An Underdog Story

As a sports journalist, Aaron Bracy, BS ’98, MS ’99, has long been covering the Big 5 and Philadelphia sports for publications from Hoops HQ to the Associated Press. This month, he published “A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 Saint Joseph's Hawks,” the story of the team led by Coach Phil Martelli and point guard Jameer Nelson, that finished the regular season undefeated. 

What is special about the 2003-04 team that inspired you to write this story? 

The team inspired so many people 20 years ago, and I wanted to go back and see why their story was so captivating. The curiosity on my part was if it could be the same thing for people today, and I don’t think you have to be a St. Joe’s fan or a basketball fan — it’s a human interest story, and it’s really an underdog story. It’s a story of people who were cast aside, and then they came together, put any sort of self-interest or personal agendas aside, and they played for each other. 

What made you decide to tell the story now, two decades later? 

I was reading all of these books about sports and about history, and I thought to myself that I would really like to write a book someday. In December of 2023, right after I started Big5Hoops.com, I got the idea to write a feature story about the 2003-04 team for the 20th anniversary. Then I thought that maybe that was the type of book I had always wanted to write, but I figured since they were such a great team, someone had already written about them. I looked more into it, and no one had written that book yet.

What was your writing and interview process like?

I interviewed 90 people for the book. I started out by making a list of people that I wanted to talk to, mostly players and coaches, but also some administrators, trainers and members of the support staff, and as I did my research the list kept growing. I ended up interviewing lots of opposing coaches and players, journalists and fans, and countless people reached out to me with stories about the team. I actually had to put a deadline on the interviews, because at some point, I had to get to the writing. 

Right now is an exciting time for SJU basketball — Erik Reynolds II, BS ’26, just broke Jameer Nelson’s scoring record. How special is something like that?

It was an amazing night, and it was perfect for Jameer to come back and show Erik Reynolds II so much love and respect. Jameer was wearing a shirt that said “Passing the Torch” with a picture of him passing to Reynolds, and it was really touching. Reynolds has been not just a great player, but a great representative of the University similar to Jameer 21 years ago, and it’s really a great accomplishment to break a record set by one of the best basketball players of our generation with a 14-year NBA career. 

What did you learn through the process of writing — either about the team or about yourself? 

What I really learned is that you can do anything, which I hope is the message of the book. Even with my own journey of writing the book, I wondered how I would have time to do this — I have three kids, I have a full-time job, I have side ventures — but this team really shows you that you can do whatever you set your mind to. You don’t have to be the biggest (and the biggest can mean anything: size, bank account, connections) to beat the biggest, and you don’t have to have the best to be the best. 

How has your time at SJU impacted your life and your career? 

St. Joe’s had a big impact on me in a lot of ways. Of course, my career path and the people I met there who helped me along the way, but also with the example of the Jesuits and the lessons that I learned along the way spiritually, getting closer to God and trying to be a better person. I’m grateful for all that St. Joe’s did for me and I continue to try to live my life in the way I learned from the Jesuits.