Join Aaron Bracy as he discusses his new book A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 Saint Joseph's Hawks.

The book details how the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks, who were led by coach Phil Martelli and point guard Jameer Nelson, became the most unlikely and captivating story in college basketball in the 2003–04 season. With an underrecruited team, an underfunded program, housed in underwhelming facilities, everything about this mom-and-pop operation felt small-time—everything, that is, except the team, which rose to be unanimously ranked No. 1 in the country after finishing 27-0 in the regular season.This is a story about a team that transcends sports. It is a story for everyone about the power of the human spirit and the long odds people can overcome when they work hard, work together, and believe in themselves.

Aaron Bracy is a longtime sports journalist in Philadelphia with nearly 30 years of experience as a sportswriter and sports editor, beginning as an undergraduate at Saint Joseph’s University, where he wrote for the student newspaper and broadcast games on the student radio station. He then covered high school, college, and pro sports for the Main Line Times, Trenton Times, Courier-Post, and The Trentonian before leaving journalism full time for a career in education. Since 2008, Bracy has been a freelancer for the Associated Press’s coverage of the Philadelphia 76ers, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies, and college basketball. His website, Big5Hoops.com, is a leading voice for coverage of Drexel, La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph’s, Temple, and Villanova, which comprise the Big 5.