ATLANTA, GA (4/9/04) - Saint Joseph's
Phil Martelli and
Jameer Nelson received the 2004 Naismith Awards at the Atlanta Tipoff Club's banquet this evening at the Georgia World Congress Center. Martelli and Nelson are the selection for the national men's coach and player of the year while Tennessee's Pat Summit is being honored as the top women's coach and Connecticut's Diana Taurasi as the top women's player.
They are the first coach and player from the same school to earn the Naismith since Duke's Elton Brand and Mike Krzyzewski in 1999. Martelli is the second Atlantic 10 coach to earn the Naismith as John Calipari of Massachusetts won it in 1996, along with his player Marcus Camby.
Martelli and Nelson have completed a rare sweep of the top coach and player awards. In addition, the duo was honored by Associated Press, the USBWA, the Rupp Award, Chevrolet, and earned a share of the awards from the National Basketball Coaches Association.
For Associated Press, it was the first time since 1980 that the honored coach and player were from the same school. In the USBWA awards, it was the first time since 1985 when St. John's Lou Carneseca and Chris Mullin were honored.
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.
Martelli, who completed his ninth season as the Hawks' head coach, owns a career record of 179-99.
Nelson was the catalyst for the Hawks' magical season, topping the team in points (20.2), assists (5.3) and steals (2.9).
Nelson finished his career as the school's all-time leader in points (2, 094), assists (713) and steals (256). He joined with Tyrone Barley to form the winningest four-year class in school history with a 98-27 record and four consecutive post-season appearances.
Nelson is one of five finalists for the Wooden Award, which will be announced in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 10. CBS will air an awards show at 1 p.m. EST on Saturday.
