Today is the second of two installments giving a brief run-down of the A10 so far during non conference play. Click HERE for Part 1.
UMass Minutemen (4-5)
The UMass Minutemen sport a mostly new roster under second year head coach Derek Kellogg, bringing in 5 new freshmen including heralded wing forward Terrell Vinson, a former target of our Niners coaching staff. Joining the strong freshman class are transfers Sean Carter (Oregon State, also a former Charlotte recruit) and Hashim Bailey (Memphis). So far the results have been less than spectacular for the Minutemen. Although the losses have been to mostly decent programs, the wins have mostly come against lesser D-I competition and DII Arkansas-Fort Smith (their hypen, not mine). With such an inexperienced roster, these trials and tribulations can be expected, but if improvement isn’t seen over the course of the season, questions of whether Kellogg is much of a head coach will start to arise.
Not surprisingly, the top players for UMass are a pair of upperclassmen guards, Ricky Harris and Anthony Gurley. Both are averaging north of 17 points per game and Harris has been tops in assists. Freshman swingmen Freddie Riley and Vinson are also both off to solid starts for their careers, with Riley putting up over 9 ppg in just 16.2 mpg and Vinson averaging 8.1 ppg. and chipping in 3.9 rpg. Sean Carter has been the top post player leading the team in both rebounding and blocked shots. Although the Minutemen have improved their rebounding from a season ago, problems defensively persist. UMass is allow opponents to shoot 46% from the field and a horrific 41.8% for shots taken behind the arc. If UMass wants to finish above .500 in A10 play, this is a must for Kellogg to address. Although I do expect the Minutemen to improve, real progress in the win/loss column will probably have to wait until next year.
La Salle Explorers (6-2)
The season has started basically as expected for the La Salle Explorers. Dr. John Giannini has done a sharp job improving a program that lacks the facilities to really “wow” recruits despite playing on a court that bears the name of the legendary Tom Gola. In the early going of the season, La Salle has taken care of business, winning the games it should win, but has lost both opportunities for BCS scalps (South Carolina in Charleston and @Villanova in Big 5 action). The non conference slate has several very tough games remaining, including this weekend at Kansas, and future dates against Oklahoma State and Ivy favorite Cornell.
The Explorers are led by Sr. guard Rodney Green. Green is averaging an even 18 ppg. and leads the team in assists. Green also pitches in an impressive 5.8 rpg. Fellow seniors Kimmani Barrett (13.3 ppg.), Ruben Guillandeaux (61.5% from 3), and and Yves Mekongo (10.1 ppg.) have all played well, though Mekongo is struggling a bit from the field. Joining the senior-led Explorers is highly touted freshman center Aaric Murray. Murray has played quite well in the early season, averaging 11.5 ppg. and leading the team with 7.1 rpg. and 2.5 bpg. One area that needs work for Murray (as well as the Explorers as a team) is FT shooting. Murray only has 13 attempts on the season, and has made less than half. Despite the FT struggles, La Salle has developed into a very good team and could contend for the A10 title and should certainly contend for a conference tournament bye. The Explorers are shooting a stellar 47.2% from the field and 43.5% from behind the arc. They have also taken care of business on defense, enjoying an over 10 rpg. advantage over their opponents.
Dayton Flyers
I actually dread writing about Dayton. Their neurotic fans over on the A10 board scare me. But they’re a solid team with a good coach and hey, it’s my job. So here goes. The Flyers started the season with a bang, getting a victory over common non-conference foe Georgia Tech in Puerto Rico. This was followed by a pair of losses in the same venue to Villanova and Kansas State, both very good teams and nothing to be ashamed of for the Flyer faithful. Since returning to the continental US, the flyers have taken care of business against some slightly less-than-stellar competition including an escape @ George Mason (56-55) where the Flyers surrendered a large lead in the 2nd half. The remainder of the non-conference slate features good opportunities to pick up quality wins against Old Dominion (another common foe with the Niners) at home and on the road against New Mexico.
Despite being the preseason favorite to win the A10, the Flyers do have some holes that need addressing before conference play begins. Dayton has struggled to keep opponents from reaching the FT line, allowing 24.8 trips/game (about 5 less per game than the Flyers). They have also struggled to outrebound their opposition, holding the slightest of edges (0.4 rpg.). Offensively, the Flyers are led by a pair of very good forwards, Chris Johnson and Chris Wright. The pair lead the Flyers in both scoring and rebounding providing 14.5 and 7.0 (Johnson) and 14.3 and 6.1 (Wright) respectively. In the backcourt, Sr. PG London Warren and Sr. SG Marcus Johnson get the starting nod. London is a blur with and without the ball, but looks to pass and defend as opposed to scoring. Johnson is scoring 8.4 ppg. but has struggled with his shot. The top outside threat for Dayton has been F Luke Fabrizius who is hitting on 45.5% of his long-distance attempts.
Saint Joseph’s Hawks (3-5)
The season couldn’t have started much better for the Hawks, winning their first three including a nice victory over Boston College in the Virgin Islands. However, the inexperienced roster (only 2 seniors) dropped the next five, largely to quality teams such as Purdue, Cornell, and Villanova. The remaining non-conference slate doesn’t get much easier with trips to Minnesota and Siena. Saint Joseph’s is led by its lone pair of seniors; guards Darrin Govens and Garrett Williamson, scoring 25 points between each other. A bright spot so far has been the play of Fr. guard Carl Jones who’s contributing 10.1 ppg. in 21 minutes/game off the bench for the Hawks.
Looking strictly at the numbers, a couple stats stand out that contribute to the Hawks’ losing record. Saint Joseph’s has struggled to rebound the ball, averaging a deficit of nearly 8 rpg. Couple the rebounding woes with poor shooting (41.5% from the field) and it’s no surprise Saint Joseph’s has posted a 3-5 record thus far. Though the non-conference schedule is one of the most difficult in the league, the Hawks’ early struggles will likely carry over to conference play and Coach Phil Martelli is likely to see his squad post the first losing record in 10 years.
Duquesne Dukes (6-3)
Despite being friends with Huggy Bear, I’m a Ron Everhart fan. He’s quickly turned the wreckage of Danny Nee around, inheriting a 3-win team in Nee’s last year and turning it into a 21-win team last season. Despite the loss of Aaron Jackson, the Dukes have a strong roster to go with their excellent coach and should be in the top half of the A10 this season. Duquesne has no seniors and is led by Jr. forward Damian Saunders. Saunders is putting up 14.8 ppg on 54.1% shooting from the field to go with a beastly 12.4 rpg. Fellow Jr. swingman Bill Clark is also playing well, putting up 16 ppg. The Dukes have relied heavily on a tight rotation thus far with 5 players averaging over 30 minutes per game. This should improve in a few weeks with the return of Melquan Bolding, who is nursing a broken wrist sustained in a game with Nicholls State (shame too, he was having a big game).
In non-conference play, the Dukes have victories over Iowa and a collection of lesser regarded such as Binghamton and Savannah State. Losses have come at the hands of Western Carolina, Pittsburgh, and mostly recently a blowout against WVU where the Dukes managed just 39 points. The remaining non-conference games are quite manageable with the most difficult being trips to IUPUI and Old Dominion (is it me or is every A10 team required to play ODU or Cornell in the non conference?). One area Duquesne does need to focus on is 3 point shooting. The Dukes are connecting on just 27.0% of their 3 point attempts.
Xavier Musketeers (5-3)
The Musketeers, under first year Head Coach Chris Mack, have produced mix results against their usual difficult non-conference schedule. Xavier has dropped games against Marquette, Baylor, and Kansas State while posting wins against Creighton and Kent State. Remaining non-conference games against Cincinnati, Butler, LSU, and Wake Forest will further test this edition of the Musketeers and ideally ready them for conference play as well as providing a means to hopefully boost the conference RPI. Xavier is led by So. transfer Jordan Crawford (by way of Indiana) putting up 18.5 ppg. with a scorching 48.7% from behind the arc. The only other player scoring in double figures for Xavier is Sr. forward Jason Love who is averaging a double-double with 10.3 ppg. and 10.0 rpg.
Despite a record that is not particularly awe-inspiring, Xavier is playing good basketball. They shoot the ball extremely well (48.0%) from the field and perimeter (44.5%), hold their opponents to poor shooting (38.7%), and limit second chances by rebounding the ball well (+6.2 rpg). Don’t let the early losses fool anyone. This Xavier team plays a very difficult schedule, probably the most difficult in the league. If Chris Mack is as good of a coach as he is a recruiter, I won’t be surprised at all if Xavier is one of the top teams in the A10.
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