A-10 Basketball: 2019-20 tiered preseason power rankings
By Stu Luddecke
La Salle Explorers
The Explorers are in good hands long-term with Ashley Howard at the helm, but, just as with UMass, the young Explorers are probably still a few seasons away from conference title contention. That’s not to say that there’s no talent on this roster – there is. Senior forwards Saul Phiri and Isiah Deas combined for 23.2 points per game, Jack Clark (10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds per game in his nine games as a Freshman) could be one of the best Sophomores in the league, and Ed Croswell and Jared Kimbrough will form an excellent defensive tandem in the post. Howard’s full rotation should be also be fairly deep with a handful of other returning players and a strong, four-member Freshman class in the mix for playing time as well.
The real concerns here, though, are a lack of star-power and leadership as well as an unbelievably tough start to their conference schedule. It’s clear that the Explorers have plenty of solid players, but it’s unclear whether they have the level of talent needed to compete with teams that have equally impressive depth but also a few guys that can take over at the end of close games. Phiri, Deas, and/or Clark could all be that type of player, but it’s tough to make that prediction with any sort of confidence at this point.
As far as the Explorers’ murderous conference schedule goes, five of their first nine games will be on the road (Fordham, UMass, Rhode Island, Richmond, Duquesne) and the four home games will be against Dayton, George Mason, VCU, and Saint Louis. It will be extremely tough to build up much if any, momentum over that stretch to carry into the second half.
The bottom line for the Explorers – their steady talent and depth should be enough to keep them relatively competitive and to allow them to steal a game or two from the top teams, but it’s tough to see this roster winning games on a consistent basis in such a competitive league, especially with that schedule.
George Washington Colonials
Jamion Christian will be fighting an uphill battle in his first year as the new head coach of the Colonials. He’s a promising hire in the long-term, but he’ll have to build a winning culture from the bottom up in year one. The Colonials went 4-14 in conference play last season and lost two of their best players after Maurice Joseph was subsequently fired.
There are still some decent pieces left on the roster – Arnaldo Toro (10.1 points, 9.3 rebounds in seven contests last season) is fully recovered from his injury, Maceo Jack is a fringe all-conference player, and the other returnees and incoming Freshmen will combine to fill out a somewhat respectable rotation, but not one that could be projected to thrive in this tough of a league. The future for GW is bright, especially if Christian and his staff can secure another strong recruiting class next offseason, but it’s just too early on in the process for the team to be good right here and right now. Patience will be a virtue in D.C.