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Saint Joe’s Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Hawks

By Stu Luddecke

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 13: A detailed view of a Spalding basketball during a quarterfinal game between the Davidson Wildcats and La Salle Explorers in the 2015 Men's Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at the Barclays Center on March 13, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 13: A detailed view of a Spalding basketball during a quarterfinal game between the Davidson Wildcats and La Salle Explorers in the 2015 Men's Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at the Barclays Center on March 13, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 08: A general view as the George Washington Colonials play the Saint Louis Billikens during the second half in the Second Round of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 08: A general view as the George Washington Colonials play the Saint Louis Billikens during the second half in the Second Round of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Keys to Success and Overall Predictions for the Hawks

Keys to success

  1. Stay Healthy: I can’t emphasize this enough – a Hawks team with Kimble and Brown will contend for a top 4 finish. A Hawks team without one or both could struggle to stay in the top 8. That’s just how much parity there will be in the A10 this season.
  2. Get meaningful minutes from the freshman: the Hawks have a promising pair of newcomers in big man Valdir Manuel (former Seton Hall commit) and speedy point guard Jared Bynum. Depth is one thing that the Hawks don’t have an abundance of at the moment, especially after Nick Robinson decided to transfer this offseason, so having the freshman ready to make a difference by the time conference play rolls around would be huge.
  3. Chemistry: The bottom line is that many of these guys on this Hawks roster haven’t played much together. Bynum and Manuel will be brand new to the team, and Brown and Kimble will need some time to get their legs back under them after a season in plain clothes. As for those that played together last year, such as Funk, Oliva, Longpre, and Clover, their roles will be significantly different on a team without Newkirk, Demery, and Robinson. It may take time for all the aforementioned to gel as a unit and to figure out their individual and team identities. One thing they do have going for them, however, is that they’ll be under the leadership of one of the league’s best coaching staffs.

dark. Next. Preseason A-10 Rankings for 2018-19

Overall season predictions

  • A-10 record and finish: 10-8 (5th place)
  • Overall record: 18-12
  • Postseason: NIT
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