Wednesday, November 14, 2001
Atlantic 10 conference preview
By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Teams listed in predicted order of finish, according to the preseason poll.
nbsp; West Division
nbsp; Dayton
nbsp; Coach: Oliver Purnell (110-79, eighth year; 211-174, 14th overall)
nbsp; Key player: Brooks Hall, a 6-foot-6 junior swingman who suffered through an injury-plagued sophomore season. He had offseason surgery to remove a calcium deposit in his left leg.
nbsp; Outlook: This is the most experienced team Purnell has had at UD, with four starters back from an NIT team. He has won 20 or more games in three of the last four seasons; Xavier and Temple are the only other A-10 teams that can claim as much. Sophomore center Keith Waleskowski is a third-team A-10 pick after averaging 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds last season.
nbsp; Richmond
nbsp; Coach: John Beilein (78-39, fifth year; 425-244, 24th overall)
nbsp; Key player: Scott Ungerer, a 6-7 senior (6.4 ppg) who totaled 129 assists last season and guards the opponent's top player. ''He's our offensive point guard and defensive '4' man (power forward) - kind of like a Magic Johnson position,'' Beilein said.
nbsp; Outlook: Richmond may have growing pains coming from the mid-major Colonial Athletic Association, but it hopes to succeed with its intricate attack. ''We're coming into a physical, power-laden league, and we'll hope to survive playing a finesse, passing, cutting game,'' Beilein said. The Spiders ranked 10th nationally in scoring defense (60.8 ppg) last season. They lost five seniors, but return three starters.
nbsp; La Salle
nbsp; Coach: Billy Hahn (first year; 42-46, fourth overall)
nbsp; Key player: Rasual Butler. The 6-7 senior swingman, a returning first-team all-league player, is a Wooden Award nominee for national player of the year.
nbsp; Outlook: Butler's wrist had better not get sore, for he'll be shooting from tipoff to buzzer. Not that he wasn't last season, when he averaged 20 shots per game on his way to a 22.1 scoring average. He and senior point guard Julian Blanks are the only starters back from a 12-17 team.
nbsp; George Washington
nbsp; Coach: Karl Hobbs (first year; same overall)
nbsp; Key player: Chris Monroe. The junior guard led the Colonials in scoring (18.7 ppg) last season, ranking second in rebounding (6.1) and assists (2.7). He's also a strong defender.
nbsp; Outlook: Hobbs, a former Connecticut assistant coach, takes over a program left bare by former coach Tom Penders. Monroe is the only returning starter. The other top returnee is Jaason Smith (5.7 ppg), whose fortes are defense and rebounding (3.1). The player to watch is freshman Tamal Forchion, who was Philadelphia's prep player of the year and a preseason A-10 all-rookie-team pick.
nbsp; Duquesne
nbsp; Coach: Danny Nee (first year; 368-278, 22nd overall)
nbsp; Key player: Fifth-year senior guard Jamal Hunter (5.9 ppg), who was granted an additional season by the NCAA because of medical hardship (back injury as a sophomore). He was the Dukes' hottest player down the stretch last season, averaging 14 points the last eight games.
nbsp; Outlook: Nee loves the opportunity at Duquesne. ''I don't see how we're any different from Dayton or La Salle or any other place,'' he said. ''We bring hope, and we want to win now.'' That'll be tough with just two starters returning on a team picked last in the West. Wayne Smith is a nice start; the senior forward (15.2 ppg) is within 587 points of the school's career scoring record.
nbsp; East Division
nbsp; Saint Joseph's
nbsp; Coach: Phil Martelli (107-78, seventh year; same overall)
nbsp; Key player: Alexandre Sazonov, a 7-1 junior center. He can certainly block shots, ranking third in the A-10 last year with a 2.0 average. If he can improve his scoring (4.9 ppg) and rebounding (3.5), it'll be an invaluable help to the front line.
nbsp; Outlook: The Hawks are being mentioned as a dark horse for the Final Four. Certainly, their backcourt could rank with anyone's. They're hyping senior Marvin O'Connor (22.1 ppg) and sophomore Jameer Nelson (12.5 ppg, 6.5 apg) for All-America honors, and senior Na'im Crenshaw (11.4) is an unsung third starter on the wing. Forward Bill Phillips (11.6 ppg) and Damian Reid (9.0) are steady if not spectacular. ''If we can score in the low post, we'll be very tough to beat,'' Martelli said.
nbsp; Temple
nbsp; Coach: John Chaney (431-181, 20th year, including 0-2 this season; 656-240, 30th overall)
nbsp; Key player: David Hawkins. The sophomore guard (10.4 ppg) is sitting out because of grades. He'll provide a big lift when he returns in late December.
nbsp; Outlook: Last season was perhaps Chaney's finest coaching job, taking a team in turmoil at 14-12 to within an eyelash of the Final Four, and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Lynn Greer (18.2) is the heart of the backcourt and 6-10, 260-pound Kevin Lyde (12.8 ppg) an immovable object inside. Another tough schedule should spell another late-blooming season.
nbsp; Massachusetts
nbsp; Coach: Steve Lappas (first year; 230-172, 14th overall)
nbsp; Key player: Kitwana Rhymer. The 6-foot-10, 256-pound senior center earned A-10 defensive player of the year honors last season, blocking 63 shots and averaging 7.3 rebounds.
nbsp; Outlook: The Minutemen certainly have plenty of muscle, led by Rhymer and 6-11, 243-pound Micah Brand. Now the search begins for outside shooting to complement that. Pure shooter Monty Mack (19.5 ppg) is gone, so Shannon Crooks (9.0 ppg) will get many more shots.
nbsp; Fordham
nbsp; Coach: Bob Hill (26-32, third year; same overall)
nbsp; Key player: Smush Parker. The sophomore guard, a transfer from Southern Idaho Junior College, is a great penetrator and distributor. He'll have to replace star Bevon Robin at the point.
nbsp; Outlook: The Rams lost their top two scorers from a 12-17 team that lost 11 of its last 12 games, yet there could be hope. There's an intriguing mix of talent, including three players who sat out last season: Parker; sophomore Mark Jarrell-Wright, a transfer from Providence; and freshman Cori Spencer, who missed last season with a knee injury.
nbsp; St. Bonaventure
nbsp; Coach: Jan van Breda Kolff (first year; 174-128, 11th overall)
nbsp; Key player: J.R. Bremer, a second-team all-conference pick. The senior guard averaged 16.6 points last season and averaged 36 points in six games on the team's summer trip to Europe.
nbsp; Outlook: This club has the perimeter tools to start van Breda Kolff's running game, led by Bremer, Marques Green and Patricio Prato. The concern is underneath; top post players Peter Van Paassen and Kevin Houston have departed. Senior forward Vidal Massiah, who averaged 9.1 points and 4.6 rebounds, will have to make things happen inside.
nbsp; Rhode Island
nbsp; Coach: Jim Baron (first year; 206-202, 15th overall)
nbsp; Key player: Brian Woodward. The junior guard averaged 13.9 points last season.
nbsp; Outlook: Why would Baron leave St. Bonaventure for this mess? Only six players return on a team that has won just 12 of its last 61 games, and just two of them started last season. Baron is clearly looking at the future, including the opening of a new arena next season.
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Atlantic 10 conference preview
