My Key Takeaways from Atlantic 10 Media Day
A piece by Tom Harkness
This past Tuesday (October 17th, 2023) marked the unofficial start of Atlantic 10 Conference play, as all fifteen member institutions met up at the Barclay’s Center in Brookyln, New York, in order to discuss the upcoming seasons with those who work so diligently to cover the conference.
Each program had a roughly twenty-minute session in which head coaches (and one of their players) were asked a series of questions ranging from the re-development of team comradery following the offseason, to their overall outlook ahead of the 2023-24 season.
I was fortunate enough to attend the conference, as well as ask a few questions. As a result, I- and the other media members- got to learn plenty more about each of the 15 teams which proudly represent the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Now, here’s my one major takeaway for each program:
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Loyola-Chicago: A Revitalized Roster
It was a rough year for the Ramblers in 2022-23. The season marked their first year in the Atlantic 10 Conference, and it was underwhelming to say the least, with a 10-21 record overall and a league-worst 4-14 mark in conference play.
For Drew Valentine and company, no quote better encapsulates the mood surrounding the program more than “it’s only up from here”- and things are indeed trending in a positive direction following several portal additions, including an All-Ivy League duo in Greg Dolan (Cornell) and Dame Adelekun (Dartmouth), former Oral Roberts stretch big Patrick Mwamba, and interconference transfer Desmond Watson (Davidson).
Valentine also touched on the fact that two of the program’s best players in recent time- Braden Norris and Phillip Alston- have stayed with the team. And when you add other returning players such as Sheldon Edwards, Tom Welch, Ben Schweiger, Jalen Quinn, and a healthy Jayden Dawson to the mix, it goes without saying that the team is in a much better place than they were a year ago.
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Saint Louis: Building Around Veterans
After losing key players- most notably Yuri Collins, one of the best pure point guards in the history of the conference- this offseason, Saint Louis is in somewhat foreign waters, as (at least from a rotational standpoint) there’s more new faces than there are returning ones.
As a result, Travis Ford- who is entering his eighth year as the program’s head coach- emphasized the importance of playing through veterans such as sharpshooter Gibson Jimerson, the positionless Terrence Hargrove Jr., and floor general Sincere Parker, whom all have at least familiarity with the program.
Look for the three in particular to not only have big seasons, but to help instill the culture of Saint Louis basketball unto the program’s younger players, in effort to offer the program continued success.
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Rhode Island: Embracing the Unknowns
Much like Loyola, the 2022-23 Rhode Island Rams season was forgettable, to say the least. In Archie Miller’s first season with the program, URI finished with the worst overall record in the conference at 9-22, yet narrowly avoided the A10 basement with a 5-13 mark in league play.
Following the season, there was a mass exodus of players, forcing Miller to try and completely retool the roster these past few months. As a result, the Rams are ranked 13th in the preseason poll for the conference- not that it means much, but serving as a testament to the questions which surround this current rendition of Rhode Island’s roster.
For Miller and his team, preseason rankings are nothing more than a number. He spoke glowingly about the team’s growth and maturity throughout this offseason, and how he’s learning more and more about the group each day, leading him to believe that it’s virtually impossible for anyone to predict his team’s performance at this point in time.
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Massachusetts: A Summer of Learning
The Minutemen are yet another team coming off an underwhelming 2022-23 campaign which marked the first year under a new head coach. Frank Martin’s inaugural campaign in Amherst ended in a modest 15-16 record, although the team was third-last in the conference with a 6-12 record in A10 play.
Following the season, the Minutemen suffered from a similar mass exodus as Rhode Island. With a largely new contingent- headlined by incoming St, Francis transfer Josh Cohen, who was tenth in the NCAA in points per game last season (21.8)- there’s still plenty of talent on the team, but a clear need to establish comradery as well.
A summer trip to Puerto Rico, per Martin and rising senior forward Matt Cross, worked wonders for the team in terms of forging bonds and providing younger players with the opportunity to gain valuable playing experience against several professional teams within the country prior to their first collegiate season.
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La Salle: Operating Through the Backcourt
Back for his second year as the program’s head coach, La Salle’s Fran Dunphy spoke to the importance of having players such as Khalil Brantley and Jhamir Brickus be the key cogs in the programs machine.
Brantley let the team in points (14.3) and assists (4.1) per game last season, and his 4.8 rebounds per contest was second only to Fousseyni Drame (5.3). Brickus, meanwhile, was third for the Explorers in nightly scoring, averaging 9.8 PPG while also being the team’s second-leading assist man at 2.8 dimes a night.
With reigning A10 Sixth Man of the Year Josh Nickleberry having moved on to Florida State earlier this offseason, there’s a clear need for guys such as Brantley and Brickus to really take the next step this upcoming season. Also, look for Anwar Gill (7.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.3 APG in 2022-23) to take a big leap forward this upcoming season, potentially stepping in and assuming Nickleberry’s role.
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Duquesne: The Return of the “Dinosaur Plan”
I had the opportunity to ask Keith Dambrot how refreshing it was to be returning a large quantity of players- most notably his key backcourt tandem of Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III- in 2023-24, especially considering how susceptible the Dukes have been to roster turnover over the past few years.
His answer? A return to what he calls his “Dinosaur Plan”, a term he coined at Akron, where he was an assistant coach from 2001-2004 before being promoted to the team’s head coach, a title he held from 2004-2017.
The plan pertains to a high quantity, of third, fourth, even fifth year guys returning to a member institution. It’s always better to have some number of quality returning players, but when those players return year after year, the odds of achieving certain goals becomes even more attainable. For Dambrot, bringing back Grant and Clark along with transfers such as Dusan Mahovic (last played for NC State in 2022-23) and ex St. Peter’s La Salle wings Hassan and Fousseyni Drame allows for the team to capitalize off a 20-13 season a year ago.
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VCU: New Era = New Leaders
When I asked VCU senior guard Zeb Jackson about his thoughts on being a leader on a VCU team which has understandably undergone some roster overturn over the past few months following ex-head coach Mike Rhodes departure for the coaching vacancy at Penn State, I couldn’t help but notice his eyes lit up.
The Rams lost a lot of key pieces this offseason. Reigning A10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin followed Rhoades to Penn State; as did his Nick Kern Jr., his counterpart in the backcourt. Starting forward Jalen DeLoach left the program in favor of Georgia, his hometown collegiate program. Other key transfers included Jamir Watkins (Florida State), Josh Banks (UNC-Asheville), and Jayden Nunn (Baylor), and former faces of the rotation in 2022-23 such as Brandon Johns Jr., David Shriver, and Arnold Henderson VI have had their eligibility run out.
Jackson noted that leadership for him has been the main focus this offseason, but that good leaders delegate responsibility rather than trying to oversee all operations individually (a sentiment I certainly agree with). The idea that one player- even an upperclassman such as Jackson- can oversee all of the team’s daily happenings is outlandish- rather, it’s best for Jackson to assume some responsibility considering his seniority, while also encouraging growth and maturity amongst his younger teammates- especially for former high-ranking recruits such as Alphonso “Fatts” Billups and Christian Fermin.
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St. Bonaventure: Deeper than Ever
Mark Schmidt will be entering his seventeenth season with the Bonnies this upcoming 2023-24 campaign. The thought of leaving has never entered his mind, and with good reason: basketball is king. It’s the only show in town.
With that, Schmidt has put together some very impressive teams, with perhaps the most notable being his 2020-21 squad which featured five guys (Kyle Lofton, Jaren Homes, Jaden Adaway, Dom Welch, and Osun Osunniyi) whom took on a lion’s share of the team’s minutes en route to A10 regular and postseason titles and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
While those days may be gone, Schmidt has done a nice job of attracting and retaining talent at the small, private Franciscan University which employs him. Just last season, he brought in several key pieces, including Daryl Banks from St. Peter’s, ex- Morgan State big man Chad Venning, Kyrell Luc (Holy Cross), and Moses Flowers (Hartford), while also receiving contributions from freshmen such as Barry Evans, Yann Farell, and Anouar Mellouk.
This year, however, the Bonnies should be even more revered. All of the aforementioned players are back, and the team has brought in three more transfers: big man Noel Brown (another interconference foe from George Washington), grad transfer Mika Adams-Woods from Cincinnati, and longtime Bryant University star Charles Pride, who joins the program after amassing over 1,600 points at his last stop. With improved depth and a returning core. Schmidt’s team is in a good place heading into this season.
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George Mason: The Perfect Hire
When Kim English departed George Mason in March to serve as Ed Cooley’s successor at Providence College, there was plenty of speculation as to who would take over in Fairfax as the Patriots’ newest leader.
Enter Tony Skinn, who is molded similarly to English. Two young, high-rising assistant coaches with decorated playing careers, both collegiately and on the professional level. But for Skinn, the job is more than just a place to jump start his career- it’s a chance to go home.
From 2003 until 2006, Skinn served as the vocal leader of Jim Larranaga’s Patriots team(s). Across 93 career games played, he averaged 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, and helped architect one of the most improbable NCAA Tournament runs back in 2005-06, when Mason would advance to the Final Four as an eleven seed.
While veteran players such as Davonte Gaines, Justyn Fernandez, and Josh Oduro as well as incoming recruit Rich Barron may have followed English to Providence, Skinn will have a solid core of returning players (Ronald Polite III, Devin Dinkins, and Malik Henry) in addition to numerous transfers, including Keyshawn Hall (UNLV), Woody Newton (Oklahoma State), Jared Billups (Sienna), Amari Kelly (UNC-Wilmington), Nic Pavrette (Central Michigan), Darius Maddox (Virginia Tech), Jalen Haynes (East Tennessee), and Tre Wood (LIU).
All things considered, there’s plenty of new faces for George Mason this year. But, as Ronald Polite III put it during his media availability, it’s highly motivating to have an accomplished alum of the school- and someone who helped lay the foundation for the GMU’s men’s basketball program during his time as a player- standing courtside.
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Dayton: Playing through DaRon Holmes II
Anthony Grant spoke glowingly of the entire Dayton roster but held a particular emphasis on the man who sat to his right at the podium: rising junior big man DaRon Holmes II, whom he believes will be the key cog in the Flyers engine this year.
Holmes begins his third year with the team after a 2022-23 campaign in which he was named to the First Team All-Atlantic 10 and All-Defensive Team rosters, as well as led the nation in dunks (89), and the conference in blocked shots per game (1.94).
After withdrawing from the NBA Draft in May in favor of a junior year in which he will likely earn All-American votes come season’s end, Holmes will join a Dayton roster which has added rising defensive prodigy Javon Bennett (2.9 steals per game during his freshman season at Merrimack in 2022-23), veteran playmaking guard Enoch Cheeks (Robert Morris), and a young reserve big man in Isaac Jack.
Add in fellow returning pieces such as Zimi Nwokeji, Kobe Elvis, Kobe Brea, and a healthy Mali Smith along with the uber-talented freshman duo of Marvel Allen and Jaiun Simon, and you have a really solid core surrounding perhaps the most underappreciated star in college basketball.
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Saint Joseph’s: Backcourt Supremacy
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a team only goes as far as their backcourt can take them.
Sure, it’s been drilled into the ground time and time again- especially with this piece in particular. But it’s the truth! A team is no better than it’s parts- and some of the most integral parts rest with those whom bring the ball up the floor and are responsible for setting the table in addition to scoring and limiting fastbreak opportunities on the defensive side of things.
Luckily, for head coach Billy Lange and Saint Joe’s, there may be no better guard tandem in the league than the trio of Erik Reynolds II (19.6 PPG in 2022-23), Cam Brown (13.3), and Lynn Greer (12.5 PPG). The three were the Hawks leading scorers in 2022-23, and Reynolds in particular is a player drumming up serious interests on professional levels after eclipsing the 1,000 career point mark just two years into his time on Hawk Hill.
Along with sophomore guard Christian Winborne (6 PPG as a freshman in 2022-23), Lange will have a plethora of talented playmakers on the roster in 2023-24, which should help the team build off a somewhat underwhelming 2022-23 campaign.
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George Washington: Positional Versatility
It’s been a bit of a rough offseason for George Washington’s program. Two of the program’s best players over the past few seasons- Brendan Adams (17.4 PPG on 47% shooting in 2022-23) and Ricky Lindo (10.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG last season) have graduated, and the transfer portal departures of Hunter Dean (LSU) plus the aforementioned Noel Brown (St. Bonaventure) have left the team somewhat thin in the frontcourt.
The good news? James Bishop- unarguably one of the best players in the conference- is back for a grad year after a 2022-23 campaign in which he posted per game averages of 21.6 points (on 42.9% shooting), 2.3 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. Also returning is Max Edwards, the reigning A10 Rookie of the Year after averaging 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds a night during his stellar freshman campaign.
Plenty more can be said about the additions which the team has made in order to rebuild the roster. Incoming freshmen such as Jacoi Hutchinson, Christian Jones, and Trey Autry all have the ability to crack the rotation early on. Transfers such as Darren Buchanan Jr. (Virginia Tech), Benny Schroder (Oklahoma), Garrett Johnson (Princeton), and Antoine Smith Jr. (Evansville) should also be staples for head coach Chris Caputo as he enters his second year with the program.
The biggest thing to note with the Revolutionaries new roster is the immense amount of versatility. George Washington was 282nd in the nation in terms of three-point distribution last season, with only 27.8% of their total points coming from three point field goal makes (to put it into perspective, the NCAA average was 30.8%). With more flexibility on the roster, look for the team to improve in terms of shot selection and overall efficiency.
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Fordham: Maintaining Momentum
The 2023-24 season was something truly remarkable for fans of Fordham. After being the laughingstock of the conference over the past few decades, the Rams went 25-8 overall this past season, the second most wins in the conference (VCU went 27-8 overall) and tying the 1990-91 team for the most single season wins in program history.
All of this was done in an abrupt first season for Keith Urgo, who was thrust into position as the team’s head coach in late April 2022 after Kyle Neptune was named the lead man for Villanova’s men’s basketball team once longtime Wildcats leader Jay Wright announced his retirement. Considering the circumstances, what the Rams did wasn’t just remarkable- it was truly unprecedented.
Urgo’s 2022-23 roster was centered around players such as Darius Quissenberry and Kahlid Moore- both of whom are gone due to a lack of eligibility. However, with no players transferring out of the program this offseason and portal additions such as Japhet Medor (UTSA) and Josh Rivera (Lafayette), Fordham should still have a strong- if not highly competitive- core, with players such as Abdou Tsimbila, Antrell Charlton, Kyle Rose, Angel Montas, and Will Richarson all set to lead the way to another winning season in 2023-24.
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Davidson: Driven by Youth
Matt McKillop- the son of longtime Davidson HC and college basketball legend Bob McKillop- faces quite the uphill battle heading into Year 2 at his alma mater.
Three of the teams top scorers last season- Foster Loyer (16.3 PPG), Sam Mennenga (15.2 PPG), and Desmond Watson (9.4 PPG)- have since departed (Loyer and Mennenga due to a lack of eligibility, and Watson having transferred to Loyola-Chicago, as previously disclosed).
The returning pieces- most notably senior Grant Huffman (who was tied for third with Watson at 9.4 PPG last year)- will be pivotal in helping the program move forward in the most efficient manner possible. Other players expected to take a major leap forward include 6’10” big man David Skogman (7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds per game in 2022-23) and guard Connor Kochera (6.3 points per game on 43% shooting this past season).
The Davidson roster is full of youth- other than Huffman, Skogman, Kochera, junior Jarvis Moss, and senior Chris Sosknik, the remaining players- Reed Bailey, Mike Loughnane, Achile Spadone, Bobby Durkin, Brock Matheny, Sean Logan, Rikus Schulte, Hunter Adam, Angelo Brizzi, Riccardo Ghedini, and Michael Katsock- are all true or redshirted underclassmen.
Ultimately, this looks to be a major rebuilding year for the program. But, if there’s anything to note about Davidson coming into 2023-24, it’s that you can’t count out a McKillop.
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Richmond: Operating through Veterans
As Chris Mooney (the longest-tenured Atlantic 10 coach) enters his 19th season with the Richmond Spiders, it’s important to note that he has fully recovered from a heart procedure which he had completed in mid-February and held him out throughout the remainder of the 2022-23 season. Being one of the kindest and most intellectual basketball minds in the sport today, it’s great to hear that his recovery has gone well thus far and that he’s experienced no further complications.
Roster-wise, this is the first time in Mooney’s Richmond career in which the team has no players from the Richmond area (last year’s representative of the area, Jason Nelson, transferred to VCU). In fact, only one player- freshman guard Trevor Smith- is from Virginia; a rarity for Mooney, who typically has a great deal of success landing players in the state, let alone the Richmond area.
Regardless, the Spiders have a talented team. Gone is recent program legend Tyler Burton, who departed for Villanova earlier this offseason and was the last key contributor on Mooney’s 2021-22 Richmond team which won the A10 postseason tournament and defeated Iowa, 67-63, in the NCAA Tournament as a 12-seed. Matt Grace and Andre Gustavson- other contributors that year- have both graduated.
For Mooney, returning players such as Neal Quinn, Isaiah Bigelow, Jason Roche, and Dji Bailey will be the driving forces in 2023-24. Meanwhile, newcomers by way of the transfer portal- Jordan King (ETSU), DeLonnie Hunt (Wagner), Tyler Harris (Western Carolina)- and incoming freshmen such as Smith and fellow three-star guard Collin Tanner- should help Mooney foster a competitive program this year.
Ultimately, the burden falls on the returning players- Neal Quinn in particular (who said he models his game after Nikola Jokic)- to ensure that the team is efficient on the court. But, with a veteran coach like Mooney in good health, things should work themselves out.
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By the time this article has been published, we’ll be approaching two weeks until the start of the new college basketball season. Hopefully. this piece provided you with a brief outlook for all of the Atlantic 10’s teams and geared you up for an exciting year ahead!
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