February ushers in hope for St. Joe's

The signs of progress at St. Joseph's can be fleeting, and haven't been quick enough to appease the more zealous among the Hawks fans, but there's no mistaking they are a better team in February than they were during their winless January.

There is also no mistaking the raw talent is there to bring back winning seasons in the future. Freshmen Langston Galloway, Ron Roberts, C.J. Aiken, and Daryus Quarles have the ability to develop into significant Atlantic Ten players. Galloway already is with his all-around play. Aiken leads the conference with nearly four blocked shots a game. Roberts and Quarles are far from finished products, but they brim with athleticism. Carl Jones, the skinny sophomore, is a fearless scorer.

As much as Phil Martelli has accomplished on Hawk Hill, he and his assistants will be under a lot of pressure to mold the youth into consistently effective players. That's the way it has to be at schools that don't have McDonald's all-Americans knocking on their doors, largely because they don't get the television exposure.

This off-season, the 6-foot-9 Aiken (189 pounds) and 6-6 Quarles (178 pounds) will no doubt be spending plenty of time in the weight room.

In too many games this season, the Hawks have looked like boys playing against men. Aiken is a wonderful shot-blocker with exquisite timing, but he's a subpar rebounder despite his length because he easily gets muscled out of the lane. A wing player with promise, Quarles often gets pushed around.