WH

I’ve been keeping my usual close eye on every team through the preaseason. Here’s some thoughts and observations as the season gets set to begin.

LEAGUE

*The A-10 doesn’t have a clearly identifiable team that looks prepared to make deep postseason run (chance at Elite 8). All our best teams have obvious weaknesses, at least on paper, to start the year.

That said, I like Temple, VCU, SLU and St. Joe’s – in that order.

PLAYERS

*Frosh power forward Jalen Robinson at DAYTON has been extremely impressive in the preseason. Big, strong, can score some inside, and seems to have some inside nastiness.

*Combo forward Andre Marhold looks ready for a breakout season at Duquesne. The Dukes are going to get beat up some, but the 6-7 Marhold could be a poor man’s Damian Saunders this year. Very athletic, strong for his size, quick to the ball.

*Lot of buzz around redshirt frosh Jeff Short at Fordham, but I like sophomore WG Bryan Smith. Every time he had a great game the Rams won. Needs more of them.

*Soph combo forward John Kopriva at GW isn’t flashy or super athletic, but he’s always productive. One of those guys who doesn’t look like a basketball player. He just finds a way to help his team.

*Sam Mills at LaSalle is one of my favorite players to watch. Unsung hero of the team. One of the league’s best perimeter defends but he also shot 40%-plus on treys. Ultimate glue guy.

*Bigmen Jerrell Wright (LaSalle), Cady LaLanne (UMass) and Derrick Williams (Richmond) are set for breakout years. All three are strong and physical, horses inside with good interior skills. Williams can also step out and drop the treyball.

*Jesse Morgan is about to show the rest of the league that he’s one of the better 2-guards. Probably the best defender on UMass, backs up Williams at point and he’s a darn good shooter and scorer, too.

*Juco transfer Xavier Munford is generating a lot of talk at Rhody. Aggressive wing guard who could end up being of the team’s top scorers.

*Richmond has a ton of guards who can play, but they need someone to help Williams inside. Keep an eye on Wayne Sparrow, a 6-3 shooting guard who had a fine preseason.

*Ronald Roberts at St. Joe’s is the most exciting player in the league to watch outside of Chaz Williams. Some of his throwdowns have a Jerome Lane quality to them. Explosive!

*Forward Dwayne Evans is an everyman for St. Louis. He will do a lot to help fans forget about Brian Conklin. Evans won’t score as much but he does pretty much everything well. Rugged rebounder and excellent post defender.

*Will Cummings is a big key for Temple. Hardly played as a frosh, but he’s the only speedy guard on the team. Owls can win even if he doesn’t come on strong, but they will be much better if Cummings makes the usual sophomore leap under Dunphy.

*VCU’s Juvonte Reddic might be another budding frontcourt star in the A-10. Super athletic and packed on lots more muscle. He is the key, IMO, for VCU in its attempt to win the A-10 in its first year. He might be the best two-way bigman in the league.

clark1a

Tay Jones (SJU) suspended for 3 games (Wheeling-Yale-Notre Dame) for unspecified violations of community standards(??)-privacy issues, of course. Extremely thin at the guard spot, plus takes out your leader scorer. Ouch. Is this a drib or drab?

ATPTourFan

Very excited to see what Munford and Malesevic can do on the scoring end at Rhody. Two years ago, Malesevic shot incredibly well (except at the line): 51% FG, 46% 3FG, 54% FT.

AdamtheFlyer

Glad someone beside Dayton fans has seen Jalen Robinson and sees his talent. Yes, it was against D2 teams, and yes he will have his ups and downs as a freshman, but his talent is real. He has All League written all over his game. And perhaps sooner rather than later.

__________________
Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.

DukesDan

What? Duquesne has a good player?! Rejoice!

__________________
Duquesne Dukes: 2012 A10 tournament qualifier!!

2012-2013 Locks of the Day TBA
2011-2012 Locks of the Day NIT participant 29-26-0...... .527
2010-2011 Locks of the Day Regular Season Champion 31-20-4 ..... .600

#15 Cooper #11 Green #10 Nixon #12 Ricketts #24 Somerset

SpiderInTheMixingBowl

Just ask Fordham fans how much one good player gets ya.

Bona Wolf for Pope

Better than BOnas. We apparently have neither dribs nor drabs.*



*No word on if we have any odds or sods.

__________________
"Careful reading comprehension is crucial to an online forum discussion."

WH

I had SJU beating ND. Without Jones I don't see it. If A-10 players are not getting injured they are doing stupid things. Geez.


Feel free to add more dribs and drabs for Bona or anyone else in this thread. I'd be curious to know which whose your favorite player on another team, or which player you dislike the most but would take in a nanosecond on your team.

FlyingElvis

Whoot-whoot!

__________________
"US Bank Arena can't be that bad"

KA

Conger is the man this year. He'll average close to 17ppg. That being said, I'm most excited about Ndoye having a breakout year. He'll have some tough games here and there, but by the time he is a senior he is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Bona Wolf for Pope

I think Kloof is going to have a big year and I really hope Simmons does. He deserves it.

As for players I'd like to have...definitely Aiken (no slight on our big guys).

__________________
"Careful reading comprehension is crucial to an online forum discussion."

vaNtR

La Salle is a sleeper this year. They're going to be a formidable squad. Lots of talent.

UMass87

La Salle is only a sleeper for those not paying attention. If La Salle is not within a game of the conference champion then I will forever consider La Salle an A10 failure.

vaNtR

Agreed. Unfortunately they don't get a lot of the press many other members enjoy. I wouldn't be surprised if they won the league.

rworkman09

Terrence Williams looked like a new player tonight. He has definitely improved over the offseason. 19 points and 10 rebounds.

__________________

Charlotte 49ers Message Board