A10 Outlook for 2022-23

[Jersey77]

Sports Illustrated also has Dayton Ranked #18 In National Top 25 Too Early Poll. Only A10 Team in their Top 25.


18. Dayton
Dayton lost to UMass Lowell, Lipscomb and Austin Peay in the first two weeks of the 2021–22 season. After that, it was one of the best teams in the country. In fact, per T-Rank, from Nov. 22 on, the Flyers were the No. 20 team in the sport. Now, its entire nucleus returns. Young big man DaRon Holmes II has limitless upside down low, and point guard Malachi Smith looked the part of a future all-time great for the Flyers in an impressive freshman campaign. This Dayton team won’t be as good as the one Obi Toppin had trending toward a potential No. 1 seed in ’20, but it has the potential for an incredibly special season.

I also wouldn't rule out SLU.
With top player Perkins returning (17 pts/20-21) plus Thatch (11 pts A10) and center Okoro (11 pts/8 rebs), they can also win the A10.

They will have one of the best backcourts in the nation.

[SGreenwell]

I think that Jablonski's top seven is probably close to what will play out. I however think that it is a total crapshoot for ranking the bottom eight teams in positions 8-15. Five of these eight teams have new coaches and nearly all of them have seen much roster turnover.

Yeah, I concur. Could one of the teams past #7 jump up into that range? Sure! There's enough roster turnover and (hopefully) improved coaching that it's probably likely. I hope URI does. But it's hard enough to project the standings in a normal year, never mind one like this, where seemingly everyone got a new coach.

[ramster]

Sports Illustrated also has Dayton Ranked #18 In National Top 25 Too Early Poll. Only A10 Team in their Top 25.


18. Dayton
Dayton lost to UMass Lowell, Lipscomb and Austin Peay in the first two weeks of the 2021–22 season. After that, it was one of the best teams in the country. In fact, per T-Rank, from Nov. 22 on, the Flyers were the No. 20 team in the sport. Now, its entire nucleus returns. Young big man DaRon Holmes II has limitless upside down low, and point guard Malachi Smith looked the part of a future all-time great for the Flyers in an impressive freshman campaign. This Dayton team won’t be as good as the one Obi Toppin had trending toward a potential No. 1 seed in ’20, but it has the potential for an incredibly special season.

I also wouldn't rule out SLU.
With top player Perkins returning (17 pts/20-21) plus Thatch (11 pts A10) and center Okoro (11 pts/8 rebs), they can also win the A10.

They will have one of the best backcourts in the nation.

I’m not ruling out St Louis. In fact, St Louis is ranked ahead of Dayton by Rothstein. Dayton and St. Louis are picked by Lunardi to be in the NCAA Tournament.

My point was a number of posters were critical of Jablonski for picking Dayton #1 when most are picking Dayton to win the A10 anyway.

St Louis and Dayton are the cream of the A10 this season - on paper.

[Jersey77]

[ramster]

GG Jackson has officially decommitted from North Carolina

Projected to go #4 in 1st round 2023 by NBADraft.net

Rumors were he was weakening on his commitment the past week

Frank Martin said he had exciting news to share soon a couple days ago, saying how much he loved his job

Some thought it might be a scheduling announcement coming from Frank like maybe Kentucky.

Possibly GG committing to UMASS for a year before going NBA?

South Carolina was considered the favorite for GG by some prior to Martin going out there.

[RhodyKyle]

GG Jackson has officially decommitted from North Carolina

Projected to go #4 in 1st round 2023 by NBADraft.net

Rumors were he was weakening on his commitment the past week

Frank Martin said he had exciting news to share soon a couple days ago, saying how much he loved his job

Some thought it might be a scheduling announcement coming from Frank like maybe Kentucky.

Possibly GG committing to UMASS for a year before going NBA?

South Carolina was considered the favorite for GG by some prior to Martin going out there.

Everyone says SC after reclassified to this year. UNC doesn't have a scholarship open this year and he's eligible for the 2023 draft.

[ramster]

He committed to UNC, just decommitted from UNC. .

[RhodyKyle]

He committed to UNC, just decommitted from UNC. .

Yeah. Committed to UNC. Wants to reclassify to this year. UNC doesn't have room for him. He has to de-commit. Now he is predicted by 247 to go to SC this fall.

Sorry if my previous post was hard to follow.

[Jersey77]

La Salle adding to their roster 22-23, nice pick-up for Dunphy.

[RF1]

College Sports Madness started their annual Top 144 countdown last Monday. The first A-10 team on the list has already been announced - Umass at # 137. The Minutemen are picked to come in 9th in the now (with Loyola) 15 team A-10. I would fully expect that Dayton, SLU, Loyola, VCU, GMU, DC, and UR will make the cut. That would leave room for just one other team with UMass pegged for #9. My guess is that Rhody, which finished 11th in the league with an NET rank of #142 last season, will not be that team and be outside this group's top 144.

Massachusetts Minutemen
2022-2023 Overall Rank: #137
Conference Rank: #9 A-10
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/20718

I was wrong. URI ended up being the other A-10 team that made the College Sports Madness Top 144 list. Picked for 8th in the A-10 and #133 nationally. Note their line-up does not include the latest recruit Alex Tchikou.

Rhode Island Rams
2022-2023 Overall Rank: #133
Conference Rank: #8 A-10
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/20723

The next A-10 team has been listed in the College Sports Madness Top 144 countdown.

George Mason Patriots
2022-2023 Overall Rank: #115
Conference Rank: #7 Atlantic 10
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/20752

[ramster]

[Jersey77]

I would have Richmond a little higher than #7, maybe cracking the top 5 A10.

[Rhody74]

Rhody won’t be in this list … this year.

[RF1]

St Bonaventure released its OOC schedule:

https://gobonnies.com/news/2022/8/4/bon ... edule.aspx


St Francis-PA
@ Canisuis
vs South Dakota State U (Sioux Fall-SD)
Bowling Green
Southern Indiana
vs Notre Dame (Belmont Park-NY)
Middle Tenn State U
@Buffalo
Cleveland State
vs Iona (Brooklyn)
FGCU
@ Siena
@ N Iowa

[Jersey77]

SLU will have a strong perimeter game and Okoro will be holding down the paint.

[steveystuds06]

Umass is likely gonna land Tafara Gapare. That would be a massive get.. DAMMIT

[Ramfan22]

Umass is likely gonna land Tafara Gapare. That would be a massive get.. DAMMIT

Picking up a bunch of crystal balls, top 50 player in the 2023 class per 247 sports. Had a very confusing recruitment so far, was originally class of 2021 and committed to GW. Then decommitted from GW and reclassified into 2023, and then committed to DePaul for like 2 weeks.

[ramster]

Nice story ab out Frank Martin that I had never heard.......

[ramster]

Frank Martin has had people guessing for weeks now about some great news he has to share....................

[Ramfan22]

Frank Martin has had people guessing for weeks now about some great news he has to share....................

It’s looking like it’s Gapare.

[ramster]

[rhodylaw]

Umass is likely gonna land Tafara Gapare. That would be a massive get.. DAMMIT

Never upset about the league getting better, even if it is UMass. The A10 needs Rhody and UMass to be strong again.

[ramster]

Umass is likely gonna land Tafara Gapare. That would be a massive get.. DAMMIT

Never upset about the league getting better, even if it is UMass. The A10 needs Rhody and UMass to be strong again.

Never understood why so many here hate other A10 members, especially UMASS which some here absolutely despise. Go figure.

I root for every A10 program, always will as long as we are in the A10.

Frank Martin is breathing new life into the UMASS Badketball program. Good from him and he is very active on social media and in visiting with Alumni and fans all across the state.

[ramster]

Some won’t go the twitter and social media thing. You have to deal with the and the haters. But if you can deal with them then a lot of good communication and connection with old and new fans can easily and frequently take place. Frank quickly goes right back at the haters and always has.

DA6C31A4-9CB3-4B47-9FC2-C5FFF2021139.png

[Jersey77]

[Jdrums#3]

I wonder if Frank has been evaluated by a psychiatrist recently?

[ramster]

I wonder if Frank has been evaluated by a psychiatrist recently?

He makes the same salary as Archie Miller. That helps to love one's job, no?

[Jdrums#3]

Probably better off asking Frank that question. It’s summer, I am not in a serious enough mood to address the question.

[reef]

Wow UMass and URI definitely on the rise this league going to be tough in the next few years if the current teams at the top don’t drop off

[ramster]

Probably better off asking Frank that question. It’s summer, I am not in a serious enough mood to address the question.

Don't need to ask him. If he says he loves his job at UMASS whose to question that? His wife was a track star at UMASS too. He loves it there as does his wife. Happy wife, happy life.

There are a number of interviews Martin has done just in his few months at UMASS and his enthusiasm shines through in every one. It's easy to see how excited and happy he is.

[Jdrums#3]

Ramster, I made a joke, a crack about a rival coach at a university we have a long rivalry with. I guess you didn’t see the humor in it. To each his own.

[steveystuds06]

Umass is likely gonna land Tafara Gapare. That would be a massive get.. DAMMIT

He committed.

Let's hope we land Connor

[Jersey77]

He reclassified to '22, huge get for UMass and Martin.

[Jersey77]

Official now for UMass, will probably start.

[steveystuds06]

He reclassified to '22, huge get for UMass and Martin.

We shall see. I wonder why he didn't land at a higher program if he's as good as Umass fans say. Why did he commit to GW? Then Depaul? Both are bad programs. But if you watch any game tape, you can see he has all the tools to be an A10 POY. Props to Martin...He is very similar to Tchikou. It will be interesting to see who develops more.

[steveystuds06]

Official now for UMass, will probably start.

I think this is the better get. This kid will be a very good A10 player. We are going to be annoyed playing against him twice a year.

[Jdrums#3]

Rev up the rivalry. Great for fans, players, the programs and the conference. Attracts eyes and media.

Some excellent coaching battles on the horizon between Archie and Martin. Border war. Where you at, Dan Hurley and the leg humpers? Want some?

I love the smell of relevance in the morning…It’s been too long. Time to take names and kick butt. Go Rhody!

[theblueram]

4* recruits garner a lot of attention. In National media.

[Blue Man]

Jermaine Harris was a 4 star recruit

[Rhody15]

Jermaine Harris was a 4 star recruit

Shhh, you and I aren’t allowed to talk about him anymore.

We were too mean and our opinions were the only ones who were correct during Harris’ career here.

[Rhody15]

Umass is likely gonna land Tafara Gapare. That would be a massive get.. DAMMIT

He committed.

Let's hope we land Connor

A legit 0 star kid in Dubsky will make you feel better after UMass lands a 4 star kid?

You really do get thrilled at literally any recruit huh?

To each his own, but man some of these kids are bound to be duds no matter how great the head coach is, that’s just college basketball.

[RhowdyRam02]

Umass is likely gonna land Tafara Gapare. That would be a massive get.. DAMMIT

He committed.

Let's hope we land Connor

A legit 0 star kid in Dubsky will make you feel better after UMass lands a 4 star kid?

You really do get thrilled at literally any recruit huh?

To each his own, but man some of these kids are bound to be duds no matter how great the head coach is, that’s just college basketball.

I would be very excited if we land Connor tomorrow, especially now that bigger programs like Maryland and Kansas State have started to offer. I wouldn't want a team of players like him, but add a sniper to the collection of players we already have? All day, every day!

[Jersey77]

Umass is likely gonna land Tafara Gapare. That would be a massive get.. DAMMIT

He committed.

Let's hope we land Connor

A legit 0 star kid in Dubsky will make you feel better after UMass lands a 4 star kid?

You really do get thrilled at literally any recruit huh?

To each his own, but man some of these kids are bound to be duds no matter how great the head coach is, that’s just college basketball.

15, not sure Stevey is necessarily making a comparison between Dubs and Gapare.

I agree with him that Dubs brings us something we need, an efficient shooter and 3-point threat.
He also has a very high basketball IQ, just looking at his videos.

[steveystuds06]

Umass is likely gonna land Tafara Gapare. That would be a massive get.. DAMMIT

He committed.

Let's hope we land Connor

A legit 0 star kid in Dubsky will make you feel better after UMass lands a 4 star kid?

You really do get thrilled at literally any recruit huh?

To each his own, but man some of these kids are bound to be duds no matter how great the head coach is, that’s just college basketball.

Huh?

I have posted countless times that we need a shooter. I've also said that I would prefer Trey Autry or Connor. But it sounds like we are going to land Connor.

I want Connor or a player like Connor because this team needs a shooter at the guard position.

Regarding your comment about "thrilled about every recruit," I just posted this about Adrian Myers two days ago.
"Not going to lie.. I was hoping our next recruit would be a knockdown shooter like Trey or Connor. With Hutch and Weston, I'm surprised we went after another wing. This kid looks like he could be a very good defender. Maybe he could be like a Lamonte Ulmer for us?"

Does that sound like I'm thrilled, 15? I'm not going to sit there and bash the kid and be negative.

Also, Do you spend the time to watch tapes on these kids? I do. I've watched Connor play for hours at this point. I like his game.

You come on here, and you're negative. That's your thing. If you want to tell me why you don't like Connor besides his star rating, let's discuss it. But I guess you saw that he's not rated on a recruiting site and assumed he sucks.

[steveystuds06]

He committed.

Let's hope we land Connor

A legit 0 star kid in Dubsky will make you feel better after UMass lands a 4 star kid?

You really do get thrilled at literally any recruit huh?

To each his own, but man some of these kids are bound to be duds no matter how great the head coach is, that’s just college basketball.

15, not sure Stevey is necessarily making a comparison between Dubs and Gapare.

I agree with him that Dubs brings us something we need, an efficient shooter and 3-point threat.
He also has a very high basketball IQ, just looking at his videos.

Well, you've actually researched what type of player Connor is. There is a reason better programs are starting to contact him. To think that every recruit will work out is stupid. They won't.

[Rhody15]

He committed.

Let's hope we land Connor

A legit 0 star kid in Dubsky will make you feel better after UMass lands a 4 star kid?

You really do get thrilled at literally any recruit huh?

To each his own, but man some of these kids are bound to be duds no matter how great the head coach is, that’s just college basketball.

Huh?

I have posted countless times that we need a shooter. I've also said that I would prefer Trey Autry or Connor. But it sounds like we are going to land Connor.

I want Connor or a player like Connor because this team needs a shooter at the guard position.

Regarding your comment about "thrilled about every recruit," I just posted this about Adrian Myers two days ago.
"Not going to lie.. I was hoping our next recruit would be a knockdown shooter like Trey or Connor. With Hutch and Weston, I'm surprised we went after another wing. This kid looks like he could be a very good defender. Maybe he could be like a Lamonte Ulmer for us?"

Does that sound like I'm thrilled, 15? I'm not going to sit there and bash the kid and be negative.

Also, Do you spend the time to watch tapes on these kids? I do. I've watched Connor play for hours at this point. I like his game.

You come on here, and you're negative. That's your thing. If you want to tell me why you don't like Connor besides his star rating, let's discuss it. But I guess you saw that he's not rated on a recruiting site and assumed he sucks.

You are correct, I don’t spend HOURS watching tape of recruits.

I don’t see that as necessary at all.

I guess just the last few years have turned me into a wait and see guy will every recruit we get, regardless of who our coach is.

[steveystuds06]

A legit 0 star kid in Dubsky will make you feel better after UMass lands a 4 star kid?

You really do get thrilled at literally any recruit huh?

To each his own, but man some of these kids are bound to be duds no matter how great the head coach is, that’s just college basketball.

Huh?

I have posted countless times that we need a shooter. I've also said that I would prefer Trey Autry or Connor. But it sounds like we are going to land Connor.

I want Connor or a player like Connor because this team needs a shooter at the guard position.

Regarding your comment about "thrilled about every recruit," I just posted this about Adrian Myers two days ago.
"Not going to lie.. I was hoping our next recruit would be a knockdown shooter like Trey or Connor. With Hutch and Weston, I'm surprised we went after another wing. This kid looks like he could be a very good defender. Maybe he could be like a Lamonte Ulmer for us?"

Does that sound like I'm thrilled, 15? I'm not going to sit there and bash the kid and be negative.

Also, Do you spend the time to watch tapes on these kids? I do. I've watched Connor play for hours at this point. I like his game.

You come on here, and you're negative. That's your thing. If you want to tell me why you don't like Connor besides his star rating, let's discuss it. But I guess you saw that he's not rated on a recruiting site and assumed he sucks.

You are correct, I don’t spend HOURS watching tape of recruits.

I don’t see that as necessary at all.

I guess just the last few years have turned me into a wait and see guy will every recruit we get, regardless of who our coach is.

I like to watch full games and spend the time. Highlight videos are BS. My highlight video was fantastic in high school, and I was the 8th man at NK.

There are recruits I'm not pumped about, but I'm trying to stay positive. KC and Myers are two that weren't offered by anyone and look like complete projects. After going after Cam Esteves, Trey, and Connor I was surprised we took a commitment from someone like Myers.

I'm also aware that guys like Rory and Bilau are more specialists over starters. Rory is a 3 pt shooter, and BIlau is a defender who doesn't have much of an offensive game. If I'm bringing up the pros of these kid's games, it doesn't mean I think they will all be superstars. I don't.

Archie recruited guys that fit his system and dominated the A10. I'm all for the wait-and-see approach, but I think we should all have more faith that Archie will build a great team.

[Jdrums#3]

Excellent discussion.

For me, I like Dub’s shooting potential based off of what I have watched and off of opinions of those I value regarding player evaluation (KB’ers included). His shooting skill excites me because I understand, like others, that outside shooting is a valuable skill in today’s game.

Imho, a recruit can be lower rated but possess a specific skill or two that is excellent compared to their peers. I think the reverse can happen, too, where a highly rated recruit can have a below average skill in a specific area.

Overall, I see recruiting as a risk management exercise (the left over influence of my career on me is the cause): all the recruits have measure of risk and a coach manages it as best he can based on experience, knowledge, available resources to accept it, mitigate it, avoid it, and so on, based upon their personal risk tolerance.

I tend to like our recruits and focus on what they do best and trust the staff to improve the recruits lesser skills. But, I can afford to be that way because - compared to Arch, the staff, key stakeholders, boosters, and gamblers, I have minimal risk.

That said, it is fun to debate the potential of recruits and match wits with fellow KB’ers, professional evaluators, other fan-bases. I will have to go back and re-read some old recruiting threads when I have time revisit how our recruits fared versus expectations. Some standout for me and some much less so.

Sorry to go off topic. Perhaps we can continue he discussion in the general recruiting thread. Good stuff.

[RF1]

College Sports Madness has listed another A-10 team in its annual Top 144 countdown.

Massachusetts Minutemen
2022-2023 Overall Rank: #137
Conference Rank: #9 A-10
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/20718

Rhode Island Rams
2022-2023 Overall Rank: #133
Conference Rank: #8 A-10
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/20723

George Mason Patriots
2022-2023 Overall Rank: #115
Conference Rank: #7 Atlantic 10
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/20752

Davidson Wildcats
2022-2023 Overall Rank: #91
Conference Rank: #6 Atlantic 10
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/20838

[Jdrums#3]

Thanks for posting, RF1.

Looking at some of our stats from last year, I anticipate at least a few will improve (like free throw % and turnovers per game) due to better coaching, player additions and player departures.