A-10 Outlook for 2024-25

[ramster]

From Fordham MBB

BRONX, N.Y. – The Fordham men's basketball program has received a commitment from one of the highest rated recruits in its history, as Jaden Smith will join the Rams for the 2024-25 season.

"Jaden is a special basketball player and I can't wait to watch him light up Rose Thrill," said Head Coach Keith Urgo. "He has tremendous size, he's incredibly athletic and he possesses an uncanny ability to alter shots on defense. Our fans are going to absolutely love what Jaden brings to this program on both ends of the floor."

The 6-foot-11 Smith is a four-star recruit according to ESPN and the no. 23 center in the country for the class of 2024. ESPN also lists him as the no. 6 recruit in the state of Illinois. He is the program's second four-star recruit since ESPN began the star-based ranking system in 2010, joining Nick Honor (2018).

Smith is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals and On3. He currently ranks 235th nationally on the 247Sports Composite and 194th in the country according to On3.
Smith signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Arizona State this past November before reopening his recruitment last month.

Smith will come to the Bronx from Chicago, where he was a standout for Kenwood Academy on the city's South Side. This past season, he averaged 8.4 points and 8.3 rebounds while blocking an astounding 5.0 shots per game. As a junior, he helped lead Kenwood to the city championship game after averaging 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 rejections per outing.
On the grassroots circuit, Smith competed with Mac Irvin Fire.

[Jersey77]

From Fordham MBB

BRONX, N.Y. – The Fordham men's basketball program has received a commitment from one of the highest rated recruits in its history, as Jaden Smith will join the Rams for the 2024-25 season.

"Jaden is a special basketball player and I can't wait to watch him light up Rose Thrill," said Head Coach Keith Urgo. "He has tremendous size, he's incredibly athletic and he possesses an uncanny ability to alter shots on defense. Our fans are going to absolutely love what Jaden brings to this program on both ends of the floor."

The 6-foot-11 Smith is a four-star recruit according to ESPN and the no. 23 center in the country for the class of 2024. ESPN also lists him as the no. 6 recruit in the state of Illinois. He is the program's second four-star recruit since ESPN began the star-based ranking system in 2010, joining Nick Honor (2018).

Smith is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals and On3. He currently ranks 235th nationally on the 247Sports Composite and 194th in the country according to On3.
Smith signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Arizona State this past November before reopening his recruitment last month.

Smith will come to the Bronx from Chicago, where he was a standout for Kenwood Academy on the city's South Side. This past season, he averaged 8.4 points and 8.3 rebounds while blocking an astounding 5.0 shots per game. As a junior, he helped lead Kenwood to the city championship game after averaging 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 rejections per outing.
On the grassroots circuit, Smith competed with Mac Irvin Fire.

Yep Ramster, saw that.
Huge get for Urgo, surprised he was able to land him.

[ramster]

From Fordham MBB

BRONX, N.Y. – The Fordham men's basketball program has received a commitment from one of the highest rated recruits in its history, as Jaden Smith will join the Rams for the 2024-25 season.

"Jaden is a special basketball player and I can't wait to watch him light up Rose Thrill," said Head Coach Keith Urgo. "He has tremendous size, he's incredibly athletic and he possesses an uncanny ability to alter shots on defense. Our fans are going to absolutely love what Jaden brings to this program on both ends of the floor."

The 6-foot-11 Smith is a four-star recruit according to ESPN and the no. 23 center in the country for the class of 2024. ESPN also lists him as the no. 6 recruit in the state of Illinois. He is the program's second four-star recruit since ESPN began the star-based ranking system in 2010, joining Nick Honor (2018).

Smith is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals and On3. He currently ranks 235th nationally on the 247Sports Composite and 194th in the country according to On3.
Smith signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Arizona State this past November before reopening his recruitment last month.

Smith will come to the Bronx from Chicago, where he was a standout for Kenwood Academy on the city's South Side. This past season, he averaged 8.4 points and 8.3 rebounds while blocking an astounding 5.0 shots per game. As a junior, he helped lead Kenwood to the city championship game after averaging 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 rejections per outing.
On the grassroots circuit, Smith competed with Mac Irvin Fire.

Yep Ramster, saw that.
Huge get for Urgo, surprised he was able to land him.

Reopened his recruitment last month after signing the all important NLI last November to Arizona State

[NYGFan_Section208]

From Fordham MBB

BRONX, N.Y. – The Fordham men's basketball program has received a commitment from one of the highest rated recruits in its history, as Jaden Smith will join the Rams for the 2024-25 season.

"Jaden is a special basketball player and I can't wait to watch him light up Rose Thrill," said Head Coach Keith Urgo. "He has tremendous size, he's incredibly athletic and he possesses an uncanny ability to alter shots on defense. Our fans are going to absolutely love what Jaden brings to this program on both ends of the floor."

The 6-foot-11 Smith is a four-star recruit according to ESPN and the no. 23 center in the country for the class of 2024. ESPN also lists him as the no. 6 recruit in the state of Illinois. He is the program's second four-star recruit since ESPN began the star-based ranking system in 2010, joining Nick Honor (2018).

Smith is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals and On3. He currently ranks 235th nationally on the 247Sports Composite and 194th in the country according to On3.
Smith signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Arizona State this past November before reopening his recruitment last month.

Smith will come to the Bronx from Chicago, where he was a standout for Kenwood Academy on the city's South Side. This past season, he averaged 8.4 points and 8.3 rebounds while blocking an astounding 5.0 shots per game. As a junior, he helped lead Kenwood to the city championship game after averaging 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 rejections per outing.
On the grassroots circuit, Smith competed with Mac Irvin Fire.

Yep Ramster, saw that.
Huge get for Urgo, surprised he was able to land him.

Reopened his recruitment last month after signing the all important NLI last November to Arizona State

And he chose Fordham over other schools, including URI?
Or, was Rhody not interested? For all the "show me the bigs" talk here, surprised there's not more consternation about this

[Jdrums#3]

Touche’, NYG.

I can’t voice consternation because I have no idea if we were interested or not.

If you or anyone else here finds out that we were trying to land him then, remind me to get consternated.

[ramster]

Yep Ramster, saw that.
Huge get for Urgo, surprised he was able to land him.

Reopened his recruitment last month after signing the all important NLI last November to Arizona State

And he chose Fordham over other schools, including URI?
Or, was Rhody not interested? For all the "show me the bigs" talk here, surprised there's not more consternation about this

He's only 6'11". Our minimum is 7"

[NYGFan_Section208]

Reopened his recruitment last month after signing the all important NLI last November to Arizona State

And he chose Fordham over other schools, including URI?
Or, was Rhody not interested? For all the "show me the bigs" talk here, surprised there's not more consternation about this

He's only 6'11". Our minimum is 7"

I'm going to assume if Rhody was interested, he would be here. So, was Arch not interested? Or, did we lose one of dem bigs so "desperately needed", to Ford Ham?

[section(105)]

So, so, so Maybe the Archie plan is going to war with what we currently have and not adding other than a few bench pieces, no incoming impactful big? Quick reaction, disappointing. Coaches preseason poll, Mid pack conference ? No?

[PeterRamTime]

From Fordham MBB

BRONX, N.Y. – The Fordham men's basketball program has received a commitment from one of the highest rated recruits in its history, as Jaden Smith will join the Rams for the 2024-25 season.

"Jaden is a special basketball player and I can't wait to watch him light up Rose Thrill," said Head Coach Keith Urgo. "He has tremendous size, he's incredibly athletic and he possesses an uncanny ability to alter shots on defense. Our fans are going to absolutely love what Jaden brings to this program on both ends of the floor."

The 6-foot-11 Smith is a four-star recruit according to ESPN and the no. 23 center in the country for the class of 2024. ESPN also lists him as the no. 6 recruit in the state of Illinois. He is the program's second four-star recruit since ESPN began the star-based ranking system in 2010, joining Nick Honor (2018).

Smith is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals and On3. He currently ranks 235th nationally on the 247Sports Composite and 194th in the country according to On3.
Smith signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Arizona State this past November before reopening his recruitment last month.

Smith will come to the Bronx from Chicago, where he was a standout for Kenwood Academy on the city's South Side. This past season, he averaged 8.4 points and 8.3 rebounds while blocking an astounding 5.0 shots per game. As a junior, he helped lead Kenwood to the city championship game after averaging 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 rejections per outing.
On the grassroots circuit, Smith competed with Mac Irvin Fire.

Chris Gaston! I remember him carrying them. Seems like Fordham always has at least one stud.

[ramster]

ADAM ZAGORIA
Fordham coach Keith Urgo scored a major coup on Thursday when he landed a commitment from four-star former Arizona State commit Jaden Smith.
The 6-foot-11 Kenwood Academy (IL.) and Mac Irvin Fire AAU product decommitted from Arizona State and then chose Fordham over Louisville, Xavier, Michigan, Butler, and Virginia Tech. He is only the second four-star in program history and is Fordham’s highest rated recruit (No. 81) using ESPN’s grades since 2009.
“I chose Fordham because I love the culture there,” he told ZAGSBLOG. “They have a family-type environment and I have a great relationship with the coaches already. They believe I can be the guy for their program and become an NBA player in the process.”
He initially chose the Sun Devils last October over in-state schools DePaul and Loyola Chicago, as well as Dayton and Fordham, among others.
“As a player, I bring high-level rim protection, offensive and defensive versatility, rebounding, scoring around the rim, a three-point threat, and high energy,” he said.
Said Urgo: “Jaden is a special basketball player and I can’t wait to watch him light up Rose Thrill. He has tremendous size, he’s incredibly athletic and he possesses an uncanny ability to alter shots on defense. Our fans are going to absolutely love what Jaden brings to this program on both ends of the floor.”

https://www.zagsblog.com/2024/05/09/for ... den-smith/

[ramster]

[McRam]

I hope we do better in our search for a quality center. Smith , at 6’11 and a very long wingspan weighs in at just 200 or 205 lbs. As a reference point, Fou, at 6’11 is listed as 235 lbs. Smith seems extremely thin and likely weak to play center regularly in the A10 .

Furthermore, he averaged single digits ppg in high school even with his height advantages. This tells us that he likely is a very limited offensive player.

To me, the bottom line is that he seems to be is a project and not likely to see much action until he grows into his body and gains offensive skills.

We need a “ready now” center who is a contributor immediately. This is not Smith.

[ramster]

You don’t like Fuchs starting at center?
Would you start Green at Power Forward?

[reef]

You don’t like Fuchs starting at center?
Would you start Green at Power Forward?

I’m fine with that and don’t think we will sign anyone that will beat those guys out of a starting spot

[NYGFan_Section208]

You don’t like Fuchs starting at center?
Would you start Green at Power Forward?

I’m fine with that and don’t think we will sign anyone that will beat those guys out of a starting spot

But we should be efforting to do so every day

[steveystuds06]

I hope we do better in our search for a quality center. Smith , at 6’11 and a very long wingspan weighs in at just 200 or 205 lbs. As a reference point, Fou, at 6’11 is listed as 235 lbs. Smith seems extremely thin and likely weak to play center regularly in the A10 .

Furthermore, he averaged single digits ppg in high school even with his height advantages. This tells us that he likely is a very limited offensive player.

To me, the bottom line is that he seems to be is a project and not likely to see much action until he grows into his body and gains offensive skills.

We need a “ready now” center who is a contributor immediately. This is not Smith.

Yup. I just said this on another thread: We don't need a freshman big. Now, if we land a good backup first, sure, we can get a project with one of the final ships. Right now, that's not the priority. The funny thing is, the same people complaining that we didn't land a player like Brown would be the same ones complaining that our frontcourt sucks next year if Fuchs was out.

Next year is about winning, period. We need to get out of the bottom of the A10 and have a decent season for a million reasons. This fanbase and program can't handle a third season like last year.

You're exactly right; we need to land someone who can contribute immediately, and Archie and the staff know this

[NYGFan_Section208]

I hope we do better in our search for a quality center. Smith , at 6’11 and a very long wingspan weighs in at just 200 or 205 lbs. As a reference point, Fou, at 6’11 is listed as 235 lbs. Smith seems extremely thin and likely weak to play center regularly in the A10 .

Furthermore, he averaged single digits ppg in high school even with his height advantages. This tells us that he likely is a very limited offensive player.

To me, the bottom line is that he seems to be is a project and not likely to see much action until he grows into his body and gains offensive skills.

We need a “ready now” center who is a contributor immediately. This is not Smith.

Yup. I just said this on another thread: We don't need a freshman big. Now, if we land a good backup first, sure, we can get a project with one of the final ships. Right now, that's not the priority. The funny thing is, the same people complaining that we didn't land a player like Brown would be the same ones complaining that our frontcourt sucks next year if Fuchs was out.

Next year is about winning, period. We need to get out of the bottom of the A10 and have a decent season for a million reasons. This fanbase and program can't handle a third season like last year.

You're exactly right; we need to land someone who can contribute immediately, and Archie and the staff know this

Is it really "about winning"? If it were, it would seem there would be more talk about "getting players that are better than what's here", but there is way more talk about just needing back-ups, than getting guys that can start.

[reef]

You don’t like Fuchs starting at center?
Would you start Green at Power Forward?

I’m fine with that and don’t think we will sign anyone that will beat those guys out of a starting spot

But we should be efforting to do so every day

That’s what I’m thinking too 208 , Arch Duane and Whit aren’t taking vacations just yet !

[NYGFan_Section208]

I’m fine with that and don’t think we will sign anyone that will beat those guys out of a starting spot

But we should be efforting to do so every day

That’s what I’m thinking too 208 , Arch Duane and Whit aren’t taking vacations just yet !

Exactly. Hopefully, they're thinking big and aiming high and not recruiting with the "feelz of players already here" in mind. Recruit over everyone, good grief, they can't go anywhere, make them fight it out to defend their spot in the hierarchy.

[McRam]

You don’t like Fuchs starting at center?
Would you start Green at Power Forward?

I think we need to be realistic about Fuchs’capabilities. He certainly is not a rim protector, nor even a strong defensive presence in the paint. He is excellent at finishing but has shown little one on one post moves. We know his strength is rebounding. I am hopeful that his 3:pt shooting will become a weapon as he seems to have good form. If he can play a forward spot, along with a rim protector we will have a much stronger team

[Jdrums#3]

You don’t like Fuchs starting at center?
Would you start Green at Power Forward?

I think we need to be realistic about Fuchs’capabilities. He certainly is not a rim protector, nor even a strong defensive presence in the paint. He is excellent at finishing but has shown little one on one post moves. We know his strength is rebounding. I am hopeful that his 3:pt shooting will become a weapon as he seems to have good form. If he can play a forward spot, along with a rim protector we will have a much stronger team

McRam, Fuchs is very much still a work in progress. I too would like to see him develop the 3 ball. Additionally, would like to see him drop some weight without sacrificing muscle to see if that could help with his stamina and foot speed.

I haven’t given his ball handling much thought as it hasn’t stood out to me. I do like his passing (interior and kick outs) at this point in his development.

He is a good rebounder at this stage in his development but still needs work on his D - which I expect will improve over last season.

He isn’t a rim protector so, like you, I would like to see him develop into a 4 to play with someone like Zapala (a rim protector type) to give us a bigger lineup when needed. However, I am unsure how quickly he can do that to a point where he is playing more 4 than 5.

[DeanDome88]

You don’t like Fuchs starting at center?
Would you start Green at Power Forward?

I think we need to be realistic about Fuchs’capabilities. He certainly is not a rim protector, nor even a strong defensive presence in the paint. He is excellent at finishing but has shown little one on one post moves. We know his strength is rebounding. I am hopeful that his 3:pt shooting will become a weapon as he seems to have good form. If he can play a forward spot, along with a rim protector we will have a much stronger team

Fuchs is not a shot blocker but is quite good at fighting for position in the paint.

[reef]

I think Fuchs can expand his game also , need him to be consistent from 15 feet and in and hopefully be able to take his guy off the dribble !

[steveystuds06]

You don’t like Fuchs starting at center?
Would you start Green at Power Forward?

I think we need to be realistic about Fuchs’capabilities. He certainly is not a rim protector, nor even a strong defensive presence in the paint. He is excellent at finishing but has shown little one on one post moves. We know his strength is rebounding. I am hopeful that his 3:pt shooting will become a weapon as he seems to have good form. If he can play a forward spot, along with a rim protector we will have a much stronger team

McRam, Fuchs is very much still a work in progress. I too would like to see him develop the 3 ball. Additionally, would like to see him drop some weight without sacrificing muscle to see if that could help with his stamina and foot speed.

I haven’t given his ball handling much thought as it hasn’t stood out to me. I do like his passing (interior and kick outs) at this point in his development.

He is a good rebounder at this stage in his development but still needs work on his D - which I expect will improve over last season.

He isn’t a rim protector so, like you, I would like to see him develop into a 4 to play with someone like Zapala (a rim protector type) to give us a bigger lineup when needed. However, I am unsure how quickly he can do that to a point where he is playing more 4 than 5.

Fuchs started off the season as a very weak defender and a much slower player. Maybe it was because he was playing out of position at the 4, but I'm sure it was also due to him adjusting to this level. He seemed to be taking a turn on defense before he dealt with that injury. He played 26 minutes per game in the first 8 games he came back after his injury. He was fine on the offensive end, but his defense and speed were lacking to me, similar to earlier in the year. Eventually I felt like Fuchs looked skinnier and faster and was a better defender late in the year. He seemed to be literally the only player all year who predicted a pass before it happened, intercepted it, and finished an easy fast-break dunk. I don't remember any other player doing this. He also got stuck defending some quicker guards in the pick-and-roll and surprisingly stuck with them on multiple occasions. I also felt that Fuchs blocked more shots in the final few games.

I did some digging on his stats to see if I was imagining things, but I found some intriguing numbers. First, Fuchs was tied with Tyson Brown for first on the team in defensive rating in conference play. He was also first in PER in conference play. He was 5th in the nonconference.

I'll be honest: I personally didn't see his improvement on defense until very late in the season, so I looked at his stats for the final 7 games, because that's when he returned to be our starting center and played starter minutes again (23 MPG). Three games before that, Archie played Fuchs a lot less. So in his final 7, his offensive numbers went up a little—he averaged 10 and 5. However, it was the defensive stats that did improve.

In his first 20 games, Fuchs had 7 steals. In his final 7 games, he had 8. That means he averaged a steal a game in those final 7. Not one person on the team averaged a steal last season. That's how horrible our defense was.

In his first 20 games, Fuchs had a total of 3 blocks. He had 5 in his final 7 games. Is that good? Not really. But it's without question an improvement.

Seven games is a very small sample size, so maybe it was a fluke, but it makes sense that a freshman big man who got injured in the middle of the year and eventually got back to 100% started playing better basketball late in the year.

To put it simply, he became better on that end as the year went on. I know that's tough for some of the people here who have already given up on him and claim to know that he's not a piece on the NCAA tournament team when he's played literally one season. I don't think he's a good defender by any means, but if he can hold his own as he did late in the year, that will definitely help us, as he's a good piece on the offensive end

[McRam]

You don’t like Fuchs starting at center?
Would you start Green at Power Forward?

Assuming Fuchs does not develop better defensive skills, he is a liability on defense in the post.

[Jersey77]

2024 PF/C recruit Amadou Doumbia (6'11") commits to UMass.
Rhody, Washington State, along with several other A10 teams offered him.
https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-rounds ... t-55153382

[Rhody15]

2024 PF/C recruit Amadou Doumbia (6'11") commits to UMass.
Rhody, Washington State, along with several other A10 teams offered him.
https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-rounds ... t-55153382

May just be me, but this season especially it seems like EVERY other A10 school is scooping kids up left and right and we’re missing on our targets.

[Jersey77]

2024 PF/C recruit Amadou Doumbia (6'11") commits to UMass.
Rhody, Washington State, along with several other A10 teams offered him.
https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-rounds ... t-55153382

May just be me, but this season especially it seems like EVERY other A10 school is scooping kids up left and right and we’re missing on our targets.

I actually thought we would have a good shot at him because he played close-by at Putnam Academy.

[Blue Man]

You don’t like Fuchs starting at center?
Would you start Green at Power Forward?

I think we need to be realistic about Fuchs’capabilities. He certainly is not a rim protector, nor even a strong defensive presence in the paint. He is excellent at finishing but has shown little one on one post moves. We know his strength is rebounding. I am hopeful that his 3:pt shooting will become a weapon as he seems to have good form. If he can play a forward spot, along with a rim protector we will have a much stronger team

Fuchs is not a shot blocker but is quite good at fighting for position in the paint.

Yet. He is not a shot blocker yet. Not a rim protector yet. Not a strong defensive presence yet.

Freshman big. Defense is learned at this level.

[Jdrums#3]

2024 PF/C recruit Amadou Doumbia (6'11") commits to UMass.
Rhody, Washington State, along with several other A10 teams offered him.
https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-rounds ... t-55153382

Crap!

Jersey, several days ago I saw him on the On3 list of portal big men still available. I didn’t know we offered him.

He would have been a good addition. Crap!

[Jersey77]

2024 PF/C recruit Amadou Doumbia (6'11") commits to UMass.
Rhody, Washington State, along with several other A10 teams offered him.
https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-rounds ... t-55153382

Crap!

Jersey, several days ago I saw him on the On3 list of portal big men still available. I didn’t know we offered him.

He would have been a good addition. Crap!

Drums, he wasn't in the portal, he is still at Putnam.
It must have been a list of '24 recruits still available.
247 also had him listed on players we offered.

[Jdrums#3]

Yikes! Who the heck was I thinking about then in that On3 list ?

I better go back and check.

Thanks, Jersey. Btw, have you read through the On3 list of available portal bigs remaining? If yes, any thoughts?

ETA: Jersey, I just went back to check the On3 list (dated 5/9). Looks like at least 5 are still available so there’s still hope for us to snag one.

I wonder if we are after any junior college bigs? There were still 2-3 still left in the top 50 JC players as of early last week when I last checked.

[Jersey77]

Yikes! Who the heck was I thinking about then in that On3 list ?

I better go back and check.

Thanks, Jersey. Btw, have you read through the On3 list of available portal bigs remaining? If yes, any thoughts?

There are still plenty available, several are out of our reach.
I do follow verbal commits.

Still holding out hope for Javonte Brown.

[Jdrums#3]

Jersey, I wonder if we have interest in William Patterson (Syracuse) and/or Josh Gray (South Carolina)? Both are still in the portal. They weren’t stars at Cuse or SC but could probably help us at center.

Are you familiar with either?

[ace]

Yikes! Who the heck was I thinking about then in that On3 list ?

I better go back and check.

Thanks, Jersey. Btw, have you read through the On3 list of available portal bigs remaining? If yes, any thoughts?

There are still plenty available, several are out of our reach.
I do follow verbal commits.

Still holding out hope for Javonte Brown.

I almost forgot about that guy. He went by Javonte Brown Ferguson in high school and then dropped the Ferguson right before college started. Transferred out of UConn in January of his freshman year and joined up with some of his Canadian connections at Texas A&M. Archie’s buddy Kenya was his primary recruiter at UConn.

[Jersey77]

Jersey, I wonder if we have interest in William Patterson (Syracuse) and/or Josh Gray (South Carolina)? Both are still in the portal. They weren’t stars at Cuse or SC but could probably help us at center.

Are you familiar with either?

Both from Brooklyn.

Patterson is probably very raw didn't play last season 4 years left.
Rivals had him as a 3* Rutgers, Ok State, TCU also recruited him.

Gray has 1-year left and could be an immediate fix as a loaner and a rotation player.
Started 15 games in 22-23 (16 minutes).

[Jdrums#3]

Jersey, I wonder if we have interest in William Patterson (Syracuse) and/or Josh Gray (South Carolina)? Both are still in the portal. They weren’t stars at Cuse or SC but could probably help us at center.

Are you familiar with either?

Both from Brooklyn.

Patterson is probably very raw didn't play last season 4 years left.
Rivals had him as a 3* Rutgers, Ok State, TCU also recruited him.

Gray has 1-year left and could be an immediate fix as a loaner and a rotation player.
Started 15 games in 22-23 (16 minutes).

Good stuff, Jersey. Thanks.

Considering your post, I would take Gray for next season to help Fuchs out at center.

Patterson wouldn’t be bad addition as a developmental project. But there is no guarantee he stays here beyond one season to make a difference for us.

Can’t count on players staying around these days.

[reef]

2024 PF/C recruit Amadou Doumbia (6'11") commits to UMass.
Rhody, Washington State, along with several other A10 teams offered him.
https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-rounds ... t-55153382

Crap!

Jersey, several days ago I saw him on the On3 list of portal big men still available. I didn’t know we offered him.

He would have been a good addition. Crap!

Jeez guess he wants to play in the MAC

[R.Kelly150]

Give guys enough money and they will play anywhere. I’d take a job in Alaska if it paid me a million a year if it meant me doing the same job I do in RI with the same hours and same expectations. Tell me who on this board would turn down that money for the same? Bottom line the MAC has and will have more money than the A10 moving forward and I would think FBS football brings in bigger donors than FCS, so yes I am in the camp that football is better than basketball and the money you can make from football is much greater.

[ramster]

No A10 Teams in Rothstein Too Early Top 45 Teams as Dayton drops out


https://www.fanduel.com/research/rothst ... on-edition

[Jdrums#3]

Regarding Holmes and Rothstein’s Top 45, that isn’t great news for the A10, Ramster. It could be a season where the A10 has several good teams and good overall competitive balance but no ranked team - unlike last season with Dayton. Could mean the A10 is only a 1-2 NCAAT bid conference instead of the solid 3 bid conference many of us here would like to see.

I think that with Holmes, Dayton has a shot at being a Sweet 16 team next season (which isn’t at all likely if Katz is correct).

Anyway, as to the Way Too Early Top 45, we shall see once the games start. As they say, games aren’t played on paper.

Thanks for posting the tweet and link.

[ramster]

In a poll on the Dayton Board 85% think Holmes is NBA Bound this year - 2024 Draft

https://www.udpride.com/forums/showthre ... post769943


NBA Draft Early Entry Declaration and Withdrawal Deadlines
The process moves swiftly, with April 27 representing the deadline for athletes to apply for early entry, and May 29 serving as the last day to withdraw from the draft and uphold their college eligibility

[SGreenwell]

This is projected as a weak draft year, so Holmes is probably best served by declaring this year. His PER was 31.7 this year, and he averaged 32.5 MPG, 20.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 2.1 BPG. Hard to imagine him getting much better than that in the A-10; he needs to move up to the pros. He strikes me as a 3/4 type that probably isn't a starter on a good team, but he's a quality reserve for a dozen years.

[Jersey77]

This is projected as a weak draft year, so Holmes is probably best served by declaring this year. His PER was 31.7 this year, and he averaged 32.5 MPG, 20.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 2.1 BPG. Hard to imagine him getting much better than that in the A-10; he needs to move up to the pros. He strikes me as a 3/4 type that probably isn't a starter on a good team, but he's a quality reserve for a dozen years.

Yes SG, most figured 23-24 was going to be his last season at Dayton and the NBA would be next.

Dayton still has 3 open scholarships, so they have plenty of room to find some additional help in the paint.
Santos, Zed (Ohio State), and center Jack (6'11) isn't a bad start.

Their backcourt is set and probably among the best in the conference with: Posh, Cheeks, Malachi, and Bennett.

Dayton even without Holmes should still be a contender in the A10.

[reef]

Agree Holmes should stay in the draft

[Jdrums#3]

I am sure the rest of the conference is happy that Holmes is most likely going pro. Him leaving gives the rest of us a better shot at finishing first. How much of a better chance everyone else has is open to debate, however.

Go Rhody!

[PeterRamTime]

I am sure the rest of the conference is happy that Holmes is most likely going pro. Him leaving gives the rest of us a better shot at finishing first. How much of a better chance everyone else has is open to debate, however.

Go Rhody!

Yeah, but I prefer Dayton to be as good as possible. Better for us if they're really good because tournament money and the opportunity for a quality win.

[Jdrums#3]

I agree, PRT. Holmes leaving weakens Dayton and, in turn, weakens the A10. Especially when you consider that, as of now, Dayton with Holmes is the A10’s only potential Top 25 team next season.

I was hoping and counting on Holmes staying until Ramster posted the Katz tweet above on him most likely going pro.

[Jersey77]

GW now has a full roster, all 13 scholarships filled.

https://admin.gwsports.com/news/2024/5/ ... -additions.

They do return several talented players that were just freshmen last season:
(F) Buchannan 15.6 pts/6.6 rebs, (F) Johnson 13.4 pts/5.6 rebs, (G) Hutchinson (27.7 mins), (G) Autry (18.5 mins).

Added transfers: (C) Castro (Providence) limited minutes, (PF) Hansen (Cornell) 9 pts (37% 3PT)
(wing) Drumgoole (Delaware) 14 pts (37% 3PT)/ 4 rebs, (PG/CG) Moss (W&M) 13.5 pts.

Plus, some returning depth at all positions and freshmen.

They have the talent to make a jump this season and finish in the middle tier.
Much depends on Caputo and his ability as a HC.

[Jdrums#3]

GW now has a full roster, all 13 scholarships filled.

https://admin.gwsports.com/news/2024/5/ ... -additions.

They do return several talented players that were just freshmen last season:
(F) Buchannan 15.6 pts/6.6 rebs, (F) Johnson 13.4 pts/5.6 rebs, (G) Hutchinson (27.7 mins), (G) Autry (18.5 mins).

Added transfers: (C) Castro (Providence) limited minutes, (PF) Hansen (Cornell) 9 pts (37% 3PT)
(wing) Drumgoole (Delaware) 14 pts (37% 3PT)/ 4 rebs, (PG/CG) Moss (W&M) 13.5 pts.

Plus, some returning depth at all positions and freshmen.

They have the talent to make a jump this season and finish in the middle tier.
Much depends on Caputo and his ability as a HC.

Good post. I agree, Jersey. GW looks to be in a good position.

On a side note: Drumgoole is a pretty cool name. I will have to pay attention to how he plays.