Saint Joseph's coach Steve Donahue and players Jaiden Glover-Toscano and Derek Simpson address the media after Wednesday's 68-64 win over St. Bonaventure. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
Big5Hoops.com
January 14, 2026
PHILADELPHIA — Saint Joseph’s stared at a seven-point deficit to St. Bonaventure with 8 1/2 minutes remaining on Wednesday night at Hagan Arena. The Hawks’ 11-point second-half lead had been erased with the Bonnies’ precise offense and the hosts’ sideways shooting.
It looked like a repeat of so many games this season. It looked like yet another disappointing loss in what has been a difficult season on Hawk Hill.
Then, something changed.
Jaiden Glover-Toscano hit a three-pointer. And then another. Derek Simpson drove hard to the lane and got to the foul line twice. With the game hanging in the balance, Glover-Toscano blocked a shot and then converted a three-point play.
Like the snap of your fingers, the Hawks emerged with an impressive 68-64 win to give them three straight wins and an 11-7 overall mark and 3-2 record in the Atlantic 10.
Figuratively, this game wasn’t won in the final seconds on Wednesday; rather, it was won last week after Glover-Toscano, Simpson, Anthony Finkley, Justice Ajogbor, Dasear Haskins, and Khaafiq Myers went into Steve Donahue’s office, closed the door, and opened up honestly about the state of the program.
To catch you up in case you’ve been watching the Eagles for the last few months:
-Head coach Billy Lange suddenly resigned in September to take a job with the Knicks. Donahue was promptly promoted.
-On Dec. 23, a day after a home loss to Coastal Carolina, the school announced that leading scorer Deuce Jones was no longer part of the team.
-On Jan. 3, St. Joe’s lost at home to Davidson, a game in which they were 3-for-22 from three-point range, to fall to 8-7 overall, 0-2 in the league.
A lot had been going on for the Hawks. And not much of it good. The disappointment of all this wasn’t limited to Hawks fans.
“When we looked at ourselves in the mirror, we saw something that we didn’t like,” said Simpson, the reigning A-10 player of the week who had 11 points and seven assists against the Bonnies.
They needed to talk it out. What was said in the closed-door meeting?
“We got our feelings out,” Simpson said. “We were able to tell each other how we felt. The one thing that I said and told the coaches, ‘Whatever y’all think we’re doing bad, it is what it is. We need you to keep the gas on us. Don’t blow smoke up our you-know-what. Don’t kiss us. Don’t do none of that.
“Keep telling us what we’re doing good, but really critique us. They kept that same energy. Communication wise, it’s been very different. I appreciate the coaches for that. They didn’t stop.”
Simpson said everyone reinvested in the program’s standards–and raised them. The players left the meeting feeling good, feeling energized, feeling like a team.
“We needed it a lot, and we also needed it deep down in our soul, in our hearts,” Simpson said. He said the vibe around the team has been different in these last three games, the win over St. Bonaventure following Saturday’s road win over Richmond and the comeback overtime victory over Duquesne last Wednesday.
Donahue and his staff listened intently to the players and took their constructive criticism of the coaching. Most importantly, Donahue said, the players were honest about themselves.
“They said the right things about their performance,” he said. “There was a real good accountability from them.”
“They’re trusting the coaches, and they’re believing what we’re doing,” he added.
As a result, the Hawks are suddenly on a winning streak when an 0-5 league start looked very possible. Though you never know, this is not a St. Joe’s team that likely will be cutting down the nets in Pittsburgh in March at the A-10 tournament. But the Hawks now look like a pretty good, and certainly competitive, A-10 team. That is something on which to build. You couldn’t say that a week and a half ago.
Now, thanks to a closed-door meeting that saved their season, you can.
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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. He is working on his second book, which will chronicle the memorable 2000–01 season of Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. It will be published in April 2027. Follow Bracy on social media HERE. Contact him at bracymedia@gmail.com.