Atlantic 10 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 12: A general view of the Barclay Center prior to the start of the 2020 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament - Second Round on March 12, 2020 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. Tournament games will be played without fans amid growing concerns of the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

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Josh Oduro George Mason Patriots Atlantic 10 Basketball (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

No. 10 – Duquesne Dukes

Coach Keith Dambrot will have his hands full to mold together successful chemistry from many new pieces joining the program this season.

The Dukes will have to replace four pieces that left the program this offseason. Michael Hughes graduated last spring and is playing professionally overseas in Austria. Chad Baker transferred to San Diego State, Marcus Weathers transferred to Southern Methodist, and star Tavian Dunn-Martin transferred to Florida Gulf Coast.

The Dukes were able to add depth with the additions of Kevin Easley Jr (TCU), Leon Ayers III (Mercer), Rodney Gunn Jr (Lenoir-Rhyne), and Tre Williams (Indiana State).

Duquesne’s best returner is Toby Okani. Last season, Okani started ten games and appeared in eighteen. He averaged 4.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and shot 43.1 percent. The 6-foot-8 guard also has eleven blocked shots. He will undoubtedly be an impact player in his second season with the Dukes.

No. 9 – George Mason Patriots

The George Mason Patriots have the best chance to shock the Atlantic 10. I believe that their young core of Josh Oduro, Jamal Hartwell II, and Xavier Johnson will lead the team to finish towards the top of the conference come March.

The Patriots replaced coach Dave Paulsen with Tennessee assistant Kim English to lead the program. Coach English brings along a new coaching staff with lots of experience that will help with player development and craft the future of this program.

George Mason did lose a couple of key players in Jordan Miller, who transferred to the University of Miami, Javon Greene transferred to South Florida, A.J. Wilson transferred to South Carolina, and Tyler Kolek (2021 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year) transferred to Marquette.

Although the Patriots lost a lot of talent this offseason, they still get pure scoring with Josh Oduro. He provides a variety of skills that allow him to make a run at Atlantic 10 Player of the Year this season.

Jamal Hartwell has an impressive shooting ability from distance. Last season, he averaged 45.2 percent from the three-point range in conference play. Additionally, George Mason added transfers DeVon Cooper (Morehead State), Davonte Gaines (Tennessee), and D’Shawn Schwartz (Colorado).

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