YCS College Basketball Preview-Charles Bronson Edition

Dedicated to the star of the Death Wish series that never ended, I will continue my college basketball preview after a 10 day hiatus. In this section, the underrated Atlantic 10 will be examined (NCAA Tournament Selection in bold italics, NIT in italics).


1. Xavier: The loss of big man Brain Thornton and dismissal of point guard Dedrick Finn looked to have doomed a very promising season for the Musketeers. After limping to the finish line, Xavier got a second wind in the A-10 tourney. They won four games in four days for the second time in three years to earn the automatic bid to the Big Dance. This season, they should cruise into March. Leading the attack will be Oklahoma transfer Drew Lavender. An Ohio prep legend, the pint sized point guard will lead Sean Miller’s attack. The 5’7 Lavender compensates for lack of size with tremendous energy and effort on the court. A pass first point guard, Lavender will set up Xavier’s many scoring options. Moving back to his natural position off the ball, Stanley Burrell should again be Xavier’s primary perimeter scorer. Despite playing the last part of the season at the point, Burrell averaged over 14 points a game. The multi-faceted scorer may not significantly increase that number because of his talented teammates, but his shooting ability and his strong moves to the basket make him a very tough match-up. On the wings, Justin Cage and Josh Duncan give Xavier two inside-outside options. Cage, a gritty 6’6 senior, can hit the outside shot and muscle his way to baskets down low. Duncan, a talented 6’9 swingman, scores most of his points off of outside shooting, but can effectively take it the hoop. In the frontcourt, Justin Doellman leads the way. Doellman, a European style big man, has worked on adding strength to bang down low. However, his bread and butter will always be his outside shot and excellent passing skills much like an Andrew Bogut. Brandon Cole and redshirt freshman Derrick Brown will provide depth up front, with 6’8, 240 pound Cole playing significant minutes against bigger teams. On the perimeter, talented sophomores B.J. Raymond and freshman Adrion Graves give Sean Miller two solid options off the bench. Raymond, a 6’6 swingman, came to Xavier with a very heralded reputation. He did not make a big impact due to the talented players in front of him, but he will play a key role in future years. Graves, a 6’4 guard, will spell Lavender and Burrell. A similar player to Burrell, he will be a nice addition to the Xavier program. While it has taken a couple of seasons to recover from the unexpected departure of Thad Matta, Sean Miller has the Muskeeters program back among the nation’s best again.

2. UMass: Other than an upset of UConn a couple of years ago, the Minutemen have not been on the national radar since the late 1990’s. This season, second year coach Travis Ford will lead them back to the top of the Atlantic 10. Leading the way will be 6’9 frontcourt bruiser RaShaun Freeman. The 255 pound big man nearly averaged a double-double last season, with just under 14 points a game to go along with nine plus rebounds. This season, Freeman will have help in carrying the load from Virginia transfer Gary Forbes. Forbes, a talented 6’7 swingman, has the potential to be one of the best players in the conference. A multi-dimensional scorer, Forbes will be the go to guy the Minutemen lacked a year ago. Another key addition, former Syracuse commit Tiki Mayben, will compete for the starting point guard position. A top 100 recruit, the 6’2 Mayben gives the Minutemen a very talented backcourt player to complement their strong frontcourt. Sophomore Chris Lowe will also man the point, and should be more prepared for big minutes this season. Lowe struggled to adjust to the major college level, but has the talent to become a very nice player for the Minutemen. Lowe and Mayben could play some minutes together in the backcourt with Forbes and 6’6 guard James Life. Life, who will likely be the Minutemen’s super sixth man, averaged 11 points a game last season. Upfront, athletic forward Stephane Lasme joins Freeman. The wiry 6’8 Lasme averaged 10.5 points and 7 rebounds a game last season fighting against many stronger forwards. Dante Milligan, who averaged 3.5 points a game last season after coming from Pitt, will provide frontcourt depth. Two others transfers, 7’0 Luke Bonner(West Virginia) and 6’7 Etienne Brewer(Boston) will also compete for minutes upfront. Ford will have a challenge getting the new players and returnees on the same page, but the talent should mesh into a dangerous squad that will finish at the top of the Atlantic 10.

3. George Washington: Karl Hobbs has a tough job replacing four starters from last season’s 27 win team. The Colonials still have some quality players, led by lone returning starter Carl Elliott. Elliott averaged 11.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists a game last season. The versatile guard can shoot, hitting 44 percent of his threes last season. At 6’4 and 220 pounds, he’s a nice weapon to have at the point position. This will allow undersized wing Maureece Rice to play off the ball. The 6’1 Rice looks to score, averaging nearly 13 points a game off the bench last season. He will have to significant increase that average this season. The frontcourt has many questions with the graduation of Mike Hall, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Omar Williams. LSU transfer Regis Koundjia will be called on to lead the way. The talented 6’8 forward has never lived up to his vast potential, but could have a breakout senior season. In a limited role, he averaged 5 points and 3 rebounds a game last year. Those numbers will have to be doubled for the Colonials to make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. Clemson transfer Cheyenne Moore could provide a boost at the wing forward spot. Another former heralded recruit, Moore will have an opportunity to make a big impact in his new home. Freshman Hermann Opoku and redshirt senior Dekun Akingbade will compete for the final starting spot. Neither look to be ready for major minutes, but they will have to surprise in order for Colonials to have a big season. Elliott and Rice former one of the A-10’s best one-two punches, but their supporting cast will likely not be enough for the Colonials to make a third straight NCAA Tournament.

St. Louis could be poised for a breakout season with talented sophomore guards Tommie Liddell and Kevin Lisch teaming up with emerging big man Ian Vouyoukas. However, Brad Soderberg will have to back off his tight reins for the Billikens to play to their potential. Charlotte has the conference’s most talented player, 6’6 wing DeAngelo Alexander. Alexander and scoring guard Leemire Goldwire will lead Bobby Lutz’s squad. However, they lack the supporting cast to compete with Xavier and UMass. Fordham’s Bryant Dunston will be a strong competitor for A-10 player of the year, and the Rams could sneak into the NIT. The A-10 should be a multi-bid league once again, with Xavier having the potential to make a long run in March.

All-Conference Team:
G Stanley Burrell, Xavier
G DeAngelo Alexander, Charlotte
G Carl Elliott, George Washington
F RaShaun Freeman, UMass
F Bryant Dunston, Fordham

Player of the year: Burrell
Newcomer of the year: Gary Forbes, UMass