The national POY award is often given to a player from a major conference (Duke’s Zion Williamson, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, etc.), but occasionally a guy from outside the top conferences plays so well that there is no choice but to give it to him instead (Dayton’s Obi Toppin, La Salle’s Lionel Simmons, etc.). 18 years ago it was Jameer Nelson from St. Joseph’s, who had a sensational season (20.6 PPG/5.3 APG/2.8 SPG) and won every piece of hardware imaginable: Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award/Wooden Award/Naismith Award/Oscar Robertson Trophy/etc. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jameer’s college coach Phil Martelli about his former star player and what they accomplished together. Today is Jameer’s 40th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
In 2001 Jameer was named national Freshman of the Year at St. Joseph’s: how was he able to come in and be so successful right from the start? He had gifts such as leadership and was a spectacular teammate. He was way beyond his years in terms of how he thought about the game and we had great players around him. It was God-given talent.
In 2004 he helped lead the Hawks to a 27-0 regular season record: how was the team able to stay focused for every single game that year? The players on that team never let it get bigger than a game. They competed every night and had the ability to focus on daily improvement without getting ahead of themselves. Jameer was the captain and we had great internal competition. Delonte West led us in AST for 2/3 of that year. They knew how to practice and knew how to rest.
In the Elite 8 that March he scored 17 PTS but John Lucas III made a 3-PT shot with 6.9 seconds left in a 2-PT win by Oklahoma State: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? I do not really rank the wins or losses. That year we lost in the A-10 tourney title game at the end to Xavier: that loss (which snapped a 27-game winning streak) probably stayed with me the longest. We squeezed every ounce of talent out of our players and they deserved to be the champion. We were a little school and we all wanted to experience the Final 4.
He finished that season by being named national POY: what did it mean to him to win such an outstanding honor? To quote him, “I did not come back to school to be POY: I just wanted to be the best teammate I could.” Every award was nice but he always stated that he accepted it on behalf of his teammates. A lot of people say things like that but he really meant it. He had extraordinary grace and to this day is a revered teammate to the guys who played with him.
He still holds several school records including 2094 PTS/714 AST/256 STL: what is the key to being a good PG, and do you think that anyone will ever break his records? Do not forget most career wins! His season records could eventually be broken if they get on a run because that would mean 3-4 extra games each season. In terms of his career records, he was a once-in-a-lifetime player and is the greatest to ever play there. He is the standard in terms of captain/teammate/greatness. I try everyday to find 1 who can do it again, but my sense is that I was gifted by God once in my life.
In the summer of 2004 he was drafted 20th overall by Denver (3 spots behind Josh Smith) and then traded to Orlando: did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? I sat there with him: he was the last player in the “green room” and could not believe that he was going to get to put on a hat and shake hands with David Stern. For some guys it is the end of the journey but he saw it as the start of his career. He was in the league almost 15 years and has continued to work since the day he was drafted.
In 2009 he was named an All-Star: how frustrating was it for him to miss the game due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder? He was crushed about that…but had the inner belief that it would happen again.
Take me through the 2009 playoffs:
He beat Cleveland in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals: how was he able to become the only team to ever beat LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals? No idea! LeBron is right there with the greatest ever and his playoff record speaks for itself, but the Magic had Dwight Howard/Stan Van Gundy. They were a tight team despite being banged up.
He lost to the Lakers in the Finals: what was it like to face Kobe Bryant/Phil Jackson with a title on the line? It hurt him to lose that series because to this day he still wants a ring. The Philly flavor of Kobe Bryant vs. Jameer resonated with him and he just tried to be healthy and contribute. He has always been confident rather than cocky, and I bet if you asked him today if they would have won a title if he was healthy that he would say yes.
His 5.2 APG remains in the top-125 in NBA history and his 1119 3PM remains in the top-100 in NBA history: how proud are you of all that he has accomplished? He is extraordinary about being a totally-engaged father and I think that he will be a standard for everyone in retirement. He has a burning desire to emulate his father Pete, who was a great man. He rakes the field for his daughter’s softball games and helps his son work on his basketball game. He will be fully engaged in whatever he does, be it parenting or owning a car dealership or something else. 1 of the greatest honors of my life is to call him my friend. To finish our texts to each other by saying we love each other is a gift that I do not take for granted.
When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? In the NBA he will be remembered as a pro’s pro: I view him as a guy like Elton Brand. At St. Joe’s he will be the greatest to ever play here, and in Philly he will be on the Mount Rushmore with guys like Lionel Simmons/Tom Gola.
