St. Joe’s guard leads nation in assists per game among freshmen

AARON TULLY ’23

Hawk Staff

Sticking together, staying connected and keeping a positive mindset were integral to the St. Joe’s women’s basketball team’s 5-2 start this season, according to junior guard and co-captain Katie Jekot.

The Hawks had four of their games postponed from Dec. 19-Jan. 3 and another three games postponed from Jan. 15-22. At times, the team only had five players practicing in person with the rest participating over Zoom.

According to freshman guard Olivia Mullins, the team was doing anything possible to stay in basketball shape.

“We have been doing workouts at home trying to stay conditioned,” Mullins said. “But for the people who are still here we’ve been doing extra lifting, extra cardio and even doing one-on-one individual workouts with one of the coaches in the gym.”

Jekot said they have a focused group of players this season who remained strong despite the team’s multiple quarantine periods.

“We’ve been through five quarantines,” Jekot said. “Every time we just do our best to stay positive and stay together.”

According to Head Coach Cindy Griffin, veteran leadership has been valuable to her team with the stop-and-start nature of the season. She said co-captains Jekot and senior guard Mary Sheehan have been fantastic leaders, and instrumental to her team’s 5-2 start.

“I would be remiss to not say that they’ve been fantastic,” Griffin said. “It’s one thing to have a great coaching staff, but it’s also another thing to have great leadership, and just the maturity and the work ethic and connectivity that they provide for our team.”

Mullins said the team leaders emphasized staying positive and focused throughout an unpredictable season.

“They have been reiterating just trying to keep a positive mindset through all of this,” Mullins said. “They rein us back in to tell us that our love for the game outweighs everything that’s going on around us.”

Griffin said that the team was prepared to deal with adversity related to the coronavirus pandemic going into the season.

“Unfortunately we knew what the routine would be,” Griffin said. “We knew what we had to do to get through this season.”

It was important to Griffin that her team continued to take steps forward despite quarantine challenges.

“It could be keeping up with their conditioning, if they were healthy enough to do so, [or] staying connected with your teammates and then going over some strategic offensive and defensive schemes,” Griffin said.

Mullins said the coaching staff urged the players to always be ready for the unexpected amid an uncertain season.

“[We could] be getting subbed into a game, coming off a quarantine break.” Mullins said.

The Hawks have improved across the board. They opened with wins against Lincoln University and Monmouth University. Three weeks later the Hawks split their two games against La Salle, winning at home and losing on the road. They beat George Washington University at home before a short road trip, defeating University of Massachussetts 76-69 and falling to University of Rhode Island 50-48 in overtime.

Griffin said underclassmen, in particular sophomore forward Gabby Smalls, have grown and developed well this season.

“Gabby Smalls is one of our best rebounders, she’s grown from her freshman to sophomore year,” Griffin said. “I think she brings out the best in our rebounding.”

For Mullins, the transition from high school to college has been made more difficult by the pandemic, but it’s made her a better player and teammate.

“It’s making me become more prepared as a person,” Mullins said. “I’m making sure that I’m prepared for any type of situation that comes up, staying resilient and being more connected with my team.”

Jekot said that the underclassmen have done a great job adapting throughout the season.

“Coming in as a freshman during this year can be very hard,” Jekot said. “They are taking all the input that we’re giving them and have been very responsive.”

Additionally, graduate transfer guard Alayna Gribble has also allowed the offense to diversify.

“Gribble has been a great addition to our team,” Griffin said. “She is shooting over 50% from the three-point line and just being able to shoot the longball on a consistent basis really frees up the inside game and vice versa.”

Jekot is currently averaging career highs in points per game, assists per game, shooting percentage and three-point percentage. Jekot said that she’s done well in her move to point guard this season, and has worked to improve as an on-court leader.

“Our team has been very successful executing plays and scoring in transition,” Jekot said. “I’ve been helping my teammates get to spots that they need to be at.”

While the team has had to overcome a lot of adversity in the face of the pandemic this season, they are still managing to find success on the court, according to Jekot.

“Our team does want to play and we want to win this year,” Jekot said. “We are determined to have this season.”

The team gathers around Griffin during a timeout in a Jan. 24 game against George Washington University.

PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Winter basketball updates

RILEY FRAIN ’21

Sports Editor

Women’s Basketball Overall Record: 5-2 Atlantic-10 Conference Record: 3-2

The St. Joe’s women’s basketball team found success across the first half of their season. They started off the year with two wins over Lincoln University on Dec. 13, with a score of 72-64, and Monmouth University on Dec. 15, who the Hawks beat by a margin of 80-52, led by a 19-point performance from graduate guard Alayna Gribble.

However, the women’s team had to postpone contests due to personnel within the program testing positive for COVID-19. Following the victory over Monmouth, the team was forced to pause all games and practices for two weeks, which caused them to miss a number of key matchups against conference opponents, as well as Drexel University.

After their short break, the Hawks came back with both a home and an away game against La Salle University. St. Joe’s took the victory at Hagan Arena and lost at La Salle’s Tom Gola Arena.

However, it would be another twoweek pause for the women’s team as another tier one personnel tested positive for COVID-19, marking the second time that the team would have to postpone games and halt all basketball activities.

The team missed three games with their comeback to the court coming against George Washington University in a hard fought 63-61 win over their Atlantic 10 (A10) opposition on Jan. 24 led by co-captain and junior guard Katie Jekot ,who shot four of seven from behind the three-point line.

In their most recent contest, the Hawks managed a 76-69 win over the University of Massachusetts, led by graduate transfer forward Alexis Santarelli, who’s having a strong season in her first year on Hawk Hill, and again Jekot, who’s been a consistent part of the Hawks starting lineup across their first six games and leads the team in average minutes per game.

With A-10 conference play set to continue for the women’s team within the coming weeks, it will be exciting to see how this talented group of Hawks finishes out their season and where they are within the conference standings come A-10 tournament time.

Statistical Leaders as of Feb. 2:

Alayna Gribble (graduate) - 67 points Katie Jekot (junior) - 35 assists Gabby Smalls (sophomore) - 44 rebounds Katie Jekot - 11 steals Gabby Smalls & Jaden Walker (sophomore) - 7 blocks Katie Jekot - 31.3 minutes/game Gabby Smalls - .581 FG%

Men’s Basketball

Overall Record: 1-14

Atlantic 10 Conference Record: 0-9

It has been a tough year thus far for the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team due to a plague of struggles and injuries throughout the first half of the 2020-21 season.

The Hawks showed flashes of potential early in the season by taking a solid Auburn University team to overtime in their opening preseason matchup, which they lost 9691 but were led by a 28-point performance from redshirt junior forward Taylor Funk. Just a day later, they would play the nations No. 6 team at the time, the University of Kansas, in a competitive matchup where the Hawks were beat 94-72 after tiring in the second half following the previous day’s overtime performance.

However, after the game against Kansas, St. Joe’s season would be put on hold as a tier one personal member tested positive for COVID-19, postponing two of the Hawks games against Bradley University and Temple University. The team then played Drexel University in a City 6 matchup following a two week pause. This was a game the Hawks should have won, but they were edged out by the Dragons who shot over 46% from the floor, 81-77, all in spite of redshirt senior guard Ryan Daly dropping 30-points on the night.

In the annual Holy War against Villanova University, the No. 7 team in the nation at the time, the Hawks played a tightly contested first half only down 41-33 heading into the locker rooms. However the Wildcats took off in the second half and ran away with a 88-68 victory over St. Joe’s, defeating the Hawks for the ninth straight season.

While it’s obvious the Hawks have struggled this year, there are a few factors at play that are hurting the Hawks on the court. The first is the strength of their game schedule. According to college basketball reporter Ken Pomeroy, the Hawks have played one of the top 30 most difficult schedules in the nation. It’s unusual for St. Joe’s to play such a touch schedule particularly being part of a mid-major conference in the A-10, but Head Coach Billy Lange has brought some aggressive scheduling tactics to Hawk Hill with his teams anytime, anywhere attitude toward opponents.

The Hawks lost 2019-20 A-10 leading scorer Daly in late December, as he has been out with a thumb injury. Names like redshirt sophomore guard Greg Foster Jr, senior forward Anthony Longpré and sophomore guard Jack Forrest have all missed time due to injuries, or other undisclosed reasons, throughout the course of this season.

The Hawks managed to pick up their first win against the University at Albany on Jan. 9 with a final score of 67-64, led by freshmen guard Jordan Hall who managed 13-points and 9 assists in the contest. However, having played their first nine conference matchups already, the Hawks are still in search of their first A-10 victory, which should be aided by the return of Daly in the coming games.

Statistical Leaders:

Taylor Funk (Redshirt Junior) - 243 points

Jordan Hall (freshman) - 88 assists

Taylor Funk - 87 rebounds

Jordan Hall - 18 steals

Taylor Funk - 11 blocks

Ryan Daly (redshirt senior) - 33.0 minutes/game

Anthony Longpré (senior) - .609 FG%

Hall leads freshmen nationally in assists per game

TYLER NICE ’23

Assistant Sports Editor

At Atlantic 10 (A-10) Media Day on Nov. 11, St. Joe’s men’s basketball Head Coach Billy Lange said Jordan Hall is “[one of the] top seven floor vision [player] that I’ve ever coached or coached against.”

So far this season, the 6-foot-7-inch guard and forward’s passing abilities provided evidence for Lange’s effusive praise. As of Feb. 1, Hall leads all freshmen nationally in assists per game.

Through 15 games, Hall’s 5.9 assists per game ranks first amongst freshmen and No. 13 nationally. Hall also has the second most assists per game in the A-10 Conference, trailing only Yuri Collins of Saint Louis University. To contextualize Hall’s average assists, no Hawk men’s basketball player has averaged as many assists for a season since Jameer Nelson in the 2001-02 season.

Like many of Hall’s favorite passers, including Magic Johnson, Jason Williams and Steve Nash, the basis of Hall’s court vision stems from an intuitive knowledge of the game and his ability to understand and orchestrate an offense.

“I just try to think of the game one play ahead,” Hall said. “I try to be a quarterback on the court.”

According to Hall, the foundation for his passing ability was established when he was young. He said he played on the perimeter growing up before he reached middle school and high school. As he grew into a forward’s body, he retained his guard skills, and despite his height, he considers himself a point guard.

“When I grew and got bigger, my position changed, but I kept my fundamentals,” Hall said. “I think that’s what makes me unique. A 6-foot-7-inch point guard that can pass, dribble and shoot.”

In high school, Hall served as one of Neumann-Goretti’s primary ball handlers. Carl Arrigale, head boys’ basketball coach for Neumann-Goretti, said that Hall’s unique passing vision was evident as a high school junior and senior.

“He’s just a natural born passer,” Arrigale said. “If you’re open, the ball gets to you on time and in a good pocket to be able to shoot it.”

Many of Hall’s assists come from pickand-roll action in St. Joe’s perimeter-oriented offense. With the ball in his hands as he dribbles off of a ball screen, Hall has the option to shoot, drive to the basket, pass to the roll man cutting towards the basket or pass to an open player for a perimeter jumpshot. In making a split-second decision when presented with these options, Hall said he trusts his basketball instincts.

“Playing basketball for so long, I know how the defense is going to rotate,” Hall said. “I go one way and I know the defense is going to react.”

According to Arrigale, St. Joe’s will have the option to utilize Hall’s passing in even more capacities on the court as he develops more strength.

“We used him in the post a lot in high school,” Arrigale said. “It wasn’t even for him to score. He was picking people apart as a point forward.”

As Hall’s court vision and awareness became a focal point in opposing defenses scouting reports, he is able to showcase different skills that defense are not as focused on limiting.

“The passing opens [my game] up a lot,” Hall said. “It opens up driving lanes and being able to create more.”

According to Hall, teams that pass well and keep the defense moving have the most success. He said that it is important to put teammates in a position in which they have an opportunity to make a play.

“Every team needs to have good passers,” Hall said. “Especially if you have great shooters like we do, like Taylor Funk and Jack Forrest. If you can’t deliver them the ball in the proper layout, it makes it harder for them to hit shots.”

Hall managed a career-high 11 assists in two separate games this season. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Campus Recreation opens updated cardio and strength rooms

RILEY FRAIN ’21

Sports Editor

Campus Recreation opened new strength and cardio rooms for students, faculty and staff looking for a safe place to workout indoors.

Reservations to use the workout rooms, located in the O’Pake Recreation Center on the Maguire Campus, can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Ninety-minute reservation blocks will help maintain maximum occupancy limits of 15 people in the room during any given session, according to Assistant Athletics Director for Campus Recreation Angie Nagle.

The pandemic provided the Campus Recreation team with the opportunity to reevaluate some of their current workout spaces and give them the updates they desperately needed, Nagle said.

“Up until this past year it was just one crowded room for both our strength and cardio rooms,” Nagle said. “I think the pandemic forced us to space things out, look at how we can use all the space in our building, look at the equipment we have and make changes that were long overdue.”

People who use the workout rooms are expected to follow a number of safety protocols to restrict the spread of COVID-19, Nagle said.

“At least six feet apart, masks on at all times even while you’re doing your workout and we’re asking students to wipe down the equipment before and afterwards,” Nagle said.

That’s in addition to a student cleaning crew that will come in and sanitize each workout station after a session, Nagle said.

“We have 90-minute reservation blocks throughout the day, so we have 90 minutes of workout, then we close the room for 30 minutes for cleaning,” Nagle said.

Spotting will also not be allowed and Nagle said people may have to adjust their workouts accordingly.

“They’ll have to pick conservative weight loads when doing say a max bench press,” Nagle said.

Campus Recreation Coordinator Alex Kissinger said she feels these changes will help boost the student workout experience while also keeping everyone safe and following the pandemic guidelines.

“In a way, the pandemic helped us enhance the facility to the best of our ability,” Kissinger said. “There was a lot of planning and moving equipment around but overall we think it turned out great. Now there is more equipment available and more room for our students to get a good workout in while social distancing.”

The new workout rooms contain a range of equipment, including a few new purchases the Campus Recreation department made to help improve the variety offered in each workout space, Kissinger said.

“The fitness center located on the lower level [of O’Pake] holds all cardio equipment including treadmills, bikes and cross trainers,” Kissinger said. “The multipurpose room located at the far end of the building holds all strength equipment including squat racks, benches, free weights and selectorized equipment. We added new functional equipment such as kettlebells, battle ropes and slam balls to provide students with increased flexibility for their workouts.”

Alexandra Pla ’23, one of the first students to use the new strength room, said while navigating some of the pandemic protocols can be challenging, she thought people were doing a great job respecting the rules.

“My first experience at O’Pake was good,” Pla said. “I liked the setup of the room because it was spaced out. I went early in the morning, so I was able to use all the equipment that I needed for today’s workout. People in the strength room were good about wiping everything down.”

Pla said the new workout spaces are a viable replacement for a classic gym set-up and noted she plans to continue taking advantage of their availability while on campus.

“I like to stay active and lift weights, where in my apartment, before this gym opened, I just watched body weight videos,” Pla said. “I potentially see this being a replacement because we are in a pandemic and the setup is laid out so nicely.”

Open Spaces

Ryan Mulligan ’21, Managing Editor

On campus

Where can I study or take a Zoom class?

Twenty five reservable • Bellarmine Hall, Barbelin Hall, Mandeville Hall, Post

Learning Commons (PLC), Campion Student Center and the Science Center. • PLC study rooms - single occupancy. • There is a limit of four hours per day. Students can reserve rooms by scanning the QR code.

• The Perch (walk-in only) • PLC - students can sit at designated tables • Merion Hall Atrium • Mandeville Hall end spaces • Tents outside of Villiger Hall and Admissions -walk-in only

Unoccupied classrooms - walk-in only Abide by occupancy listed outside of the room

Where can I Eat?

• Campion Dining Hall - Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.- 8 p.m., grab-and-go only • Campion Food Court (DB) - Monday-Friday 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. • Campion P.O.D. - Monday-Friday 10:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. • Mandeville P.O.D. - Monay-Thursday 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. • PLC P.O.D. - Monday-Thusday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Einstein Bros. Bagels - Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-3 p.m. • Full hours of all campus dining options can be found by scanning the QR code. • Students are encouraged to eat in the tent outside of

Villiger Hall. • In all indoor study spaces, food and beverage consumption is prohibited.

Where can I Safely socialize outSIDE?

• Tents outside of Villiger Hall and

Admissions Building • Additional lighting and outdoor seating added to Barbelin Beach outside of the library as well as on Villiger Lawn • Thursdays from 5-7p.m. - regional food trucks on the lawn outside of the

Admissions Building. Trucks will feature women and minority owned businesses.

Where can I Exercise?

• O’Pake Recreation Center is available by appointment only. • Reservations are for 90 minutes and can be made up to 48 hours in advance of the desired time slot. • Students may use the cardio center and the strength center. • O’Pake Pool by reservation, only for 50 minutes at a time. • Students can make reservations by scanning the QR code. • Running trails near St. Joe’s include

Merion Botanical Park, Bala Cynwyd

Park and the Cynwyd Heritage

Trail, the Belmont Plateau and the

Manayunk Towpath.