There’s a lot of continuity on Hawk Hill, but we still had these 10 questions about St. Joe’s basketball

Both the St. Joseph’s men’s and women’s basketball teams earned postseason berths last season. The men’s team received a bid to the NIT, and the women competed in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament following a historic season.

Expectations are high on Hawk Hill this season as they enter into men’s head coach Billy Lange’s sixth season and women’s head coach Cindy Griffin’s 24th season.

With the start to the season just days away, here are 10 questions surrounding St. Joe’s basketball for the 2024-25 season:

What role will transfers and underclassmen play?

St. Joe’s welcomed two transfers (Derek Simpson and Justice Ajogbor) and five freshmen (Kevin Kearney, Khaafiq Myers, Steven Solano, Billy Rayer, and Mekai Johnson). Dasear Haskins, who redshirted last season, also is poised to debut. On a team that already features Xzayvier Brown, Erik Reynolds II, and Rasheer Fleming, Lange has room to play with combinations.

Will Erik Reynolds II become an all-time great?

“Will Reynolds stay at St. Joe’s?” has been answered. So what now? He is less than 500 points away from becoming the program’s leading scorer and has the skill to lead the Hawks to the NCAA Tournament. Those achievements would put him among the Hawks’ best.

» READ MORE: Billy Lange has his best St. Joe’s team yet, and expectations are high

How will the Hawks’ three-point shooting compare to last season’s?

Lange has always favored the three-ball. Last season the Hawks led the A-10 in three-point attempts and averaged 10 threes per game. St. Joe’s knows how to score from beyond the arc but needs to stay consistent in this area.

Will Xzayvier Brown step up?

With the loss of guard Lynn Greer III, who transferred to Temple, sophomore guard Xzayvier Brown will have to step into a bigger role for the Hawks. The A-10 Rookie of the Year has already shown what he’s capable of, now he’s just expected to build on that.

“The thing with him is he wants to be coached,” Lange said following Brown’s A-10 honors last season. “He wants to get better. He wants critical feedback. He loves to watch film. He just wants the truth all the time. Like you don’t always have guys like that.”

How will they build on last season?

Last season was historic for the Hawks, with the most wins in program history and a trip to the quarterfinals of the WBIT, where they lost, 67-59, to eventual runner-up Villanova. St. Joe’s is returning a veteran core, and expectations are high for the Hawks to build upon last season’s success.

How will roster retention help?

Speaking of that veteran core, St. Joe‘s returns 11 of its 13 players from last season, including Talya Brugler, Mackenzie Smith, Laura Ziegler, and Julia Nyström. That’s four of its starting five. The Hawks are the only Big 5 team to not lose anyone to the transfer portal. The fifth starter from last season, Chloe Welch, graduated and now serves as a graduate manager.

What are some of their biggest challenges?

After 15 road wins last season, the Hawks will face a pair of early nonconference tests in Syracuse (Nov. 10) and Utah (Nov. 22) on the road. These games are big for the Hawks, who continuously fell short of cracking the AP Top 25 last season, much to the consternation of Griffin.

“I suppose it’s well-deserved,” she said of the prospect of Top 25 recognition following a key 59-47 win over George Mason last season. “I mean, I don’t know what more we have to do, to be honest.”

» READ MORE: Big 5 women’s hoops teams went global this summer and made ‘lifelong memories’ along the way

How will young talent contribute?

The Hawks added three freshmen to their roster Rhian Stokes, Meja Jägerskog, and Lauren Greer (Archbishop Wood). On a team that did not have much turnover and has a lot of experience playing together, these three new Hawks will have to earn their minutes and find ways to contribute.

Will the Hawks defend their Big 5 title?

Both the men’s and women’s teams won Big 5 titles last season. This season, both rosters are equally, if not more equipped to defend the title. The women will be playing under the pod format for the first time, following what the men implemented last season. The women‘s Big 5 Classic is Dec. 6 at Villanova‘s Finneran Pavilion, while the men’s is Dec. 7 at the Wells Fargo Center.

Is this finally their year?

Full of talent and experience and led by coaches who have been with the programs for several seasons, this could be the year both St. Joe’s teams find their way back into the NCAA Tournament. The women last won the A-10 and reached the Big Dance in 2013, and the men in 2016.

“We want more, and we have a lot of people returning on our team, so that’ll definitely, like coach said, fuel [to] our fire,” Brugler said following the team’s loss in the quarterfinals of the WBIT last season.