At one point, the Atlantic 10 looked to send six teams to the 2010 NCAA tournament. Of course, that was only in bracketology reports and the bubble burst as the teams beat up on each other. Xavier continued to lead the conference, but this year the Musketeers will be severely tested by Temple and Richmond. The conference lost some NBA caliber talent, but there are plenty of interesting prospects and returning players to draw one's eye to the A10.
Charlotte 49ers
The 49ers looked like they were ready to break through to the NCAA tournament for the first time under coach Bobby Lutz. They won 18 of their first 23 games but fell apart in February and lost seven of their last eight games. Lutz was fired and former Ohio State assistant Allan Major takes over. The 49ers return their top three scorers, including forward Shamari Spears. The BC transfer averaged 16 points and 5.9 rebounds in his first year in Charlotte. Spears was complemented sophomore Chris Braswell who averaged 9.5 points and 8.5 rebounds is his first year. Derrio Green averaged 13.1 points despite shooting 36.5% from the field. Major may also have to call on Green to lead the offense.
Dayton Flyers
The Flyers also head into the season needing a new point guard. Fortunately, they have one in freshman Juwan Staten. The six-foot Dayton native will get the keys to coach Brian Gregory's offense and will be able to pass to a nice frontcourt duo. Chris Wright is back for his senior year after teasing the NBA. Wright received a lot of hype last year, but his numbers were not otherworldly: 13.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. He does have NBA level athleticism so better numbers are possible. Forward Chris Johnson provided 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds and played well as the Flyers took the NIT championship.
Duquesne Dukes
If I had the first pick in a fantasy draft that included steals and blocks as categories, I'd take Dukes forward Damian Saunders. The 6-foot-7 defensive ace provided 2.8 steals and 2.9 blocks while averaging a double-double (15.3 points and 11.3 rebounds). The only thing Saunders doesn't do is hit his free throws (just 48.4% last year), which proves there is no such thing as a perfect player. Swingman Bill Clark is also back for his senior year after averaging 14.1 points and six boards. He hit just 27.9% of his three-pointers. Junior Eric Evans leads the offensive attack and helped the team with ten points and 3.8 assists. Keep an eye on freshman guard T.J. McConnell who averaged 34 points as a high school senior.
Fordham Rams
I have always thought that putting up big numbers on a lousy team is not the sign of top talent. Nevertheless, it was hard to argue with Chris Gaston's dominant freshman season on the fantasy scene. The 6-foot-7 sophomore averaged 18 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. Gaston was a double-double machine and scored 32 points three times. Now, he will have to produce under a new coach: Tom Pecora came from Hofstra to take over the Rams. Guard Brenton Butler is back for his fifth year. He scored 16.5 points as a junior and hit 2.1 threes per game, despite converting 29.9% of his threes. Branden Frazier may be the starting point guard as a freshman.
George Washington Colonials
The Colonials head into the season with a rather young squad. Young can be exciting, but it can also let you down. Perhaps the most exciting of the young players is swingman Lasan Kromah. In his freshman season, the 6-foot-5 forward/guard, averaged 11.8 points but scored at least 20 points six times. He hit 35.6% of his three-pointers and will likely be the go-to player for GWU in his sophomore season. Junior Aaron Ware scored 6.4 points in 19.1 minutes, so it is hoped that the 6-foot-5 swingman will score more. The same is hoped for center Joseph Katuka who provided 5.9 points in 15.1 minutes as a junior. Jabari Edwards has some potential as a shot blocker.
La Salle Explorers
For the last four years, La Salle was not able to make successful inroads on their way to the top of the Atlantic 10. At least they could rely on the steady production of Rodney Green. Green ran out of eligibility, but the Explorers still have fantasy relevance with center Aaric Murray. The sophomore showed promise in his first year with modest numbers of 12.2 points and 6.6 rebounds. His real value came on the defensive end where the 6-foot-10 Philadelphian blocked 2.3 shots. Murray did average three fouls per game and fouled out four times. Jerrell Williams provided 10.1 points and 7.1 rebounds and will continue to complement Murray. The Explorer backcourt is less steady and the point guard role will either be held by one of two freshmen, Tyreek Duren and Sam Mills.
Massachusetts Minutemen
The Minutemen have the potential to have a nice inside-outside combo in Anthony Gurley and Terrell Vinson. Vinson was a heavily hyped prospect coming into last season and provided 9.6 points and 5.4 rebounds. The 6-foot-7 Baltimore native had a pair of double-doubles, but only hit 25% of his three-pointers. Gurley spent his freshman season at Wake Forest and is now a senior. He scored 13.6 points last season despite hitting just 39.3% of his shots for the second straight year. Gurley topped the to 20-point plateau six times. A power option to consider is forward/center Sean Carter who provided 7.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in his first year after transferring from Oregon State.
Rhode Island Rams
In each of the last five years, the Rams have won more games. To eclipse their 26-win season of 2009-10, Rhode Island is going to need production from some surprising places. The Rams have Delroy James as their focal point. James, a 6-foot-8 forward, scored 13.2 points and grabbed 5.3 rebounds. For leagues that use defensive stats, James was one of those rare players that provided 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks. He hoisted 143 three-pointers, but converted only 32.2%. Sophomore Akeem Richardson was more successful from long range (38.8% on three-pointers) and took more than 75% from beyond the arc. He may be asked to do a bit more in his second year on the Island. Marquis Jones and Stevie Mejia will once again share point guard duties, but neither is enough of a scorer to be a fantasy presence.
Richmond Spiders
The Spiders made the NCAA tournament and return their best player. It is a renaissance of basketball in Richmond. Kevin Anderson and his 17.8-point average is back. The six-foot guard was only held to single-digits three times (all in a five-game stretch during Atlantic 10 conference play) and did most of his damage attacking the basket. There are two warnings: he did put his name in for the NBA draft and that generally hurts a player's production and he will be without his backcourt wingman David Gonzalvez. Center Dan Geriot is now two years removed from his redshirt season. He only averaged 6.8 points and four rebounds after providing 14.3 points as a sophomore. Forward Darius Garrett had a 14-block game and should get more playing time as a junior.
St. Joseph's Hawks
The Hawks have the potential to have a dynamic frontcourt. Their top returning scorer is Idris Hilliard who provided 10.2 points as a junior. He added 5.1 rebounds, but will not have to guard the blocks on his own. Center Todd O'Brien transferred to St. Joe's from Bucknell and provided 5.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks. The 6-foot-11 center should improve upon those numbers and if you see how tough it is to find a center, he could be someone to consider. The third member of the frontcourt is freshman C.J. Aiken who was the Pennsylvania 4A high school player of the year. Carl Jones returns to the backcourt and provided 9.6 points as a freshman.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
The Bonnies are coming along as a program. If they keep finding players like Andrew Nicholson, they might make the leap to the top of the A10 heap. Nicholson, a 6-foot-9 Canadian, paced St. Bonaventure with 16.4 points and 7.1 rebounds with 1.8 blocks. He was a little too aggressive and fouled out six times, but those disqualifications all seemed to come in a short stretch of conference play. Senior Malcolm Eleby will be responsible for getting Nicholson the ball in a good position. Eleby averaged 3.3 assists but was not much of a scorer. Like Nicholson, the Bonnies went international for their recruits, including Matthew Wright (a fellow Canadian) and Sam de Haas (from the Netherlands).
Saint Louis Billikens
What a mess! What looked like a promising season for coach Rick Majerus and Bilikens has gone up in flames as the team's two leading players guard Kwamain Mitchell and center Willie Reed have been embroiled in a sexual assault scandal involving a female student. Reed has professed his innocence and hopes to transfer, while Mitchell hopes to return in January. Odds are both players have played their last game for Saint Louis. That leaves Australian forward Cody Ellis as the leading returning scorer. The 6-foot-8 sophomore does have plenty of potential and he will be thrown into the fire. In 22 games as a freshman, Ellis scored 10.5 points. Point guard Kyle Cassity started as a sophomore and provided 6.0 points and 3.3 assists.
Temple Owls
Lavoy Allen is the best big man in the Atlantic 10. This is hardly a stretch as a bold statement. He is one of the best big men in the country. The 6-foot-9 senior averaged a double-double (11.5 points, 10.7 rebounds. He even chipped in 2.4 assists and 1.4 blocks. Allen should power the Owls to the top of the A10, but won't do it alone. Guard Juan Fernandez became a started as a sophomore and averaged 12.4 points and 3.6 assists. He also hit 46.5% of his three-pointers. If your league counts blocked shots, you might look at center Michael Eric who could mature into a defensive presence in his junior year. Swingman Rahlir Jefferson may get to start as well and could be a player to monitor.
Xavier Musketeers
If there is a team that could be ready to jump to Tier 1 from the Atlantic 10, it's Xavier. The Musketeers have been all-for-one over the last decade and made the NCAA tournament nine times. In the 2010 NCAA tournament, they took Kansas State to overtime. Xavier did have some roster turnover and will look to point guard Terrell Holloway to lead the way. Holloway, who prefers to be called Tu, provided 12.9 points and 3.4 assists. Jamel McLean will lead the frontcourt and averaged 8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds as a junior. Xavier also has an impressive recruiting class, including wings Jay Canty and Justin Martin. Canty is a multi-talented athlete and Martin will be a pest on the defensive perimeter.