siena and Washington State.

The 2013 Old Spice Classic will feature a bracket format with 12 games over three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through the bracket. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship game on the final day of competition.

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) will serve as the event’s sponsoring conference for the eighth straight year.

The family-friendly tournament is a weekend-long affair at the Walt Disney World Resort where participating teams practice, play and enjoy the Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks.

Previous winners of the Old Spice Classic have included Dayton, Notre Dame, Florida State, Gonzaga, NC State and Arkansas.