Tiny college, now No. 1, set to take on the big guys

Basketball has returned to grace in Philadelphia, a sports-loving city grown weary of prima donnas in high tops. Now, fans here are celebrating the return of the athlete-as-gentleman. Here again are the days when a sense of humility means as much as a good jump shot. When dads can rely on work-a-day players to model life skills for their sons. When doing the right thing is fun.

Philly has its little St. Joseph's University to thank for all this. Its team last week finished 27-0 in men's regular-season basketball - delivering the first perfect Division 1 record since the University of Nevada-Las Vegas did it in 1991.

Their undefeated status now gives the Hawks the coveted No. 1 slot in the national rankings - and a moment to savor as they head into their "second season," one they'd love to be as perfect as the first. "One game at a time" was the mantra of head coach Phil Martelli as his players took care of business in the final run of regular-season play. "Nine more games" was his refrain at the team's first practice last Thursday after sealing the season by defeating St. Bonaventure 82-50. He referred to the three-game Atlantic 10 tournament - where the team opens up Thursday in Dayton, Ohio - and the six additional wins it would take to capture the NCAA final, in which the Hawks may well be a No. 1 seed.

True, the 3.800-student, Jesuit-run St. Joseph's has yet to play the mighty Dukes, Stanfords, and Kentuckys, whose well-funded programs and huge followings make the Hawks look like the very poor relation. Still, the team recently became the darlings of the sports world, with star Jameer Nelson gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated and Martelli getting lots of face time on ESPN.

Though the stiffest competition awaits, not everyone credits the team's success to "an easy schedule." Fans note that many hundreds of teams have lost in all manner of schedules since UNLV in 1991. And the top-echelon competitors on the tournament horizon "will have their own weaknesses," observes team spokeswoman Marie Wozniak.

At only 5'11" and 190 pounds, looking more like an NFL running back than an NBA power, the Hawks' Nelson is considered by many to be the best player in the NCAA. On and off the court, the unassuming Nelson leads a roster of kindred spirits who'd rather be winners than individual stars.

Four years ago, as a high school senior from nearby Chester, Nelson was largely overlooked early in the recruiting season. But he caught the eye of Martelli, who runs his program out of a cramped office next to the university's small, vintage gym. Nelson gave the coach a verbal commitment. Later - even as the big programs came a-courting, and even as St. Joe's limped to the end of a 13-16 season - the high-schooler kept his word to Martelli. He decided to forgo the NCAA draft last year as a junior, and this spring he graduates a campus hero, as much for his unselfish decisions as for his shooting percentage.

"No one is in there to be a star," says Andrew Koefer, a freshman walk-on almost cut until Nelson - who liked his work ethic - interceded on his behalf. Barely spared the ax, Koefer says he feels no less part of the effort. "We're just enjoying it, and thankful for all of it," he said at last Thursday's practice.

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