Anyone? lol
Thomas et al,  ..
 

Will take a stab at this (something I think we could add to this board is a polling feature which I do believe is an extension; that might be a better way to get better participation).

Top teams: VCU, Davidson, St. Bonaventure, Dayton

Surprise: Richmond just based on their offense alone, UMass based on talent and my belief that McCall is a better coach than he showed last year.

Newcomer: There are a lot of ways to go here.

If we are going by just freshmen, I think a lot will have to do with how much playing time they are going to see right away. The easy pick is Tre Mitchell of UMass as he might be the highest rated prospect entering the league, and UMass has undergone quite a roster reconstruction so he has a clear path to playing time right away. I have also heard some good things about Maceo Austin of Duquesne. Obi Toppin's brother Jacob is playing at URI this year. I really like the guys SLU is bringing in this year, especially Yuri Collins and Terrence Hargrove. Have also heard some nice things about Justin Winston at Bonaventure. Second after Mitchell for me might be Nah'shon "Bones" Hyland, who might be the second best prospect after Mitchell, although he probably won't see the same kind of playing time this year to win the award. Really athletic player though.

If we are talking transfers as well, the four that jump out are: Antwan Walker (URI), Blake Francis (Richmond), Ryan Daly (St. Joe's), and Dujuanta Weaver (SLU). Since St. Joe's has next to no players this year, I could see Daly walking away with the award leading the Hawks (and maybe even the A10) in scoring. He performed well at Delaware.

A10 player of the year: Hard to go against Gudmundsson since he won it last year, but if Grady stays healthy this year he could take it from his teammate. Other candidates are Marcus Evans at VCU and Grant Golden at Richmond. Both are big time scorers and leaders of their respective teams. The only knock on Golden is if Richmond doesn't contend this year.

Quick thoughts on the teams next year:

Davidson - fringe top 25 team and can contend for A10 crown if Grady stays healthy. Frampton, Brajkovic, Pritchett, and Collins are good supporting pieces.

Dayton - Obi staying for his sophomore year was huge. Lots of talent on the team, but all the new pieces fitting together is a question. If they figure it out by March they could go dancing.

Duquesne - Losing Eric Williams was big, but I think the Dukes also got a bit lucky with all the comebacks they had (including that late surge against us). Not sure if that is sustainable, but they should still finish middle of the league. Sincere Carry of course is a stud.

Fordham - LOL.

George Mason - Justin Kier is back, as are nice compliments Javon Greene and Jordan Miller. They have a lot of good supporting pieces as well, including Boyd, and if Mar can stay healthy that gives them an added piece in the frontcourt. Hartwell could take the next jump. Still, after the disappointment that was last year, I don't see how their ceiling can be higher than where they finished with Otis Livingston gone.

Us - a young team, who can step up besides Maceo and Arnaldo. I think JC will keep us competitive, but don't see us finishing higher than 10th as the best case scenario. Would love to be wrong.

La Salle - year after year, a team that is among the most talented but underwhelms. I could see us actually finishing higher than them. The number of 4 star transfers they've had that shoot like 30% from the field is amazing.

UMass - many have put them near the bottom of the league with the number of new pieces and the disaster that was last year - I mean they lost to us twice, and that made up 22% of our total wins! However, I still believe that McCall is a good coach and they have some good pieces coming in. They may have trouble fitting the new pieces together, but I could see them notching some upsets if everything goes right.

Rhode Island - a solid team that should finish in the top half of the league. To get the double bye in the tournament though they will need better shooting from behind the arc. They shot 28%, which might have been the worst percentage in D1. I like Dowtin and Langevine, and Russell played better late in the year.

Richmond - a very high ceiling on offense, but their commitment to defense is highly questionable. Could this be the year for Mooney? Seems like another false hope for their fanbase but on paper the team looks good. Golden, Sherod, and Gilyard is a good trio.

St. Joe's - just not enough on their team to keep them out of the basement. Not sold on Lange being a good coach, and also thought Martelli deserved one more year to prove himself. Wasn't going to happen though with a new AD. No coach had been more unlucky than Phil when it has came to injuries the past few seasons.

SLU - they just graduated a pretty good senior class so a return to the NCAA tournament is unlikely. I think they stay middle of the league because their freshman class + Weaver is pretty strong, but they need to find a way to be less brutal on offense. Still don't think Travis Ford is a very good coach although he is a hell of a recruiter. Goodwin needs to develop as a leader for the team.

St. Bonaventure - I really like Lofton + Osunniyi which is why I pegged them third in the league which may be a bit bold. They did not look like freshmen last season. Former Jamion Christian player Bobby Planutis and Matt Johnson are good additions. Can Welch take the next step? He is a great shooter.

VCU - probably starts the year as a top 25 team. If Evans stays healthy, they could make it to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. Pretty much everyone but Mobley is back, including Jenkins to torch the competition from deep, and Marcus Santos-Silva will be a load down low. A pretty strong freshman class coming in to boot.





 

DMV, good analysis.
 

I would be more optimistic if I thought that Harris would be eligible this season. 

College Hoops Madness A-10 Picks
(Hopefully to be updated as they add more teams)

#1 (#22 Overall) VCU
#2 (#42 Overall) Davidson
#3 (#51 Overall) Dayton
#4 (#79 Overall) Rhode Island
#5 (#101 Overall) St. Bonaventure
#6 (#143 Overall) St. Louis

Last edited by BM (10/15/2019 10:48 am)

^ 78 as of 8/20

Have any of the other A10 teams appeared yet?
got the link?

Thanks for posting the link.
What a strange world, one in which UCLA is squeezed in the 70s between Liberty and South Florida.
John Wooden must be rolling in his grave.
Or as Ralph Kiner famously said "if he were alive today he would be spinning in his grave"
Any guesses as to where the  3 Best  A10 team wind up and in which order?

Dayton coming in at #51

https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/17798

A-10 Preview from Three Man Weave.

Here is the GW portion:

10. George Washington
Key Returners: Justin Mazzulla, Maceo Jack, Arnaldo Toro, Javier Langarica, Armel Potter, Mezie Offurum, Justin Williams
Key Losses: DJ Williams, Terry Nolan
Key Newcomers: Jameer Nelson Jr., Shawn Walker Jr., Jamison Battle, Chase Paar
Lineup:


Outlook: The Colonials are coming off their worst season since 1988. Former head coach Maurice Joseph saw his program decline in each of his three seasons at the helm, culminating in a 293rd ranking last year in KenPom (easily the worst in the A-10). George Washington was simply brutal on both ends of the floor, clearly in need of a change in leadership and a new direction. Enter Jamion Christian, the former Siena and Mount St. Mary’s coach who previously served under Tony Shaver and Shaka Smart (not a bad pedigree). Christian brings with him a whole new culture to the nation’s capital and a promise to turn the GW program back in the right direction.

Christian’s signature style of play is known as “mayhem”, a style that focuses on making opponents fell uncomfortable by implementing lots of full-court pressure and traps on the defensive end (harking back to his days coaching under Shaka’s “havoc” system) and bombing away from behind the arc on the offensive end. Christian’s teams have historically ranked in the top 10-20 in the nation in 3PA%, but rarely have his squads played had a frantic pace on offense. Last season, Siena ranked dead last in the country in average possession length (21.5 seconds), electing to use clock and play through their stud freshman, Jalen Pickett. This style is useful for a team not rich in talent looking to limit possessions against superior opponents and likely will be implemented at GW this season. Aside from taking an extraordinary amount of threes, expect the Colonials to play a significant portion of their possessions through the pick-n-roll, where Christian will rely on his depth of lead guards to create off the bounce and find shooters.

The “mayhem” name seems juxtaposed with Christian’s preferred pace offensively, but it’s quite apt on the defensive side of the ball. At Mount St. Mary’s Christian’s teams pressed on nearly one-third of all their possessions and Siena pressed on about 16%. Christian will adjust his style to his personnel, but an element of pressure will certainly be applied at GW this season; he’ll also look to mix in some trapping zone looks in the half-court and off inbounding scenarios. Historically, Christian-coached teams have forced turnovers at a very high rate, but his Siena squad was much more conservative. It may take a year or two of Christian getting “his guys” into the program before we see a shift back to full-on mayhem mode.

Christian inherited an experienced roster with only two players opting to transfer with the coaching change. On paper, five upperclassmen and seven guys with starting experience seems like a recipe for success, but I’ll refer you to that 2018-19 293rd KenPom ranking in the opening paragraph. Christian will want to have as many shooters on the floor as possible, which means we should probably expect GW to start a four-guard lineup or at least play a forward who can stretch the floor alongside a more traditional big man. The Colonials have plenty of ball handling options in the backcourt with junior Justin Mazzulla, redshirt senior Armel Potter, and freshmen Jameer Nelson, Jr. and Shawn Walker, Jr. Mazzulla buckled down on severe turnovers issues suffered as a freshman and led the team in minutes in 2018-19, but he needs to be a more efficient scorer and consistent finisher. Despite good counting stats, a 2P / 3P / FT shooting slash of .447 / .276 / .687 won’t earn anyone more playing time. Though Mazzulla led the team in playing time, Christian’s arrival threatens a potential shake-up in minutes allocation. Potter was far more consistent with the ball in his hands last season and doubles as one of the locker room leaders. He’s primarily a penetrating guard, able to get to the rim with ease, but his outside shooting will have to improve to remain on the floor under Christian. Nelson and/or Walker could start immediately in their first seasons at GW. Nelson (guess who his Dad is) has played well in the Kenner League this offseason and possesses college-ready explosiveness, athleticism, and court vision. Walker, the son of former Grambling State coach Shawn Walker, Sr., followed Christian over from Siena; he’s a lengthy combo guard who can play multiple positions.

Christian’s wing rotation will consist of returning leading scorer Maceo Jack, senior Justin Williams, sophomore Mezie Offurum, and freshman Jamison Battle. Jack and Offurum have also been shining this summer in the Kenner League, hopefully a sign of good things to come this year for the GW program. Jack will be counted on to provide offensive firepower and is a career 35.2% shooter from deep. Offurum could be the breakout player on this roster in 2019-20. The combo forward played 40 minutes in the first game of the year in 2018-19 (12 points / 6 rebounds) then was buried for the remainder of the season. While he wasn’t uber-efficient when he saw the floor, Offurum’s athletic ability makes him an enticing asset on both sides of the ball. He’s also big enough to play the 4 in Christian’s smaller, more athletic lineups. Williams perhaps should have played more last season after turning in the most efficient year on the team. He rebounded well, played defense at a high level, and shot well from everywhere on the floor. Expect Williams to compete for starters minutes in 2019-20. Battle will provide shooting and size on the wing – he’s one of Maurice Joseph’s recruits, but Christian has had high praise of him in the offseason.

The interior will be manned primarily by three players: Arnaldo Toro, Javier Langarica, and Chase Paar. Toro played seven games last year before having season-ending hip surgery. When he did play, he was fantastic on the glass, a decent shot blocker, and a solid inside scoring presence with face-up capability. In 2017-18, Toro ranked in the A-10’s top ten in both defensive and offensive rebounding rates. Langarica is also a prolific rebounder and a better shot blocker than Toro. He stepped into the lineup when Toro went down last year, but likely won’t share the floor too much with his fellow big given the similarities in their game and Christian’s style. Paar (another Joseph recruit) comes in with glowing praise from Christian and could carve out major minutes in his rookie year.

Bottom Line: The Colonials won’t turn into an NCAA Tournament overnight, but the program appears to be in good hands with Jamion Christian. Every piece of news I’ve read suggests his players love and respect him, the importance of which cannot be understated in college basketball. Christian should have GW back competing in the A-10 within the next couple of years. For 2019-20, a top ten league finish should be the goal.

Last edited by GW0509 (9/23/2019 1:22 pm)