Toyminator's 2001-2002 Atlantic 10 Conference Preview

Last season, the A-10 was better than most people figured with the rise of St. Joe's and Temple's late season run into the Elite Eight. This season, look for both of those teams to represent the conference in the Tourney again, with St. Joe's having a legitimate shot at the Final Four. They have one of the best backcourts in college basketball, led by PG Jameer Nelson, who had a sensational freshman year. On the wing, they have Marvin O'Connor, who showed the world how one steps up during tournament time with his 39-point performance against Stanford. As for Temple, their success rests on the assumption that David Hawkins is eligible the second semester. Otherwise, there's a big hole on the wing that needs filling and the Owls may struggle to reach the Tournament again.

The other teams that should be in contention for an at-large bid are Xavier, Dayton, UMass and newcomer Richmond. Xavier has the league's best inside players in David West, along with rising star Romain Sato on the wing. Dayton and UMass were both disappointments last season, but should be improved, especially UMass, who no longer has to deal with Bruiser Flint's incompetence on the bench. Richmond was the best team in the Colonial League and should push its way towards the top of the standings. The rest of the league is pretty inept and that may hurt the conference's power rating, which in turn will only allow 2 or 3 teams to make the NCAA Tournament this season, along with maybe 1 or 2 in the NIT. Add in the number of new head coaches this season, and things could be a little unstable in the conference. All in all, it's probably not going to be one of the A-10's better seasons!

ON THE RISE: Fordham
Last season, coach Bob Hill assembled a talented group of players for what could have been a breakthrough year. For numerous reasons, that didn't happen. But those players are back and more young talented players have arrived, so it's just a matter of time before they learn how to play together and win some games. Fordham should continue to improve year upon year....maybe!

IN DECLINE: Rhode Island
The Rams were BAD last season, so it might come as a surprise that could be any worse. Oh, but they can...and will! This program is a mess and needs some serious overhauling. Their backcourt is the team's strength, yet they have trouble maintaining control of the ball and passing it to open teammates! The frontcourt is simply pitiful and will get slaughtered by most teams. Quite simply, this could be one of the worst teams in the country this season!

1. ST. JOSEPH'S

Strengths: Excellent offensive team, led by their stellar backcourt. Good shooting and rebounding team. Good team defense.
Weakness: Lack of inside scoring. Little depth.
Outlook: The Hawks won't surprise anyone this season. Just about everyone is back and a few newcomers could make them better. Easily will be the best team in the A-10.

2. TEMPLE

Strengths: Excellent team defense, that forces many turnovers. Take care of the ball well. Very experienced.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team, especially since there's no PF! Poor ball distribution. Not very deep.
Outlook: The Owls will once again be tough, even with a few holes here and there. The triad of Greer/Hawkins/Lyde will provide most of work, but in order to improve over last season, the new guys will have to step up.

3. UMASS

Strengths: Big, strong frontline. Good team defense. Lots of depth & experience.
Weakness: Poor shooting. Poor ball handling & distribution.
Outlook: With new coach Steve Lappas, the Minutemen should be more disciplined, which was one of the biggest problems under Flint. The new guys will make or break this team this season.

4. FORDHAM

Strengths: Big, deep frontcourt. Good rebounding team. Solid coaching.
Weakness: Inexperienced backcourt. Poor 3-pt & FT shooting team. Poor perimeter defense.
Outlook: If the backcourt comes around and they can get the ball to their talented frontcourt, then things will be looking up for the Rams.

5. ST. BONAVENTURE

Strengths: Solid backcourt. Good shooting team. Team quickness.
Weakness: Weak frontcourt. Little inside scoring or rebounding. Poor team defense. Little depth.
Outlook: Their backcourt will have to carry this team as far as they can. Post season play would be quite an accomplishment for the Bonnies this season.

6. RHODE ISLAND

Strengths: Experienced backcourt.
Weakness: Terrible shooting, rebounding, defensive team. Horrible ball handling & distribution. Inept frontcourt. Little depth.
Outlook: As I said before, this will be one of the worst teams in the country. A couple wins at most!

1. XAVIER

Strengths: Excellent inside/outside duo of West/Sato. Good rebounding team. Defense forces many turnovers, while offense limits theirs.
Weakness: Poor ball distribution. Poor 3-pt shooting team. Frontcourt depth.
Outlook: Xavier finally got back to the NCAA Tournament last season and should get there again this season. It will take time to adjust to a new system, but they've got the experience to handle it.

2. DAYTON

Strengths: Good rebounding team. Good FT & 3-pt shooting team. Distribute the ball well.
Weakness: Passive defense. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: The loss of Tony Stanley leaves a void at SG, but otherwise the Flyers are in good shape. Should be at least NIT bound.

3. RICHMOND

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Good shooting team. Good ball handling & distribution.
Weakness: Big, but inept frontcourt. Poor rebounding team. Lack of a true scorer.
Outlook: The Spiders will need some time to adjust to their new conference, but should eventually be one of the better teams. Anything lower than 3rd would probably be disappointing.

4. DUQUESNE

Strengths: Good shooting team. Very experienced.
Weakness: Poor team defense, rebounding & ball-handling. Questionable PG. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: The Dukes have a shot at getting out of the basement this season, thanks to talented players like Wayne Smith & Jamal Hunter. The arrival of Njoya could be the key to a successful season.

5. GEORGE WASHINGTON

Strengths: Aggresive team defense. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Horrible shooting team. Poor rebounding team. Little inside scoring. Poor backcourt. Very inexperienced & thin bench.
Outlook: The Colonials lost a lot of offense, with only Chris Monroe remaining. Looks like it could be a long season.

6. LASALLE

Strengths: Butler & Blanks. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Nothing inside...scoring or rebounding. Poor shooting team. Poor team defense. Very inexperienced & thin bench.
Outlook: Besides Butler & Blanks, there's not much else here. It's a shame a talent like Butler is on such a crappy team!

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Last updated on 10/8/01 by toyminator@prodigy.net