A Soaring Season

The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks

by Aaron Bracy

Foreword by Joe Lunardi

Imprint: Brookline Books

288 Pages, 6 x 9 in, 43 illustrations

Hardcover
9781955041430
March 2025
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$32.95

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Praise

“The 2003–04 season was a dream for anyone in the orbit of Saint Joseph’s basketball. Being a student on Hawk Hill at the time, I lived every second of it, and long assumed I knew everything imaginable about that team and that time. Aaron Bracy proved otherwise. A Soaring Season isn’t only a joyous echo of those days, but it’s a deeply reported dive into all the coincidental circumstances required for ordinary people to go extraordinary places." — Brendan Quinn, The Athletic

In the 2003–04 season, Saint Joseph’s became the most unlikely and most incredible story in college basketball. The underdog Hawks captivated the entire city of Philadelphia and much of the nation with a unique, guard-oriented style and team-first mentality featuring players who were not wanted by power conferences. Big-time programs passed over star point guard Jameer Nelson because of his height, but Nelson played an oversized, sensational game that dwarfed his 5 feet, 11 inches height. Nelson’s backcourt mate, Delonte West, was a lightly recruited prospect out of high school but transformed himself into an NBA first-round draft pick with a work ethic and competitive drive that never had been seen before or since on Hawk Hill.

Outspoken head coach Phil Martelli—overlooked for the only job he had ever wanted until he was nearly 41 years old—surrounded Nelson and West with a perfect cast of complementary players. Individually, none of Nelson and West’s teammates would be mentioned as an All-American candidate. Put all of the Hawks together, however, and you had a practically unstoppable force. Not only did the players accept their roles, they relished them. And each one’s contribution, from Nelson and West all the way down to former cheerleader and walk-on Robert Hartshorn, was crucial to the entire team’s success.

The Hawks, spurred on by a mascot who never stops flapping its wings and a never-quit school mantra—The Hawk Will Never Die—played their games in a gym that wasn’t even as modern as many high schools. Not much about the Hawks’ home felt big-time—not much, that is, except their team. It was this low-budget, mom-and-pop men’s basketball program that overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to complete a perfect regular season, rise to the unanimous No. 1 ranking in the country, and become the envy of the blue bloods of the sport. St. Joe’s provided hope then and today by reminding everyone that you don’t have to be the biggest to beat the biggest or have the best to be the best.

“In the quickly changing world of college basketball, take a moment to enjoy this Philadelphia treasure masterfully detailed by sportswriter/author Aaron Bracy. A Soaring Season tells the magnificent story of the 2003–04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks, led by All-American guard Jameer Nelson. The team was coached brilliantly by Phil Martelli, whose close working relationship with athletic director Don DiJulia accomplished so much! The Hawks were undefeated in the regular season and ranked #1 in the country! What else did it take for all of this to come to pass? What place does it hold in Saint Joseph’s basketball history? Aaron tells you all about it. You won’t put the book down!” ~Dan Baker, longtime Phillies PA announcer and former Big 5 Executive Secretary

“Never have 18 seconds seemed so close yet so far away! What a season for Saint Joseph’s. Aaron Bracy soars with this epic detailing the [2003–04] season of Phil Martelli’s Hawks!” ~Michael Barkann, NBC Sports Philadelphia

“A Soaring Season is the perfect read for any sports fan who appreciates greatness. It is a story defined by people who are competitive, united, strong-willed, determined, and, above all, rich in character. An undefeated regular season of 27-0 for a school with a student population of less than 5,000 is a feat that will likely not come to pass again. Therefore, reading Aaron Bracy’s account of the 2003–04 Hawks journey is also a history lesson.

Often, a book grabs you because you feel the main characters are people you know firsthand. Decorated point guard Jameer Nelson, head coach Phil Martelli, and backcourt mate Delonte West’s accomplishments were at the forefront of that incredible journey. Still, Bracy makes sure that you understand the supporting cast was not just critical to that season’s success but also provided great side stories along the way.

Bracy perfectly captures the magnitude of the 2003–04 Hawks season by pointing out that on February 11, 2004, Sports Illustrated came out donning a picture of senior guard Jameer Nelson, the leader of the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Just one week earlier, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had been the magazine cover’s attraction for being a Super Bowl hero in the Pats 32-29 win over the Carolina Panthers.

‘You had this little Catholic school all of the sudden in the spotlight,’ Atlantic 10 commissioner Linda Bruno said.

Saint Joseph’s University, because of its men’s basketball team, is now part of water cooler conversations nationwide in 2004.

The suspense that builds as the wins pile up without a loss creates a feeling of pressure for you, the reader, even though we know the outcome. A Soaring Season is not fiction; it has no fairytale ending. What it does leave you with is a feeling of inspiration and community stemming from a place called Hawk Hill.” ~Dei Lynam, Philadelphia radio/TV sports storyteller

“The 2003–04 season was a dream for anyone in the orbit of Saint Joseph’s basketball. Being a student on Hawk Hill at the time, I lived every second of it, and long assumed I knew everything imaginable about that team and that time. Aaron Bracy proved otherwise. A Soaring Season isn’t only a joyous echo of those days, but it’s a deeply reported dive into all the coincidental circumstances required for ordinary people to go extraordinary places. Aaron’s work pours forth. An extraordinary amount of interviews tell the story of a school and a season that will never die. A must-read for college hoop fans.” ~Brendan Quinn, The Athletic