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5 questions entering the Atlantic 10

College basketball season is almost here!

Between now and Nov. 9th, we’ll take an in-depth look at different conferences around the country.

Today’s focus is on the Atlantic 10:

1. Is the Atlantic 10 trending towards eventually being a one-bid league?
Probably not in 2022, but it’s definitely something that the league needs to continue to be cognizant of moving forward. The rest of college sports is continuously moving in a direction that favors power conferences and the Atlantic 10 — a one-time proud basketball league — continues to do minimal to create key non-conference scheduling opportunities for its teams. Two years ago, the league had five teams with 21 wins or more prior to the Atlantic 10 Tournament with only one true lock — Dayton — for the NCAA Tournament. The 2020 NCAA Tournament was then cancelled due to COVID. Meanwhile last season, two teams from the Atlantic 10 — St. Bonaventure and VCU — heard their named on Selection Sunday. Remember: The Atlantic 10 had six teams in the 2014 NCAA Tournament — the same amount as the ACC — but then switched its model and went from 16 to 18 conference games. The league hasn’t had more than three teams in the NCAA Tournament since.

2. How good is St. Bonaventure?
Good enough to win at least one game in the NCAA Tournament and potentially flirt with being the best non power conference team in college basketball not named Gonzaga. The Bonnies return five starters and five double figure scorers — Kyle Lofton, Dominick Welch, Jaren Holmes, Jalen Adaway, and Osun Osunniyi — from last season’s team that went 16-5 and lost to LSU to the NCAA Tournament. That type of player retention is unheard of in today’s current college basketball landscape. Make no mistake about it: The Atlantic 10 goes through Olean. 

3. Can Richmond finally get over the hump and return to the NCAA Tournament?
Yes. It’s been over 10 years since Chris Mooney led Richmond to the 2011 Sweet 16 and it says here that he should be in position to have his best team since. The Spiders’ starting lineup will have an average age of 23 and that type of experience is invaluable. Mooney will start four players who are graduate students in Jacob Gilyard, Nick Sherod, Nathan Cayo, and Grant Golden with Tyler Burton — Richmond’s best long-term prospect — rounding out the lineup at the young age of 21. The 6-7 Burton was pressed into extended minutes last season when Sherod suffered a season-ending knee injury and responded by averaging 12 points and 7.6 rebounds as a sophomore. The Spiders look like an old, experienced, and complete basketball team that should finally return to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 after an 11-year absence. 

4. Which Atlantic 10 player could emerge into a national star?
Javonte Perkins. The silky smooth wing has been hiding from most of America for the better part of the past two seasons, but has quietly been an incredibly efficient scorer for the Billikens. The 6-6 Perkins averaged 17.1 points a year ago and averaged 26 points in a pair of early season wins over LSU and NC State prior to Saint Louis’ COVID shutdown. With Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French no longer a part of the Billikens’ program, look for Travis Ford to consistently feature Perkins, who shot 46.5 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three-point range last season. 

5. Who is the sleeper?
St. Joe’s. Jordan Hall’s decision to bypass the NBA Draft and then not transfer to Texas A&M as originally planned only to return to Hawk Hill ultimately changed the entire trajectory of this program. The 6-8 Hall averaged 10.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.3 steals last season as a freshman and boasts a “Kyle Anderson” type of feel to his game that makes him appointment TV each and every time that he takes the floor. If Hall makes a major jump as a sophomore, he’ll instantly be an All-Atlantic 10 first-team caliber player. St. Joe’s finished with four wins in its final five games last season and returns five of its top six scorers. The Hawks also added a starter in freshman guard Erik Reynolds and two transfers who will make an impact up front in Charles Coleman (East Carolina) and Ejike Obinna (Vanderbilt). This is an important season for this program, after going a combined 11-41 record in the past two years under Billy Lange.

Leftovers