Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Ranking teams in the 2019 Charleston Classic

By Mychal Hunter

CINCINNATI, OHIO - FEBRUARY 24: Tyrique Jones #0 of the Xavier Musketeers celebrates after the 66-54 win over the Villanova Wildcats at Cintas Center on February 24, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO - FEBRUARY 24: Tyrique Jones #0 of the Xavier Musketeers celebrates after the 66-54 win over the Villanova Wildcats at Cintas Center on February 24, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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BUFFALO, NY – MARCH 20: The Saint Joseph’s Hawks mascot performs. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – MARCH 20: The Saint Joseph’s Hawks mascot performs. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

8. Saint Joseph’s Hawks

The Hawks moved on from their all-time winningest coach in program history this offseason in Phil Martelli. He had been with Saint Joe’s since 1985 as either an assistant or a head coach. It was truly the end of an era. The Philly Five school will be starting a new chapter with Sixers assistant coach Billy Lange at the helm. Coach Lange was an assistant for the big club as well as Philadelphia University (now known as Jefferson), La Salle, and Villanova. It doesn’t get much more Philly than that.

Lange’s first head coaching gig will not be an easy one, however. The Hawks move into the 2019-20 season with a new head coach as well as a roster that experienced a ton of turnover. Five of the top six scorers from last season either graduated, turned pro or transferred. Among those losses was 19 points per game scorer Charlie Brown, one of the most underrated players in the entire country. Brown decided to explore professional opportunities after his sophomore season and is currently under a two-way contract with the Atlanta Hawks.

Additionally, second-leading scorer Lamarr “Fresh” Kimble transferred to Louisville. Freshman guard Jared Bynum, who was fifth in minutes played in the A-10 last season, transferred to Providence. Senior Chris Clover also graduated while junior Pierfrancesco Oliva went pro and sophomore forward Lorenzo Edwards transferred.

Stretch forward Taylor Funk now becomes the biggest scoring threat on the roster. The 6-foot-9 junior has averaged roughly 10 points and 5 rebounds per game in 65 career contests for the Hawks. He has also made 138 triples while shooting 35.4%.

Anthony Longpre is the other returning player of note on the roster. The 6-foo-10 big man averaged 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game last year. He is a big man that likes to get away from the hoop. He doesn’t protect the rim and he isn’t effective on the block, either. He may be best served coming off the bench, but that may not be an option for Lange in 2019-20.

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