Atlantic 10 Basketball: List of “All-Glue Guy” Team for 2022-23 season

Without further ado, the 2022-23 A-10 All-Glue Guy Team

Ronald Polite III, George Mason – 11.3 ppg, 4.1 apg

Polite is by no means a stereotypical glue guy but that doesn’t mean his contributions in often holding the George Mason offense together should be overlooked.  Before Josh Oduro returned to being an elite offensive menace in mid-January, Polite was the one consistent player on that end for the Patriots.  After returning from an injury suffered during a disastrous team trip to the Paradise Jam, he was one of those way too big band-aids to close out November, with 16 pts in a closer than it should have been win over Queens and 14 pts/6 asts in a big OT win over CAA leader Hofstra.

A few weeks later, Polite had 16 pts/10 asts in a game where the team looked rudderless, in what ended up being a heartbreaking loss to Old Dominion at the buzzer. But most importantly, Polite got to the line 10 times as part of a career-high 22-point performance in the conference opener against Richmond, where the Patriots won despite a team total of 62.  In a razor-thin middle of the pack, that game is the reason why George Mason is pushing for the five seed and Richmond is still trying to avoid playing in the A-10 Tournament 1st round.

Polite is a great candidate to make a leap off this list next season and into All-Conference contention, as evidenced by a few masterful performances in George Mason’s end-of-season five-game-winning streak.  Against a pair of Top 4 teams, with the Patriots’ star Josh Oduro fouled out late in both games, Polite hit the go-ahead jumper and went 4/4 at the line to finish off Dayton, and later kicked in 8 points, 2 assists, and a technical foul standing up for a teammate in the overtime period versus Fordham.

Koby Brea, Dayton – 7.3 ppg, 42.3% 3 pt%

Dayton is flush with options on the wing but all of them have struggled over the season’s final weeks with the exception of Brea, who has come back into his own following a late pre-season injury.  Already one of the nation’s best defenses, the Flyers have surprisingly led in the A-10 in offensive efficiency (per Kenpom) in conference play. The biggest reason is a jump in three-point shooting (from 28.8% to 39.7%), powered by Brea, who is 6th in the league in three-pointers made and 3rd in shooting percentage over that time.

Brea’s sensational floater and all-around midrange shooting prowess, which helped him win A-10 Sixth Man of the Year last season, is still in hiding but he’s offset that with massive growth in the rest of his game. He’s at 1.9 apg in conference play, a significant jump after he was under one a game in the first two and half seasons of his career, and has become a decisive, and slightly daring, secondary playmaker while keeping his turnovers at just one a night.  With elite defenders all around him, Brea isn’t asked to do much on that end besides mitigate mistakes, and he has, even sitting at 2nd in the A-10 in foul rate (behind Davidson’s Connor Kochera), never letting opponents get to the line.

Nick Kern Jr., VCU – 5.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Kern is the quintessential Mike Rhoades player, a super athletic wing who is a menace at pressuring opposing ballhandlers and a brilliant mover on offense to the point that his lack of shooting is largely ignored. Think KeShawn Curry or the early career versions of Vince Williams Jr or Tre Clark.  Kern entered the starting lineup after VCU mustered a season-low five steals in a loss to Duquesne and the massive increase in his minutes (along with the increase for reserve wing Zeb Jackson) has brought the vaunted VCU Havoc back to life.

Kern makes his bones on the defensive end but he isn’t an offensive black hole despite a lack of shooting (just six three-point attempts on the season). His off-ball movement keeps defenders honest and since the lineup change, he is shooting 68.3% from the field.  Kern really is the unsung hero of VCU’s run for an A-10 regular season title. His presence has brought the Rams defense back to its normal elite level, after a rough patch in December and early January, and with Ace Baldwin and Jayden Nunn by his side, the VCU backcourt is as quick and athletic as ever.