(OT) St. Joe's fires Phil Martelli

Philsmania 2019-03-19 15:33:32 UTC #1

Gone after 24 years as head coach (and 10 before that as an assistant coach). As a a Hawk fan, I'm sad but this move was necessary. For all but two years this decade, Hawk Hoops has been the same faces, the same mediocre results. With him and Dunphy being sent off into the sunset, an era in the Big Five is ending. Nonetheless, I salute him for being a great ambassador for SJU and the game of college basketball and, hopefully, today's hard feelings will subside over time and someday he will return to the Hagan Arena as an honored guest with a thunderous ovation.

phillychuck 2019-03-19 15:45:52 UTC #2

I think St. Joe's has a recruiting problem that's not going to go away regardless of who they hire. They just don't seem to be in play for top-level recruits anymore, even with Martelli and his history of success. They need a really charismatic young coach--can they afford to hire one?

Is Jameer interested? That might be what they need, he has a lot of appeal to young athletes that saw him play in the NBA still.

zambonir 2019-03-19 16:06:17 UTC #3

It doesn't have to be someone expensive. It should also probably be someone African-American. No reason they can't compete in the A10 but unlikely they will ever replicate the glory days, or catch up to Villanova and Temple (recruiting-wise or on the court) just because those schools are now in much more appealing conferences. Sometimes it only takes one player of course (isn't that basically true of recent years? They had a star from 2014-2016 and not since?)

Philsmania 2019-03-19 16:32:38 UTC #4

You're not going to recruit McDonald's All-Americans to play in the A10. But, you can still get good players. And, you have to coach them better. Martelli has brought some good frontline talent to Hawk Hill but little depth. This past season, he lost the team and lost it very badly so clearly something was off with his handling of the team.

And, no Philadelphia team is ever going to come close to what Villanova now is, not even Temple. They are the major leagues, every one else is the minor leagues. Or, at least that will be the case until Wright decides to take the Sixers job.

zambonir 2019-03-20 03:17:06 UTC #5

I don't think a rookie coach (at any level) is the answer. I mean, compare that to McKie who has almost a decade of NBA and NCAA assistant coaching under his belt. But will Jameer Jr. still go there now?

I can't help but think the Temple thing played a role in St. Joe's thinking. The AD (and people above her) knew it was just about over. So they could have given it one more year like Fran just had or they could just rip the Band-Aid off.

(Athletic story on this very thing)

Squire 2019-03-20 13:54:24 UTC #6

I have no affiliation with St. Josephs but do think that Martelli deserved a little better than a 3 paragraph press release which contained a major grammatical error in the first line of one of the paragraphs.

zambonir 2019-03-20 18:32:31 UTC #7

Sounds like he was blindsided and unhappy and they'd fooled themselves into thinking he'd go along with it. When he didn't, which also meant he wasn't going to be quoted in the press release, they got petty and botched it even more.

One of the stories said they offered him the opportunity to coach one more year a la Dunphy, as well as the chance to stay employed (y'know, a la all the ex-Phillies managers) but he declined both of those scenarios. He says he wants to coach again. Probably a Patriot or CAA job out there for him.

phillychuck 2019-03-20 22:07:44 UTC #8

Here a real outside-the-box suggestion for St. Joe's--hire an alum who has won 2 National Championships--Muffet McGraw. It would put the program on the map instantly if she accepted.

zambonir 2019-03-20 22:26:13 UTC #9

Love the idea, doubt either party would take the leap. And unfortunately I think it would hurt recruiting more than it would help.

Philsmania 2019-03-20 22:54:35 UTC #10

The response of the Philadelphia media has been much more balanced. It's the national media which is having a hissy fit of righteousness indignation. They are not in touch with the discontent of the Hawk fan base, the record of recent mediocrity and how poorly he handled this past season. Ironically, seven years ago, the national media people were all over him when he refused to grant a release a player named Todd O'Brien who wanted to transfer. From ogre to martyr.

Philsmania 2019-03-29 21:04:59 UTC #11

Now-former Sixers assistant Billy Lange is the new head coach of the Hawks. Looking forward to an exciting new era!

xogfog 2019-03-29 21:29:45 UTC #12

A little disappointing with Jameer Nelson, he wanted the job and didn't get it, he pulled his son, who was committed to St. Joes out of his commitment. Some of that may be because he wanted Martelli to coach, but the timing looks bad, like it is sour grapes...

Philsmania 2019-03-29 21:59:03 UTC #13

I am glad that they went with someone who is not from the Jack Ramsey Coaching Tree. Every coach from him to Martelli either played for or was an assistant for one of the coaches who came before him. To be honest, Hawk Athletics under former AD Don DiJulia was much like the Phillies organization under Dave Montgomery--exuded a "family" feel but was stodgy, insular and reactionary in operation.

zambonir 2019-03-29 22:16:54 UTC #14

I think Jameer's kid is completely entitled to pull his committment, as any recruit should be after a coaching change. The fact that Jameer wanted the job is a complicating factor but that happens all the time too (it's not usually their Dad, but there's always candidates who will help you keep a key recruit more than others).

But yeah, it never made sense that, having cleaned house at both the AD and the coach level, that they'd turn around and hire someone so closely tied both of the people they got rid of.