Atlantic 10 Basketball: 2022 offseason grades for each team
St. Bonaventure Bonnies – Grade: C
I want to be fair to the program because although they lost four starters to the transfer portal, including stars Kyle Lofton and Osun Osunniyi, the players did stay four years, and leaving was a little expected for high-major stops. It became about who was brought in to replace them. They did a good job in the backcourt, landing a trio of double-digit newcomers (Kyrell Luc, Daryll Banks, Moses Flowers) but the frontcourt (Anquan Hill, Chad Venning, Max Amadasun) is much more unproven and inexperienced.
I could give the backcourt guards a “B” and forwards and centers a “D”, which round out to the current grade. Having to land so many players is difficult and St. Bonaventure should be competitive next season but they’re definitely taking a drop-down in the standings.
VCU Rams – Grade: B-
The Rams landed a pair of former Michigan players in Zeb Jackson and Brandon Johns Jr., who have upside as offensive players. Johns is a better scorer than the outgoing Hason Ward but not as good a defender, which is what VCU is built on. David Shriver is a 6’6 double-digit scoring guard from Hartford that shot 41% from deep and could replace Vince Williams in that position.
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If VCU is looking to be more offensive-minded, these three newcomers, along with returning guards Jayden Nunn and Ace Baldwin, could be big for them after losing 2 of the 3 best defenders this offseason. It was a solid offseason that will depend on how those former top-100 recruits from Michigan do and if they can fit into the new system.