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St. Joe's MBB locks down Rhode Island, appears to be turning corner

02/01/2023, 11:30pm EST
By Owen McCue

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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HAWK HILL — Saint Joseph’s senior Cameron Brown stood next to fourth-year coach Billy Lange at midcourt with a smile stretched across his face before Wednesday’s game against Rhode Island at Hagan Arena.

By the time he reached the podium for the post game press conference, he still wore that grin — a dominant 64-50 win over the Rams the source.

There’s been plenty of reason to smile as of late for Brown, who was being honored for his 1,000th career point pregame. Wednesday’s win was the Hawks’ fifth in six games.

It’s the best stretch of games St. Joe’s has played during his career.

“I always knew what this team could do, what this program could do, but just to see the results right now, it just feels a lot better honestly,” said Brown, who suffered through 50 losses during his first three seasons. “That’s all I’m going to say. It just feels great.”


St. Joe's senior Cameron Brown totaled18 points, eight boards and six steals in a win over Rhode Island on Wednesday. (Photo: Gavin Bethell/CoBL)

The victory pushed St. Joe’s (11-11, 5-5 A-10) back to .500 for the first time since their A-10 opener against Saint Louis on New Year’s Eve. The 11th victory also matches last season’s win total for the most Brown and Lange have accumulated in a season together during their time on Hawk Hill.

“This is what a college basketball journey is. He started, I don’t even want to call it a build or a rebuild, Ii was like a creation,” Lange said of Brown. “This was a brand new roster and a brand new beginning on top of a great story here that has been built by so many others. This is how long it takes and we’re still not close to where we’re going to have to eventually be but you throw no roster, pandemic, injuries to kids, and this is how it grows. 

“It’s less about Cam for Cam and it’s more about what Cam symbolizes for the rest of of our guys. This is what college basketball is supposed to be like. It has to be like this at St. Joe’s because we’re a community. I’m thrilled for what he symbolizes, but obviously I’m happy for him. 1,000 points, we’re competitive in our conference right now. Those are big deals.”

Brown led the way with 18 points, eight rebounds and six steals in Wednesday’s victory over Rhode Island (8-4, 4-6). Sophomore Erik Reynolds II (15 points) and redshirt-sophomore Lynn Greer III (12 points, four assists, six rebounds) joined him in double figures but after a strong shooting start it was mostly the Hawks’ defense that guided the way.


St. Joe's guard Lynn Greer, left, talks with coach Billy Lange during Wednesday's game. (Photo: Gavin Bethell/CoBL)

Even without sophomore Kacper Klacek, who Lange and Brown note is the Hawks’ most important defender, due to illness, the Hawks put on a defensive master class in a game they never trailed and led for more than 38 minutes.

“It’s the defense. It’s strictly that,” Lange said of what’s been the key to his team’s success as of late. “If we can cure up the rebounding, we can take another jumper with the defense. It’s just been defense. That’s it. 

“That’s what we want to hang our hat on. I mean we’re Saint Joseph’s. We’re Hawk Hill, Philadelphia. We have no choice but to have this level of resilience and grit and attack mode. I think it’s been that. It’s been some timely shot making. Lynn has been playing better. Guys have been playing better. They’re freshmen and sophomores. But if you ask me one thing globally, it’s without a doubt our defense.”

St. Joe’s held Rhode Island to 11-of-31 shooting in the first half (35.5 percent) to go into halftime up 36-26. After a hot shooting start sparked by Reynolds, who made his first four shots, the Hawks missed their last 12 attempts from three in the final 22-plus minutes of game time.

It didn’t matter as they clamped down even tighter on defense, holding the Rams to 9-for-28 (32.1 percent) from the field in the second half and 33.9 percent in the game. Redshirt-junior Charles Coleman aided the effort with three blocks, including multiple in one possession that had the student section chanting his name.

The Hawks have held opponents to 38.3 percent shooting in their most recent six A-10 games (5-1) compared to better than 50 percent in their first four (0-4).

“They’ve been preaching (defense) to us all year,” Brown said. “And there have been a few games this year where we gave up an abysmal amount of points on the defensive end, and we just all got tired of it and bought in and started to play harder on the defensive end. It’s really about effort. Effort and trusting your teammates and we all trust in each other. That makes it a lot easier.”


St. Joe's sophomore guard Erik Reynolds had a hot start to jump start the Hawks. (Photo: Gavin Bethell/CoBL)

St. Joe’s held an opponent in the 50s in just one game — a 54-52 loss to St. Bonaventure last season — during Brown’s career entering this season. They accomplished the feat six times so far in 2022-23 in wins over Lafayette (63-59), Saint Peter’s (73-57), Sacred Heart (77-59), Loyola Chicago (86-55), La Salle (71-59) and Rhode Island.

The 50 points Rhode Island scored were the lowest by a Hawks’ opponent since a 45-42 win over Loyola Chicago on Dec. 22, 2018. 

“We just dedicate it all to defense,” Brown said. “If you look at our numbers over the past five games, our defensive percentages have gone way up over the past few years and since the beginning of the season. Guys are buying in.

"We had a young group. It’s taken time for us just to gel. Everybody getting used to the game. When you’re winning it’s always fun, and we all love each other. Even our tough loss against GW, you can’t do too much about it. Just get in the gym the next day.”

St. Joe’s moved up to a tie for seventh in the 15-team A-10 standings with Wednesday’s victory. The Hawks started conference play in an 0-4 hole after going up against Saint Louis (7-2), Dayton (7-3), Fordham (6-3) — the second, third and fourth place teams in the league — and Duquesne (4-5).

They’ve since taken advantage of a weaker part of their schedule with victories over Loyola Chicago (1-8), La Salle (3-6), UMass (4-6) and George Mason (5-5) with a double overtime defeat against George Washington (5-4) the only thing separating them from a six-game win streak.

With rematches with La Salle (Sunday) and Loyola Chicago up next followed by George Washington, Duquesne and Davidson (3-7) before hosting current first-place team VCU (8-2) on Feb. 21 there is an opportunity to continue their strong stretch of play. 

“We don’t really talk about winning, so because of that we don’t talk about losing and we just talk about becoming,” Lange said. “I very rarely use the word win, very rarely if ever. It’s all to me just about becoming.

“Obviously they’re aware of their record. Everyone knows that plus we get booed, so it is what it is. But because the coach doesn’t mention it and it’s not something we talk about all the time, it’s not like we’re too up or too down. That’s part of the group and it starts with our captains. They’re very even keeled like that. That’s very helpful in situations where you’re not winning yet.”


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