Pat Carroll was introduced Monday night at the Palestra as Saint Joseph's all-time three-point record holder.
Almost immediately, he had to correct the evening's emcee, Harry Donahue.
As Carroll told everyone, the record for made threes by a Hawk isn't his anymore. It belongs to some kid he's been coaching and mentoring the last four years.
Here's one thing no one will ever be able to take away from him:
Carroll was inducted to the Big 5 Hall of Fame Monday night, alongside Penn's Michael Jordan, La Salle's Crista Ricketts and long-time sportswriter Dick "Hoops" Weiss.
"The Big 5 is the most unique, legendary organization in college basketball," Carroll said, before thanking those who voted him to the hall for "waiving defense" as a requirement.
Carroll, 31, has retired from basketball and now works in the pharmaceutical industry for Merck. He and his wife, Amanda, are expecting their third child in July.
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"They're going to outnumber us," he said. "We might have to go to zone defense. Man-to-man's not going to cut it."
That's how much time has passed since St. Joe's perfect regular season and run to the Elite Eight in 2004, Carroll's junior year.
It's one thing to be a great shooter; it's another to be a great shooter on a team with Jameer Nelson and Delonte West. Those three probably would have gotten to the Final Four, too -- if Carroll hadn't cut his fingernails before the Oklahoma State game. If you're a Saint Joe's fan and don't get the reference, you probably don't want to click here to find out.
But 10 years later, Carroll and his former head coach, Phil Martelli, are able to laugh at the fingernail quip, even as Carroll calls the game "the most heartbreaking loss" of his career.
"A lot of us kind of went our separate ways after college," he said, referring to his teammates from the '04 team. "But recently, we're all in contact now. Jameer, Delonte -- who was just inducted into the St Joe's Hall of Fame -- there's about 10 of us on a group text. Jameer, Delonte, John Bryant, Dwayne Jones. Basically 10 players from that team and a lot of funny texts going back and forth.
"It's good to keep in touch."
Carroll has found himself revisiting that 2004 season often over the last few months. The Wichita State Shockers completed an undefeated regular season of their own this year before being eliminated by Kentucky in the Round of 32.
"I felt happy for [Wichita]," he said. "I actually spoke with a couple reporters from Kansas that would look at the similarities. It brought back so many memories. … For any team, no matter who you are, to go through an undefeated season is incredible. But at a non-BCS school, it's once in a lifetime."
Back on Hawk Hill, St. Joe's made it back to the NCAAs this season for only the second time since that famed run.
And back on Hawk Hill is exactly where Carroll finds himself. He's a graduate student studying organizational development and leadership -- and serving as an informal shooting coach for one specific player.
"As soon as I got there, I reached out to him," said St. Joe's senior Langston Galloway. "Pat's a great guy. I reached out to him because I wanted to get my shot better. … We'd do some drills that he used to do and showed me a few things."
And then he broke Carroll's records?
"And then I broke his records," he answered.
On Jan. 25 in a 77-62 win over Richmond, Galloway made the 295th three-pointer of his career, one more than Carroll's 294. The new record stands at 343. After No. 295, Galloway sent Carroll a text.
"I told him he set the bar high," Galloway said.
A little less than a month later, on Feb. 22, Galloway went 10 of 15 from behind the arc, setting a new St. Joe's single-game record for threes and breaking another mark that used to belong to Carroll, who once made nine.
"There's probably not a better kid on or off the court," Carroll said. "I'm just happy for him -- obviously not for breaking my records -- but there's not a better kid that you would wish to do that."
Everything came full circle Monday night, with Carroll going into the Big 5 hall as Galloway was recognized as the Big 5's leading scorer. The latter even found out he's been invited to play in this week's Portsmouth Invitational Tournament -- a hotbed for NBA scouts.
"This is definitely special," Galloway said. "Pat's always going to be my friend and he's just like family. We're always going to talk no matter where we're at. He's always going to be just like a brother."
Carroll will finish up his graduate degree and then look to potentially return to basketball in some capacity. He's been running youth camps for a few years along with his brother, Matt, formerly of Notre Dame and the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. Carroll even mused Monday night about a possible future in coaching.
But at least for a little while, if you find yourself at the corner of City Line and 54th, there's a chance you might run into a left-handed, lanky grad student who looks a whole lot like Pat Carroll.
"You're always looking for ways for the players to indicate to you that they made the right choice coming out of high school," Martelli said. "My point has always been that once you decide on St. Joseph's, that's your decision for 40 years.
"And Pat is really living that and showing people that he had a special experience. He's well thought of around campus, above and beyond all the shots that he made, just the way he conducted himself.
"He'll carry the name of a Hawk with him forever."
Hall of Famers
Joining Carroll in the 2014 Hall of Fame class ...
• Michael Jordan was the 1997 Ivy League rookie of the year and the 2000 Ivy League player of the year. A three-time first-team All-Ivy selection, Jordan, along with backcourt running mate Matt Langel, led Penn to back-to-back league titles in 1999 and 2000. He graduated third on the Quakers' all-time scoring list with 1,604 points and second in assists with 469, behind only current Penn head coach Jerome Allen. Jordan is now an assistant coach to Langel at Colgate. "I used to tell him what to do on the court," Jordan said. "Now he's telling me what to do."
• Crista Ricketts was named first-team All-Big 5 in each of her four seasons on Olney Ave. She's second in La Salle history in made free throws (453), third in defensive rebounds (459), third in total points (1,645), and fourth in points per game (15.1). Ricketts played at La Salle from 2003-2007 before exploring the pro game overseas in Spain, Portugal and Austria.
• Dick Weiss is one of just two men to be inducted into both the U.S. football writers Hall of Fame and U.S. basketball writers Hall of Fame. Weiss, a Philadelphia native, worked for the Philadelphia Daily News for over two decades before joining the New York Daily News in 1993. He recently covered his 42nd Final Four.
Award winners
The following coaches and players were also honored Monday night in the Big 5's year-end awards ceremony. One the men's side ...
Team champions: Villanova Wildcats
Player of the year: James Bell, Villanova
Rookie of the year: DeAndre Bembry, St. Joe's
Coach of the year: Jay Wright, Villanova
Most improved player: James Bell, Villanova
Leading scorer: Langston Galloway, St. Joe's
Leading free throw shooter: Dalton Pepper, Temple
Scholar athlete: Jimmy McDonnell, Temple
First-team
James Bell, Villanova
Tyreek Duren, La Salle
Langston Galloway, St. Joe's
Halil Kanacevic, St. Joe's
JayVaughn Pinkston, Villanova
Second-team
Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova
Will Cummings, Temple
Darrun Hilliard, Villanova
Dalton Pepper, Temple
Ronald Roberts Jr., St. Joe's
Jerrell Wright, La Salle
And for the women …
Team champions: St. Joe's
Player of the year: Alyssa Baron, Penn
Rookie of the year: Sydney Stipanovich, Penn
Coach of the year: Mike McLaughlin, Penn
Most improved player: Sarah Fairbanks, St. Joe's
Leading scorer: Erin Shields, St. Joe's
Leading free throw shooter: Erin Shields, St. Joe's
Scholar athlete: Erin Shields, St. Joe's
First-team
Alyssa Baron, Penn
Natasha Cloud, St. Joe's
Alicia Cropper, La Salle
Devon Kane, Villanova
Erin Shields, St. Joe's
Second-team
Karen Bonenberger, Penn
Caroline Coyer, Villanova
Sarah Fairbanks, St. Joe's
Feyonda Fitzgerald, Temple
Emily Leer, Villanova