Atlantic 10 Basketball: 6 potential breakout stars for 2022-23 season

Sam Mennenga: Forward, Davidson Wildcats

Mennenga is one of just a few returning Wildcats that new HC Matt McKillop will have to work with in his first year at the helm for Davidson, but he should be ready to shoulder a pretty heavy load for this team. Last season, he put up a well-rounded stat line of 8.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists playing alongside A10 Player of the Year Luka Brajkovic, and he ultimately helped the Wildcats win the A10 regular season title with a 15-3 record.

The Cats probably won’t be quite as strong this season, losing not only Brajkovic but also all-conference wing Hyungjung Lee, but my belief that they’ll remain relevant in the standings stems, in large part, from my faith in Mennenga making a jump in his production levels.

Mennenga isn’t a takeover-the-game type of player, but he’s a physical bully that has defensive versatility, soft touch for his 6’9” 245 lbs build, and the ability to space the offense with his shooting. He hit 46% from deep last season, and that’s likely due for some regression, but the point remains that he can knock undoubtedly down the open ones.

He also has good vision with the ball in his hands, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see his assist numbers increase considerably with more opportunities to initiate the offense headed his way. As far as scoring, the yeoman’s share of that work will probably go to all-conference PG Foster Loyer and perhaps William & Mary-transfer Connor Kochera, but I do still expect Mennenga to move into double-digit averages by virtue of being the team’s clear best option down low.

Mennenga has and will continue to play within himself, so don’t expect him to go ballistic on the stat sheet, but his value will be obvious to those that watch the Wildcats play.