Atlantic 10 Basketball: Ranking of top 50 returning players for 2020-21 season

#15: Marcus Weathers, Forward (Duquesne Dukes)

Weathers was one of the A10’s biggest surprises last season. Most people were well aware of Sincere Carry and what he brought to the table, but it was unclear who would step up as the team’s second “star” in the wake of Eric Williams’ decision to transfer (to Oregon). Weathers ended up being that guy, and he should be on everyone’s watch-list as far as potential all-conference selections heading into his senior season.

Playing less than three more minutes per game than he did in his sophomore campaign, last year Weathers managed to improve in every major statistical category (points, assists, rebounds, blocks, steals) as well as two out of the three major shooting percentages (except for three-point shooting). The versatile 6’5 215 lb forward ended up with 14.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and over a block and steal apiece per game, all while shooting 55.7% from the floor.

Those numbers led him to the third-best Player Efficiency Rating in the conference, behind only Obi Toppin and fellow Duquesne Duke Michael Hughes. Because he’s not an electric play-maker or scorer, Weathers might not get the level of all-conference recognition that he deserves next March, but he’s without a doubt one of the most complete players in the league.

#14: AJ Wilson, Forward (George Mason Patriots)

Wilson is a player that’s gained some buzz this offseason as a possible breakout star in the league. Looking at the jump his numbers took from two seasons ago to this most recent one, as well as his pure athletic ceiling, there’s reason to believe most of that hype. He can shoot the ball well for a big man, defend basically every position on the floor, rebound over bigger defenders and block shots just about as well as anyone in the league.

In terms of his numbers, he put up 12.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game, and he had at least five blocks on ten separate occasions. It’s tough to predict what his numbers will look like this year as the team’s clear star from the opening tip, but he’s one of the biggest x-factors in the league in terms of how important he’ll be to his team’s overall success.

He might return as mostly the same player he was, and the Patriots can be a solid, middle-of-the-pack A10 squad if that’s the case, but no one should be surprised if he becomes a top-five player in the league and is able to keep the team squarely in the top half of the standings.

#13: Sincere Carry, Guard (Duquesne Dukes)

Considering the type of season that Carry had last year in conjunction with the fact that Duquesne finished at a solid 6th in the A10 standings, it’s surprising that he didn’t end up on any of the three all-conference teams. Starting all 30 games for the Dukes, Carry put up an extremely well-rounded 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game (5th in the league in assists).

He didn’t often explode in terms of his scoring output, but he was extremely steady throughout the year and was still good for occasional 8/12 or 10/14 type of shooting performances. At the end of the day, there’s no reason to put Carry ahead of the league’s very best point guards on this list, but he’s very close to being on that level, and he deserves a lot more recognition than he has been getting so far in his career.

#12: Javonte Perkins, Guard (Saint Louis Billikens)

Perkins doesn’t do a whole lot besides score the ball, but he does that almost as well as anyone in the A10. He averaged a very solid 15.0 points per game on the season, but over the Billikens’ final fourteen games he put up 269 points, good for 19.2 per game, and in six of those contests he scored at least 24.

He wasn’t outstanding in terms of efficiency, but he still managed to end up 18th in the conference in Player Efficiency Rating, which put him right in between Davidson guards Jon Axel Gudmundsson and Kellan Grady. This season, on a deep Saint Louis squad that will have Gibson Jimerson back and a good freshmen class incoming, Perkins won’t have to shoulder a huge load in order for the team to succeed, but he should be able to keep his rhythm going and to put up close to 17.0 or 18.0 points per game on the season with the occasional 30-point night along the way.

#11: Bones Hyland, Guard (VCU Rams)

Despite the disappointment experienced by VCU fans last season surrounding team results, they can at least be content about having Bones Hyland on the roster for (hopefully) three more seasons. The crafty freshman guard was a legitimate deep threat from the jump, and his ability to score in bunches kept the Rams in some games that had the potential to slip away.

For the season, he put up 9.0 points per contest while shooting 43.4% from deep (11.0 and 46.5% in conference play), and he could have easily been in the mid-teens for scoring had he averaged more than 20.6 minutes per contest. As a PG, he has plenty of room to grow concerning his decision making and ability to create his own shot inside the three-point line, but it’s clear that the tools are there for him to become one of the most impactful guards in the league sooner rather than later.

With former Ram stars Marcus Evans, De’Riante Jenkins, and Marcus Santos-Silva no longer on the roster, it will be Bones’ show at VCU, and it’s possible that he could average close to 20 points per game with the type of minutes that he’s likely to see. It’s tough to tell how competitive the young Rams will be in what should be a pretty deep A10, but if they can be decent, don’t be surprised at all to see Bones end up as a first-team all-conference selection.