St. Joe’s graduate brings fandom to journalism 

For years, the identity of the person behind Hawk Hill Hardwood was hard to find.

Most fans who followed Hawk Hill Hardwood, a website and Twitter account dedicated to keeping the St. Joe’s community in the loop on all things Hawk basketball, had no idea who was running it. 

What was clear from Hawk Hill Hardwood’s analysis and from the account’s interactions with players, parents, coaches and other journalists, was that Hawk Hill Hardwood was an insider, somebody who really knows St. Joe’s basketball.

In fact, the man behind Hawk Hill Hardwood is a 33-year-old St. Joe’s graduate, Matt Gifford ’06.

Hawk Hill Hardwood is a part of 24/7 Sports, a sports news and analysis website owned by CBS, and Gifford is the only writer. He also is behind the Hawk Hill Hardwood Twitter account. 

An elementary education major and English minor in his time at St. Joe’s, Gifford now teaches fifth grade in New Jersey by day. By night, he writes for Hawk Hill Hardwood.

Although Gifford does not have a press pass, he manages to access what he needs and has become synonymous with St. Joe’s basketball in the eyes of fans.  The only beat reporter for St. Joe’s men’s basketball, he is a must-follow on Twitter. There and on the website, he provides analysis, beat coverage, recruiting news and insight about the program.

“Since we are such a small school we don’t get national coverage,” said Steve Oldenburg ‘19, an avid fan of Hawk Hill Hardwood and a fixture in the student section. “Having a source so close to the program is great for disseminating information throughout the community.”

Gifford is not only a journalist but also a fan of St. Joe’s basketball. Before he wrote about the Hawks, he was in the student section cheering on his classmates. His personal connection comes from this time as a student, particularly from St. Joe’s undefeated 2003-2004 season happened at just the right time.

In 2003, when Gifford was entering his sophomore year, he lost his father after a long fight with leukemia. Gifford wrote about the experience in an April 8 article, “The Season That Saved My Life,” for 24/7 Sports. In that article, Gifford identifies himself publicly as the person behind Hawk Hill Hardwood, writing about the grief he lives with and how the 2003-2004 undefeated season proved so important to him.

Throwing himself into that basketball season, Gifford and his mother directed their attention to the triumph of their team, and ultimately the disappointment of the Elite Eight exit against Oklahoma State. Basketball “brought order, optimism and a distraction to my life,” Gifford wrote in the article. “That was also the year that I fell in love with the sport of basketball.”

Gifford’s article was shared by men’s basketball head coach Phil Martelli and by star of the 2003-2004 team and current Detroit Piston Jameer Nelson, driving considerable traffic to the Hawk Hill Hardwood site.

Gifford did not expect so much feedback, but is happy he got it, and happy his story brought people together.

“What sports can do for people, to get through the bad times, is amazing,” Gifford said. “There’s a beauty in fandom and sport that cannot be replicated.”

Gifford said he also recognizes the pitfalls of being too much a fan in his journalism.  He said he counters that by trying to stay analytical in his writing. 

“It is an interesting divide,” Gifford said. “If there is something I do not agree with, I’ll try to use data to back it up.” 

While teaching is his primary job, Gifford’s homework is for Hawk Hill Hardwood. He attends games and analyzes stats. 

“It’s great being justified watching high school basketball as work,” Gifford said with a laugh.

As the Hawk Hill Hardwood site has grown more popular, Gifford has struggled to do both his main job as a teacher and his work as Hawk Hill Hardwood during the school year. But he said the work is still worth it. 

“I have never debated stopping doing it,” Gifford said.

Throughout the year and especially in the summer, he also covers St. Joe’s recruiting, giving excited fans glimpses of what could be next in St. Joe’s and Big-5 basketball. 

Kevin Roussey ’20, a student manager on the basketball team and a fan of Hawk Hill Hardwood’s content, said he especially loves Gifford’s journalistic due diligence with recruiting.

“He has it all,” Roussey said. “He is really straightforward. He does not beat around the bush.”

Gifford looks to next year with a “guarded optimism.” When pressed, his optimism becomes less guarded. His voice is a little more excitable, as the journalist fights the fan within him. 

“If we stay healthy, I think we can be really good,” Gifford said.