Atlantic 10 Basketball: Biggest 2022 offseason needs for each team

St. Joseph’s (13th)

Returning: C Ejike Obinna (12.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg), G Erik Reynolds II (12.1 ppg, 2.3 apg), W Cameron Brown (8.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg), F Charles Coleman (2.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg)

Leaving: G Jordan Hall (14.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg/NBA Draft), F Taylor Funk (13.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg/Transfer-Utah St), F Jack Forrest (3.6 ppg/Transfer-Bucknell), G Dahmir Bishop (3.1 ppg/Transfer-Florida Gulf Coast)

In a critical season for St. Joe’s, they will be hoping for a star-level performance in Year Two from Erik Reynolds II, who will now be the centerpiece of the offense, as he tries to make leaps in scoring and playmaking. Last year, the Hawks finally had a pair of quality centers, and both Ejike Obinna and Charles Coleman are back to provide a steady interior presence and some strength in the rebounding department.  In between, the wing group was dashed by a group of early exits and is now down to just Coach Billy Lange’s first recruit, Cameron Brown.

Needs

1. Stretch 4

Lange loves the three-ball no matter what his roster looks like. The Hawks have been Top 35 nationally in three-point attempts the last three seasons, despite being below average percentage-wise in all three of those years. So it’s best for him to have as many quality shooters on the floor at all times, and with Obinna and Coleman not being shooters, St. Joe’s needs to find the right frontcourt partner to open up the paint for the duo.

2. Ideal Reynolds Partner

Erik Reynolds II is now the present and future of the St. Joe’s program but he is far from a finished project. He’ll need the right guard next to him if he is going to reach his full potential. In a perfect world, the Hawks will bring in a dynamic playmaker to put Reynolds in the right spots and cool off his desire to chuck so many tough shots. This hypothetical guard also needs to be a quality defender to keep the heat off on that end. Unfortunately for St. Joe’s, Jordan Hall fits both of these but his early draft departure leaves them in a tough spot, although Dayton transfer Lynn Greer III should be the right playmaker for the job.

Perfect Addition: W Tyson Acuff, Duquesne

Acuff’s second year at Duquesne dampened enthusiasm that he would be a long-term starter in the A-10 but his skill set is perfectly suited for playing next to Reynolds. Acuff often handled the largest perimeter player defensively last season, can moonlight at point guard to push Reynolds off the ball and his 39.4% three-point shooting would look great in Lange’s shoot happy offense.

Duquesne (14th)

Returning: C Tre Williams (10.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg)

??: F Kevin Easley Jr (10.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg/NBA Draft)

Leaving: G Primo Spears (12.7 ppg, 3.0 apg/Transfer), W Leon Ayers III (10.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg/Transfer), G Jackie Johnson III (9.5 ppg/Transfer-UNLV), G Tyson Acuff (5.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg/Transfer), F Tobi Okani (3.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg/Transfer), W Davis Larson (1.6 ppg/Graduate)

At least Duquesne goes from having no available centers at points late in the season to keeping three quality options at the spot in Tre Williams, Austin Rotroff and Mounir Hima. If they can keep Kevin Easley Jr, an excellent forward rebounder, and RJ Gunn is healthy, then the Dukes will be a top notch rebounding team.  Unfortunately, the team’s backcourt was gutted by the transfer portal, so for the second straight year, Coach Keith Dambrot will have to reconstruct from scratch.

Needs

1. New Backcourt

Last season, Duquesne had a trio of skilled scorers at the guard position but struggled mightily on offense because of a lack of playmakers, and addressing that problem should be priority number one and two.  Meanwhile, they’ll also need to pick up a reliable shooter or two, which has been a recruiting bugaboo for the Dukes across multiple coaches this century.  They did start off the offseason by finding an excellent defensive guard in Tre Clark, who proved himself at VCU a few seasons ago before a detour to the JUCO level.

2. Long-Term Players

The Dukes have contributed more quality players to the transfer portal than just about any school in the past two seasons. A squad of Duquesne transfers would have made the NCAA Tournament last year.  So as Duquesne tries to get back out of the basement, they need to keep an eye on fit and finding players who want to establish a lasting chemistry as teammates.

Perfect Addition: G Dae Dae Grant, Miami (OH)

The Dukes have been heavily linked to the ex-Redhawk, who put up 17.5 ppg and 4.1 apg last season.  Grant is the kind of excellent, all-around guard deserving of the keys to Duquesne’s offense.  After last season’s offensive drought, they desperately need a player like him to lean on.