After what was historically a bad season by their standards, all 15 Atlantic 10 Basketball programs had some work to do in the offseason. Some teams had more work to do than others thanks to the transfer portal and players opting to go pro but with a chuck of the offseason completed, there’s a good idea of where each team is heading.
The good news is that there’s still plenty of time to find some potential hidden gems this offseason and the right one could tip the scales of the conference for the 2023-24 campaign.
Here’s a report card of each A-10 team, going in order of last season’s league standings. Did anyone deserve an “A”?
15. Loyola-Chicago Ramblers – Grade: A
After finishing last in its first season in the A-10, the Ramblers have had as good an offseason as possible. They returned their top three returning scorers, including forward Phillip Alston. Loyola then added a much better supporting cast, including Dartmouth forward Dame Adelekun, Cornell sharpshooting guard Greg Dolan, and former Davidson wing Desmond Watson.
Will Loyola go from worst to first? It’ll be interesting to see if the talent gap remains for them in the new league. But the newcomers from the Ivy League have the chance to start along with the returning trio and have a major impact.