PHILADELPHIA (3/8/04) -- For an Atlantic 10 record ninth time, Saint Joseph's will play in the A-10 Championship game. The Hawks (20-9) take on city rival Temple (20-9) tonight at 5 p.m. TU swept the season series with a 62-61 overtime victory and a 58-56 win at the Liacouras Center. SJU is looking for its first Atlantic 10 title since 1999. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. Click here for game notes, streaming audio. ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT HEAD COACH: CINDY GRIFFIN Cindy Griffin is in her third season as head coach at Saint Joseph's University. A 1991 SJU grad, Griffin was named the seventh head coach in Hawk history on April 25, 2001. She holds a career record of 109-61 overall, 61-28 at SJU. Griffin previously served as head coach of Loyola (Md.) College for two-and-a-half seasons. The 2003 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, Griffin is 2-2 in Atlantic 10 Tournament competition. LAST GAME: SAINT JOSEPH'S 54, FORDHAM 42 Reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week Irina Krasnoshiok scored a game-high 19 points and fellow senior Amra Mehmedic scored her 1,000th point as the Hawks celebrated "Senior Day" with a 54-42 victory over Fordham. Despite only receiving field goals from three players and none in the final six minutes, SJU held its opponent to under 50 points for the seventh time this season and wrapped up the regular season with an 18-9 overall and 12-4 A-10 record. (SEE BOXSCORE AT END OF NOTES) THE 2004 ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT The 2004 Atlantic 10 Championship commences this weekend, March 5-8, at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on the campus of Saint Joseph's University. Saint Joseph's earned a first round bye and the #2 seed in the East, after finishing the regular season with an 18-9 record, 12-4 A-10. SJU meets either the West's #3 seed Duquesne or the East's #6 seed Massachusetts in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 6 at 2:00 PM. The Hawks won A-10 Tournament crowns in 1997 and 1999. They were tournament runners up in 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993 and 2002. SJU has competed in the A-10 Tournament 21 times and holds a 25-19 record in those games. The Hawks have reached the semifinal round 14 times. SJU vs. THE TOURNAMENT FIELD: A-10 TEAM 2003-04 Overall Tourn. Streak Dayton 1-0 9-4 2-1 Won 3 Duquesne 1-0 29-4 3-0 Won 1 Fordham 2-0 21-2 2-0 Won 3 George Washington 1-0 23-18 5-1 Won 1 La Salle 1-0 27-7 1-1 Won 6 Massachusetts 2-0 39-5 2-1 Won 11 Rhode Island 1-1 40-5 4-1 Won 1 Richmond 1-0 3-1 0-0 Won 3 St. Bonaventure 1-1 31-5 0-0 Won 1 Temple 0-2 39-17 1-2 Lost 2 Xavier 1-0 8-5 2-1 Won 3 SJU A-10 TOURNAMENT RECORD BY SEED: (Times as seed in parentheses) Seed 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th SJU 11-5 5-4 6-5 1-2 0-1 2-2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 (7) (4) (5) (2) (1) (2) (0) (0) (0) (0) SJU IN THE 2003 ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT: SJU entered the 2003 A-10 Tournament as the #1 Seed in the Eastern Division, with a regular season record of 18-9, 13-3 in the A-10. After receiving a first round bye, the Hawks were upset by a surging Rhode Island team in the quarterfinals, 62-49. The URI win snapped a 14-game losing streak to SJU, dating back to 1996. TRAINER'S ROOM: Brie Finney - Ill (Doubtful) ATLANTIC 10 POSTSEASON AWARDS: Graff, Brady, Krasnoshiok earn spots on all-conference team Seniors Stephanie Graff (second team), Erin Brady (third team), and Irina Krasnoshiok (third team) have been selected to the All-Atlantic 10 team selected by the league's coaches. Graff earns the recognition for the first time in her career and has averaged 12.4 ppg. this season. She leads the team in rebounding (7.1), blocks (61) and field goal percentage (.511) and has posted four double-doubles this season. Graff was also named to the All-Defensive team. Krasnoshiok was named to the third team for the second consecutive season after leading the team in scoring (12.5 ppg.) The 6-5 center is second on the team in rebounding (5.4) and has shot .495 from the field. The Chisinau, Moldova native is 11th all-time in scoring (1,158) and is in the top 10 in three-point and free-throw shooting. Brady is a first-time honoree on the all-conference team and averaged 10.7 ppg. and 3.4 apg. this season. The co-captain scored her 1,000th point on February 26 at Rhode Island. ATLANTIC 10 ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE: Graff named to academic team for second straight year Senior Stephanie Graff has been named to the academic all-conference team for the second consecutive year. Also a CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team pick, Graff sports a 3.72 GPA in the field of elementary education. The 6-2 forward marks the fifth straight year that a SJU player has been named to the team. SJU APPEARS IN RECORD EIGHTH A-10 FINALS: Saint Joseph's tied an Atlantic 10 record in 2002 by making their eighth A-10 Tournament final appearance. That tied Rutgers and George Washington for the most finals appearances among A-10 schools all-time. Team Finals Titles Rutgers 8 4 G. Washington 8 4 Saint Joseph's 8 2 Penn State 6 6 Xavier 3 2 Temple 3 1 SENIOR SEXTET: Nearly half of the Hawks' roster in 2003-04 is comprised of seniors, including Erin Brady, Stephanie Graff, Esther Hoffer, Irina Krasnoshiok, Amra Mehmedic and Elizabeth "Hootie" Mohan. Five of the six are "true" seniors, with Brady (transfer) in her fifth year. All have taken at least one turn in the starting lineup during their collegiate career. They have combined for nearly 13,000 minutes, 4,300 points, 2,100 rebounds, and 900 assists. KRASNOSHIOK IS FINAL A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For her two performances against St. Bona and Rhode Island, senior Irina Krasnoshiok earned her second Atlantic 10 Player of the Week of the season on February 29. The 6-5 center shot 65% (15-for-23) from the field and averaged 18.8 points per game in two Saint Joseph's wins. FIRST HALF FINISHERS: The Hawks strong play this season can be attributed to its success in the first half of games. The team's ability to stake itself to early advantages has paid dividends, as SJU is 14-1 when taking a lead into the lockerroom at intermission. Last year the Hawks were also 14-1 when leading at halftime. Overall, SJU is 48-4 when leading at the break during Cindy Griffin's tenure as coach. MEHMEDIC NETS 1,000: Senior Amra Mehmedic became the fourth Hawk this season to reach the 1,000 point mark with her free throw with 1:48 to play in SJU's 54-42 win over Fordham on February 29. Mehmedic now has exactly 1,000 points, placing her 18th on the all-time scoring list. BRADY REACHES 1,000 POINT MARK: A free-throw with 1:06 remaining at Rhode Island gave senior Erin Brady her 1,000th career point, the third Hawk this season to hit the milestone. The co-captain scored 369 points in two seasons at American before transferring to SJU. FEARSOME FOURSOME: For just the first time in team history, four players have scored their 1,000th point during the same season as Erin Brady, Stephanie Graff, Irina Krasnoshiok and Amra Mehmedic all reached the milestone this season. Two players have reached the 1,000-point mark during the same season prior to this year. Megan Compain and Amy Facer reached the milestone in 1996-97, while Angella Zampella and Jana Lichnerova did it in 1999-00. GRAFF NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Senior Stephanie Graff was named to the Academic All-District 2 First Team, announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on February 19. The senior forward/center was on the second team last year. As a result of being on the first team, Graff will move on to the Academic All-America ballot, to be announced on March 5. SELECTIVE COMPANY: With 1,158 points, 512rebounds and 97 three-pointers, senior Irina Krasnoshiok is three three's away from joining a very selective group at SJU. Only former point guard Angella Zampella '01 has scored over 1,000 points (1,509), grabbed 500 rebounds (521), and made 100 three-pointers (184). GRAFF EARNS ATLANTIC 10 AND BIG 5 HONORS: With two straight double-doubles, Stephanie Graff earned Atlantic 10 and Big 5 honors (2/8) for the first time this season. The senior co-captain averaged 21.0 ppg. and 13.5 rpg. as SJU split two games with Richmond and St. Bonaventure. Against the Spiders, Graff had 17 points and a career high 16 rebounds. She set a new career high with 25 points against the Bonnies and pulled down 11 boards. TRIPLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR GRAFF: Senior Stephanie Graff has recorded double-doubles in three games against Richmond (17 pts., 16 reb.), St. Bonaventure (25 pts., 11 reb.), and Fordham (14 pts., 10 reb.). The last Hawk to do the same was current assistant coach Susan Moran who did it from January 11-20, 2002 when she hit double-figures in both categories against St. Bonaventure (18,16), Fordham (29,11), and George Washington (14,10). THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS - PART 1: With a 63-40 win over Fordham on February 8, the Hawk defense has limited five teams to their lowest output of the season. The other four teams were Drexel (62-44), Lehigh (68-44), Massachusetts (67-40 and 52-40), and Richmond (58-40). KRASNOSHIOK NETS 1,000TH POINT: Senior Irina Krasnoshiok became the 16th Hawk to reach the 1,000 point plateau with a driving layup in the second half of the team's 68-52 win over La Salle on January 23. The 6-5 center finished with 13 points and is now tied for 11th on the all-time scoring list with 1,158 points. GRAFF ALSO REACHES 1,000: With a foul shot in the second half of a 58-48 win over Richmond, Stephanie Graff became the 17th SJU player to reach the 1,000 point mark in her career. Graff is now 14th on the all-time scoring list with 1,110 points. EN FUEGO: Irina Krasnoshiok tied a program record with 12 consecutive field goals between the Penn and Rhode Island games. After making her final four shots against UP, the senior made her first eight against URI. Mary Sue Garrity also hit 12 straight field goals against Tennessee Tech on December 10, 1976. THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS - PART 2: During the Cindy Griffin era, Saint Joseph's is 43-4 when holding opponents under 59 points. This season, the Hawks are 14-1 and are averaging a league best 57.5 points allowed per game. SJU is also holding opponents to a .387 shooting percentage, good for second in the league behind George Washington. DIALING IN FROM LONG DISTANCE: Hawk senior Amra Mehmedic now ranks as the most prolific three-point shooter in school history. With her trey-ball in the first half in the team's conference opener versus Duquesne, Mehmedic passed Katie Curry ('93) as the SJU leader in three-point field goals made. The southpaw now has 244 three-point field goals for her career. The Bosnian bomber also recently became the Hawk leader in three-point attempts, passing Curry, who tossed 621 shots from behind the arc. Mehmedic ranks as the tenth most accurate three-point bomber, connecting at a 35.0% (244-697) clip. BLOCK PARTY: While SJU has been known for its defense over the years, blocked shots have not factored into the team's success in that capacity. Hawk senior Stephanie Graff, who has accumulated 160 rejections over her career, broke Dale Hodges' (1988-90) career record of 96 in the team's season finale in 2002-03. The Drexel Hill, Pa. native now ranks tenth in Atlantic 10 history in career swats. In addition, Graff currently has 61 blocks this season, breaking her own single season record set last season. Graff also set the Hawks' single game record for blocked shots with seven rejections against Duquesne on January 4, 2004. MIXIN IT UP: Cindy Griffin has mixed up her lineup five times this season and each time the team has responded with a win. SJU began the season by starting all five seniors (Brady, Graff, Krasnoshiok, Mehmedic and Mohan). After five games, Ayahna Cornish and Maura McBryan replaced Krasnoshiok and Mehmedic. Before the Richmond game, sophomore Kelly Springman moved into the lineup for Cornish. Cornish returned to the starting five against Fordham. Mehmedic returned for Cornish beginning at UMass. Griffin went with an all-senior lineup for Senior Day, adding Krasnoshiok and Esther Hoffer for Graff and McBryan. COUNT IT: Thanks in part to her program record tying 11-for-11 performance from the charity stripe against Dayton, Stephanie Graff connected on 31 straight free throws. The streak ended with a miss in the second half of the Temple gamae. The program record of 35 was set by Ellen Shields in 1988-89. STEPPIN UP TO THE MICROPHONE: Saint Joseph's joined George Washington as the only two teams in the Atlantic 10 to face two opponents in the top 10. Both teams faced #5/6 Penn State, while the Hawks battled #1/1 Connecticut and GW played #5/5 Tennessee. BRADY EARNS BIG 5 HONOR: Senior Erin Brady was named the Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week (1/20) for her performance against Xavier and Dayton. She averaged 13.5 ppg., 6 apg. and 4 spg. in two Hawk wins. It is the second time in her career she has been cited by the Big 5. KRASNOSHIOK NAMED A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Irina Krasnoshiok earned her second career Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honor on January 11 after performances versus Massachusetts and George Washington. The senior averaged 18.5 ppg. and 4.0 rpg. to lead SJU to consecutive conference victories. WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Freshman Ayahna Cornish was known for her scoring prowess at Cardinal Dougherty, where she was the Catholic League Northern MVP for two seasons. She exploded onto the collegiate scene with a 17 point, 7 rebound effort in a 68-42 win over Lehigh on December 6. In her first collegiate start vesus Virginia, Cornish netted 17 again in a career high 39 minutes. She was named A-10 Rookie of the Week (12/21) for her play. Both outputs are the highest scoring performances for a SJU freshman since Amra Mehmedic scored 20 points vs. Fordham on February 24, 2001. HAWK CLASSIC HONORS: Stephanie Graff and Irina Krasnoshiok each earned all-tournament honors at the 2003 Hawk Classic. Krasnoshiok joins Susan Moran, Angella Zampella and Amy Facer as the only Hawks to earn all-tournament citations at least three times. Zampella is the only SJU player to receive the honor four times. GRAFF DOUBLES HER PLEASURE: Stephanie Graff has recorded four double-doubles this season, including three straight games. Against George Mason, Graff had a 15-point, 14-rebound effort in the Hawk Classic finals. She scored 17 points and pulled down a career high 16 rebounds against Richmond, and follwed that with a 25-point, 11-rebound showing at St. Bonaventure. Graff now has 15 double-doubles for her career. Dale Hodges holds the SJU record with 55 double-doubles in her illustrious career. DEFENSE WINS: The Hawks have held opponents to under 50-points seven times this season (Drexel, Lehigh, Massachusetts twice, Richmond, and Fordham twice). SJU has won 67 straight games when holding its opponent to under the half-century mark. The last loss was a 47-46 defeat to Duquesne on January 14, 1995. GRIFFIN JOINS CENTURY CLUB: With a 59-53 win over Xavier on January 16, 2004, Saint Joseph's University head coach Cindy Griffin recorded her 100th career victory. In her sixth season overall as a head coach, Griffin has compiled a 109-61 record, including a 61-28 mark in three seasons with the Hawks. GRAFF NAMED BIG 5 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephanie Graff earned her third career Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week honor on January 6 after strong performances at the Hawk Classic and in the A-10 opener against Duquesne. The senior shot 67% (18-27) for the week on her way to averaging 15.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg. DOUBLE TROUBLE: Seniors Stephanie Graff and Irina Krasnoshiok combined for 39 points and 12 rebounds in SJU's 77-65 win over Appalachian State at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic. The pair also combined for 37 points and 16 boards vs. Stony Brook in the Hawk Classic and more recently, with 30 points and 12 rebounds at Rhode Island. When the duo has combined for 30 points and 10 rebounds, the Hawks are 13-6 over the past three years. A SPRING IN HER STEP: Sophomore point guard Kelly Springman is coming into her own in her second season on Hawk Hill. She has already set career highs in virtually every category this season, including points (12) and minutes (28). GRAFF NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM AT FIU CLASSIC: Senior Stephanie Graff was named to the all-tournament team at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic, thanks mostly to a 20-point effort in Saturday's consolation game. Graff had one of the better shooting nights in recent memory, going 7-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. STREET AND SMITH'S PICKS KRASNOSHIOK In its preseason magazine, Street and Smith's named senior center Irina Krasnoshiok a honorable mention All-American. The Moldova native led the Hawks with a 14.3 points per game average last season. She added 5.8 rebounds per contest as well. SHE'S BAAAAACK: Susan Moran, the all-time leading scorer in Saint Joseph's basketball history, is in her first season as an assistant coach on Hawk Hill. A 2002 graduate of SJU, Moran has spent time playing professionally in the WNBA with the New York Liberty and in Spain. Moran was a honorable metion All-American in 2002 and scored 2,340 career points. She holds seven other school records. GRIFFIN A HAWK UNTIL 2006-07: Along with men's head coach Phil Martelli, Cindy Griffin received a new contract in October. Griffin, the 2003 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, will patrol the sidelines until at least 2006-07. Griffin compiled a 43-19 record in her first two seasons. "Phil Martelli and Cindy Griffin are coaches whose teams reflect the qualities that make this university so special," said SJU President Timothy R. Lannon, S.J.. "Passion, excellence, sportsmanship, achievement, and tradition are hallmarks of Saint Joseph's basketball. We're fortunate to be able to welcome back Phil and Cindy for many more seasons." HAWKS PICKED TO REPEAT IN A-10 EAST The defending division champions, Saint Joseph's was picked by the media and coaches to repeat in the A-10 East. Irina Krasnoshiok was a preseason second team all-conference selection, while Erin Brady and Stephanie Graff were named to the third-team. George Washington, the 2003 Atlantic 10 Champions, is the favorite in the West. HOME SWEET HOME: With a 9-4 mark at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse this season, SJU has posted a 32-10 record at home over the past three years. Saint Joseph's has gone undefeated at the Fieldhouse three times-1974-75, 1976-77, and 1989-90. NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE STRENGTH: When Cindy Griffin compiled the Hawks' 2003-04 schedule, she knew it would be one of the nation's stiffest. According to the WBCA/Summerville Preseason RPI, SJU has the 27th toughest non-conference strength of schedule in the nation. Featured on this year's slate are tilts with three preseason Top 25 teams, including national champion Connecticut, #8 Penn State and #24 Virginia. In addition to the previously mentioned trio, SJU also faces 2003 NCAA Tournament participants Villanova, George Washington, Charlotte, and Xavier. Last year's non-conference schedule was regarded as the nation's fourth toughest. HOOTING AND HOLLERING: Hawk senior Elizabeth Mohan is better known by her unusual nickname, "Hootie." Her mother christened her with the moniker "Eliza-hoot" as a child. The name then evolved over time to its present form. THIRD TIME THE CHARM?: Saint Joseph's University has made back-to-back trips to the Women's National Invitation Tournament and hopes that a third straight postseason visit will be a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2004. Overall SJU has made 18 postseason appearances, having made 11 NCAA Tournament trips, four AIAW Tournament visits and gained three WNIT berths. AUTOMATIC GRAFF: Senior Stephanie Graff has emerged as a force in the low post for the Hawks over her career and ranks as one of the most accurate shooter in SJU history. Graff set a new SJU single-season record by shooting a staggering 62.3% from the field (142-228) during 2001-02. That eclipsed the previous record for field goal accuracy of 60.7% set by Teresa Carmichael in 1984-85. Graff also ranks fifth on St. Joe's career field goal accuracy list, shooting 53.4% from the floor (417-780) during her career. THE MISSION OF FAITH: Hawk sophomore Faith Gross spent her junior year and half of her senior year of high school with her family serving as a missionary near Pretoria, South Africa. Her father was co-pastor of a local church, where she helped to organize clothing drives and furniture donations and was an active member of youth organizations. When not attending to pastoral duties, Gross' father also served as the basketball coach of her high school team in South Africa, Lyttelton Manor. She played point guard at the English-speaking school and averaged 23.0 ppg. In addition, she competed on an AAU-style club team, earning postseason MVP honors and helping the team to the league title. IRINA ERUPTS: Senior Irina Krasnoshiok, who finished the regular season seventh in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (14.3 ppg), developed into one of the A-10's most dangerous offensive threats during the 2002-03 season. A first-team all-Big 5 and third-team All-Atlantic 10 selection, Krasnoshiok tallied double figures in a team-high 21 games. SJU's Offensive Player of the Year, as well as the team's Most Improved Player, she scored a career-high 32 points against Rhode Island (1/12) to become the first Hawk other than Susan Moran to score 30 points or more in a game since Melissa Coursey in 1997-98. HAIL TO THE CHIEF: TIMOTHY R. LANNON NAMED PRESIDENT Timothy R. Lannon, S.J., an accomplished leader in Jesuit education, was elected the 26th president of Saint Joseph's University on Friday, December 6, 2002. Fr. Lannon succeeded Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J., at the start of the 2003-04 academic year. His selection capped a 10-month national search in which many outstanding Jesuit and lay candidates were identified and considered as possible successors to Fr. Rashford, whose remarkable 17-year term is the second-longest in university history. Fr. Lannon comes to Saint Joseph's from Marquette University, a fellow Jesuit institution in Milwaukee, Wis., at which he was most recently vice president for university advancement and associate executive vice president. He previously served presidential internships at the College of the Holy Cross (1996) and Boston College (1997-99), also Jesuit institutions, while completing a doctorate and teaching fellowship in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. SISTER-SISTER: Fans may have been thrown for a loop when SJU played Drexel this year. That is because Hawk sophomore Christen Scanlon's twin sister, Catherine, suits up for the Dragons. It is not a surprise that the sisters went their separate way in college, as they also attended different high schools growing up. Catherine played her high school ball at Cardinal O'Hara, while Christen was a teammate of Stephanie Graff at Archbishop Prendergast. SOUTHPAW SALUTE: The Hawks can cross up opposing teams by placing a lineup on the floor that features as many as four lefthanded players. The four southpaws, include seniors Stephanie Graff, Amra Mehmedic and Elizabeth "Hootie" Mohan, as well as freshman Whitney Ffrench. FOREIGN NATIONALS: The Hawks have been very effective at attracting talented international players to SJU. Presently, the Crimson and Gray have three foreign players - seniors Amra Mehmedic (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Irina Krasnoshiok (Moldova) and freshman Whitney Ffrench (Canada) on their 2003-04 roster. Overall, eight international players have worn the Crimson and Gray. The others are Alix Burns - England (1986-89), Megan Compain - New Zealand (1994-97), Jana Lichnerova - Slovakia (1997-00), Barbora Kuklova - Slovakia (1997-00) and Susan Moran - Ireland (1999-02). ROW YOUR BOAT ASHORE: SJU sophomore Christen Scanlon pulled double duty for the Hawks last season. One of the Philadelphia region's top prep rowers, she also hit the water with SJU's women's rowing team. Scanlon helped the Hawks' highly successful freshman 8 win a gold medal at the ECAC Championship and a silver at the Dad Vail Regatta. BIG 5 BANTER: While not a formal conference, the Philadelphia Big 5 is an agreement between five major Philadelphia area universities (La Salle, Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph's, Temple and Villanova) to play an annual round-robin series of games as part of their regular season schedule. The winner of the competition results in an annual "City Series" champion. Saint Joseph's success in the Big Five over the last 20 years is astounding. SJU has won 14 Big Five titles during that period, including ten outright crowns. In addition to the titles, the Hawks are the all-time winningest team in Big Five history, recording a 78-21 (.788) record in 25 years of competition. CRADLE OF COACHES: The Saint Joseph's University tradition of developing outstanding coaches has continued in recent years. Here is a list of SJU grads, who are presently in the head coaching ranks at the college level, Cindy (Anderson) Griffin '91 (Saint Joseph's) and Muffet (O'Brien) McGraw '77 (Notre Dame). The others, all assistants or high school coaches, are: Barb Black (Mount St. Joseph's Academy), Robyne Bostick (Long Island), Kathy Costello (Nazareth Academy), Jen Greenwell (Long Island), Tracy Harmon (Archbishop Wood H.S.), Amy Mallon (Episcopal Academy), Alix (Burns) Mayock (Duquesne Academy), Mary (McGroerty) McDonald (Cardinal Dougherty), Kelley (Devine) Meury (Ohio State), Susan Moran (Saint Joseph's), Wendy (Brink) Jilson (Colonial Forge H.S.) and Jeanine (Reynolds) Delaney (Clearview Regional). HODGES' NUMBER HANGS IN THE RAFTERS: Former Hawk star Dale Hodges (1988-90) became the first woman in SJU basketball history to have her jersey number retired during pregame ceremonies of SJU's game versus Air Force on Dec. 28, 1999. The most celebrated player in SJU history, she wore #44 for the Crimson and Gray. A first team All-American as a senior, she holds 29 school records, including most rebounds (1,049) and for a career. She was a two-time Atlantic 10 and Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Year. Her number hangs from the rafters at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. The #30 with the name Anderson has also been retired at SJU. Often mistakenly referred to as head coach Cindy Griffin's (nee Anderson) number when she played at SJU, the number was actually retired by the Hawk men's team in honor of Cliff Anderson. Griffin wore #11 as a Hawk player. HAWKS IN THE PROS: When former Hawk Susan Moran '02 joined the WNBA's New York Liberty in 2002, SJU has had more players go on to compete in the two U.S. women's pro leagues then any other school in the Atlantic 10. In addition to Moran, the four former Hawks who have played in the pros include Debbie Black '88 (Miami Sol, Utah Starzz, Connecticut Sun-WNBA/Colorado Xplosion-ABL), Megan Compain '97 (Utah Starzz-WNBA), Dale Hodges '90 (New England Blizzard-ABL), and Amy Mallon '93 (Philadelphia Rage-ABL). Black is the only ones still active in the states. In addition, Jana Lichnerova '00 was a fourth round draft choice by the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx in 2000, but instead has gone on to play professionally in France. THE HAWK MASCOT: "Hawks" has served as the nickname for Saint Joseph's athletic teams since 1929. The idea for The Hawk, as mascot, was originated by Jim Brennan during the 1954-55 season. Brennan, an ex-marine and SJU cheerleader, at first wanted to secure an actual hawk, but later switched to the costume idea. The student government raised the 120 dollars needed to buy the initial costume, which Brennan donned for three years. He made his debut as The Hawk on January 4, 1956. The most decorated mascot in the country, The Hawk has garnered numerous accolades in its 44-year history. It has been selected as the nation's top mascot by Sports Illustrated, Street & Smith Basketball Yearbook and ESPN College Basketball magazine. Eastern Basketball tabbed The Hawk as the Atlantic 10 Conference's best mascot as well. In January 2001, The Sporting News named The Hawk as the Nation's Best Mascot in its "Best of College Basketball" issue. SJU sophomore George Szczpanski dons the costume for every Hawk women's game. A-10 WELCOMES CHARLOTTE AND SAINT LOUIS: Beginning with the 2005-06 season, the Atlantic 10 Conference will welcome Charlotte and Saint Louis, giving the league 14 teams for women's basketball. Charlotte, a member of this year's Hawk Classic field, is the defending Conference USA champion and was a NCAA participant last season. The Billikins finished 18-16 last season and made their first trip to the WNIT. FOLEY INDUCTED INTO SJU ATHLETICS HALL: A three-time Academic All-American and member of the SJU Women's Basketball and Philadelphia Big 5 Halls of Fame, Kim Foley ('89) is the latest women's basketball player to be inducted in the SJU Athletics Hall of Fame. Foley was a first team All-Atlantic 10, All-Big 5 and All-District pick in 1989 and led the Hawks to the NCAA Tournament all four years. FORMER NITTANY LION ADDED TO HAWK STAFF: Rashana Barnes, a 2002 graduate of Penn State, is in her first season as the director of women's basketball operations as SJU. A draft pick of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, Barnes helped lead PSU to the Women's Final Four in 2000. In her present role, Barnes will organize the film exchange with Hawk opponents, compile scouting reports and assist with travel plans. She will also work closely to coordinate SJU's women's basketball camps and clinics. GOMEZ SIGNS NLI FOR 2004-05 SEASON: Timisha Gomez, a two-time honorable mention All-American by Street and Smith's, has signed a national letter intent to play women's basketball at Saint Joseph's beginning in the 2004-05 season. Gomez, a combo guard from Long Reach High School in Maryland, averaged 17 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists per game as a junior. A native of Elkridge, Md., Gomez has already amassed 1,205 points though three seasons. HEART OF A HAWK: In addition to athletics and academics, community service has long been one of the traditions of the Saint Joseph's University women's basketball program. The "Heart of a Hawk" program is the team's way of "giving back" to the community. Each student athlete is required to complete a minimum of ten hours of community service each semester.