A season of success continues for St. Joe’s men’s basketball following their 76-75 victory against the University of California, Berkeley March 22. This win advances the Hawks to the quarterfinals round of the NIT Tournament, where they will face the University of New Mexico. The invitation to the tournament came shortly following a 77-64 loss to Virginia Commonwealth University in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament March 14.
The success of this year’s team came as a pleasant surprise to much of the fanbase, especially following the loss of former head coach Billy Lange. Less than two months prior to the start of the regular season, Lange announced his departure from the organization to accept a player development role with the New York Knicks. Steve Donahue, who was hired to be Lange’s associate head coach to start the 2025-26 season, was immediately appointed to the head coaching role. Donahue served as head coach for the University of Pennsylvania for nine seasons prior to replacing former St. Joe’s associate head coach Justin Scott.
To add to the bizarre chain of events to start the season, the team announced in an Instagram post Dec. 23 that their leading scorer, Deuce Jones II, was dismissed from the team and provided no explanation. While these alterations to the roster and coaching staff instilled a sense of frustration among the fanbase, these changes may have been what the team needed all along to see progress for the trajectory of the program.
The Hawks finished the regular season with an overall record of 21-10 and a conference record of 13-5 prior to the start of the Tournament, which is better than any season under Lange’s leadership. This success earned the team third place in the A-10 Conference, marking their highest seed since 2005 while earning them a double bye in the conference tournament. Key players including First Team All-Conference senior guard Derek Simpson, All-Atlantic 10 Second Team sophomore guard Jaiden Glover Toscano and All-Rookie Team first-year guard Austin Williford showcased their talents as breakout players this season. Further, sixth-year center Justice Ajogbor was recognized for his incredible defensive capabilities, being named Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and Donahue was voted the conference’s Coach of the Year as a result of the leadership he displayed all season long. All these accolades have proven one thing: Despite their unusual start to the season, the Hawks are a serious force to be reckoned with among the A-10.
