Ian Nolan, College Chalktalk Staff Writer
As we turn the calendar over to 2011, the conference slate is
fast approaching. This week, Atlantic 10 Basketball will tip-off on
Wednesday night… and Temple will officially begin their
quest for a fourth straight automatic bid. However, before we
look ahead to the next three months of basketball, let’s take
a look at six headlines that have captured our attention so far in
the 2010-2011 season.
The Wild, Wide Open
Atlantic 10
As of Saturday night, the Atlantic 10 boasted no team with fewer
than three losses, and eight teams that have won at least seven of
their non-conference games. Our preseason predicted champion
Temple has looked the part at times this year,
such as their win over 10
th ranked Georgetown; but
isn’t a dominant team at this point that looks poised to run
away and hide with the league crown.
Xavier stands at 8-4 but has had to play with a
very short bench after losing Brad Redford to a torn ACL and Justin
Martin to ineligibility. The Musketeers have had their share
of poor showings (see overtime win vs. IPFW and double-digit loss
to rival Miami of Ohio).
Richmond, which entered the season returning
much of the same cast that pushed Temple to the limit in the A-10
title game a year ago, sports an 11-4 mark and has used the
15
th best shooting percentage in the nation to carry
them into league play. Chris Mooney’s club has beaten the
likes of 8
th ranked Purdue, Arizona State, Virginia
Commonwealth, and Seton Hall, but laid the proverbial egg last
night against Bucknell.
And what about Jim Baron’s
Rhode Island
Rams? Led by do it all senior Delroy James, the Rams are
off to a 9-4 start with a quality win over Boston College last
week… and are well balanced offensively with five players
averaging double figures. Defense and rebounding remain
question marks that Rhody must address in conference play.
Finally, we come to the
Dayton Flyers, leading
the league in wins at 12-3, and are winners of seven of their last
eight games. The Flyers boast the 17
th best rebounding
outfit in the nation (41 boards) which has helped cover up their
offensive deficiencies as they rank just 299
th in field
goal percentage (40%). Freshman point guard Juwan Staten has been a
godsend to the team, averaging 6.6 helpers per night, but more on
him later.
After covering our bases by noting those five teams’
respective accomplishments, it goes without saying that the rest of
the league is just as wide open as the top four or five
spots. Teams such as
UMass, La Salle, St.
Bonaventure, Duquesne, Charlotte, Saint Louis and George
Washington could all dream of finishing as high as fifth
in the league or finish as low as 11
th. The combined
record of those mentioned clubs is 49-40, meaning that while the
race at the top of the league is hotly contested by quality clubs,
the race for slots five or six on down is just as wide open, but
filled with clubs who have a combination of star power (see Andrew
Nicholson of St. Bonaventure, Aaric Murray of La Salle, Anthony
Gurley of UMass) as well as glaring holes in their overall game
(St. Bonaventure’s non-existent bench, La Salle’s
inability to get stops, and UMass’ poor shooting).
If nothing else, this season of league play promises to be one
of unprecedented parity with seeding for Atlantic City likely to
come down to the final day of the season for many slots.
Nicholson Carries Bonnies, and hope in
Olean
Andrew Nicholson entered his junior season a marked man. After
losing guards Jonathan Hall and Chris Matthews, Nicholson was sure
to see double and triple teams each night this year.
He has.
And he’s responded like a future NBA draft selection.
Averaging over 20 points per game along with nine rebounds,
Nicholson gives the Bonnies a talent they haven’t suited up
in maybe thirty or more seasons; a 6-foot-9 forward who can score
in a variety of ways, and can even step out and knock down the
three. St. Bonaventure may not be deep but is now a team to be
leery of during conference play because of its superstar
forward.
Dayton Gets a Point Guard, a Damn Fine Point
Guard
The Atlantic 10 doesn’t always nab the most heralded
recruits in the nation when compared to the power conferences; but
Juwan Staten was heralded coming out of high school and he has
produced in a big time way. Staten is averaging 9 points and 6.6
assists per game, not only leading the league in that column, but
he also leads the nation in assist rate (assists divided by field
goals made when he is on the floor). Staten has been just what the
doctor ordered for a Dayton team who always had people saying
“If they only had a good point man…” The Flyers
are now loaded with talent (Staten, C. Wright, C. Johnson) and ripe
to make a title run under Brian Gregory who may finally have the
pieces in place to climb to the top of the mountain.
Again, Fran Dunphy Finds another Scorer
It just doesn’t seem to matter to Fran Dunphy who
graduates from his program. Dionte Christmas then Ryan Brooks, now
the Owls have junior Ramone Moore who has upped his scoring from
seven points a game to 15 a night, all sparked by his 36% shooting
from deep. Moore has more than been a sidekick to the
Allen-Fernandez duo; he’s pushed them aside to form a
threesome as good as any in the league. Moore officially arrived on
December 9
th, the night of the Owls win over
9
th ranked Georgetown on ESPN. Moore had 30 that night,
and he hasn’t looked back since. While the Owls are not a
sure-thing to win the league, they still have to get the nod given
their track record and ability to develop players like Moore and
forward Michael Eric.
Tu's got game
During this offseason Xavier point guard Terrell Holloway earned
the right to be called Tu (his childhood nickname) by his
coaches and teammates, and now he's more than backing it up against
opponents on the court. Holloway has been fighting Andrew Nicholson
for the early rights to Player of the Year honors, raising his
scoring from 12 to 21 points a night to go along with over five
assists per game. While Xavier has been somewhat hamstrung for
scoring options this season, it has only sped up the development of
their explosive point guard who has scored at least 20 points seven
times already. Chris Mack’s club may not have the talent or
depth as a year ago, but they still have a game changer in
Holloway, who may be good enough to win them the league despite
other shortcomings.
What Might have been in Saint Louis
Look at statistics from the Saint Louis roster and you will find
that the top two scorers for Rick Majerus’ Saint Louis club
are Kyle Cassidy and a freshman guard named Jordair Jett. It
wasn’t supposed to be that way this season. Dismissed
from school prior to the season for involvement in an alleged
sexual assault incident were Atlantic 10 standouts Kwamain Mitchell
and Willie Reed. Many thought the Billikens had the one-two,
inside-outside punch needed to compete for a league title,
especially when considering their head coach and his track record
to develop a team. Now, the Billikens are 5-8 team which ranks near
the bottom of the nation in scoring and are comprised of seven
freshmen who may be in over their heads come January and February.
Were it not for off the court issues, Saint Louis would be a
completely different ballclub, and the Temple would have one more
challenger to worry about come March.
Major Credit
The boo-birds were out in full force a few weeks back with
the dismissal of Shamari Spears and the 'Niners struggling at the
time. But not surprisingly Alan Major kept plugging
along. The team was initially buoyed by a win over then No. 7
Tennessee and has now reeled-off four straight after defeating
Georgia Tech in double-overtime last night. Charlotte, 8-6 on
the year, is receiving contributions from many on both ends of
the floor... and
Javarris Barnett deserves particular
mention. After spending his first couple of years playing
sparingly, the junior has dropped in 15 or more in two of his last
three games and become a stabilizing force from the perimeter for
Major. This team's situation wasn't nearly as rosy as many
speculated in the preseason given Charlotte's defensive
deficiencies last year, the lack of multiple consistent scoring
options, and the challenge of a new coach implementing his system
with a newcomer at lead guard. Rebuilding takes time.
So let's remember when the 'Niners lose a few - which they
will - that Major's team is playing hard, he's slowly
changing the culture in the Queen City and that he has this group
headed in the right direction.
(By: Chris DiSano)
