Just realized St Joes is 6-3 in A-10, good for fourth. This could get ugly. We rarely play well at SJU.

Saint Joseph's Hawks
Date: Wednesday February 4th, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Hagan Arena (Philadelphia, PA)
TV: ESPN+
Ranks: 149th (KenPom), 123rd (Bart Torvik), 149th (Haslametrics), 139th (EvanMiya), 113th (Sports Illustrated)
2024-25 Record: 22-13, 11-7 (T-5th in A10)
2025-26 Projected Record: 18-13, 10-8 (T-4th in A10)
NET Ranking: 156th (Q3 Game)

Head-to-Head: 31-42, and the Hawks have won four straight and five of the past six against GW. We always talk about the Daytons and the VCUs of the world, but Joe's has seemingly had GW's number in both MBB and WBB for a while. Perhaps more embarrassing, the Buff & Blue went 2-5 against the Hawks in the Billy Lange era. The questionable coaching never seemed to get in the way against the Revs I guess.

In last year's meeting at home, GW fell 79-68. SJU was up 3 at halftime and led by as many as 17 over the course of the game. The home team never got within even two possessions after the first couple minutes of the second half. Neither squad shot particularly well from 3, with the Hawks shooting 29% to GW's 25%. The difference came inside the arc, where GW shot just 43% from inside the arc compared to St. Joe's going 70% from 2. That unfortunately sounds too similar to the last game against Fordham...GW was able to outrebound the visitors 39-33 and came away with ten steals. Slim led all scorers with 20 points and 11 rebounds, but he went just 8/20 from inside the arc. Jun had 13 off the bench.

The last game at Hagan Arena was a lot closer and was one of GW's better chances to knock off the Hawks in recent years. St. Joe's was up just one after the first 20 minutes, and neither team led by more than eight points the entire contest. A three pointer by JB cut the Hawk lead to just one with 38 seconds to play but unfortunately Joe's made their FTs down the stretch, going 5/6 after that point. Both teams shot significantly better from distance in the game (GW 44%, SJU 41%) with the Revs making 12 triples in the game. There were few turnovers as well, with both teams coughing it up a combined 13 times. The Hawks held the edge in rebounding at home (35-26). JB led the way with 32 points and Jacoi added 12.

Offensive Efficiency: 228th (KenPom), 200th (Bart Torvik), 216th (Haslametrics), 202nd (EvanMiya)
Defensive Efficiency: 83rd (KenPom), 71st (Bart Torvik), 102nd (Haslametrics), 86th (EvanMiya)
Pace: 143rd (KenPom), 147th (Bart Torvik), 132nd (Haslametrics), 164th (EvanMiya)
Offensive Shot Quality Rank: 245th
Defensive Shot Quality Rank: 146th
Rim & 3 Rate: 86% (104th)

Strengths (2025-26 Season):
Fouls Per Game: 14.7 PF/G (15th; 1st in A10)
Blocks Per Game: 5.2 BPG (16th; 1st in A10)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game: 27.14 DRPG (42nd; 2nd in A10)
Rebounds Per Game: 39.32 RPG (42nd; 3rd in A10)
Free Throw Percentage: 75.8% (60th; 1st in A10)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: 41.7% (65th; 3rd in A10)
Three Point Attempts Per Game: 26.7 3PA (70th; 4th in A10)
Assists Per Game: 15.6 APG (90th; 5th in A10)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: 12.18 ORPG (90th; 3rd in A10)
Winning Percentage: 63.6% (95th; 4th in A10)

Weaknesses (2025-26 Season):
Steals Per Game: 5.9 SPG (278th; 12th in A10)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 49.6% (284th; 12th in A10)
Field Goal Percentage: 43% (293rd; 12th in A10)
Turnovers Forced Per Game: 10.77 TO/G (294th; 13th in A10)
Turnover Margin: -1.5 TO/G (297th; 13th in A10)
Three Point Percentage: 30.2% (341st; 12th in A10)

Projected Starting Lineup:
#0 G Derek Simpson (Senior; Mount Laurel, NJ) - 8.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1 spg; 35% FG, 31% 3-PT, 77% FT per 30 mpg/35 GP at Saint Joseph's last season
#13 G Austin Williford (Freshman; Charlottesville, VA)
#11 G Jaiden Glover-Toscano (Sophomore; Brooklyn, NY) - 2.2 ppg; 35% FG, 33% 3-PT, 57% FT per 6.4 mpg/22 GP at St. John's last season
#7 G Dasear Haskins (RS Sophomore; Willingboro, NJ) - 5.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg; 50% FG, 31% 3-PT, 59% FT per 18.1 mpg/35 GP at Saint Joseph's last season
#22 C Justice Ajogbor (Graduate Student; Benin City, Nigeria) - 4.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.5 bpg; 58% FG, 39% FT per 21.1 mpg/35 GP at Saint Joseph's last season

Key Bench Players:
#5 F Anthony Finkley (Junior; Philadelphia, PA) - 7.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1 spg; 44% FG, 40% 3-PT, 78% FT per 24.5 mpg/35 GP at Saint Joseph's last season
#3 G Khaafiq Myers (RS Freshman; Philadelphia, PA)
#10 C Jaden Smith (Sophomore; Chicago, IL) - 2.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg; 50% FG, 50% 3-PT, 65% FT per 7.5 mpg/11 GP at Fordham last season

Key Losses:
Xzayvier Brown (Transferred to Oklahoma; Philadelphia, PA) - 17.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.5 spg; 42% FG, 35% 3-PT, 90% FT per 36.2 mpg/32 GP
Erik Reynolds II (Graduated; Temple Hills, MD) - 16 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.6 apg; 38% FG, 30% 3-PT, 86% FT per 33.9 mpg/35 GP
Rasheer Fleming (Went Pro; Camden, NJ) - 14.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.5 bpg; 53% FG, 39% 3-PT, 74% FT per 31.2 mpg/35 GP

Preview:
Over the last few seasons, a lot has been discussed about a lack of continuity around college basketball, with players seemingly entering their name in the transfer portal the moment things get tough. With all the discourse going towards the players showing no loyalty, it seems that when coaches get up and do the same thing that virtually gets ignored. A good coach that leaves is considered to have "earned a promotion" and when they depart it can leave players in a tough situation. The NCAA gives players a 30-day window to transfer when a coach leaves nowadays, but it wasn't too long ago that players had to just stick it out unless they wanted to sit a year. The whole waiver process was a real mess. If there's anything about the new rules that seems like a no-brainer/common sense it's allowing players to transfer and play right away when their coach leaves. Let's be real, they commit to a coach and not the school most of the time.

Of course, sometimes a coach can leave late in the offseason. At that point, players don't really have many options so they're forced to remain with their current team. We saw that play out when ML was canned in September of 2016. Something similar happened at St. Joe's, only it was a voluntary departure. Five months ago, Billy Lange decided to step down as head coach to take a job as an assistant for the New York Knicks. There was wide speculation that Lange was on the hot seat going into the year, and given this season's roster pales in comparison to previous Hawk teams it's less surprising that he chose to jump and more about when it happened. I guess there's no hard feelings since his son (a walk-on) is still on the roster.

The minute Xzayvier Brown took his talents to Oklahoma of all places, the writing was on the wall. Brown led the A10 in free throw percentage (11th nationally), and barely came off the floor last year (28th in the country in mpg). Erik Reynolds II was a program pillar, finishing his career as the school's all-time leading scorer (along with three pointers made and FT percentage). The fact that he surpassed Jameer Nelson in scoring is very impressive. Reynolds did have somewhat of a disappointing senior campaign compared to previous years from an efficiency standpoint. He was getting the shots up (11th in threes attempted in the country, and 38th in FGs taken overall) but they were not going in as much. Rasheer Fleming continued his upward trajectory and got drafted into the NBA 31st overall. He's now playing for the Phoenix Suns, a team that seems to love rostering A10 players.

Steve Donahue, who joined the staff earlier in the offseason after being let go by Penn, was promoted to HC - which at least provided a bit of continuity. Donahue has mostly been a middling coach himself over his coaching career, with a few good seasons here and there. Taking Cornell to three NCAA tournaments in a row back in the 2000s was very impressive, but that was a different era and the last couple years at Penn were really rough. There are also questions about his ability to recruit transfers after not really having to do so in the Ivy League. For some reason, he received a multi-year contract right away which feels like malpractice but it's hard to call that move silly right now with the Hawks winning six of their last seven games.

Donahue vowed to keep Lange's style of play going, and for the most part that's been the case. Joe's continues to launch from distance, attempting nearly 45% of shots from behind the arc (74th nationally). They are on pace to finish top 100 in that category for the eighth straight year dating back to the end of the Phil Martelli era. Seven of Donahue's ten Penn teams were also on that list of 100 teams, so I'd expect that trend to continue. As you'd expect from a team that loves taking jumpers, getting to the FT line is somewhat of an afterthought. They do keep teams off the line on the other end of the floor though and in the last few years the Hawks have really made things tough inside the arc with some strong rim protection. Under Lange, Joe's often ran teams off the three point line (outside of 2023 and 2024 when they didn't for whatever reason). Donahue would be wise to do that moving forward, because his Quaker teams were absolutely torched from deep the last couple years. Don't expect Joe's to force many turnovers - Donahue's last five teams have been among the least disruptive on that front.

St. Joe's had to change their identity back in December after leading scorer Deuce Jones, last year's A10 rookie of the year who came over from crosstown rival La Salle, was dismissed from the team. Good on Donahue for not putting up with bad behavior, because the Hawks seem to be better off after that decision. Jones notably helped SJU defeat Temple at the last second of a Big 5 Classic game, but he was somewhat volume-dependent all year.

The backcourt is now spearheaded by former Rutgers player Derek Simpson, who has scored in double figures in nine of the last 12 games Joe's has played without Jones. Simpson is a great facilitator who ranked 93rd in assist to turnover ratio last year and is 89th in assists per game this season. He also plays lockdown defense along the perimeter. Scoring efficiently has never been his strong suit, but Simpson is having perhaps his best year overall. He also rebounds at a fairly good clip. In last year's game, Simpson had 11 points/6 assists off the bench.

Simpson's backup Khaafiq Myers is technically also a returner although he redshirted last season. Myers, a former GW recruit, is undersized but he's a gamer who loves taking big shots. His efficiency could stand to improve - just 37% from the field and 19% from 3 won't get it done, but there's a lot to like about his energy on the floor. The month of January was not particularly kind to Myers, who's failed to score in double figures since New Year's. During that time, he's just 2/14 from behind the arc. He is the weakest defender in the rotation (-1.13 DBPR, per EvanMiya) partly due to his height.

Continuity was one of Lange's strengths as head coach, and Joe's kept their frontcourt relatively intact this offseason. Anthony Finkley is a do-it-all forward who led the team in three point percentage last season at 40%. Finkley makes his presence felt in a number of areas, whether by scoring, rebounding, moving the ball, or showcasing his versatility on defense. This season has been a bit of a struggle for the junior, and Donahue has made the decision to start bringing him off the bench. Finkley is just 27% from the floor on the year - perhaps the fit with the new coach is just not there. He had six points/five rebounds in last year's matchup.

Dasear Haskins is listed as a guard but he has good size at 6'8". He was not quite as polished last season offensively but has taken an opposite trajectory compared to Finkley this year. The Jersey native is the team's best three point shooter by percentage and is 53% from the field overall. He also has a nose for the ball, pacing the squad in rebounds. Haskins has only fallen below the ten point threshold in a game twice in conference play, and Joe's lost both games. He strikes me as a hard matchup for GW, because the team has trouble against players with his motor. Simon of Dayton comes to mind. Haskins had six points in the last meeting.

The linchpin of the Hawk frontcourt however is Justice Ajogbor, who has made finishing at the rim virtually impossible the last few seasons. The former Harvard big man led the A10 in blocks per game (top 10 nationally last year) and is #1 in the league again this season. He's not the most complete player offensively, but can make a bucket or two near the rim. Ajogbor is a rough foul shooter, so making him earn his points from the line is not a bad idea. Anyways, he's on the court for rebounding and rim protection and he does both at a fairly elite level. In last year's game at home, Ajogbor had five blocks.

With Jones out of the fold, the go-to scorer is now wing Jaiden Glover-Toscano. Like Dunlap of SLU, he went from one Saint school to another (John's to Joseph's). A 4-star, top-80 recruit out of HS, few score as smoothly as Glover-Toscano. Despite a rough shooting stretch from 3 over the past two weeks, he's still 36% from 3 on nearly eight attempts per game (92nd nationally). On four different occasions, he's knocked down five or more threes. Glover doesn't do much outside of scoring and rebounding (he's somewhat subpar defensively), but the Hawks need his production on the court.

Donahue has more or less kept an eight-man rotation during conference play, with freshman Austin Williford and Fordham transfer Jaden Smith rounding out the primary rotation. Williford was also a GW recruit out of HS. His dad Jason is currently on staff at Georgetown after being an assistant at UVA for 16 years. Austin, who starts for the team, is a prototypical Team Takeover guy - calm, cool, and collected even as a freshman. He doesn't need to be a high-usage guy to make an impact and will help on the boards/play decent defense. Williford has been a bit feast-or-famine during conference play, but Joe's is 5-0 when he scores in double figures this year. I'm not sure anyone wants to hear about a Fordham player after Saturday but Smith is a Chicago native who backs up Ajogbor up front. He won't see more than ten minutes or so. Smith is raw offensively, but he can convert near the rim and rebound at a decent clip. Redshirt freshman Kevin Kearney may see spot minutes but nothing more.

I actually think the defensive gameplan seems fairly straightforward. GW will want to prevent Joe's from getting open lanes to the basket, but I think they can live with Joe's taking threes given their lack of efficiency this year. They can be careless with the ball, so maybe the traps will be effective. I am curious to see the offensive gameplan tomorrow. SJU may not be Fordham-level dominant on the glass, but they are still quite good, don't foul defensively, and they have better rim protection. Finishing at the tin will still be a major challenge when Ajogbor is on the court. Will CC ask the team to settle for three after three again as a result? I hope to see more cutting off the ball from the guards. Hopefully, GW doesn't shoot themselves out of the game. It's hard to get excited about a game with potentially no Slim and low morale at the moment.

Projected Score: GW 79, St. Joe's 75. 61% chance to win (KenPom). Bart Torvik forecasts a 50% chance at a W. ESPN predicts a 64% chance for GW to move to 14-9.
 

The line has moved in the last hour from GW being 2.5 underdogs to 2.5 point favorites

Castro news I'd posit 

 

Effort good the first 4 minutes, but the offensive execution not.  Keep up the effort, improve the concentration a bit on offense, and we could be ok. 

But without Castro, we aren’t going to win if we get outworked.

hunger making first 3 just encourages him to shoot them 

We’re so lost without Castro.  No one looks confident on offense.

Also no interior D without Castro.

How bad is Joe Lunardi? 

He’s barely mentioned Castro’s absence (I think he mentioned it during the pregame, barely, but gave no context for what it means)

And now he’s on air wondering why our offense is so disjointed.  He’s really a terrible analyst.

Without Castro, our guys do not look like how a team should be in February …