By PATRICK CARNEY
Philahoops Staff
Twitter: @patrickacarney
Jameer Nelson is the greatest player to ever wear the crimson and gray in Saint Joseph’s history. He is the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,094 points) and his No. 14 proudly hangs in the rafters of Hagan Arena.
After graduating in 2004, Nelson went on to become an All-Star point guard for the Orlando Magic, but he hasn’t forgotten where he came from. He is an ambassador for his alma mater, a generous donor and an older brother figure to the current roster. During this season’s NBA lockout, Nelson even took the court on Hawk Hill to practice with Phil Martelli’s current group of Hawks. Nelson is a legend in the Saint Joseph’s community.
GALLOWAY
Now, eight years after Nelson took his final curtain call at then Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, Martelli has two Hawks, junior guard Tay Jones and sophomore guard Langston Galloway, who have a chance to break Nelson’s all-time scoring mark.
Entering Saturday’s game against Charlotte, Jones has scored 1,123 points, and Galloway has tallied 663. Both have a shot at topping Nelson’s mark.
In his first two seasons at Saint Joseph’s, Jones averaged 13.4 points per game despite not making a single start in his freshman year. Now, in his junior year, Jones is an elite player in the Atlantic 10. Jones leads the conference averaging 18.7. If Jones keeps up this pace in his junior year, he’ll have a chance to break Nelson’s record. To sit atop of the all-time scoring list, Jones would only need to average about 19.2 points per game in his senior campaign.
JONES
If he were to take Nelson’s place atop the Hawks’ all-time scorer’s list, his reign may only last for one year. His teammate, Galloway, had the advantage of starting 33 games as a freshman last year. After contributing 12.8 points per game in his first year on Hawk Hill, Galloway is averaging 16.1 points per contest this year. If this average holds for the rest of the season, Galloway would need to average about 17.5 points per game in his final two seasons on Hawk Hill to find his name at the top of this revered list.
For Hawks fans, the best news is that Jones and Galloway will man arguably the best backcourt in the city together through next season. If they want their names mentioned in the same breath as Nelson’s, they’ll need to start winning some games in March.
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