By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

They couldn't be more different, these Saint Joseph's backcourt teammates, Jameer Nelson and Delonte West.

Nelson is a mild-mannered All-American who doesn't desire the limelight but does his best to accommodate those who seek his time. West is a vocal but underrated perimeter shooter who craves attention and feels slighted by a lack of consideration.

Somehow, Nelson and West are great friends off the court, which has translated to great success on it. They are the primary reason behind Saint Joseph's 14-0 start and rise to No. 6 in the national polls.

Entering the 2 p.m. game today against Xavier (9-5, 1-1 Atlantic 10) at Cintas Center, Nelson, a senior, is averaging 20.3 points and 5.2 assists and making a push for national player of the year.

"There's nobody in the country who can affect the game the way he can," Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli said of Nelson. "(West) has the same spirit as Jameer, in that the absolute only thing that matters is winning."

West, a junior, averages 17.4 points and 4.2 assists. They both pull down more than five rebounds a game.

But the similarities stop there.

Nelson is a game-changing point guard, a throwback player of sorts, who lets his play talk for him.

"I'm just the same old me," Nelson said. "I just have to deal with it. Everybody wants a piece of my time. Delonte's not getting as much recognition as he's supposed to get. I want to see him get some of the attention that I'm getting."

So does West, who is a great scorer and defender but, as an off guard, doesn't have the same control over the game as Nelson. Because he is a year behind Nelson, outsiders always have looked at West as a sidekick.

"I know a lot of guys in major conferences might get more hype than I do, and they're not doing any more than I'm doing," West said. "As long as we're winning games, that's all that matters."

During Saint Joseph's practice Thursday, Martelli recounted a story following West's freshman season in which he played sparingly and averaged 5.9 points. The day the Atlantic 10 All-Freshman Team was announced, West saw he didn't make the team.

"After it was announced, he came up to me and said, 'I didn't make all-freshman,' " Martelli said. "He was, like, flabbergasted. Delonte is more driven by that type of attention. It certainly helps him to be considered that he's slightly underrated."

As Saint Joseph's continues to win and keeps rising in the polls, the rest of the nation is beginning to know players other than Nelson, such as West, Pat Carroll and Dwayne Jones. Players who have performed in obscurity for two or three years are finally being recognized for being more than Jameer Nelson's teammates.

"This isn't about Jameer Nelson and the traveling all-stars," Martelli said. "He respects them, their time, how hard they work on their game. So they give it back. Every single guy on this team gives it back."

All of which makes Xavier's attempt to win today a difficult task.

"This team is for real," Xavier coach Thad Matta said. "They've got all the pieces. The main thing is we have to play a solid 40 minutes. You can't have a letdown. They're too good."

Xavier vs. No. 6 Saint Joseph's

Tipoff: 2 p.m. today, Cintas Center (10,250).

Records: Xavier 9-5 (1-1 Atlantic 10); Saint Joseph's 14-0 (4-0).

Radio: WLW-AM (700).

TV: ESPN.

Series: Saint Joseph's leads 14-10.

Line: Saint Joseph's by 3.

XAVIER

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Anthony Myles	Sr.	6-9	10.1
Justin Doellman	Fr.	6-9	6.4
Lionel Chalmers	Sr.	6-0	13.9
Romain Sato	Sr.	6-5	17.1
Dedrick Finn	So.	6-1	9.4

Coach: Thad Matta (61-17, third season; 85-25 overall).

SAINT JOSEPH'S

Player	Yr.	Ht.	PPG
Pat Carroll	Jr.	6-5	7.9
John Bryant	Jr.	6-7	3.2
Dwayne Jones	So.	6-11	7.6
Delonte West	Jr.	6-4	17.4
Jameer Nelson	Sr.	5-11	20.3

Coach: Phil Martelli (163-67, ninth season; same overall).

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com