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Saint Joseph's University

Saint Joseph's Hawks
Saint Joseph's Hawks
Nelson and Martelli Named Nation's Best By Chevrolet; Nelson Wins Senior Class Award

Men's Basketball SJU Athletic Communications

Phil Martelli Named Naismith Coach of the Year

ATLANTA, Ga. (3/29/04) - Saint Joseph's Phil Martelli and Tennessee's Pat Summit have been named the 2004 Naismith College Basketball Coaches of the Year, as selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

The Atlanta Tipoff Club previously named the Hawks' Jameer Nelson and Connecticut's Diana Taurasi the Naismith College Players of the Year.

Martelli guided Saint Joseph's to its finest season in school history with a 30-2 record and a berth in the NCAA Elite Eight. The Hawks went 27-0 during the regular season, recording the best start in school and Atlantic 10 history, and setting the SJU record for winning streak. Saint Joseph's was ranked in the nation's top 25 all season, while ascending to an all-time high of number-one in the polls for one week. Martelli and the Hawks earned the school's first-ever top seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1981, before suffering a heartbreaking 64-62 loss to Oklahoma State.

Martelli, who completed his ninth season as the Hawks' head coach, owns a career record of 179-99. He was named the 2004 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and won the Henry Iba Award for the nation's top coach as given by the United States Basketball Writers Association.

Martelli and Nelson will receive their Naismith Awards at the Atlanta Tipoff Club's annual banquet on April 9.

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