A10 Outlook for 21-22

[Jersey77]

KL, I like our roster including the potential of our bigs, but to say we have the best front court in the league and nobody in the A10 can stop them is a huge reach. You can't dismiss the rest of the A10.

Richmond - Cayo, Burton, and Golden all averaged over 12 pts/game

VCU- Watkins, Williams, Ward, Levi, and PC transfer Nichols, lots of returning depth and talent.

Dayton - Camara (maybe the biggest impact transfer in the A10), Nwokeji, Amzil, Holmes, combination of youth, talent , and size.

Bonnies - Osun is the most dominating post presence in the conference, plus they added talented Pitt transfer Coulibaly, and several others.

This doesn't even include SLU with Oregon transfer Okoro, plus Bell and Linssen.

Yes my post was a bit optimistic, that being said I truly believe we have a worthy pitch of the best front court in the A10, regardless of all the names mentioned

1) are we so quick to forget who lead the A10 in FG%? Some guy named Antwan Walker I heard, not too shabby. To take that one step further, Makhel checked in at #8 on that same list. Who finished #9? Tre Mitchell

2) oh and while we’re at looking at some stats, that guy Makhel Mitchell manage to finish 4th in blocks in the conference too

3) really the biggest differentiator for me here is depth. I’m not going to sit here and try to argue any of these guys are better than Osun. But we have 3 legit bigs that would start on any team in this conference. And one of them we were robbed of seeing their impact last year - debatably the better of the brothers too

I totally agree. Our frontcourt is very dangerous. Walker should only get better. The twins are high major bigs and will cause teams headaches. They also seem completely dedicated to improving weaker areas of their games. I bet Makhel comes in shooting free throws better next season. If we can somehow fix our shooting and opens things up for our bigs, they should dominate most teams in the A10.

I am actually now a little concerned about our depth in the front court.

Walker when he plays aggressive can make a difference, on occasion he does disappear.
Also there were times when we have seen Makhel having trouble finishing around the rim.
Overall though, both are very adequate starters in the paint.

Now about Makhi, who did lose his starting position to his brother prior to his injury after just 2 games.
Remember he is returning from knee surgery and only played a total of 19 games in 2 years and his stats didn't exactly jump out at you.
Let's not make him out to be all world just yet.

After that we have 2 completely untested freshman.
Yes the potential is there, but you need to pump the brakes a little.

Our frontcourt if they stay healthy should hold their own,
I think our team's success will rely on our guard play.
Shep, Ish, Ish2, all need to be significant contributors and we should expect to see a major improvement from Carey.

[KingstonLane]

Yes my post was a bit optimistic, that being said I truly believe we have a worthy pitch of the best front court in the A10, regardless of all the names mentioned

1) are we so quick to forget who lead the A10 in FG%? Some guy named Antwan Walker I heard, not too shabby. To take that one step further, Makhel checked in at #8 on that same list. Who finished #9? Tre Mitchell

2) oh and while we’re at looking at some stats, that guy Makhel Mitchell manage to finish 4th in blocks in the conference too

3) really the biggest differentiator for me here is depth. I’m not going to sit here and try to argue any of these guys are better than Osun. But we have 3 legit bigs that would start on any team in this conference. And one of them we were robbed of seeing their impact last year - debatably the better of the brothers too

I totally agree. Our frontcourt is very dangerous. Walker should only get better. The twins are high major bigs and will cause teams headaches. They also seem completely dedicated to improving weaker areas of their games. I bet Makhel comes in shooting free throws better next season. If we can somehow fix our shooting and opens things up for our bigs, they should dominate most teams in the A10.

I am actually now a little concerned about our depth in the front court.

Walker when he plays aggressive can make a difference, on occasion he does disappear.
Also there were times when we have seen Makhel having trouble finishing around the rim.
Overall though, both are very adequate starters in the paint.

Now about Makhi, who did lose his starting position to his brother prior to his injury after just 2 games.
Remember he is returning from knee surgery and only played a total of 19 games in 2 years and his stats didn't exactly jump out at you.
Let's not make him out to be all world just yet.

After that we have 2 completely untested freshman.
Yes the potential is there, but you need to pump the brakes a little.

Our frontcourt if they stay healthy should hold their own,
I think our team's success will rely on our guard play.
Shep, Ish, Ish2, all need to be significant contributors and we should expect to see a major improvement from Carey.

You have two 6’10” centers who are high major recruits, and both played very well against good competition. And then you have the leading A10 player in FG%. That’s 3 very legit bigs, in the world of basketball I don’t know how much more depth you can ask for. It’s a luxury you don’t have to count on a freshmen for any sort of minutes here.

Not to mention Martin can play the 4 when necessary

[Jersey77]

I totally agree. Our frontcourt is very dangerous. Walker should only get better. The twins are high major bigs and will cause teams headaches. They also seem completely dedicated to improving weaker areas of their games. I bet Makhel comes in shooting free throws better next season. If we can somehow fix our shooting and opens things up for our bigs, they should dominate most teams in the A10.

I am actually now a little concerned about our depth in the front court.

Walker when he plays aggressive can make a difference, on occasion he does disappear.
Also there were times when we have seen Makhel having trouble finishing around the rim.
Overall though, both are very adequate starters in the paint.

Now about Makhi, who did lose his starting position to his brother prior to his injury after just 2 games.
Remember he is returning from knee surgery and only played a total of 19 games in 2 years and his stats didn't exactly jump out at you.
Let's not make him out to be all world just yet.

After that we have 2 completely untested freshman.
Yes the potential is there, but you need to pump the brakes a little.

Our frontcourt if they stay healthy should hold their own,
I think our team's success will rely on our guard play.
Shep, Ish, Ish2, all need to be significant contributors and we should expect to see a major improvement from Carey.

You have two 6’10” centers who are high major recruits, and both played very well against good competition. And then you have the leading A10 player in FG%. That’s 3 very legit bigs, in the world of basketball I don’t know how much more depth you can ask for. It’s a luxury you don’t have to count on a freshmen for any sort of minutes here.

Not to mention Martin can play the 4 when necessary

I do think the potential is there, but the top tier teams of the A10 all have talent in the front court.
Like I said, we should be able to hold our own in the paint and that certainly is our strength.
The key to our season is how our guards perform.

[Billyboy78]

Speaking of Makhi, according to his mom, he's the twin in the white t-shirt in this video. Looks like his knee is coming along nicely.

[SGreenwell]

Disappointing projection for us in the A10 21-22, but not totally unrealistic based upon last season's finish.
I tend to be a little more optimistic and feel we will be more competitive that most think.

https://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go ... preview%2F

This article really glosses over the fact that we have the best front court in the A10. I think 3-6 is a realistic range for us to finish, but that being said who in this league stops walker, Mitchell and Mitchell?

URI will go as far as their guards can take them

"Best frontcourt in the A-10" would be a lot more valuable in 1991 than 2021, though. Basketball has shifted emphasis so much to quick guards and wings who can shoot that you're lucky if two of your big men can play on the floor at the same time.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

"Best frontcourt in the A-10" would be a lot more valuable in 1991 than 2021, though. Basketball has shifted emphasis so much to quick guards and wings who can shoot that you're lucky if two of your big men can play on the floor at the same time.

Disagree. Play your best combination and force the other team to match up with you.

[KingstonLane]

Disappointing projection for us in the A10 21-22, but not totally unrealistic based upon last season's finish.
I tend to be a little more optimistic and feel we will be more competitive that most think.

https://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go ... preview%2F

This article really glosses over the fact that we have the best front court in the A10. I think 3-6 is a realistic range for us to finish, but that being said who in this league stops walker, Mitchell and Mitchell?

URI will go as far as their guards can take them

"Best frontcourt in the A-10" would be a lot more valuable in 1991 than 2021, though. Basketball has shifted emphasis so much to quick guards and wings who can shoot that you're lucky if two of your big men can play on the floor at the same time.

Agreed. Shooting over everything. The twins and walker can’t shoot, Martin struggled last year, Carey literally cannot shoot.

Shep is the guy (but will draw more attention than ever), need Leggett to be consistent, would love El-Amin to get back to his jr year numbers, and wouldn’t hurt if Berry could be a threat off the bench

[reef]

Carey with a nice drive and finish

[Seawrightspostgame]

The opinion that size on the court is dated is a lazy opinion. The teams with EFFECTIVE size are the top teams in their conference and nationally. I hope our boys can be even more effective this year.

I think shep ish ish2 and the top 3 bigs will all be pretty good. The wild cards are Martin, Carey and David Cox. If those three wild cards can have a good year then we can be contenders for the A10 title.

[rambone 78]

We need to force OUR style on our opponents, not the other way around.

That's something that hasn't happened in a while.

Has to change in order to win.

[Jersey77]

The opinion that size on the court is dated is a lazy opinion. The teams with EFFECTIVE size are the top teams in their conference and nationally. I hope our boys can be even more effective this year.

I think shep ish ish2 and the top 3 bigs will all be pretty good. The wild cards are Martin, Carey and David Cox. If those three wild cards can have a good year then we can be contenders for the A10 title.

We do have talent and on paper nice balance on our roster.

I still think there are too many "ifs" and question marks for us to be considered serious A10 title contenders.

Cox and the rest of the staff really need to up their game and have this team fully prepared.
Let's see what impact Bozeman brings to in game coaching and player development.
Hopefully we see continued development from Ish and he doesn't fall into the "sophomore slump".
How will Ish2's game translate to the A10?
Shep needs to be the leader and most impactful player, I think he is the key to our success.
Walker needs to show up ever game and Makhel needs to be consistent and make his presence felt in the paint.
Let's see what a healthy Makhi brings.
I hope Carey puts last season behind him can live up to some of his recruiting hype.
Martin should continue to be the glue guy, show some offensive flashes, and be steady on defense.

[steveystuds06]

The opinion that size on the court is dated is a lazy opinion. The teams with EFFECTIVE size are the top teams in their conference and nationally. I hope our boys can be even more effective this year.

I think shep ish ish2 and the top 3 bigs will all be pretty good. The wild cards are Martin, Carey and David Cox. If those three wild cards can have a good year then we can be contenders for the A10 title.

We do have talent and on paper nice balance on our roster.

I still think there are too many "ifs" and question marks for us to be considered serious A10 title contenders.

Cox and the rest of the staff really need to up their game and have this team fully prepared.
Let's see what impact Bozeman brings to in game coaching and player development.
Hopefully we see continued development from Ish and he doesn't fall into the "sophomore slump".
How will Ish2's game translate to the A10?
Shep needs to be the leader and most impactful player, I think he is the key to our success.
Walker needs to show up ever game and Makhel needs to be consistent and make his presence felt in the paint.
Let's see what a healthy Makhi brings.
I hope Carey puts last season behind him can live up to some of his recruiting hype.
Martin should continue to be the glue guy, show some offensive flashes, and be steady on defense.

I think you're underestimating the type of impact Makhi can make. He looked fantastic against Seton Hall and I thought he was one of the few players that looked like he belonged against Wisconsin. Two of the toughest opponents we faced all year. It looked like Makhi was about to make a jump right before he got hurt. I'm sure it will take a few games to get the rust off but he's a very talented big and I expect him to have a great year.

[Blue Man]

The idea that size can’t beat shooting is pretty easily debunked when you think of duke’s 2 6’10 guys against Rhody’s guards in 2018.

Obviously a lot of skill but we couldn’t do shit. If the Mitchell’s develop and progress it will be a differentiator especially in a historically smaller A-10.

Would be foolish of this coaching staff to not use our size as an advantage/central part of the game plan.

[Jersey77]

Several on the VCU fan board feel this is their deepest team ever.

[PeterRamTime]

The idea that size can’t beat shooting is pretty easily debunked when you think of duke’s 2 6’10 guys against Rhody’s guards in 2018.

Obviously a lot of skill but we couldn’t do shit. If the Mitchell’s develop and progress it will be a differentiator especially in a historically smaller A-10.

Would be foolish of this coaching staff to not use our size as an advantage/central part of the game plan.

Can't imagine how they could do anything other than use our size as the central part of our gameplans!

But then again we like to prepare for players that we won't be playing against.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

As Frank Layden used to say, "little guys get tired. Big guys stay big."

[Jersey77]

As expected, now officially reported.

[ramster]

The idea that size can’t beat shooting is pretty easily debunked when you think of duke’s 2 6’10 guys against Rhody’s guards in 2018.

Obviously a lot of skill but we couldn’t do shit. If the Mitchell’s develop and progress it will be a differentiator especially in a historically smaller A-10.

Would be foolish of this coaching staff to not use our size as an advantage/central part of the game plan.

Can't imagine how they could do anything other than use our size as the central part of our gameplans!

But then again we like to prepare for players that we won't be playing against.

So Tre Mitchell doesn’t play and we still lost to UMASS. Lost to UMASS and to Duquesne twice going 0-4. It wasn’t just Coaching causing that. Those who keep raving about our immense talent should take notice.

[steveystuds06]

The idea that size can’t beat shooting is pretty easily debunked when you think of duke’s 2 6’10 guys against Rhody’s guards in 2018.

Obviously a lot of skill but we couldn’t do shit. If the Mitchell’s develop and progress it will be a differentiator especially in a historically smaller A-10.

Would be foolish of this coaching staff to not use our size as an advantage/central part of the game plan.

Can't imagine how they could do anything other than use our size as the central part of our gameplans!

But then again we like to prepare for players that we won't be playing against.

So Tre Mitchell doesn’t play and we still lost to UMASS. Lost to UMASS and to Duquesne twice going 0-4. It wasn’t just Coaching causing that. Those who keep raving about our immense talent should take notice.

We shall see about our guards but I think the Twins will be a huge problem for teams in the A10

[Jersey77]

Tough break for George Mason losing their top recruit, a talented big that can stretch the defense.

[KingstonLane]

Tough break for George Mason losing their top recruit, a talented big that can stretch the defense.

He finally realized he had to play for George Mason

[ramster]

Tough break for George Mason losing their top recruit, a talented big that can stretch the defense.

He finally realized he had to play for George Mason

KingstonLane,
You make it sound like URI is so far above GMU.

Jersey77,
I don’t see in the A10 Rankings link you posted in this thread where Mbaye is mentioned in the write up. He’s a 2* ranking. Is he that big a loss?
Kim English just got a ‘22 commitment from Devin Dinkins PG from Gonzaga HS in DC. Considered a big pick up for English. Didn’t see on GMU board much info on Mbaye.

Last season:
George Mason 6th place. (8-6) (13-9) Won 1st game of A10 Tourney. Fired Head Coach. Hired Kim English

URI 10th place. (7-10) (10-15). Lost 1st game of A10 tourney. Lost spectacular Fatts Russell. Kept Head Coach.



6th. GEORGE MASON– Has the Kim English hype machine deluded me into believing Mason is a top half A10 team? Possibly, but it’s hard to ignore all the positive energy this program has and the teams in this section are skilled and flawed in virtually equal ways, so why not? STRENGTHS: Wings and versatility, Josh Oduro, energy. It feels lame to bank so much on a team’s offseason “energy”, but Mason just feels like a team that’s going to overperform in English’s first season, and of course it helps that he bolstered the backcourt and wings with some major transfer talent, most notably D’Shawn Schwartz, who could in theory lead the league in scoring given his length and smooth jump shot. Schwartz, Ticket Gaines, DeVon Cooper, and Otis Frazier given English absurd length and versatility at 2-4, and will aid the development of PG Ronnie Polite immensely. They’ll all revolve around Josh Oduro at the 5, who is poised for one of the bigger breakout campaigns in the league. Oduro is a menace on the O glass, draws a ton of contact, and has plus passing skills for his size. WEAKNESSES: Backcourt consistency, frontcourt depth. Polite and Xavier Johnson are a roller coaster on the ball, and could undermine the offense at times. There’s little, if any depth behind Oduro in the frontcourt. OUTLOOK: Mason is likely to be the sleeper darling of the league come fall preview time, but there’s certainly reasons to be optimistic about a possible NIT run here.

8th. RHODE ISLAND– Rough year for Rhody last year, and the finish to the season makes it hard to be optimistic about a turnaround. That said, this is a fairly talented and well balanced roster for David Cox to work with. STRENGTHS: Balance, return to health. A backcourt of Jeremy Carter-Sheppard and burgeoning scorer Ish Leggett is a solid returning core, especially if Jalen Carey can show any sort of bounceback after one of the more disappointing seasons in all of college basketball. They’ll be aided massively with the addition of volume shooter Ish El-Amin, a savvy PNR threat out of Ball State that will suck in blitzing ball screen defenders. Malik Martin on the wing was a bright spot in the late season doldrums for Cox, and Antwan Walker pairs nicely with him as a jack of all trades slasher. A healthy dose of Mitchell twins in the frontcourt makes that a bright spot for the Rams as well. WEAKNESSES: Coaching, shooting. Cox often looked overmatched on the sidelines, and his OOB and ATO numbers per Synergy back up that eye test assessment. The addition of Todd Bozeman to the staff is a major boon however, and hopefully he’s given a lot of defensive responsibility. The offense was a train wreck last year, and while El-Amin should help, major improvements from Carey and Martin will be needed for the Rams to exceed middling expectations. OUTLOOK: The talent and balance is slightly better than the expansive middle tier that surrounds them, so there is hope for an overperformance here.

[KingstonLane]

Tough break for George Mason losing their top recruit, a talented big that can stretch the defense.

He finally realized he had to play for George Mason

KingstonLane,
You make it sound like URI is so far above GMU.

Jersey77,
I don’t see in the A10 Rankings link you posted in this thread where Mbaye is mentioned in the write up. He’s a 2* ranking. Is he that big a loss?
Kim English just got a ‘22 commitment from Devin Dinkins PG from Gonzaga HS in DC. Considered a big pick up for English. Didn’t see on GMU board much info on Mbaye.

Last season:
George Mason 6th place. (8-6) (13-9) Won 1st game of A10 Tourney. Fired Head Coach. Hired Kim English

URI 10th place. (7-10) (10-15). Lost 1st game of A10 tourney. Lost spectacular Fatts Russell. Kept Head Coach.



6th. GEORGE MASON– Has the Kim English hype machine deluded me into believing Mason is a top half A10 team? Possibly, but it’s hard to ignore all the positive energy this program has and the teams in this section are skilled and flawed in virtually equal ways, so why not? STRENGTHS: Wings and versatility, Josh Oduro, energy. It feels lame to bank so much on a team’s offseason “energy”, but Mason just feels like a team that’s going to overperform in English’s first season, and of course it helps that he bolstered the backcourt and wings with some major transfer talent, most notably D’Shawn Schwartz, who could in theory lead the league in scoring given his length and smooth jump shot. Schwartz, Ticket Gaines, DeVon Cooper, and Otis Frazier given English absurd length and versatility at 2-4, and will aid the development of PG Ronnie Polite immensely. They’ll all revolve around Josh Oduro at the 5, who is poised for one of the bigger breakout campaigns in the league. Oduro is a menace on the O glass, draws a ton of contact, and has plus passing skills for his size. WEAKNESSES: Backcourt consistency, frontcourt depth. Polite and Xavier Johnson are a roller coaster on the ball, and could undermine the offense at times. There’s little, if any depth behind Oduro in the frontcourt. OUTLOOK: Mason is likely to be the sleeper darling of the league come fall preview time, but there’s certainly reasons to be optimistic about a possible NIT run here.

8th. RHODE ISLAND– Rough year for Rhody last year, and the finish to the season makes it hard to be optimistic about a turnaround. That said, this is a fairly talented and well balanced roster for David Cox to work with. STRENGTHS: Balance, return to health. A backcourt of Jeremy Carter-Sheppard and burgeoning scorer Ish Leggett is a solid returning core, especially if Jalen Carey can show any sort of bounceback after one of the more disappointing seasons in all of college basketball. They’ll be aided massively with the addition of volume shooter Ish El-Amin, a savvy PNR threat out of Ball State that will suck in blitzing ball screen defenders. Malik Martin on the wing was a bright spot in the late season doldrums for Cox, and Antwan Walker pairs nicely with him as a jack of all trades slasher. A healthy dose of Mitchell twins in the frontcourt makes that a bright spot for the Rams as well. WEAKNESSES: Coaching, shooting. Cox often looked overmatched on the sidelines, and his OOB and ATO numbers per Synergy back up that eye test assessment. The addition of Todd Bozeman to the staff is a major boon however, and hopefully he’s given a lot of defensive responsibility. The offense was a train wreck last year, and while El-Amin should help, major improvements from Carey and Martin will be needed for the Rams to exceed middling expectations. OUTLOOK: The talent and balance is slightly better than the expansive middle tier that surrounds them, so there is hope for an overperformance here.

My post was tongue in cheek, but now you really fired me up. Maybe we can stop quoting that A10 rankings article written by the guy who clearly watches less games than any fan in this conference - he made these rankings thinking Ibi Watson was still at Dayton and Hassan French was still as SLU

Now if you actually want me to give my input on Mason, I’ll actually add relevant facts unlike your lopsided analysis. They lost 4 of their top 5 scorers and have a new head coach. What about that should make me think they’ll be in the top half of the conference next year? If they surprise to the upside congrats to them, but that shouldn’t be the base case

I’m not here to say URI is my odds on favorite to win the conference. But on paper we’re far better off than them

[ramster]

He finally realized he had to play for George Mason

KingstonLane,
You make it sound like URI is so far above GMU.

Jersey77,
I don’t see in the A10 Rankings link you posted in this thread where Mbaye is mentioned in the write up. He’s a 2* ranking. Is he that big a loss?
Kim English just got a ‘22 commitment from Devin Dinkins PG from Gonzaga HS in DC. Considered a big pick up for English. Didn’t see on GMU board much info on Mbaye.

Last season:
George Mason 6th place. (8-6) (13-9) Won 1st game of A10 Tourney. Fired Head Coach. Hired Kim English

URI 10th place. (7-10) (10-15). Lost 1st game of A10 tourney. Lost spectacular Fatts Russell. Kept Head Coach.



6th. GEORGE MASON– Has the Kim English hype machine deluded me into believing Mason is a top half A10 team? Possibly, but it’s hard to ignore all the positive energy this program has and the teams in this section are skilled and flawed in virtually equal ways, so why not? STRENGTHS: Wings and versatility, Josh Oduro, energy. It feels lame to bank so much on a team’s offseason “energy”, but Mason just feels like a team that’s going to overperform in English’s first season, and of course it helps that he bolstered the backcourt and wings with some major transfer talent, most notably D’Shawn Schwartz, who could in theory lead the league in scoring given his length and smooth jump shot. Schwartz, Ticket Gaines, DeVon Cooper, and Otis Frazier given English absurd length and versatility at 2-4, and will aid the development of PG Ronnie Polite immensely. They’ll all revolve around Josh Oduro at the 5, who is poised for one of the bigger breakout campaigns in the league. Oduro is a menace on the O glass, draws a ton of contact, and has plus passing skills for his size. WEAKNESSES: Backcourt consistency, frontcourt depth. Polite and Xavier Johnson are a roller coaster on the ball, and could undermine the offense at times. There’s little, if any depth behind Oduro in the frontcourt. OUTLOOK: Mason is likely to be the sleeper darling of the league come fall preview time, but there’s certainly reasons to be optimistic about a possible NIT run here.

8th. RHODE ISLAND– Rough year for Rhody last year, and the finish to the season makes it hard to be optimistic about a turnaround. That said, this is a fairly talented and well balanced roster for David Cox to work with. STRENGTHS: Balance, return to health. A backcourt of Jeremy Carter-Sheppard and burgeoning scorer Ish Leggett is a solid returning core, especially if Jalen Carey can show any sort of bounceback after one of the more disappointing seasons in all of college basketball. They’ll be aided massively with the addition of volume shooter Ish El-Amin, a savvy PNR threat out of Ball State that will suck in blitzing ball screen defenders. Malik Martin on the wing was a bright spot in the late season doldrums for Cox, and Antwan Walker pairs nicely with him as a jack of all trades slasher. A healthy dose of Mitchell twins in the frontcourt makes that a bright spot for the Rams as well. WEAKNESSES: Coaching, shooting. Cox often looked overmatched on the sidelines, and his OOB and ATO numbers per Synergy back up that eye test assessment. The addition of Todd Bozeman to the staff is a major boon however, and hopefully he’s given a lot of defensive responsibility. The offense was a train wreck last year, and while El-Amin should help, major improvements from Carey and Martin will be needed for the Rams to exceed middling expectations. OUTLOOK: The talent and balance is slightly better than the expansive middle tier that surrounds them, so there is hope for an overperformance here.

My post was tongue in cheek, but now you really fired me up. Maybe we can stop quoting that A10 rankings article written by the guy who clearly watches less games than any fan in this conference - he made these rankings thinking Ibi Watson was still at Dayton and Hassan French was still as SLU

Now if you actually want me to give my input on Mason, I’ll actually add relevant facts unlike your lopsided analysis. They lost 4 of their top 5 scorers and have a new head coach. What about that should make me think they’ll be in the top half of the conference next year? If they surprise to the upside congrats to them, but that shouldn’t be the base case

I’m not here to say URI is my odds on favorite to win the conference. But on paper we’re far better off than them

On paper

Guess that seals it

[KingstonLane]

KingstonLane,
You make it sound like URI is so far above GMU.

Jersey77,
I don’t see in the A10 Rankings link you posted in this thread where Mbaye is mentioned in the write up. He’s a 2* ranking. Is he that big a loss?
Kim English just got a ‘22 commitment from Devin Dinkins PG from Gonzaga HS in DC. Considered a big pick up for English. Didn’t see on GMU board much info on Mbaye.

Last season:
George Mason 6th place. (8-6) (13-9) Won 1st game of A10 Tourney. Fired Head Coach. Hired Kim English

URI 10th place. (7-10) (10-15). Lost 1st game of A10 tourney. Lost spectacular Fatts Russell. Kept Head Coach.



6th. GEORGE MASON– Has the Kim English hype machine deluded me into believing Mason is a top half A10 team? Possibly, but it’s hard to ignore all the positive energy this program has and the teams in this section are skilled and flawed in virtually equal ways, so why not? STRENGTHS: Wings and versatility, Josh Oduro, energy. It feels lame to bank so much on a team’s offseason “energy”, but Mason just feels like a team that’s going to overperform in English’s first season, and of course it helps that he bolstered the backcourt and wings with some major transfer talent, most notably D’Shawn Schwartz, who could in theory lead the league in scoring given his length and smooth jump shot. Schwartz, Ticket Gaines, DeVon Cooper, and Otis Frazier given English absurd length and versatility at 2-4, and will aid the development of PG Ronnie Polite immensely. They’ll all revolve around Josh Oduro at the 5, who is poised for one of the bigger breakout campaigns in the league. Oduro is a menace on the O glass, draws a ton of contact, and has plus passing skills for his size. WEAKNESSES: Backcourt consistency, frontcourt depth. Polite and Xavier Johnson are a roller coaster on the ball, and could undermine the offense at times. There’s little, if any depth behind Oduro in the frontcourt. OUTLOOK: Mason is likely to be the sleeper darling of the league come fall preview time, but there’s certainly reasons to be optimistic about a possible NIT run here.

8th. RHODE ISLAND– Rough year for Rhody last year, and the finish to the season makes it hard to be optimistic about a turnaround. That said, this is a fairly talented and well balanced roster for David Cox to work with. STRENGTHS: Balance, return to health. A backcourt of Jeremy Carter-Sheppard and burgeoning scorer Ish Leggett is a solid returning core, especially if Jalen Carey can show any sort of bounceback after one of the more disappointing seasons in all of college basketball. They’ll be aided massively with the addition of volume shooter Ish El-Amin, a savvy PNR threat out of Ball State that will suck in blitzing ball screen defenders. Malik Martin on the wing was a bright spot in the late season doldrums for Cox, and Antwan Walker pairs nicely with him as a jack of all trades slasher. A healthy dose of Mitchell twins in the frontcourt makes that a bright spot for the Rams as well. WEAKNESSES: Coaching, shooting. Cox often looked overmatched on the sidelines, and his OOB and ATO numbers per Synergy back up that eye test assessment. The addition of Todd Bozeman to the staff is a major boon however, and hopefully he’s given a lot of defensive responsibility. The offense was a train wreck last year, and while El-Amin should help, major improvements from Carey and Martin will be needed for the Rams to exceed middling expectations. OUTLOOK: The talent and balance is slightly better than the expansive middle tier that surrounds them, so there is hope for an overperformance here.

My post was tongue in cheek, but now you really fired me up. Maybe we can stop quoting that A10 rankings article written by the guy who clearly watches less games than any fan in this conference - he made these rankings thinking Ibi Watson was still at Dayton and Hassan French was still as SLU

Now if you actually want me to give my input on Mason, I’ll actually add relevant facts unlike your lopsided analysis. They lost 4 of their top 5 scorers and have a new head coach. What about that should make me think they’ll be in the top half of the conference next year? If they surprise to the upside congrats to them, but that shouldn’t be the base case

I’m not here to say URI is my odds on favorite to win the conference. But on paper we’re far better off than them

On paper

Guess that seals it

Well I’ll share some groundbreaking info - were currently debating this strictly “on paper”. Those preseason rankings are strictly based off of “on paper” facts.

[ramster]

My post was tongue in cheek, but now you really fired me up. Maybe we can stop quoting that A10 rankings article written by the guy who clearly watches less games than any fan in this conference - he made these rankings thinking Ibi Watson was still at Dayton and Hassan French was still as SLU

Now if you actually want me to give my input on Mason, I’ll actually add relevant facts unlike your lopsided analysis. They lost 4 of their top 5 scorers and have a new head coach. What about that should make me think they’ll be in the top half of the conference next year? If they surprise to the upside congrats to them, but that shouldn’t be the base case

I’m not here to say URI is my odds on favorite to win the conference. But on paper we’re far better off than them

On paper

Guess that seals it

Well I’ll share some groundbreaking info - were currently debating this strictly “on paper”. Those preseason rankings are strictly based off of “on paper” facts.

“He finally realized he had to play for George Mason”

And when you chose to act like George Mason is such a bad place to play, the fact to GMU finished 6th season, URI 10th. And GMU wasn’t happy with that to the extent they hired a new Head Coach.

Mbaye might have been run off because he wasn’t good enough for all we know. Nobody on GMU board seems concerned but for sure it appears they are excited about Kim English as their new coach.

On paper I’d bet GMU finishes ahead of URI, again.

[ramster]

GMU lands Devin Dinkins '22 from Gonzaga HS in DC

Interesting how Kim English role at Tennessee helped get Dinkins to GMU.
English also hired a very experienced assistant coach in George Felton - former Head Coach at Georgia. Felton is always recruiting, very often seen at AAU, High School and Prep events. Type of Assistant that new Head Coaches want to hire.

Devin Dinkins:
My relationship with coach English is great. He was recruiting me when he was at Tennessee, and the day he got the job at Mason he offered me(first offer he made). Throughout the process he told me I was a priority, and that I was his guy. He believes he can help me get to the next level, and also build a great legacy at George Mason. The staff didn’t sugar coat anything, and I have a great relationship with all of them.

Seems like Josh Oduro played a role in your decision. Can you give us some insight on those conversations?
Devin Dinkins:
Yeah, Josh definitely played a role. He was my host on my visit. He would just tell me Mason is the place to be, and that we could play really good together.

[SGreenwell]

So I guess we've moved from UMass to George Mason, for Ramster's second team for the 2021-22 season.

[KingstonLane]

On paper

Guess that seals it

Well I’ll share some groundbreaking info - were currently debating this strictly “on paper”. Those preseason rankings are strictly based off of “on paper” facts.

“He finally realized he had to play for George Mason”

And when you chose to act like George Mason is such a bad place to play, the fact to GMU finished 6th season, URI 10th. And GMU wasn’t happy with that to the extent they hired a new Head Coach.

Mbaye might have been run off because he wasn’t good enough for all we know. Nobody on GMU board seems concerned but for sure it appears they are excited about Kim English as their new coach.

On paper I’d bet GMU finishes ahead of URI, again.

Who knew we had a GMU fan lurking on this board. Good grief man the initial line was said in jest.

That being said I love when people don’t even look further than Wins/Loses or use last years results as a basis for future outcomes. GMU had 4 games cancelled last year - 1 vs Rich, 1 vs SBU and 2 vs DUQ. Best case they come out of those 1-3?

We also beat GMU 80-60 last year. GMU returns players who scored only 13 of those 60. Meanwhile we return 58 of our 80 (also before ish was playing much)

Can’t believe I get to look forward to us play George Mason in the middle of winter this year just so ramster (if we even let you keep going by that) can eat crow

[steveystuds06]

I think George Mason will end up being very good under Kim English. I love his passion and energy as a coach, and he definitely has recruiting connections.... Keeping Oduro and landing Cooper, Schwarts, and Gains was big. I'm also a huge fan of their frosh Mbaye. I remember watching him play USA in the FIBA cup.. He's a little raw but I expect him to be one of the best defensive bigs in the league.

[KingstonLane]

I think George Mason will end up being very good under Kim English. I love his passion and energy as a coach, and he definitely has recruiting connections.... Keeping Oduro and landing Cooper, Schwarts, and Gains was big. I'm also a huge fan of their frosh Mbaye. I remember watching him play USA in the FIBA cup.. He's a little raw but I expect him to be one of the best defensive bigs in the league.

Got some bad news for you Stevey, scroll on up this thread. Mbaye ain’t coming

[Jersey77]

Tough break for George Mason losing their top recruit, a talented big that can stretch the defense.

He finally realized he had to play for George Mason

KingstonLane,
You make it sound like URI is so far above GMU.

Jersey77,
I don’t see in the A10 Rankings link you posted in this thread where Mbaye is mentioned in the write up. He’s a 2* ranking. Is he that big a loss?
Kim English just got a ‘22 commitment from Devin Dinkins PG from Gonzaga HS in DC. Considered a big pick up for English. Didn’t see on GMU board much info on Mbaye.

Last season:
George Mason 6th place. (8-6) (13-9) Won 1st game of A10 Tourney. Fired Head Coach. Hired Kim English

URI 10th place. (7-10) (10-15). Lost 1st game of A10 tourney. Lost spectacular Fatts Russell. Kept Head Coach.



6th. GEORGE MASON– Has the Kim English hype machine deluded me into believing Mason is a top half A10 team? Possibly, but it’s hard to ignore all the positive energy this program has and the teams in this section are skilled and flawed in virtually equal ways, so why not? STRENGTHS: Wings and versatility, Josh Oduro, energy. It feels lame to bank so much on a team’s offseason “energy”, but Mason just feels like a team that’s going to overperform in English’s first season, and of course it helps that he bolstered the backcourt and wings with some major transfer talent, most notably D’Shawn Schwartz, who could in theory lead the league in scoring given his length and smooth jump shot. Schwartz, Ticket Gaines, DeVon Cooper, and Otis Frazier given English absurd length and versatility at 2-4, and will aid the development of PG Ronnie Polite immensely. They’ll all revolve around Josh Oduro at the 5, who is poised for one of the bigger breakout campaigns in the league. Oduro is a menace on the O glass, draws a ton of contact, and has plus passing skills for his size. WEAKNESSES: Backcourt consistency, frontcourt depth. Polite and Xavier Johnson are a roller coaster on the ball, and could undermine the offense at times. There’s little, if any depth behind Oduro in the frontcourt. OUTLOOK: Mason is likely to be the sleeper darling of the league come fall preview time, but there’s certainly reasons to be optimistic about a possible NIT run here.

8th. RHODE ISLAND– Rough year for Rhody last year, and the finish to the season makes it hard to be optimistic about a turnaround. That said, this is a fairly talented and well balanced roster for David Cox to work with. STRENGTHS: Balance, return to health. A backcourt of Jeremy Carter-Sheppard and burgeoning scorer Ish Leggett is a solid returning core, especially if Jalen Carey can show any sort of bounceback after one of the more disappointing seasons in all of college basketball. They’ll be aided massively with the addition of volume shooter Ish El-Amin, a savvy PNR threat out of Ball State that will suck in blitzing ball screen defenders. Malik Martin on the wing was a bright spot in the late season doldrums for Cox, and Antwan Walker pairs nicely with him as a jack of all trades slasher. A healthy dose of Mitchell twins in the frontcourt makes that a bright spot for the Rams as well. WEAKNESSES: Coaching, shooting. Cox often looked overmatched on the sidelines, and his OOB and ATO numbers per Synergy back up that eye test assessment. The addition of Todd Bozeman to the staff is a major boon however, and hopefully he’s given a lot of defensive responsibility. The offense was a train wreck last year, and while El-Amin should help, major improvements from Carey and Martin will be needed for the Rams to exceed middling expectations. OUTLOOK: The talent and balance is slightly better than the expansive middle tier that surrounds them, so there is hope for an overperformance here.

Ramster
He was rated a 3* by both Rivals and 247 sports. (.87 composite, #231 national, #48 PF)
He also had some nice offers including Louisville, Rutgers, Arizona State, and Colorado.
I know Rutgers had very strong interest.

I still think we should finish ahead of George Mason.
They did add some nice transfers but also lost their top 3 scorers.

[NYGFan_Section208]

He finally realized he had to play for George Mason

KingstonLane,
You make it sound like URI is so far above GMU.

Jersey77,
I don’t see in the A10 Rankings link you posted in this thread where Mbaye is mentioned in the write up. He’s a 2* ranking. Is he that big a loss?
Kim English just got a ‘22 commitment from Devin Dinkins PG from Gonzaga HS in DC. Considered a big pick up for English. Didn’t see on GMU board much info on Mbaye.

Last season:
George Mason 6th place. (8-6) (13-9) Won 1st game of A10 Tourney. Fired Head Coach. Hired Kim English

URI 10th place. (7-10) (10-15). Lost 1st game of A10 tourney. Lost spectacular Fatts Russell. Kept Head Coach.



6th. GEORGE MASON– Has the Kim English hype machine deluded me into believing Mason is a top half A10 team? Possibly, but it’s hard to ignore all the positive energy this program has and the teams in this section are skilled and flawed in virtually equal ways, so why not? STRENGTHS: Wings and versatility, Josh Oduro, energy. It feels lame to bank so much on a team’s offseason “energy”, but Mason just feels like a team that’s going to overperform in English’s first season, and of course it helps that he bolstered the backcourt and wings with some major transfer talent, most notably D’Shawn Schwartz, who could in theory lead the league in scoring given his length and smooth jump shot. Schwartz, Ticket Gaines, DeVon Cooper, and Otis Frazier given English absurd length and versatility at 2-4, and will aid the development of PG Ronnie Polite immensely. They’ll all revolve around Josh Oduro at the 5, who is poised for one of the bigger breakout campaigns in the league. Oduro is a menace on the O glass, draws a ton of contact, and has plus passing skills for his size. WEAKNESSES: Backcourt consistency, frontcourt depth. Polite and Xavier Johnson are a roller coaster on the ball, and could undermine the offense at times. There’s little, if any depth behind Oduro in the frontcourt. OUTLOOK: Mason is likely to be the sleeper darling of the league come fall preview time, but there’s certainly reasons to be optimistic about a possible NIT run here.

8th. RHODE ISLAND– Rough year for Rhody last year, and the finish to the season makes it hard to be optimistic about a turnaround. That said, this is a fairly talented and well balanced roster for David Cox to work with. STRENGTHS: Balance, return to health. A backcourt of Jeremy Carter-Sheppard and burgeoning scorer Ish Leggett is a solid returning core, especially if Jalen Carey can show any sort of bounceback after one of the more disappointing seasons in all of college basketball. They’ll be aided massively with the addition of volume shooter Ish El-Amin, a savvy PNR threat out of Ball State that will suck in blitzing ball screen defenders. Malik Martin on the wing was a bright spot in the late season doldrums for Cox, and Antwan Walker pairs nicely with him as a jack of all trades slasher. A healthy dose of Mitchell twins in the frontcourt makes that a bright spot for the Rams as well. WEAKNESSES: Coaching, shooting. Cox often looked overmatched on the sidelines, and his OOB and ATO numbers per Synergy back up that eye test assessment. The addition of Todd Bozeman to the staff is a major boon however, and hopefully he’s given a lot of defensive responsibility. The offense was a train wreck last year, and while El-Amin should help, major improvements from Carey and Martin will be needed for the Rams to exceed middling expectations. OUTLOOK: The talent and balance is slightly better than the expansive middle tier that surrounds them, so there is hope for an overperformance here.

My post was tongue in cheek, but now you really fired me up. Maybe we can stop quoting that A10 rankings article written by the guy who clearly watches less games than any fan in this conference - he made these rankings thinking Ibi Watson was still at Dayton and Hassan French was still as SLU

Now if you actually want me to give my input on Mason, I’ll actually add relevant facts unlike your lopsided analysis. They lost 4 of their top 5 scorers and have a new head coach. What about that should make me think they’ll be in the top half of the conference next year? If they surprise to the upside congrats to them, but that shouldn’t be the base case

I’m not here to say URI is my odds on favorite to win the conference. But on paper we’re far better off than them

I must've missed that part last year...the part that convinced anybody that we 'far better off' than anyone...

[steveystuds06]

I think George Mason will end up being very good under Kim English. I love his passion and energy as a coach, and he definitely has recruiting connections.... Keeping Oduro and landing Cooper, Schwarts, and Gains was big. I'm also a huge fan of their frosh Mbaye. I remember watching him play USA in the FIBA cup.. He's a little raw but I expect him to be one of the best defensive bigs in the league.

Got some bad news for you Stevey, scroll on up this thread. Mbaye ain’t coming

Not bad news to me. I could care less if George Mason is good or not I’m just giving my opinion on their coach and team.

[McRam]

VCU and the Bonnies should be the clear cut favorites with their returning core players.

Richmond may also join the conversation with senior starters Gilyard and Cayo deciding to return plus having forward Tyler Burton.
All three players averaged about 12 pts/pg last season.

SLU should be strong again with scoring star Perkins coming back. Yuri at PG and big man Okoro who transferred from Oregon last year, plus sharpshooting Jimerson. They also have a couple of Euro bigs, part-time starting center Bell, plus possible starter Thatch.
In addition they have 2 highly anticipated transfers in Rashad Williams and Jordan Nesbitt.

Can't forget Davidson who always gives us problems.
Top returning scorer Lee, big man Brajkovic, and Carter Collins all double digit scorers. They can go big up front if Mennenga also starts.

Dayton always seems to reload, they return Weaver, Amzil, Nwokeji, Cohill (injured last season), Blakney, and Sissoko.
They also have their #1 recruiting class ever and tops in the A10.
They will be young but should be very competitive.

URI's success will depend on the improvement of last year's transfers, plus the growth of Ish and return of Shepp.
Curious to see what impact the freshman and transfer Ish2 will have.
With positive progress from our players, we can sneak into the top 5 of the conference.

Duquesne, GW, GM, and UMass have all been decimated by transfers, but the Dukes and GW seem to have added some decent players from the portal.

LaSalle, St. Joe's, and Fordham should round out the bottom of the A10 in no particular order.

I would not be surprised if Fordham does better this year, new coach and essentially a whole new team. Still a bottom feeder but maybe can move up a few notches.

A note about Davidson, I believe you mentioned Carter Collins being on the team and i recall that he transferred to Murray State. (No grad degrees as Davidson)

And the loss of Blake Francis at Richmond (top scorer) is going to hurt Richmond a lot more than pre-season projections indicate.

[theblueram]

checked in and see we are comparing ourselves to GMU. Then checked out again.

[ramster]

No comparison. GMU is clearly better. Good check out.

[Jersey77]

VCU and the Bonnies should be the clear cut favorites with their returning core players.

Richmond may also join the conversation with senior starters Gilyard and Cayo deciding to return plus having forward Tyler Burton.
All three players averaged about 12 pts/pg last season.

SLU should be strong again with scoring star Perkins coming back. Yuri at PG and big man Okoro who transferred from Oregon last year, plus sharpshooting Jimerson. They also have a couple of Euro bigs, part-time starting center Bell, plus possible starter Thatch.
In addition they have 2 highly anticipated transfers in Rashad Williams and Jordan Nesbitt.

Can't forget Davidson who always gives us problems.
Top returning scorer Lee, big man Brajkovic, and Carter Collins all double digit scorers. They can go big up front if Mennenga also starts.

Dayton always seems to reload, they return Weaver, Amzil, Nwokeji, Cohill (injured last season), Blakney, and Sissoko.
They also have their #1 recruiting class ever and tops in the A10.
They will be young but should be very competitive.

URI's success will depend on the improvement of last year's transfers, plus the growth of Ish and return of Shepp.
Curious to see what impact the freshman and transfer Ish2 will have.
With positive progress from our players, we can sneak into the top 5 of the conference.

Duquesne, GW, GM, and UMass have all been decimated by transfers, but the Dukes and GW seem to have added some decent players from the portal.

LaSalle, St. Joe's, and Fordham should round out the bottom of the A10 in no particular order.

I would not be surprised if Fordham does better this year, new coach and essentially a whole new team. Still a bottom feeder but maybe can move up a few notches.

A note about Davidson, I believe you mentioned Carter Collins being on the team and i recall that he transferred to Murray State. (No grad degrees as Davidson)

And the loss of Blake Francis at Richmond (top scorer) is going to hurt Richmond a lot more than pre-season projections indicate.

Yes, there were several roster changes since I first posted.
Including Golden and Sherod returning to Richmond, and Ace inured for VCU.
Sherod should help negate the impact of losing Francis. In 19-20 he averaged about 14 pts and led the A10 in 3pt% at 44%.
Richmond's starting 5 is experienced, solid, and should rival the Bonnies.
SLU, Dayton, and VCU should still round out the top 5.
Rhody, Davidson, and George Mason are all capable of challenging and making some noise.

[JimSidd]

The extensive George Mason comments in this thread made me laugh. I don’t think the program has had this much run since their 2006 Final Four appearance.

[Jersey77]

No comparison. GMU is clearly better. Good check out.

Transfers Schwartz, Gaines, and Cooper should all play a major role for them this year.
Big man Oduro made a big leap last season and is a huge piece for them.
Guards Hartwell and Johnson are both capable and they have some good young prospects.

I think coach English will do well there and bringing in Felton was big.

But Ramster when comparing rosters, I still prefer ours.
I feel we have more overall talent and balance.
I prefer to throw out last season as being an anomaly.

If we finish lower than 6th in the league, I will consider it a disappointment.
I hope we can sneak into the top 5.

[RF1]

Lest you all forget, URI allowed itself to be bought by then CAA member GMU just a decade ago. Before the Patriots joined the A-10, URI agreed to a three game OOC series with GMU. It included two games of a H&H series (Kingston & Fairfax) and one guarantee paid game in Fairfax.

2011 @ GMU Loss 90-92 OT
2012 GMU Loss 52-55
2013 @ GMU Loss 54-61

The 2013-14 season provided the oddity of playing at GMU in an OOC game in Nov-2013 and an A-10 conference game versus GMU in Kingston in Jan-2014 (URI won 71-69).

[Jersey77]

[theblueram]

No comparison. GMU is clearly better. Good check out.

This is the year Ramster. If this team does not come out as NCAAT quality, it's not going to be pretty. Just my thoughts.

[steviep123]

Not sure where else to put this:

[RF1]

College Sports Madness is once again doing its annual Top 144 teams countdown. The first A-10 team to be named is URI at #121. They pick Rhody for 7th place in the A-10. Projected to miss both the NCAA and NIT tournaments.


Rhode Island Rams
2021-2022 Overall Rank: #121
Conference Rank: #7 Atlantic 10
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/19594



As an FYI, opponent Bryant is projected at #137.
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/19570

[steviep123]

[bigappleram]

Very fair assessment, I think our range is somewhere from 4th to 10th.

Mitchell twins are the clear X factor for me. They will both be good, we know that, but can they be great. If they reach their own ceilings then we will be a very solid team. We have never had two serviceable 6'10 guys, let alone 2 guys that have shown flashes of being able to be very good on both ends of the floor.

Feel confident you know what you will get from Shep, Ish, Twan and Malik all with a year under their belt.

Anything you get from Ish2 is gravy, as fool me once on the immediate impact of transfers following the trauma of last season. No expectations of the redshirts as I have never seen them play a minute of college ball.

Last year I thought our range was 4-8 and we played below that. Some of that has to fall on coach but also on continuity, and lack thereof. This year that is no longer the excuse. It's make or break on this team reaching its ceiling IMO. Roles should be more clearly defined, style of play should be more defined, etc.

*Didn't mention Carey bc he is just impossible to predict

[Rhodymob05]

Lots of POTENTIAL and not enough KNOWN about this team to accurately predict from my standpoint, but I am hopeful we will be a top 5 team.

[KingstonLane]

Bench scoring will be our X factor. If you start Shep-Legget-Martin-Walker-Mitchell you really need Carey and/or Tres to be competent this year.

Feel as if El-Amin and Mitchell x2 might not be enough

[SGreenwell]

As odd as it sounds, I think our depth is strong again. By that, I mean it's not like we're throwing guys out there that are questionable D-I players, like in the early and late Baron years. However, I think you need superstar talent to make it past the .500 mark, and I'm not really seeing it. Makhel Mitchell is a nice player, but ultimately averaged 9.6 PPG last year, and Makhi missed a year of development, so I don't think we can assume he'll be as good as Makhel, even if they're twins. After Makhel, I think Ish has a chance to be really good, but I think it's more likely he's a great player his junior or senior year. We have a roster of average to above-average players, which to me, translated to something like 16-14.