Inside the Big 5: Steve Donahue, Saint Joseph’s look to build on “very gratifying” season

By AARON BRACY

May 7, 2026

Big5Hoops.com

On January 3, 2026, Davidson defeated Saint Joseph’s at Hagan Arena. It was yet another loss for a Hawks program that had suffered many during a trying season.

St. Joe’s lost its head coach just two months before the season, its leading scorer a month into the season, and now had dropped yet another game on the court. The Hawks were 8-7 overall, 0-2 in the Atlantic 10, and seemingly in survival mode.

Then, coach Steve Donahue, who had replaced Billy Lange in September, led them from “A to B.” A meeting between the coaches and key players led to a new approach in which Donahue wanted the Hawks to forget about what happened and move on to the next thing, whatever that thing was. Suddenly, and quite shockingly, St. Joe’s started winning. And the Hawks didn’t stop. St. Joe’s won 13 of its final 16 A-10 games. A loss to a tough VCU team in the conference tournament semifinals was followed by a strong run to the NIT quarterfinals, beating Colorado State and Cal on the road.

When it was over, St. Joe’s had won 16 of its final 21 contests to end up 24-12 overall. Even for the most ardent believers in The Hawk Will Never Die, this turnaround was hard to believe. 

“It was one of the more satisfying years of my career just because of the uncertainty that existed early on and the inconsistent play,” said Donahue, who was named Coach of the Year in the Atlantic 10 and Big 5. “To eventually become really consistent, in particular on the defensive end, just to see individual guys flourish as the season went on, that was very gratifying. Just was such a fun year in that sense, to see a lot of hard work pay off for the group and then compete at such a high level. It was very gratifying, for sure.”

Simpson Shines

Senior guard Derek Simpson was largely responsible for the unlikely turnaround. After never quite fulfilling his lofty potential in two seasons at Rutgers and 1 1/2 seasons on Hawk Hill, the Mount Laurel native took off in the final three months of his college career. He finished by averaging 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists while playing shutdown defense, resulting in being named Big 5 Player of the Year and All-A-10 First Team. 

I told him this: I’ve never had a senior take off in the league season and carry a team like he did. — Steve Donahue on Derek Simpson 

“I couldn’t be more happy for him,” Donahue said. “Up until that point in his career, he probably felt like he hasn’t performed like he thought he could. And it didn’t start out that well either the beginning of the year. I told him this: I’ve never had a senior take off in the league season and carry a team like he did. I thought he was the best player in the A-10 in A-10 play. I saw how hard he works. He’s such a great person. It was awesome to see. I was like everybody else, just completely blown away with what he did during that league season and the level he played at and a lot of times just carried us.”

So, what changed with Simpson? And how did Donahue help unlock the potential?

“If I had anything to do with it, I got to know how to coach him in a few months and I kind of understood that I should probably limit real harsh communication with him,” Donahue said. “Just let him be and let him make mistakes and learn from it. He knew he made a mistake; he’s probably harder on himself than most. A coach adding to that would not help him. And I sensed that his confidence grew by not having to look over his shoulder at all, and he took it and ran with it, for sure.”

Say Goodbye

Simpson will not be back next season, having exhausted his eligibility. And he is not the only one. As is the norm in today’s era of NIL and the transfer portal, no less than six Hawks transferred: Al Amadou (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Anthony Finkley (La Salle), Dasear Haskins (Ole Miss), Kevin Kearney (Manhattan), Jaden Smith (Ball State), and Steven Solano (Delaware).

“Listen, I would like everybody back,” Donahue said. “I look at everybody like a work in progress, every single one of those guys. I think there’s a chance that they would have a really good role here at some point. I’m not upset that any of them left. I completely understand it. In the same sense, I feel strongly that we really kept a really good core group, and we brought in an incredible group that is going to grow our culture and has a chance to be really good on the floor.”

Say Hello, Part I

Leading the returnees is junior guard Jaiden Glover-Toscano. The transfer from St. John’s earned second-team All-A-10 honors and second-team All-Big 5 after averaging 15.7 points and 4.8 rebounds while draining 94 three-pointers. Donahue thinks even better times are ahead for Glover-Toscano.

“I think what you’re going to see now is another level of playmaking, try to get him more into different actions, whether it’s ball screens and gets and dribble handoffs, really making plays for others and not just himself,” Donahue said. “And then just being a more consistent three-point shooter. If he does that, the sky is the limit for him because of his incredible attitude, his ability to guard, and then his athletic attributes, just his size and physicality. 

“He’s got NBA potential because of all of those things. And, now, let’s be consistent, let’s grow the other parts of your game, in particular playmaking for yourself and others.”

Also back for St. Joe’s are guards Austin Williford and Khaafiq Myers, who entered the portal before withdrawing. Williford averaged 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 33.6 percent (48 of 143) from long range as a freshman last season. Myers played strong backup minutes behind Simpson at point guard, averaging 5.1 points and 2.3 assists in 15.8 minutes.

Donahue thinks both will be even better next season, and he feels the trio give the Hawks a strong foundation to back up last season’s success.

“They understand everything that St. Joe’s provides is what they want personally,” he said. “And then you put that on top they feel they can accomplish things as a team. All three of the guys, I expect to take a huge jump. All three had good years. They’re all young players. I sense they want to play with each other. That’s probably part of the motivation [for returning]. And they want to win.”

Say Hello, Part II

Donahue is excited about the players who will be joining the Hawks next season. Through the portal, the Hawks have added Logan Carey (Maine), Donovan Flamer (Elizabeth City State), Sean Logan (Davidson), and Gavin Marrs (Oregon State). He also is eager to welcome freshman BJ Ranson, son of assistant coach Bino Ranson, to campus.

Here is a look at each player, along with Donahue’s reaction:

–Carey: Known for his defensive skills, the 6-foot-3 guard blossomed last season offensively as a junior for the Black Bears, averaging 9.7 points in 32 games. He shot 35.6 percent (21 of 59) from three-point range. That followed two seasons in which his offensive production was not as impactful. Donahue has followed Carey’s career for years, having recruited him on the AAU circuit while head coach at Penn.

Donahue on Carey: “He’s got some toughness. He’s another one that can really guard. I enjoyed how we were the number one defensive team in the league last year. I think that’s another goal for us this year. And he adds to that. And now having played over a hundred games. Maine really defends over the years. They teach it, they do a great job with it. And now I want to help him take another step offensively. You’re going to see a kid who flies around, competes at a high level, all about winning, at this point in his career is a pretty polished, consistent basketball player.”

–Flamer: A 6-foot-9 forward, Flamer excelled at Division II Elizabeth City State. The Owing Mills, Md., native averaged 11.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 27.8 minutes. He had 30 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Bowie State. Donahue said Flamer is a player who would have been recruited to a Division I school, if not for the transfer portal era in which veteran players are more attractive to many coaches than incoming freshmen. St. Joe’s head coach expects Flamer, who is familiar with assistant coach Ranson, to have an immediate impact.

Donahue on Flamer: “Just a really good basketball player. He’s got to get stronger. He’s got to do those things. What I love about him, at his size he can play the four, he can really handle the ball, he has a lot of different ways to score, he’s got a great touch. And on the defensive end, he’s long and athletic, can block shots. Now he gets with us for the next six months, gets in our weight room, gets our nutrition, competes at this level. I think he’s someone who can contribute next year and help us.”

–Logan: The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward, a native of Westfield, N.J., played the last four seasons for Davidson. He averaged 3.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in 26 games last season that followed a 2024–25 campaign that was cut short by injury.

(Logan had not yet committed to St. Joe’s when Donahue and I spoke.)

–Marrs: A 7-footer from Ellensburg, Washington, Marrs was a big-time recruit who has battled injuries throughout his career. He did not play last season due to a shoulder injury. If healthy, Donahue believes he can be a big contributor for the Hawks.

“He just hasn’t been healthy,” Donahue said. “He can really run. A really good athlete. Now he’s put on 25 pounds of muscle since he got to college. The whole key is can he say healthy. If he stays healthy, I think he’s another piece in all the things we’re trying to do, be long and athletic on defense, understands high IQ, can make a three-pointer. He’s got a very mature approach to the game.”

–Ranson: It is becoming rarer for freshmen to have impacts with the college game getting older and more experienced. In Ranson, Donahue believes the guard from Baltimore can help right away.

“I’ve been confident on certain high school seniors in my career; I remember people asked me about [former Penn standout] AJ Brodeur,” Donahue said. “I had seen him so much that I knew he was going to come in and make an impact. That’s usually not the case. I know [Ranson] as well as anybody that I’ve ever recruited. I’ve seen him a ton. We recruited him at Penn and now obviously with his father being on the staff and watching every game.

“I think people are going to be amazed at his ability to come in and make shots. He gets them in every different way. He’s played at a high level. He is going to come in and score. That’s what he is going to do. As he gets bigger and stronger, it will determine how good he ends up being in the long run. I’m confident he’s going to come in at this level and be able to help us win games.”

—

Aaron Bracy has covered sports in Philadelphia for nearly three decades for various publications and as a freelancer for the Associated Press. His first book, A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003–04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks (Brookline), can be ordered HERE. His second book, Are You Kidding Me? The Incredible, Inspiring Story of Allen Iverson and the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers (Brookline) is scheduled to be published in February 2027. You can preorder it HERE. Follow Bracy on social media HERE. Contact him at bracymedia@gmail.com.