Hawks

St. Joseph's University's struggling basketball program has taken a step toward ensuring a brighter future. Two steps, perhaps. The Daily News has learned that Hawks coach Jim Boyle yesterday signed 6-4 forward Jason Warley, who helped propel Frankford High to consecutive Public League championships and an overall 49-2 record the past two seasons. Also, Boyle now might be positioned near the head of the line of suitors for 6-7 junior Carlin Warley, Jason's brother and the Daily News City Player of the Year.

Arthur "Yah" Davis, an exciting guard whose basketball days at St. Joseph's University took him from star to star-crossed, was hospitalized yesterday after experiencing a medical emergency. According to his agent, Glenn Schwartzman, Davis had "an adverse reaction to Excedrin. " He added, "But I won't know the full extent of what happened until [today], when the doctors give me the results of tests. " A spokeswoman at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania said last night that Davis was in fair condition in the intermediate medical intensive care unit.

Three Wyncote Academy players scored in double figures Tuesday, and the Lions defeated undermanned Hill Top Prep, 47-44, in a Tri-County League game at Hill Top. John Darden, Mark Drayton and Jon Jonassen each scored in double digits as the Lions won their third game in a row. The Hawks had only five players suited up. "I have to give a lot of credit to Hill Top," said Wyncote coach Steve Feiner. "They have had problems suiting players (due to injuries and academic ineligibility)

If St. Joseph's coach John Griffin had a choice, he would have sent his Hawks out to run with Memphis State's great athletes in the first round of the 40th ECAC Holiday Festival. The Madison Square Garden crowd would have been treated to a wonderful exhibition of '90s basketball. But Griffin had no options. He had to turn back the clock, slow the game down and hope for the best. Not surprisingly, Griffin got a glimpse of his immediate future and it wasn't pretty as Memphis State pulled away in the second half to win, 77-60.

Senior guard Bernard Blunt had 22 points, six rebounds and seven assists to lead six St. Joseph's players in double figures as the Hawks defeated Gmunden, 113-67, yesterday in the sixth game of their seven-game European exhibition tour. Sophomore forward Reggie Townsend had 21 points and eight rebounds and sophomore guard Alex Compton (seven points) added 10 assists. The Hawks (4-2) conclude their trip today when they face the Vienna Basket Flyers, Austria's top-ranked team.

The St. Joseph's Hawks missed lunch yesterday after their flight out of Philadelphia was canceled. Their coach, Phil Martelli, despises an interrupted schedule. He got flustered. "The Hawk will never fly," Martelli moaned. He was wrong. The Hawks arrived here only an hour late, and practiced last night at a local high school gym for tomorrow's NCAA West Regional opener against Pacific. The drama started at Philadelphia International Airport. Instead of taking off at 10:30 a.m., the Hawks had to wait an hour for the next flight, endure an attempted transfer to another airline (which didn't work out)

St. Joseph's played like a team that should have been seeded fourth in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, the Hawks got a No. 9 seed, apparently because the committee thought they did not play enough quality teams. Coach Phil Martelli is determined to change that perception. Thursday, he accepted a spot in the BCA Classic at California-Berkley to start next season (Nov. 16 and 17). The other confirmed teams are Princeton and California. Oklahoma State is more than likely the fourth team.

The already small St. Joseph's basketball team got positively tiny. That didn't matter last night against perimeter-minded Dinamo Novosibirsk, a touring Russian club team that fell to the Hawks, 77-62, at the Fieldhouse. But it might matter in the future. The Hawks played without 6-10 junior center Nemanja Petrovic, a projected starter whose slimmer figure and better post moves remained under wraps. He's suffered with a sore back for more than three weeks, and it finally forced him to the bench.

Rap Curry scored eight points during a 14-4 run early in the second half as St. Joseph's held off California-Santa Barbara, 70-56, last night. Carlin Warley (10 rebounds) scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Hawks (9-8). Curry, who also had just four points at halftime, finished with 18 points and 7 assists as St. Joseph's registered back-to-back victories for the first time since the first two games of the season. Will Johnson added 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting.

The Atlanta Hawks still need some help to get the home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. But with the way they've manhandled the Charlotte Hornets, it might not matter. The Hawks had their highest-scoring game of the season last night, rolling over the visiting Hornets, 121-104, to pull within a game of Charlotte for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Steve Smith scored 27 points, Alan Henderson had 25 and Mookie Blaylock 20 for the Hawks, who completed a sweep of the four-game season series against the team they'll meet in the best-of-five first round.

This story has been corrected. Chase Standen's batting average at the time of All-Catholic team voting was .436, not .409. NEXT YEAR, maybe Chase Standen can be stationed at a middle-infield spot for St. Joseph's Prep's baseball team. Then everyone could decide whether he's better at turning a doubleplay or a phrase. The 6-2, 190-pound Standen, the rightfielder and cleanup hitter, so far has limited his extracurricular activities to sports. But he earns straight A's in advanced- placement English and will spend his final year writing for the school paper.

If the Atlanta Hawks part ways with coach Larry Drew when the Hawks are bumped from the NBA playoffs, Drew would be interested in coaching the 76ers, a source with knowledge of the situation said on Saturday. "Larry loves coaching, and he wants to continue as a head coach," said the league source. "He's in a difficult situation, and it's hard to say what will happen in Atlanta. " The Sixers are looking for a replacement for Doug Collins, who resigned one day after the regular season ended earlier this month.

Justin Andrews enjoyed considerable success as part of Neshaminy's football squad the last three seasons, with the Redskins winning 29 games and losing 10. Now, as a rock-solid pitcher and centerfielder, the senior is playing a key role in the school's resurgence on the baseball diamond. With a 9-2 record, the team already has equaled last year's win total. "I guess we're best known for our football team," Andrews said. "To be having this kind of season in baseball, it's a great feeling.

NO TEAM in memory was more guaranteed to win a championship than the 1982-83 Sixers. With the acquisition of Moses Malone, the Sixers had the dominating inside presence they had lacked since trading Wilt Chamberlain to the Los Angeles Lakers 14 years earlier. There was no way this team was going to lose four times in a seven-game series. The fact that the team lost at all surprised people, it was that good. All of the Sixers' weaknesses were addressed since losing to Magic Johnson and the Lakers in 1980.

Haddon Township's Pat Burns looks back at the Hawks' victory over Haddon Heights. www.philly.com/ rallyvideos

The Atlanta Hawks, still trying to improve their playoff position, easily handled the 76ers, who are playing out the string, 124-101, at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night. The 124 points are the most the Sixers have given up at home all season. Leading by 59-51 at the end of the first half, the Hawks converted 14 of 23 shots in the third quarter in extending the lead to 93-73 at the start of the fourth. Thaddeus Young scored 22 of his team-high 28 points in the first half to lead all scorers.

ATLANTA - Playing with an urgency that was absent a few days ago in a loss at Charlotte, the 76ers responded with a balanced effort Friday in a 101-90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Sixers scored 40 points in the first quarter, the most they have scored in any quarter this season, and that enabled them to cruise home. After going 14 games in which he failed to score 20 points or more earlier this season, Evan Turner finished with a team-high 24 points, marking the third time in the last four games that he's scored 20 or more.

ATLANTA - Playing with an urgency that was absent a few days ago in a loss at Charlotte, the 76ers responded with a balanced effort Friday in a 101-90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Sixers scored 40 points in the first quarter, the most they have scored in any quarter this season, and that enabled them to cruise home. After going 14 games in which he failed to score 20 points or more earlier this season, Evan Turner finished with a team-high 24 points, marking the third time in the last four games that he's scored 20 or more.

THERE HAVE BEEN plenty of firsts for the Nets during their rookie season in Brooklyn after so many years over in New Jersey. On Wednesday night, they got another milestone. Deron Williams dunked. "I didn't really plan it," he said. "It's something that happened. " It has been that way all season for Brooklyn, which ended an eight-game road trip by crushing the Cleveland Cavaliers, 113-95, giving the Nets a record for road wins in a season. Williams scored 24 points in 27 minutes and the Nets shot 83 percent (15 of 18)

Mike Conley drove for a layup with 0.6 seconds remaining, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied to beat the visiting San Antonio Spurs, 92-90, Monday night for their third consecutive victory. The Grizzlies matched their franchise record with their 50th win this season, and they won their 12th straight at home. Conley finished with 23 points. Elsewhere: Devin Harris scored a season-high 25 points as the Atlanta Hawks beat the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, 102-94, to improve their chances of securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.