The first two parts of the Atlantic
Ten season preview have focused specifically on the 14 teams that comprise the
Atlantic Ten Conference and my prediction for their order of finish. A quick recap of my prediction:
St. Bonaventure
13.
Duquesne
12.
Fordham
11.
LaSalle
10.
George Washington
9.
Richmond
8.
Rhode Island
7.
Charlotte
6.
Dayton
5.
St. Louis
4.
Saint Joseph’s
3.
Massachusetts
2.
Temple
1.
Xavier
Now with this article it is time to
get more in depth with the conference.
I’ll be taking a look at the top returning players. In my next article (part four) I’ll be taking
a look at players poised to have a breakout season. Part five will focus on coaches on the hot
seat and marquee match ups out of conference.
_Top
Ten Returning Players_
10. Chris Lowe 6-foot
guard, Massachusetts
The+other+ half of the best backcourt in
the Atlantic Ten is Chris Lowe. The senior guard enters his final
season at UMass ready to build off their deep NIT
run last season. Lowe is one of the best
assist men in the conference averaging
6.3 last year, and 7.6 over the Minutemen’s five game NIT stint. His assist
numbers should increase even more this year because of backcourt mate Ricky Harris. But Lowe isn’t all about passing. He can fill up the stat sheet in other ways. Last season he averaged a career best 11.8
points per game and 3.3 rebounds
per game. However, what will make Lowe
more dangerous this season is
previously mentioned Ricky Harris.
Defenses will try to key in on Harris and shut him down, leaving Lowe as a strong second
option. Because of that, look for Lowe’s numbers to increase even
more. If all goes right, UMass will
finally be back in the NCAA
Tournament, a place, one could argue, they should have been the past two seasons.
9. David Gonzalvez 6-foot-4
guard, Richmond
David
Gonzalvez has been a model of consistency in his two seasons with the Spiders. In his first year he averaged 9.6 points per
game and 11.7 points per game last season. With Dan Geriot out for the year, Gonzalvez becomes the
Spiders returning leading scorer, and is only one of three Spiders to
average double figures last year. The
good news for Spiders fans
is that he’s proven he can score at will, scoring 20 or more points in big games
last season against Memphis, Temple,
Charlotte and
UMass. If the Spiders want to improve off their
9-7 conference record a season ago, Gonzalvez
will have to keep increasing his scoring output.
8. C.J. Anderson 6-foot-6
forward, Xavier
In his first
season as a Musketeer, Anderson proved he was
worth the hype surrounding him after transferring from Manhattan.
It was there he averaged a near double-double at 18.8 points per game
and 9.4 rebounds per game. His numbers were down last year after averaging
10.7 points per game, but the Musketeers didn’t need Anderson as their offensive leader. Xavier
had five players score in double figures and any one of those five could lead
the team on any night, including C.J.
But this coming season with Drew Lavender, Stanley Burrell and Josh Duncan
gone, the Musketeers will need to rely more on the player Anderson
was at Manhattan.
Although he may seem undersized at his
position, his slashing ability and tenacity around the basket makes him an instant threat to hurt the opposition. Look for Anderson to have a big senior season and help
lead the Musketeers back to the NCAA Tournament.
7. Tommie Liddell 6-foot-5
guard, St. Louis
Tommie
Liddell had a rough transition to the beginning of the Rick Majerus era at St. Louis. Liddell saw a drop off in every offensive category from his sophomore season. At various points in the season he even
butted heads with his new head coach.
But this year should be a different story for Liddell. He had a full season under Majerus’ new
system and an off-season to work on his game.
Liddell has all the potential to be one of the top guards in the
conference, which he was in 2006-2007 when he averaged 15.4 points per game,
6.8 rebounds per game and 2.6 assists per game.
This season Liddell should be more comfortable with Majerus and come out
ready to end his Billiken career with a bang.
Expect the senior Liddell to
play more like his sophomore self and place himself back on the list as one of
the best guards in the A-10.
6. Chris Wright 6-foot-8
forward, Dayton
Chris
Wright was on pace to be the Atlantic Ten Rookie of the year until he
succumbed to an injury that sidelined him for nearly the entire conference season (he only played in one
conference game). In the fifteen games
he did play Wright averaged 10.4 points per game in only 20 minutes of
play. Wright, one of the most highly
touted recruits in Dayton
history, has shown the ability to be one of the most explosive players in the
conference. Teams will have a difficult
time in stopping the sophomore star.
Without last year’s leading scorer Brian Roberts, Wright will be option
number one for the Flyers. Because of that,
look for Wright to have a monster season where he will be competing for a slot
on the All Atlantic Ten First Team. And if his supporting cast plays to their
ability, and if Wright stays healthy, he could be able to lead the Flyers back to
the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004.
5. Jimmy Baron, Jr. 6-foot-3
guard, Rhode Island
In
three seasons, Jimmy Baron has made 243 out of 578 three-point field goals. He’s made 379 total field goals. The bottom line is simple. Jimmy Baron is
one of the best deep shooters in the Atlantic Ten. Sixty-four percent of his career baskets have been from three and his final
season at Rhode Island
should be no different. In fact,
expect Baron to shoot and make more three’s.
Last season he averaged 14.2 points per on a team where he was not
the go-to- guy. With Will Daniels gone, the Rams are now
Baron’s team to run. On top of that,
Baron has one of the quickest releases
in the entire league which makes him
extremely tough to guard. Rhode Island’s
opposition is really going to have
to zero in on Baron and try to shut him down
if they want to beat the Rams. That’s no easy feat, however, as
Baron only scored in single
digits five times last season. This season is Baron’s last shot at the NCAA Tournament so expect him to have his best season yet.
4. Derrick Brown 6-foot-8
forward, Xavier
Derrick
Brown’s comparisons to former Xavier great James Posey are inevitable. They are long, athletic and extremely
exciting players. What separates the two was Posey’s
consistent shooting. Until now, a lot of
the Atlantic Ten may have
considered Brown as nothing more than an exciting dunker who can jump out of the gym. But Brown will be quick to silence his critics this season. He’s the Musketeers top returning scorer and
should be their go-to guy. He averaged 10.9 points per game last year,
as well as 6.5 rebounds per game.
His length gives him the ability to be a defensive stopper, and his height, strength and athleticism gives him the
ability to be a back- to-the- basket type
forward. If he continues to develop his
jump shot (he shot 34% from three- point range last season), he could be the best all-around player in the Atlantic Ten.
One website, NBAdraft.net, already have Brown pegged as an NBA lottery pick next season. If everything falls into place, Brown could
surpass Posey in terms of skill. He could easily be the most versatile player
in the Atlantic Ten for the coming
season, which is great news for Musketeer fans, but bad news for everyone else.
*3.
*Ricky Harris
6-foot-2 guard, Massachusetts
Former head coach
Travis Ford left Massachusetts
a gift: Ricky Harris. Ford wishes he had
a player like Harris out at Oklahoma
State because his job
would be much easier. But the scariest
part about Ricky Harris is that he’s only had two seasons under his belt. Between his freshman and sophomore campaign
he increased his scoring average 13.7 points per game. He shot nearly 43% from the field last season
en route to putting up 18.2 points per game.
He scored over 20 points per game 17 times last season. He has the ability to go off for 30 or even
40 points on any given night. Coming into
his third season with the Minutemen, Harris will take over the reigns as team
leader, along with backcourt mate Chris Lowe.
The potent combination of Harris and Lowe will help carry UMass back to
the postseason. Ricky Harris could end
up adding some hardware to his trophy case along the way, namely Atlantic Ten
player of the year.
2. Ahmad Nivins
6-foot-9 forward, Saint Joseph’s
Saint Joseph’s has the best big man in the
Atlantic Ten in Ahmad Nivins. And that’s*after*
having a somewhat disappointing junior campaign in which his point total and
rebound total were down. However, one
could pinpoint that to a mid-season injury, as well as having Pat Calathes and
Rob Ferguson as main options. But this
year, Nivins is the number one man on Hawk Hill. He brings back his 1,177 career points and
570 career rebounds for one more shot at the NCAA Tournament. His size and power not only make him a force
in the Atlantic Ten but also at the national level. His post presence makes Saint Joseph’s a contender to knock off
anyone in the country and a contender for the Atlantic Ten title. Most teams in the conference will have a
tough time matching up with Nivins and he should have his most productive
season yet. Phil Martelli is going to rely
heavily on Nivins ability to carry the Hawks back to the NCAA Tournament. The combination of Martelli’s coaching and
Nivins post presence should give Hawk fans high hopes for 2008-2009.
*1.
**Dionte
Christmas* 6-foot-5 guard, Temple
If there is a more
explosive guard in the conference, I’d like to see him. Christmas led the Owls last year with 19.7
points per game (he averaged 20.0 points the year before), and that was with
Mark Tyndale on the team. Without
Tyndale by his side this year, Christmas will clearly be the number one option
and could average anywhere from 20-24 points per game this year. He scored 25 points or more six times last
season, including 37 against Duquesne.
If forward Lavoy Allen continues to provide an inside presence and open
up the outside for the Owls, Christmas will be even more deadly. Not all sits well with Christmas,
however. He ended his season on a
low-note last year, scoring only three points against Michigan State
in the NCAA Tournament. That should make
him hungry to have his best season yet as an Owl, which all but guarantees him
the Atlantic Ten player of the year and a potential All-American selection.
