A10 Outlook for 2023-24

[luke]

Isn't it one in fifteen chances of making the NCAAT for the A 10 ? There aren't 17 teams in the league , there are 15 . And it has only been a one bid league once so far , so maybe 2 in 15 or 3 in 15 which is one in five has may be the norm going forward .

[jcru]

You’re right, it’s 15. I guess it just feels like 17.

One bid for 15 teams. Feels like the trap was set and they took the bait. Nearly double that of the Ivy League and a couple of other conferences.

“Hey, get them to pile a bunch of teams into one conference and essentially eliminate all of them from any “Dance” aspirations they might have.

Add one more team and to the A-10 and then split the conference in half. The Yankee Conference and the A-8. At least we’ll get two teams in that way.

We’ll take:

URI
UMass
St Bonaventure
Fordham
Dayton
St Joseph
LaSalle
Dukes

They can have everything south of the mason dixon line and west of Ohio.

GWU
GM
VCU
Richmond
St Louis
Davidson
Loyola
TBD

We play each of our conference team rivals twice = 14 games

[jcru]

Luke, sounds like wishful thinking. The pundits are already ear marking the a-10 for 1 autobid. And the levers pulled by the NCAA get less friendly by the year.

The name of the conference is the A-10, when was the last time the A-10 had ten teams? At least the PAC-10 changed their name to the PAC-12. What are we? The A-15? Sounds like a highway in the UK.

[ramster]

The A10 now being a 1 Bid Conference its anybody's guess who grabs the AQ.
Back on May 23 Lunardi has Duquesne as the AQ for 2024 NCAA Tournament and assigned 11-seed


https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2023/05 ... cketology/

Lunardi doing brackets in May is peak "thirsty for clicks." Maybe he doesn't get vacation time, though.

Same road traveled as Jon Rothstein doing his Top 45 "Too Early" listing and continually updating it, Jeff Borzello, Jeff Goodman, Andy Katz, Gary Parrish, Bustin Brackets, etc.
For all these guys it's all about clicks, expanding subscriber bases, gaining more advertising.
Not sure why you dislike Lunardi so much with him being an A10 guy from way back. He has gotten some good following with his Bracket concept and ESPN picked up on his Bracketology for National Widespread distribution. From listening to Lunardi describe his reasoning behind decisions in which teams to pick, first 4 out, next 4 out, last 4 in, etc he seems quite good from time to time with his logic. He has pretty well predicted the A10 dropping to 1 bid last year when many disagreed with him on that. Lunardi is also quick to admit when he is wrong - nice to see this in writers.

[reef]

Right now I’m guessing 1 bid again but it’s way way too early

[Jersey77]

VCU with another international addition, shot 38% 3Pt, 96% FT.
He should be very familiar with Fuchs from the German League.

[ramster]

[Jersey77]

"Atlantic 10 transfer update: A bounce back campaign on the horizon?
It’s been an exciting offseason of transfer pickups for some new-look rosters in the A-10."

By Riley Frain Jun 10, 2023, 7:20am PDT 0 Comments / 0 New
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2023/6/ ... conference

They made a mistake saying Justyn Fernandez was added to URI .

[ramster]

"Atlantic 10 transfer update: A bounce back campaign on the horizon?
It’s been an exciting offseason of transfer pickups for some new-look rosters in the A-10."

By Riley Frain Jun 10, 2023, 7:20am PDT 0 Comments / 0 New
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2023/6/ ... conference

They made a mistake saying Justyn Fernandez was added to URI .

Andrei Savrasov Played at Georgia Southern, not Georgia State.

Besides those 2 errors, Fernandez and Savrasov the writer makes no reference to the fact that a number of these transfers will not be eligible this season unless a waiver is granted. Writer makes it sound like all are eligible.

A10 list a lot of talent to transfers this post season. Writer makes it sound like the A10 killed it with incoming transfers. No comparison is made as to who left to who arrived.

[Jersey77]

"Atlantic 10 transfer update: A bounce back campaign on the horizon?
It’s been an exciting offseason of transfer pickups for some new-look rosters in the A-10."

By Riley Frain Jun 10, 2023, 7:20am PDT 0 Comments / 0 New
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2023/6/ ... conference

They made a mistake saying Justyn Fernandez was added to URI .

Andrei Savrasov Played at Georgia Southern, not Georgia State.

Besides those 2 errors, Fernandez and Savrasov the writer makes no reference to the fact that a number of these transfers will not be eligible this season unless a waiver is granted. Writer makes it sound like all are eligible.

A10 list a lot of talent to transfers this post season. Writer makes it sound like the A10 killed it with incoming transfers. No comparison is made as to who left to who arrived.

Yes Ramster.
If you look at the pluses and minuses in the portal for the A10, the conference definitely lost better talent than it gained.
Aside from that, I think the conference has more balance top to bottom than in previous years.
We have quite a few decent or maybe good teams, but none that really standout at this point.
Hopefully our conference can make a little noise in the OOC with the NCAA taking some notice.

[Jdrums#3]

When the NET Rankings begin to be released next season, it will be interesting to see how many A10 teams are in the top 25, top 50, top 75 and top 100. I look forward to finding out if Riley Fain is a prophet or just blowing smoke up the A10’s collective butt.

If the A10 can secure and sustain for next season at least one team in the NET top 25, 1-2 more in the top 26-50, 1 or 2 more in the 51-75 range and 2-3 more in the 76 to 100 range then I think the conference would be in play for 2-3 NCAAT bids (including the auto bid) and then I would consider Fain a prophet. I consider that a reasonable expectation and a bounce back from last season based on the history of the A10.

Pure speculation on my part for discussion purposes.

We shall see how the A10 performs.

Thanks for posting the thought provoking story, Jersey, during the KB slow season.

[Rhody72]

The A10 is no longer a relevant basketball conference. There is no such thing any longer of a mid-major conference. There are "haves" and "have-nots". The ship has sailed. We play in the minor leagues. As soon as we develop a good player, he will be gone to a major league program. We will pretend for a few years that URI basketball is relevant before accepting our plight. Eventually there will be BBS and BCS conferences as there are FBS and FCS conferences. The die has been cast.

[luke]

The NCAA Tournament tells a different Story in recent times . Many teams from the so called minor leagues have surpassed many of the so called Major leagues in their tournament performances . And as recently as 2020 Dayton would have been a one seed and one of the favorites to win. The A 10 had
a bad year , so what . One or two seasons do not make a trend . Every conference has had its ups and downs over the years including all of the current
top conferences.

[limkangyoung]

The NCAA Tournament tells a different Story in recent times . Many teams from the so called minor leagues have surpassed many of the so called Major leagues in their tournament performances . And as recently as 2020 Dayton would have been a one seed and one of the favorites to win. The A 10 had
a bad year , so what . One or two seasons do not make a trend . Every conference has had its ups and downs over the years including all of the current
top conferences.

Is it possible to compare teams from the so-called major and minor leagues? Yes, the tournament performance may be better, but are the opponents stronger or weaker?

[bigappleram]

The A10 is no longer a relevant basketball conference. There is no such thing any longer of a mid-major conference. There are "haves" and "have-nots". The ship has sailed. We play in the minor leagues. As soon as we develop a good player, he will be gone to a major league program. We will pretend for a few years that URI basketball is relevant before accepting our plight. Eventually there will be BBS and BCS conferences as there are FBS and FCS conferences. The die has been cast.

If you truly believe that why even keep being a fan or supporter. You know the outcome, the die has been cast, in your words.
So you might as well take your ball and go home.

The bottom line is in CBB the biggest cash cow is the tournament. The "minor leagues" drive the majority of the interest. Everyone knows that.
If people only wanted to watch the power conference teams play against each other than the conference tournaments would draw huge ratings. They don't. College football already tried to lock out their minor leagues and public opinion forced them to open it up to include more teams in the playoff series.

The goal remains the same - be the best program in the best mid major conference. The league has work to do to be in that conversation but nothing changes as far as what we need to do. It has never been easy for Rhody to stay relevant.

[RIFan]

If the A10 doesn’t recover and get back to 3-4 (even 2-3) NCAA bids, URI then needs to become the big dog of the A10, otherwise we will all just be fans of any other no name mid major who draws 750 per game. The A10 needs to get its act together or we need to become the Vermont of the A10, otherwise interest will significantly decrease as will revenue, donations and everything else associated with the program. I, for one have no interest in supporting or being a fan of such a team in such a conference.

[steveystuds06]

The A10 is no longer a relevant basketball conference. There is no such thing any longer of a mid-major conference. There are "haves" and "have-nots". The ship has sailed. We play in the minor leagues. As soon as we develop a good player, he will be gone to a major league program. We will pretend for a few years that URI basketball is relevant before accepting our plight. Eventually there will be BBS and BCS conferences as there are FBS and FCS conferences. The die has been cast.

Kinda how you pretend to be a URI fan ?

[RJRam]

The A10 is no longer a relevant basketball conference. There is no such thing any longer of a mid-major conference. There are "haves" and "have-nots". The ship has sailed. We play in the minor leagues. As soon as we develop a good player, he will be gone to a major league program. We will pretend for a few years that URI basketball is relevant before accepting our plight. Eventually there will be BBS and BCS conferences as there are FBS and FCS conferences. The die has been cast.

Kinda how you pretend to be a URI fan ?

I am a RI alum and fan. And I have been a season ticket holder and have donated to the program as long as most anyone. And I am also usually an optimist. However I can't dismiss 72"s take. If the NIL is not reined in, I would not rule out the doomsday scenario he predicts. Comparing minor conference successes in previous NCAA tourneys does not take into account the full value of the NIL going forward.

[RamStock]

The A10 is no longer a relevant basketball conference. There is no such thing any longer of a mid-major conference. There are "haves" and "have-nots". The ship has sailed. We play in the minor leagues. As soon as we develop a good player, he will be gone to a major league program. We will pretend for a few years that URI basketball is relevant before accepting our plight. Eventually there will be BBS and BCS conferences as there are FBS and FCS conferences. The die has been cast.

Definitely can’t say that a lot of what you said is wrong. I mean, if we are at the point where we are celebrating NIT bids then interest will be completely gone. You either win the auto bid or the rest of the conference games and schedule was a waste. I would hope they can at least get 2 bids from the A-10. I’m not sure that they will ever separate the conferences to a BBS and BCS as you mentioned, but in terms of small conference teams in the NCAA the Cinderella’s will come from the one team that represents the non BCS leagues. Hopefully the best teams from the smaller conferences like Florida Atlantic hold serve in their conference tourney so we can get those first round upsets.

[RIFan]

I think the biggest problem for the conferences and teams outside the power conferences will be the ability to keep a core together and maintain consistency. It will be difficult if they have to turn over 1/3 or more of the team annually that will not only include players who are moving down but also moving up. It seems like every year will be more of a crap shoot than it had been…some years the new mix will click and others it won’t.

[ramster]

[Jersey77]

A little surprised, but his minute would have been limited because they added Cohen.
He battled injuries and wasn't 100% last season.

[SGreenwell]

A little surprised, but his minute would have been limited because they added Cohen.
He battled injuries and wasn't 100% last season.

Good size, but just an OK rebounder. Looks like he got the green light to shoot from 3 last year - After not attempting one in three seasons with Martin at South Carolina, he went 4-for-24 at UMass. One of those guys that's nice to have off the bench, but you're probably in trouble if he's the starter.

[RhowdyRam02]

A little surprised, but his minute would have been limited because they added Cohen.
He battled injuries and wasn't 100% last season.

Good size, but just an OK rebounder. Looks like he got the green light to shoot from 3 last year - After not attempting one in three seasons with Martin at South Carolina, he went 4-for-24 at UMass. One of those guys that's nice to have off the bench, but you're probably in trouble if he's the starter.

Reading the UMass board and apparently he was hurt all of last year. Had procedures done on both knees back in April and was restricted from running until sometime next month

[SGreenwell]

A little surprised, but his minute would have been limited because they added Cohen.
He battled injuries and wasn't 100% last season.

Good size, but just an OK rebounder. Looks like he got the green light to shoot from 3 last year - After not attempting one in three seasons with Martin at South Carolina, he went 4-for-24 at UMass. One of those guys that's nice to have off the bench, but you're probably in trouble if he's the starter.

Reading the UMass board and apparently he was hurt all of last year. Had procedures done on both knees back in April and was restricted from running until sometime next month

The old adage is "the best ability is availability." Unfortunate, but it sounds like it might apply to Leveque. He topped out at 21 MPG as a junior. I suppose an interesting hypothetical is whether having Martin as a coach for four years was ultimately good for him, if he was dealing with injuries and needed surgery on both knees by his senior year. But, I also realize some guys are just going to get hurt, no matter what.

[Billyboy78]

[Rhody72]

A hypothetical. If on Nov 1st 2022 there were two A10 teams. One team had our actual roster on 11/1/2022 and the other team had the roster we have today for the 2023-24 season, which team would you predict to have the better A10 record at the end of the season?

[Jersey77]

Foster was a former VCU commit.
UMass now has a full roster (13) for 23-24, including 7 freshmen recruits and 2 transfers.

[Rhode_Island_Red]

The NCAA Tournament tells a different Story in recent times . Many teams from the so called minor leagues have surpassed many of the so called Major leagues in their tournament performances . And as recently as 2020 Dayton would have been a one seed and one of the favorites to win. The A 10 had
a bad year , so what . One or two seasons do not make a trend . Every conference has had its ups and downs over the years including all of the current
top conferences.

That may be true, but as the Cartel (with the help of obvious nepotism hire Dan Gavitt) vacuums up more and more of the at-large bids, teams from riffraff leagues like the A-10 will have fewer and fewer chances to outperform the Cartel.

[ramster]

KJ@kjpistons

Since 2008 only 2 underclassmen 6’2 or taller had a

PPG of 18 or higher
AST% of 15 or higher
STL% of 2 or higher
Shot 37% or higher from three on at least 250 attempts

Stephen Curry
Erik Reynolds II

Erik Reynolds is way too underrated



Big things expected of Erik Reynolds of St Joseph's this upcoming season

[Jersey77]

KJ@kjpistons

Since 2008 only 2 underclassmen 6’2 or taller had a

PPG of 18 or higher
AST% of 15 or higher
STL% of 2 or higher
Shot 37% or higher from three on at least 250 attempts

Stephen Curry
Erik Reynolds II

Erik Reynolds is way too underrated



Big things expected of Erik Reynolds of St Joseph's this upcoming season

Yes Ramster, Reynolds is definitely a stud and possibly the top guard in the A10.
St. Joe's is loaded in the backcourt which also includes Lynn Greer (12.5 pts/4 assists) and Cam Brown (13.3 pts/6 rebs).

Also a decent frontcourt with (F) Klaczek), (F) Fleming, and highly touted 7' RS freshman center Essandoko.
Plus, 7' grad center Charles Coleman coming off the bench.

All this along with arguably the #1 A10 ('23) recruiting class, should put St. Joe's in the top tier of the conference this season.

[Blue Man]

KJ@kjpistons

Since 2008 only 2 underclassmen 6’2 or taller had a

PPG of 18 or higher
AST% of 15 or higher
STL% of 2 or higher
Shot 37% or higher from three on at least 250 attempts

Stephen Curry
Erik Reynolds II

Erik Reynolds is way too underrated



Big things expected of Erik Reynolds of St Joseph's this upcoming season

Yes Ramster, Reynolds is definitely a stud and possibly the top guard in the A10.
St. Joe's is loaded in the backcourt which also includes Lynn Greer (12.5 pts/4 assists) and Cam Brown (13.3 pts/6 rebs).

Also a decent frontcourt with (F) Klaczek), (F) Fleming, and highly touted 7' RS freshman center Essandoko.
Plus, 7' grad center Charles Coleman coming off the bench.

All this along with arguably the #1 A10 ('23) recruiting class, should put St. Joe's in the top tier of the conference this season.

Billy Lange - unproven coach in year 5 who has yet to have a team with an above .500 record, who's teams have gone from dead last, to 2nd from dead last, to 2nd from dead last, to 9th - no qualifiers on "gelling," no qualifiers on freshmen, no qualifiers on redshirts - "oh yeah definitely a top tier team."

Archie Miller - proven coach in year 2 who's already shown recent dominance in the A10, finally has a recruiting class of guys he wanted and not had to take late in the cycle - yet for some reason we have to use caution because of gelling, or freshmen, or not ready this/that - "this team is going to be bottom tier and it's BULLSHIT because we should be good"

St Joes had 2 close losses in a dog shit conference in year 4 of their coach who is also trash. He's only still there because the AD fired a legend in haste and doesn't want to admit her mistake with the replacement.

Joes is going to have the same team they did last year in a conference that should be improved.

URI is going to have a completely different and improved roster top to bottom.

How anyone is on here talking about Joes being top tier and then somehow saying we'll be lucky to avoid bottom third is high on paint thinner and should consider the fan site they're posting on.

Sense. It totally makes.

(and no 77 this isn't a direct shot at you, it's a shot at the majority of posters on here and i'm just combining it in a response to yours because it's a holiday weekend and I like wine and fuck everyone doubting this team/coach. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.)

[Jersey77]

KJ@kjpistons

Since 2008 only 2 underclassmen 6’2 or taller had a

PPG of 18 or higher
AST% of 15 or higher
STL% of 2 or higher
Shot 37% or higher from three on at least 250 attempts

Stephen Curry
Erik Reynolds II

Erik Reynolds is way too underrated



Big things expected of Erik Reynolds of St Joseph's this upcoming season

Yes Ramster, Reynolds is definitely a stud and possibly the top guard in the A10.
St. Joe's is loaded in the backcourt which also includes Lynn Greer (12.5 pts/4 assists) and Cam Brown (13.3 pts/6 rebs).

Also a decent frontcourt with (F) Klaczek), (F) Fleming, and highly touted 7' RS freshman center Essandoko.
Plus, 7' grad center Charles Coleman coming off the bench.

All this along with arguably the #1 A10 ('23) recruiting class, should put St. Joe's in the top tier of the conference this season.

Billy Lange - unproven coach in year 5 who has yet to have a team with an above .500 record, who's teams have gone from dead last, to 2nd from dead last, to 2nd from dead last, to 9th - no qualifiers on "gelling," no qualifiers on freshmen, no qualifiers on redshirts, and a "loaded backcourt" averaging 25ppg combined - "oh yeah definitely a top tier team."

Archie Miller - proven coach in year 2 who's already shown recent dominance in the A10, finally has a recruiting class of guys he wanted and not had to take late in the cycle - yet for some reason we have to use caution because of gelling, or freshmen, or not ready this/that, or the guard averaging 17 on his own last season - "this team is going to be bottom tier and it's BULLSHIT because we should be good"

St Joes had 2 close losses in a dog shit conference in year 4 of their coach who is also trash. He's only still there because the AD fired a legend in haste and doesn't want to admit her mistake with the replacement.

Joes is going to have the same team they did last year in a conference that should be improved.

URI is going to have a completely different and improved roster top to bottom.

How anyone is on here talking about Joes being top tier and then somehow saying we'll be lucky to avoid bottom third is high on paint thinner and should consider the fan site they're posting on.

Sense. It totally makes.

(and no 77 this isn't a direct shot at you, it's a shot at the majority of posters on here and i'm just combining it in a response to yours because it's a holiday weekend and I like wine and fuck everyone doubting this team/coach. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.)

Blue Man I give you props for doubling down on your very optimistic prediction for Rhody this season, even though I don't agree.
Good things will happen to this program, but this season will be a work in progress.

I posted a year ago that I thought Lange would be on the hot seat, but instead he received an extension, go figure.
Maybe they feel this team has potential (I don't disagree) and his recruiting class is impressive including Essandoko, who had decommitted from PC.

It is very rare that a team which basically starts all over (new roster) after finishing 14th becomes conference contenders that following season.

In contrast, St. Joe's brings back a solid nucleus (their starting backcourt averaged 45 pts) from a team that moved from 12th to 8th.
Experience does mean something, so maybe this season Lange will break through.

I also thought Dambrot would be on the hot seat prior to last season but this year Duquesne will be one of the favorites.

With all that said Blue Man, I hope you prove me wrong.

[reef]

KJ@kjpistons

Since 2008 only 2 underclassmen 6’2 or taller had a

PPG of 18 or higher
AST% of 15 or higher
STL% of 2 or higher
Shot 37% or higher from three on at least 250 attempts

Stephen Curry
Erik Reynolds II

Erik Reynolds is way too underrated



Big things expected of Erik Reynolds of St Joseph's this upcoming season

Yes Ramster, Reynolds is definitely a stud and possibly the top guard in the A10.
St. Joe's is loaded in the backcourt which also includes Lynn Greer (12.5 pts/4 assists) and Cam Brown (13.3 pts/6 rebs).

Also a decent frontcourt with (F) Klaczek), (F) Fleming, and highly touted 7' RS freshman center Essandoko.
Plus, 7' grad center Charles Coleman coming off the bench.

All this along with arguably the #1 A10 ('23) recruiting class, should put St. Joe's in the top tier of the conference this season.

Billy Lange - unproven coach in year 5 who has yet to have a team with an above .500 record, who's teams have gone from dead last, to 2nd from dead last, to 2nd from dead last, to 9th - no qualifiers on "gelling," no qualifiers on freshmen, no qualifiers on redshirts - "oh yeah definitely a top tier team."

Archie Miller - proven coach in year 2 who's already shown recent dominance in the A10, finally has a recruiting class of guys he wanted and not had to take late in the cycle - yet for some reason we have to use caution because of gelling, or freshmen, or not ready this/that - "this team is going to be bottom tier and it's BULLSHIT because we should be good"

St Joes had 2 close losses in a dog shit conference in year 4 of their coach who is also trash. He's only still there because the AD fired a legend in haste and doesn't want to admit her mistake with the replacement.

Joes is going to have the same team they did last year in a conference that should be improved.

URI is going to have a completely different and improved roster top to bottom.

How anyone is on here talking about Joes being top tier and then somehow saying we'll be lucky to avoid bottom third is high on paint thinner and should consider the fan site they're posting on.

Sense. It totally makes.

(and no 77 this isn't a direct shot at you, it's a shot at the majority of posters on here and i'm just combining it in a response to yours because it's a holiday weekend and I like wine and fuck everyone doubting this team/coach. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.)

Spot on Blue

Good riddance Billy L should be toast if they don’t do better than .500 in this crap bad Conference

[ramster]

Petras Padegimas, a 6-foot-8 forward from Lithuania, announced his commitment to the Dayton Flyers on Sunday.

Padegimas fills Dayton’s 13th and final scholarship on the 2023-24 roster. He’ll be one of eight players in the 2023 recruiting class and one of four freshmen.

Padegimas joins these newcomers, all of whom are now on campus, in Dayton’s 2023 class:

• Nate Santos, a 6-7 forward who played the last two seasons at Pittsburgh, committed to Dayton on June 13.

• Marvel Allen, a 6-foot-4 guard from Montverde Academy and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., committed to Dayton on May 8.

• Isaac Jack, a 6-11 center, committed to Dayton on April 24 after one season at Buffalo.

• Javon Bennett, a 5-11 guard, committed to Dayton on April 10 after one season at Merrimack.

• Enoch Cheeks, a 6-3 guard who played the last three seasons at Robert Morris University, committed to Dayton on March 30.

• Vasilije Erceg, a 6-foot-10 forward from Novi Sad, Serbia, committed to Dayton on March 24.

• Jaiun Simon, a 6-7 forward from Mableton, Ga., committed to Dayton on Oct. 28 and signed in November.


https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/ ... CN76K5Z3U/

[Jersey77]

Yes Ramster, Reynolds is definitely a stud and possibly the top guard in the A10.
St. Joe's is loaded in the backcourt which also includes Lynn Greer (12.5 pts/4 assists) and Cam Brown (13.3 pts/6 rebs).

Also a decent frontcourt with (F) Klaczek), (F) Fleming, and highly touted 7' RS freshman center Essandoko.
Plus, 7' grad center Charles Coleman coming off the bench.

All this along with arguably the #1 A10 ('23) recruiting class, should put St. Joe's in the top tier of the conference this season.

Billy Lange - unproven coach in year 5 who has yet to have a team with an above .500 record, who's teams have gone from dead last, to 2nd from dead last, to 2nd from dead last, to 9th - no qualifiers on "gelling," no qualifiers on freshmen, no qualifiers on redshirts - "oh yeah definitely a top tier team."

Archie Miller - proven coach in year 2 who's already shown recent dominance in the A10, finally has a recruiting class of guys he wanted and not had to take late in the cycle - yet for some reason we have to use caution because of gelling, or freshmen, or not ready this/that - "this team is going to be bottom tier and it's BULLSHIT because we should be good"

St Joes had 2 close losses in a dog shit conference in year 4 of their coach who is also trash. He's only still there because the AD fired a legend in haste and doesn't want to admit her mistake with the replacement.

Joes is going to have the same team they did last year in a conference that should be improved.

URI is going to have a completely different and improved roster top to bottom.

How anyone is on here talking about Joes being top tier and then somehow saying we'll be lucky to avoid bottom third is high on paint thinner and should consider the fan site they're posting on.

Sense. It totally makes.

(and no 77 this isn't a direct shot at you, it's a shot at the majority of posters on here and i'm just combining it in a response to yours because it's a holiday weekend and I like wine and fuck everyone doubting this team/coach. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.)

Spot on Blue

Good riddance Billy L should be toast if they don’t do better than .500 in this crap bad Conference

Really Reef and Blue Man,
Makes no sense?

I have a strong feeling that almost every basketball publication, analyst, insider, and even the pre-season A10 basketball coach's prediction/poll will pick St. Joe's to finish ahead of Rhody this season.

Blue Man, I think you posted earlier that you expect us to finish in the top 6.
If they don't, will you give Archie a failing grade for this season?

I still predict an 8-12 finish and as I said earlier, I don't necessarily look at that as a negative reflection on where this program is headed, just trying to be realistic with this new roster.
Not doubting this team or coach, I just think it will take time.

[Jersey77]

Petras Padegimas, a 6-foot-8 forward from Lithuania, announced his commitment to the Dayton Flyers on Sunday.

Padegimas fills Dayton’s 13th and final scholarship on the 2023-24 roster. He’ll be one of eight players in the 2023 recruiting class and one of four freshmen.

Padegimas joins these newcomers, all of whom are now on campus, in Dayton’s 2023 class:

• Nate Santos, a 6-7 forward who played the last two seasons at Pittsburgh, committed to Dayton on June 13.

• Marvel Allen, a 6-foot-4 guard from Montverde Academy and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., committed to Dayton on May 8.

• Isaac Jack, a 6-11 center, committed to Dayton on April 24 after one season at Buffalo.

• Javon Bennett, a 5-11 guard, committed to Dayton on April 10 after one season at Merrimack.

• Enoch Cheeks, a 6-3 guard who played the last three seasons at Robert Morris University, committed to Dayton on March 30.

• Vasilije Erceg, a 6-foot-10 forward from Novi Sad, Serbia, committed to Dayton on March 24.

• Jaiun Simon, a 6-7 forward from Mableton, Ga., committed to Dayton on Oct. 28 and signed in November.


https://www.daytondailynews.com/sports/ ... CN76K5Z3U/

Padegimas also visited BYU and BC, Xavier was also showing interest.

Brandon Goble (co-owner of Verbalcommits.com) called Erceg a "Monster Get" for Dayton.

Dayton does return Holmes, the top big in the A10.
Plus, they return Smith, Brea, Elvis, and Zimi.

Smith and Brea did have off-season surgery but should be ready for the start of the season.
if not, they added guards Bennett (NEC ROY), and Cheeks (15.4 pts).

Now with Holmes coming back Dayton could finish in the top 5 of the A10.

For all those that consider the A10 a garbage conference, they should look at its depth and parity.

[NYGFan_Section208]

For the record...."not in the majority of posters expecting 'bottom tier.'". I fully expect top tier and will be happy to listen to blueman's told-you-so/victory lap, however many months from now that happens.

[Blue Man]

Billy Lange - unproven coach in year 5 who has yet to have a team with an above .500 record, who's teams have gone from dead last, to 2nd from dead last, to 2nd from dead last, to 9th - no qualifiers on "gelling," no qualifiers on freshmen, no qualifiers on redshirts - "oh yeah definitely a top tier team."

Archie Miller - proven coach in year 2 who's already shown recent dominance in the A10, finally has a recruiting class of guys he wanted and not had to take late in the cycle - yet for some reason we have to use caution because of gelling, or freshmen, or not ready this/that - "this team is going to be bottom tier and it's BULLSHIT because we should be good"

St Joes had 2 close losses in a dog shit conference in year 4 of their coach who is also trash. He's only still there because the AD fired a legend in haste and doesn't want to admit her mistake with the replacement.

Joes is going to have the same team they did last year in a conference that should be improved.

URI is going to have a completely different and improved roster top to bottom.

How anyone is on here talking about Joes being top tier and then somehow saying we'll be lucky to avoid bottom third is high on paint thinner and should consider the fan site they're posting on.

Sense. It totally makes.

(and no 77 this isn't a direct shot at you, it's a shot at the majority of posters on here and i'm just combining it in a response to yours because it's a holiday weekend and I like wine and fuck everyone doubting this team/coach. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.)

Spot on Blue

Good riddance Billy L should be toast if they don’t do better than .500 in this crap bad Conference

Really Reef and Blue Man,
Makes no sense?

I have a strong feeling that almost every basketball publication, analyst, insider, and even the pre-season A10 basketball coach's prediction/poll will pick St. Joe's to finish ahead of Rhody this season.

Blue Man, I think you posted earlier that you expect us to finish in the top 6.
If they don't, will you give Archie a failing grade for this season?

I still predict an 8-12 finish and as I said earlier, I don't necessarily look at that as a negative reflection on where this program is headed, just trying to be realistic with this new roster.
Not doubting this team or coach, I just think it will take time.

I think we're going to finish top 6 or higher.

My expectations relative to Archie captaining our ship are "improve" - it's year 2, not 3 or 4.

But again - people are discounting how terrible our roster was last year. Sebastian Thomas is not a D1 player. He was our only point guard. Malik was slow and would barely see the floor on this years team. Alex couldn't box out.

Just having Louie/Ways over Bassy and Zek over Martin gives us 6-7 more wins at a minimum. Every single scorer brought in is a better shooter than we had last year.

Ways - 49/43%
Zek - 43/42%
House - 44/30%

replacing

Ish - 39/32%
Carey - 46/19%
Malik - 46/32%

at PG - Luis - 36/31% vs Bassy 40/25%.

Off the bench, Estevez/Dubsky's unknowns are much greater than anything else we were getting.

At the 4, even if Green isn't available you'll still have Rory who showed himself capable of hitting open 3's and came on very strong at the end of the year.

Under the basket Foumena is going to impress, and will be night/day against the platoon we had last year. You'll also have grown man depth with Fuchs/Brown and the ability to play big against bigger teams.

If that team stays healthy there's no way we're not top half or top 6 in conference.

[theblueram]

Spot on Blue

Good riddance Billy L should be toast if they don’t do better than .500 in this crap bad Conference

Really Reef and Blue Man,
Makes no sense?

I have a strong feeling that almost every basketball publication, analyst, insider, and even the pre-season A10 basketball coach's prediction/poll will pick St. Joe's to finish ahead of Rhody this season.

Blue Man, I think you posted earlier that you expect us to finish in the top 6.
If they don't, will you give Archie a failing grade for this season?

I still predict an 8-12 finish and as I said earlier, I don't necessarily look at that as a negative reflection on where this program is headed, just trying to be realistic with this new roster.
Not doubting this team or coach, I just think it will take time.

I think we're going to finish top 6 or higher.

My expectations relative to Archie captaining our ship are "improve" - it's year 2, not 3 or 4.

But again - people are discounting how terrible our roster was last year. Sebastian Thomas is not a D1 player. He was our only point guard. Malik was slow and would barely see the floor on this years team. Alex couldn't box out.

Just having Louie/Ways over Bassy and Zek over Martin gives us 6-7 more wins at a minimum. Every single scorer brought in is a better shooter than we had last year.

Ways - 49/43%
Zek - 43/42%
House - 44/30%

replacing

Ish - 39/32%
Carey - 46/19%
Malik - 46/32%

at PG - Luis - 36/31% vs Bassy 40/25%.

Off the bench, Estevez/Dubsky's unknowns are much greater than anything else we were getting.

At the 4, even if Green isn't available you'll still have Rory who showed himself capable of hitting open 3's and came on very strong at the end of the year.

Under the basket Foumena is going to impress, and will be night/day against the platoon we had last year. You'll also have grown man depth with Fuchs/Brown and the ability to play big against bigger teams.

If that team stays healthy there's no way we're not top half or top 6 in conference.

I am expecting that as well. I hope they have a scrimmage though, because after last year's scrimmage, I predicted well below .500 on the contest. Those guys couldn't make a basket. I hope this edition is more like what we expect.

[Jersey77]

Blue Man, I commend you for doubling down on your expectations this season, and of course I hope you are right.

No doubt we should be all-around better than last year, but I think the loss of Ish is bigger than you think.
Not just for his scoring but his intensity, defensive ability, plus 85% FT, and almost 6 rebs/game.

Still more important than comparing this team to last' year's is how do we match-up to the other A10 schools.
Too many here are just dissing this conference feeling all the teams suck, so it won't take much to finish in the top tier.

It just concerns me that if we don't immediately meet those loftier expectations, those same fans will be calling for Archie's head.

I just think it will take a little bit more time to get there, but still feel it will happen in the not very distant future.

[theblueram]

Blue Man, I commend you for doubling down on your expectations this season, and of course I hope you are right.

No doubt we should be all-around better than last year, but I think the loss of Ish is bigger than you think.
Not just for his scoring but his intensity, defensive ability, plus 85% FT, and almost 6 rebs/game.

Still more important than comparing this team to last' year's is how do we match-up to the other A10 schools.
Too many here are just dissing this conference feeling all the teams suck, so it won't take much to finish in the top tier.

It just concerns me that if we don't immediately meet those loftier expectations, those same fans will be calling for Archie's head.

I just think it will take a little bit more time to get there, but still feel it will happen in the not very distant future.

I think I saw a top 144 prediction somewhere and 6 teams from the A10 are in it. That means 9 teams in the A10 are predicted to be outside the top 150. That, is a freaking disaster.

[theblueram]

So doing the math, we have at least 9 games that are Q3 or Q4 in conference. Since we were horrible last year, we probably only have like 3 or 4 games that are Q1 or Q2. That means in conference we have about 14 games against cupcakes. Hope we can kill it.

[steveystuds06]

Ish was unlocked under Archie. That's not a coincidence. He's a very good coach, and if a player has some potential, I trust he can unlock it. I would be shocked if we didn't have at least one player make a jump like Ish did and take over as the leader of this team... Obviously, Ish is a loss, but our offense later in the year was him doing everything he could to score, and many guys were left standing around watching Ish do his thing, Bassy throwing up bricks, and Malik getting blocked for the 100000th time. Rory and Weston had flashes, and Carey had his moments, but our roster was incredibly raw and weak.

It's clear that the real issue last year was that most of Archie's players fell short of expectations, left, or didn't even show up., leaving him with limited options. Both Archie and his staff were fully aware of this predicament. This season, however, things are different. This team is one that Archie is excited about, and the staff shares the same sentiment. This is not last year! Players like Zek, Weston, House, Kortright, Green, Foumena, Bilau all have the capacity to emerge as leading scorers in any given game. That's called depth.

As PRT don't underestimate the benefit of actually having a frontcourt this season. Even last year, in the few games Bilau played, you could see that we would have been a much better team with some post-presence. Foumena is going to be the real deal and will help this team. Green Brown and Bilau are impactful players. Who knows how good Fuchs is, but I was told he's a beast. Rory and Weston will only get better as the game continues to slow down for them.. Look at the NBA summer league this year. So many 1st year guys look terrible, and the 2nd year guys dominate. Getting that first year under your belt does wonders. I think that will be great for Weston, Rory, and even Foumena.

I don't think the A10 sucks as some do, but I also don't think it's a scary league this year. We really could make some noise. I think we could be right there at 6th-8th in the conference. Not great, but not horrible.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Ish was unlocked under Archie. That's not a coincidence. He's a very good coach, and if a player has some potential, I trust he can unlock it. I would be shocked if we didn't have at least one player make a jump like Ish did and take over as the leader of this team... Obviously, Ish is a loss, but our offense later in the year was him doing everything he could to score, and many guys were left standing around watching Ish do his thing, Bassy throwing up bricks, and Malik getting blocked for the 100000th time. Rory and Weston had flashes, and Carey had his moments, but our roster was incredibly raw and weak.

It's clear that the real issue last year was that most of Archie's players fell short of expectations, left, or didn't even show up., leaving him with limited options. Both Archie and his staff were fully aware of this predicament. This season, however, things are different. This team is one that Archie is excited about, and the staff shares the same sentiment. This is not last year! Players like Zek, Weston, House, Kortright, Green, Foumena, Bilau all have the capacity to emerge as leading scorers in any given game. That's called depth.

As PRT don't underestimate the benefit of actually having a frontcourt this season. Even last year, in the few games Bilau played, you could see that we would have been a much better team with some post-presence. Foumena is going to be the real deal and will help this team. Green Brown and Bilau are impactful players. Who knows how good Fuchs is, but I was told he's a beast. Rory and Weston will only get better as the game continues to slow down for them.. Look at the NBA summer league this year. So many 1st year guys look terrible, and the 2nd year guys dominate. Getting that first year under your belt does wonders. I think that will be great for Weston, Rory, and even Foumena.

I don't think the A10 sucks as some do, but I also don't think it's a scary league this year. We really could make some noise. I think we could be right there at 6th-8th in the conference. Not great, but not horrible.

Do we really know that Archie's players fell short of Archie's actual expectations? I believe because of timing, he was severely limited as to who he could get. Do we think he was that surprised really? I believe he will get better players every year.

6-8th is not great, you're right, but it is still borderline/mostly horrible. It's the very top slice of horrible...close to not horrible...but still horrible.
I have huge expectations, but won't be calling for this coach's head at any point...that would be crazy....dude is going to get it done here.

[steveystuds06]

Ish was unlocked under Archie. That's not a coincidence. He's a very good coach, and if a player has some potential, I trust he can unlock it. I would be shocked if we didn't have at least one player make a jump like Ish did and take over as the leader of this team... Obviously, Ish is a loss, but our offense later in the year was him doing everything he could to score, and many guys were left standing around watching Ish do his thing, Bassy throwing up bricks, and Malik getting blocked for the 100000th time. Rory and Weston had flashes, and Carey had his moments, but our roster was incredibly raw and weak.

It's clear that the real issue last year was that most of Archie's players fell short of expectations, left, or didn't even show up., leaving him with limited options. Both Archie and his staff were fully aware of this predicament. This season, however, things are different. This team is one that Archie is excited about, and the staff shares the same sentiment. This is not last year! Players like Zek, Weston, House, Kortright, Green, Foumena, Bilau all have the capacity to emerge as leading scorers in any given game. That's called depth.

As PRT don't underestimate the benefit of actually having a frontcourt this season. Even last year, in the few games Bilau played, you could see that we would have been a much better team with some post-presence. Foumena is going to be the real deal and will help this team. Green Brown and Bilau are impactful players. Who knows how good Fuchs is, but I was told he's a beast. Rory and Weston will only get better as the game continues to slow down for them.. Look at the NBA summer league this year. So many 1st year guys look terrible, and the 2nd year guys dominate. Getting that first year under your belt does wonders. I think that will be great for Weston, Rory, and even Foumena.

I don't think the A10 sucks as some do, but I also don't think it's a scary league this year. We really could make some noise. I think we could be right there at 6th-8th in the conference. Not great, but not horrible.

Do we really know that Archie's players fell short of Archie's actual expectations? I believe because of timing, he was severely limited as to who he could get. Do we think he was that surprised really? I believe he will get better players every year.

6-8th is not great, you're right, but it is still borderline/mostly horrible. It's the very top slice of horrible...close to not horrible...but still horrible.
I have huge expectations, but won't be calling for this coach's head at any point...that would be crazy....dude is going to get it done here.

With Cox's players, I don't think the staff expected anything. They sucked. But I think some of the guys we brought in were a letdown.

Bray was a projected 3rd team all-A10 player who had such a bad attitude that he ended up kicked off the team. I'd say that's falling short of expectations.

Alex came from one of the best programs in the country and was a highly-ranked recruit. We knew he was raw, but I didn't think he would be unplayable. He was definitely worse than I expected, and I would guess the staff agreed.

Weston was among the highest-ranked recruits at Seton Hall before he came here, and we all expected him to make a nice jump by A10 play. So did Archie because he said it multiple times. Unfortunately, it never happened; he was up and down all season.

Ant didn't show. Foumena didn't play. Two players that we expected to make an impact last year.

Yes, it was an incredibly hard recruiting season for them, but I don't think anyone expected us to be as bad as we were. We finished 14th in one of the worst conferences.. That's a horrible season. Finishing 6th this year after the season we had last year would be a success for me. I don't know how you can say it's horrible.

As Jersey has said, some of you have unrealistic expectations. We have some nice pieces, but we will need some time before we start competing for an at-large bid again.

[Jersey77]

Ish was unlocked under Archie. That's not a coincidence. He's a very good coach, and if a player has some potential, I trust he can unlock it. I would be shocked if we didn't have at least one player make a jump like Ish did and take over as the leader of this team... Obviously, Ish is a loss, but our offense later in the year was him doing everything he could to score, and many guys were left standing around watching Ish do his thing, Bassy throwing up bricks, and Malik getting blocked for the 100000th time. Rory and Weston had flashes, and Carey had his moments, but our roster was incredibly raw and weak.

It's clear that the real issue last year was that most of Archie's players fell short of expectations, left, or didn't even show up., leaving him with limited options. Both Archie and his staff were fully aware of this predicament. This season, however, things are different. This team is one that Archie is excited about, and the staff shares the same sentiment. This is not last year! Players like Zek, Weston, House, Kortright, Green, Foumena, Bilau all have the capacity to emerge as leading scorers in any given game. That's called depth.

As PRT don't underestimate the benefit of actually having a frontcourt this season. Even last year, in the few games Bilau played, you could see that we would have been a much better team with some post-presence. Foumena is going to be the real deal and will help this team. Green Brown and Bilau are impactful players. Who knows how good Fuchs is, but I was told he's a beast. Rory and Weston will only get better as the game continues to slow down for them.. Look at the NBA summer league this year. So many 1st year guys look terrible, and the 2nd year guys dominate. Getting that first year under your belt does wonders. I think that will be great for Weston, Rory, and even Foumena.

I don't think the A10 sucks as some do, but I also don't think it's a scary league this year. We really could make some noise. I think we could be right there at 6th-8th in the conference. Not great, but not horrible.

Do we really know that Archie's players fell short of Archie's actual expectations? I believe because of timing, he was severely limited as to who he could get. Do we think he was that surprised really? I believe he will get better players every year.

6-8th is not great, you're right, but it is still borderline/mostly horrible. It's the very top slice of horrible...close to not horrible...but still horrible.
I have huge expectations, but won't be calling for this coach's head at any point...that would be crazy....dude is going to get it done here.

With Cox's players, I don't think the staff expected anything. They sucked. But I think some of the guys we brought in were a letdown.

Bray was a projected 3rd team all-A10 player who had such a bad attitude that he ended up kicked off the team. I'd say that's falling short of expectations.

Alex came from one of the best programs in the country and was a highly-ranked recruit. We knew he was raw, but I didn't think he would be unplayable. He was definitely worse than I expected, and I would guess the staff agreed.

Weston was among the highest-ranked recruits at Seton Hall before he came here, and we all expected him to make a nice jump by A10 play. So did Archie because he said it multiple times. Unfortunately, it never happened; he was up and down all season.

Ant didn't show. Foumena didn't play. Two players that we expected to make an impact last year.

Yes, it was an incredibly hard recruiting season for them, but I don't think anyone expected us to be as bad as we were. We finished 14th in one of the worst conferences.. That's a horrible season. Finishing 6th this year after the season we had last year would be a success for me. I don't know how you can say it's horrible.

As Jersey has said, some of you have unrealistic expectations. We have some nice pieces, but we will need some time before we start competing for an at-large bid again.

Stevey, I agree and feel if we finish 6th or 7th (higher than I predict) that would be a major step in the right direction considering where we currently are. Yeah, a top half finish would be a very pleasant surprise for me this season.

Of course, that would only be something to build on and our expectations going forward would be much higher.
Yes, and after this season I want us to be in the top tier conversation and be regular conference contenders.

[luke]

Archie kind of telegraphed his expectations for last season early on when he said we will be good when we are good . That didn't sound like a coach with high expectations . His comments now seem to indicate that his expectations for many on his current roster have changed and so for me expectations
for a much improved team follow . I don't know enough about the other A10 teams gains and losses , but I not be shocked by either a top four finish
nor a ninth or tenth place finish before we learn more about this group going forward . As usual I will begin with high hopes.

[Dino611]

Blue Man, I commend you for doubling down on your expectations this season, and of course I hope you are right.

No doubt we should be all-around better than last year, but I think the loss of Ish is bigger than you think.
Not just for his scoring but his intensity, defensive ability, plus 85% FT, and almost 6 rebs/game.

Still more important than comparing this team to last' year's is how do we match-up to the other A10 schools.
Too many here are just dissing this conference feeling all the teams suck, so it won't take much to finish in the top tier.

It just concerns me that if we don't immediately meet those loftier expectations, those same fans will be calling for Archie's head.

I just think it will take a little bit more time to get there, but still feel it will happen in the not very distant future.

Looking at last year vs this year the only A10 schools I can guarantee that are better than us are
Bonnie’s
Duquesne
VCU
Dayton
Possibly Fordham (I say possibly because I don’t know if anyone can step up as much as Quissenberry and Moore did for them but they return the rest of the team minus those two)

And then looking at the teams that got worse compared to last year:
St. Louis (lost most of their lineup minus Jimerson & Hargrove, nice starters but I don’t know if either can take over a game like Yuri Collins plus their replacements are sub par minus Tim Dalger)

Davidson (lost Loyer and Mennenga and replaced with nothing special)

LaSalle (they do return Brantley, Brickus & Shepard but their frontcourt is a laughing stock with raw incoming freshmen and a sophomore who averaged 2 points a game last year)

UMass (also knows as UTrash: probably got the second best transfer in the conference with Josh Cohen and still have Matt Cross who is a nice piece, but their backcourt looks like it will stink out loud with them loosing Fernandes, Weeks and Luis, they have a nice 4* PG coming in from HS rankings don’t always translate though, but the rest of the backcourt is lackluster, except when they played us last year, and as we URI fans know from 2021-22 season how much a shit backcourt can fuck your team up, as well as their transfers and HS recruits besides Cohen and the 4* it seems like they’ll probably be at the same spot as last year

George Mason ( on paper besides VCU & Bonnie’s they probably had the best transfers coming in but we all know from last year how much hype can hurt you and with all new pieces trying to play on a team with a brand new staff they’ll fall)

Richmond ( Lost one of the best in the conference in Tyler Burton as well Matt Grace, still have alright pieces with Jordan King from ETSU, Bigelow & Quinn, just think they’ll be in the basement again with a lack of depth)


The teams I think that’ll be around us but we can jump in the standings are:

St Joes (very good looking team on paper coming into this year with a great backcourt and top A10 recruiting class, but as we all know Lange cant coach his way out of a paper box)

GW (returning one of the favorites for A10 POY James Bishop as well as last years ROY Maximus Edwards, have some nice transfers like Benny Schroeder (Oklahoma) and Darren Buchanan (VT) but lack a true 5 which might hurt them in the season like us last year)

Loyola Chicago (Got a lot of Good transfers, but none that we’re great, and in all honesty Drew Valentine is David Cox 2.0 with him having success with Porter Moser’s players but not really doing anything with his own)

[Jersey77]

Blue Man, I commend you for doubling down on your expectations this season, and of course I hope you are right.

No doubt we should be all-around better than last year, but I think the loss of Ish is bigger than you think.
Not just for his scoring but his intensity, defensive ability, plus 85% FT, and almost 6 rebs/game.

Still more important than comparing this team to last' year's is how do we match-up to the other A10 schools.
Too many here are just dissing this conference feeling all the teams suck, so it won't take much to finish in the top tier.

It just concerns me that if we don't immediately meet those loftier expectations, those same fans will be calling for Archie's head.

I just think it will take a little bit more time to get there, but still feel it will happen in the not very distant future.

Looking at last year vs this year the only A10 schools I can guarantee that are better than us are
Bonnie’s
Duquesne
VCU
Dayton
Possibly Fordham (I say possibly because I don’t know if anyone can step up as much as Quissenberry and Moore did for them but they return the rest of the team minus those two)

And then looking at the teams that got worse compared to last year:
St. Louis (lost most of their lineup minus Jimerson & Hargrove, nice starters but I don’t know if either can take over a game like Yuri Collins plus their replacements are sub par minus Tim Dalger)

Davidson (lost Loyer and Mennenga and replaced with nothing special)

LaSalle (they do return Brantley, Brickus & Shepard but their frontcourt is a laughing stock with raw incoming freshmen and a sophomore who averaged 2 points a game last year)

UMass (also knows as UTrash: probably got the second best transfer in the conference with Josh Cohen and still have Matt Cross who is a nice piece, but their backcourt looks like it will stink out loud with them loosing Fernandes, Weeks and Luis, they have a nice 4* PG coming in from HS rankings don’t always translate though, but the rest of the backcourt is lackluster, except when they played us last year, and as we URI fans know from 2021-22 season how much a shit backcourt can fuck your team up, as well as their transfers and HS recruits besides Cohen and the 4* it seems like they’ll probably be at the same spot as last year

George Mason ( on paper besides VCU & Bonnie’s they probably had the best transfers coming in but we all know from last year how much hype can hurt you and with all new pieces trying to play on a team with a brand new staff they’ll fall)

Richmond ( Lost one of the best in the conference in Tyler Burton as well Matt Grace, still have alright pieces with Jordan King from ETSU, Bigelow & Quinn, just think they’ll be in the basement again with a lack of depth)


The teams I think that’ll be around us but we can jump in the standings are:

St Joes (very good looking team on paper coming into this year with a great backcourt and top A10 recruiting class, but as we all know Lange cant coach his way out of a paper box)

GW (returning one of the favorites for A10 POY James Bishop as well as last years ROY Maximus Edwards, have some nice transfers like Benny Schroeder (Oklahoma) and Darren Buchanan (VT) but lack a true 5 which might hurt them in the season like us last year)

Loyola Chicago (Got a lot of Good transfers, but none that we’re great, and in all honesty Drew Valentine is David Cox 2.0 with him having success with Porter Moser’s players but not really doing anything with his own)

Dino, I definitely agree with the top 4 you listed, and yeah possibly Fordham.

As to some of the others you mentioned:

St. Joe's- As noted, they do have a very nice roster, but their biggest hurdle is HC Lange.
He definitely needs to up his game, no excuse for him because he has the players.

Loyola/Chicago -Too early to compare Valentine to Cox. He did coach his team in 21-22 to the MVC Championship and an NCAAT bid. The top scorer and best player Krutwig from Moser's 20-21 team was gone.
This season they return their core players: (PG) Norris (11 pts/4 assists), (F) Alston (14.6 pts/5.6 rebs), (F) Schwieger (9 pts), and (F) Welch (7 pts). They added impressive transfers (CG) Des Watson (9.4 ), (F) Dame Adelekun (14 pts/7 rebs), and (CG) Greg Dolan (13 pts/ 43% 3pt).

Richmond- 7-ft Quinn and (F) Bigelow could form a good frontcourt. They did add 2 all-conference guards in King and Hunt. Plus they return sharpshooting soph wing Jason Roche.

GW- As you said Bishop and Edwards is a good place to start along with the transfer addition of Buchanan. But I agree they will be inexperienced and raw in the middle. They did recently add Auburn rim protecting center Akingbola (6'10"), but he never lived up to his 4* ranking and only played very limited minutes and games.

SLU- Travis Ford has struggled and this team probably also will. Top scorer Jimerson (16 pts) returns along with Hargrove, and Parker. They did add solid (F) Dalger and Georgetown big Eziewiro, plus some recruits that includes international players.

UMass - Cross and Cohen should be a solid frontcourt. Their guards may not be as bad as you think. Keon Thompson had a decent freshman year and led them in scoring when they beat us in the RC. Diggins was a 4* top 60 recruit and started to show flashes last season (sophomore year). Plus they have 7 freshmen recruits, so they will be a young team.

George Mason - New coach and basically a new team, but they return (PG) Polite (11.5 pts/5 rebs/4 assists).
They added lots of transfers including Darius Maddox from Va. Tech.

Almost anything may be possible as to how we finish this season, and we are very difficult to predict at this time.
I am good with all you Kool-Aid/ Limoncello drinkers and hope you are right for 23-24.