Wednesday, March 03, 2004

Hawks 82, Bonnies 50 | Just about every media outlet in the country has something on Saint Joseph's historic victory last night. You can check them out for yourself, though a must-read is Phil Sheridan's front-page piece in today's Inquirer, in which he appropriately scotches any talk that this wondrous season should be chalked up to magic or anything other than sweat, hard work, and mutual trust:

They wear T-shirts around campus that say "Jameeracle on 54th Street." And that's clever, but not exactly right. Calling this thing a miracle, if anything, diminishes what Martelli and his players have done. Are doing.

They built this incredible season one practice, one game at a time. They beat good teams and great teams and mediocre teams. They won by 50 points and they won by 2. When the streak grew long and the pressure more intense, they took [Phil] Martelli's cue. They smiled and hugged each other and huddled up and kept on winning.

They did this -- 27-0 -- for themselves, but also for the rest of us. For everyone who slogs through the news about steroids and contracts and defense motions and wonders where the magic went.

It was here last night. Remember.

Having been in Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse for the game and for the dual ceremonies which bookended it, I can testify to how uplifting and heartfelt the whole scene was. In a season of extraordinary singularity, last night stood out. As long as college hoops is played in Philadelphia, the 2003-04 Saint Joseph's Hawks, and what they accomplished on March 2, 2004, will be remembered with reverence.


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