Atlantic 10 ’98-’99
|
| East Division |
|
CONF. |
OVERALL |
| Temple |
13-3 |
19-9 |
| Rhode Island |
10-6 |
17-12 |
| Massachusetts |
9-7 |
13-15 |
| St. Bonaventure |
8-8 |
14-14 |
| Fordham |
5-11 |
12-14 |
| St. Joseph’s (Pa.) |
5-11 |
12-17 |
| West Division |
|
CONF. |
OVERALL |
| Geo. Washington |
13-3 |
19-7 |
| Xavier |
12-4 |
20-9 |
| La Salle |
8-8 |
12-14 |
| Virginia Tech |
7-9 |
12-14 |
| Dayton |
5-11 |
10-16 |
| Duquesne |
1-15 |
6-22 |
A look at the Atlantic 10 Conference in predicted order of finish:
EAST DIVISION
Temple
• Coach: John Chaney (380-160, 18th year; 605-219, 28th overall).
• Key player: Junior guard Pepe Sanchez does not score a lot (8.2 ppg) but he runs the Owls’ offense and is also one of the top defensive players in the league.
• Outlook: No. 7 in the AP preseason poll, Temple has talent, depth and experience. Four of five starters are back. Lamont Barnes and Sanchez are preseason first-team all-league, and junior Mark Karcher is second team.
St. Joseph’s
• Coach: Phil Martelli (68-55, fourth year; same overall).
• Key player: Senior Andre Howard is the top returning scorer (11.9 ppg) and rebounder (8.4) in a system that stresses balance.
• Outlook: Martelli said his team may be nine to 10 players deep. The Hawks lost no one of significance and should make a run at the upper half of the East Division. They are athletic, talented and deep.
Massachusetts
• Coach: James ‘‘Bruiser’’ Flint (54-41, fourth year; same overall).
• Key player: Senior guard Monty Mack tied for third in the league in scoring (18.1 ppg) last season and is first-team all-league this preseason.
• Outlook: The Minutemen may be better without 6-10 Lari Ketner, who had a disappointing senior season. Mack, Mike Babul, twice a member of the A-10 All-Defensive team, and Chris Kirkland, who showed great improvement last season, create the nucleus for this team.
St. Bonaventure
• Coach: Jim Baron (93-109, eighth year; 167-180, 13th overall).
• Key player: Senior guard Tim Winn missed six games last season because of off-the-court problems, and the Bonnies went 2-4. With him in the lineup, they were 12-9.
• Outlook: After a disappointing nonconference season, SBU went 8-8 in the A-10 — its best record since ’95. If the Bonnies are going to make a move for a postseason bid, this is the time: Five of the top six players from last season are back.
Rhode Island
• Coach: Jerry DeGregorio (first year).
• Key player: Sophomore Zach Marbury, brother of NBA point guard Stephon Marbury, was ineligible last season and will be counted on to jump-start the Rams offense.
• Outlook: The Rams could take some lumps this season without Lamar Odom, who bolted after one season for the NBA.
Fordham
• Coach: Bob Hill (first year).
• Key player: Junior guard Bevon Robin, who has led the Rams in scoring two straight years and needs just 45 points to reach 1,000, is preseason first-team all-league.
• Outlook: Hill, who replaces reigning A-10 Coach of the Year Nick Macarchuk, has coached the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs (his NBA teams were 257-212), but he has not been a college head coach. The Rams were 5-11 in the A-10 last season, their best showing in four years in the league.
WEST DIVISION
Xavier
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La Salle
• Coach: Speedy Morris (215-169, 14th year; same overall).
• Key player: Senior guard Donnie Carr is preseason first-team all-league. He has led the Explorers in scoring three straight years.
• Outlook: La Salle’s 8-8 A-10 record last season was its best since joining the league, and the Explorers could make a run at the West Division title with four returning starters.
Dayton
• Coach: Oliver Purnell (67-77, sixth year; 168-152, 12th overall).
• Key player: Mark Ashman, a 6-foot-10 senior, is one of the top veteran big men in the A-10.
• Outlook: Junior Tony Stanley and senior Edwin Young are among four returning starters. With the help of redshirt freshman Nate Green and true freshman Brooks Hall, Dayton hopes to challenge for the West Division title.
George Washington
• Coach: Tom Penders (20-9, second year; 498-328, 29th overall).
• Key player: Mike King, a junior guard, assumes center stage now that Shawnta Rogers and Yegor Mescheriakov have gone.
• Outlook: The Colonials lost two of the league’s top players, including the MVP (Rogers), and now have to reload. Penders is counting on immediate production from freshmen Val Brown and Bernard Barrow.
Virginia Tech
• Coach: Ricky Stokes (first year).
• Key player: Junior Rolan Roberts is the returning scorer (14.1 ppg) and rebounder (5.9) and is second-team all-league this preseason.
• Outlook: Virginia Tech could be one of the more improved teams in the A-10 with four starters back and some new talent expected to help.
Duquesne
• Coach: Darelle Porter (5-23, second year; same overall).
• Key player: Sophomore Wayne Turner (16.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg) was one of the few brights spots in a 1-15 conference season.
• Outlook: Duquesne returns six of its top seven players and adds two junior-college transfers but still will struggle to get out of the A-10 West basement.
