By Aidan Joly
Experience, experience, experience.
That is the name of the game in this year’s version of the Atlantic 10.
Most of the teams in the league are full of players that have plenty of college basketball under their belt. That will create for a brand of basketball that will be fun and intriguing to watch all season.
Let’s get into each of the 14 teams that will vie for the conference title.
VCU Rams
2024-25: 28-7 (15-3 A10), lost in NCAA first round
Phil Martelli Jr. is the new coach of the Rams after former coach Ryan Odom moved on to Virginia. Martelli Jr. led Bryant to the NCAA tournament last season.
This nearly entirely new roster will have several players on it with high-major experience. That charge is led by Jadrian Tracey, who had 6.9 PPG with Oregon last season, and Tyrell Ward, who did not play last season but averaged 9.1 PPG with LSU two seasons ago. Ahmad Nowell had limited playing time at UConn, as did Jordann Dumont at Villanova.
Barry Evans, who had 13.3 PPG at Bryant last season, follows the new coach to VCU. As does Keyshawn Mitchell, who had 7.9 PPG last year.
Big man Christian Fermin, who had 4.6 PPG last season, is the lone notable holdover from last season.
Martelli’s teams always play fast. It will be about quickly coming to work with that and players adjusting to that. We will see how the Rams do off the bat.
George Mason Patriots
2024-25: 27-9 (15-3 A10), lost in NIT second round
George Mason had a breakout season in 2024-25 under second-year coach Tony Skinn, and appears to be using the same formula of experience in a revamped roster this season.
It’ll be mostly newcomers, but productive ones. Kory Mincy had 15 PPG at Presbyterian and joins the team. Masai Troutman (13.5 PPG at Northeastern), Dola Adebayo (13.2 PPG at Mount St. Mary’s) and Nick Ellington (9.9 PPG at Murray State) all should have large roles. Jermahri Hill had 15.8 PPG at Ball State and should also be a contributor.
Jahari Long (Maryland) and Malik Presley (Vanderbilt) come in with high-major experience. The only big-name returner is Brayden O’Connor, who had 9.1 PPG for the Patriots.
George Mason may not be as good as it was last year, but there is certainly a high floor. Expect the Patriots to be competitive night in and night out.
Dayton Flyers
2024-25: 23-11 (14-6 A10), lost in NIT second round
After a solid 2024-25 season for Dayton, it’s a nice mix of new guys and returners.
It’ll be a tough hill to climb to replace the likes of Nate Santos, Enoch Cheeks, Malachi Smith and Zed Key, but the top guys that come back are Javon Bennett (11.6 PPG) and Amael L’Etang (7.1 PPG). Both should be in the starting lineup.
As for new guys the top options here are De’Shayne Montgomery, who had 6.5 PPG on a Georgia team that went to the NCAA tournament, and Jordan Derkack, who had 5.7 PPG at Rutgers. Keonte Jones takes a step up in competition after he averaged 13.1 PPG at Cal State Northridge. Adam Nije Jr. had 12.4 PPG at Iona.
Malcolm Thomas is a former Villanova recruit who still has not played any college basketball. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of run he gets.
Overall, Dayton always feels like a team that surpasses expectations. This year the Flyers should once again be towards the top of the league.
Loyola Chicago Ramblers
2024-25: 25-12 (12-6 A10), lost in NIT semifinals
Coach Drew Valentine did a nice job of keeping a good core of talent around after the Ramblers got deep into the NIT last spring.
Miles Rubin (9.6 PPG), Justin Moore (7.7 PPG) and Kymany Houinsou (5.8 PPG) are all back for a team that ended up winning 25 games.
As for new guys, Deywilk Tavarez could end up being the best option after he averaged 12.9 PPG at Charleston last season. Dominick Harris, who had limited playing time at UCLA, should also be right in the mix. Joshua Ola-Joseph (Cal), Xavier Amos (Wisconsin) and Kayde Dotson (New Mexico) all had varying levels of productivity and should all see minutes.
Alexander Richardson is a freshmen who has professional experience overseas.
This is a team that will be solid on both ends of the floor and has a strong mix of players who can do different things. Loyola Chicago should find itself towards the top of the league. RIP Sister Jean.
Saint Louis Billkens
2024-25: 19-15 (11-7 A10), lost in NIT first round
After a solid year one at Saint Louis after jumping up from Indiana State, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about the Billikens’ chances this season.
Of course, big man Robbie Avila is back for another year. He was the team’s best player last season, averaging 17.3 PPG and nearly seven rebounds per contest. He could wind up being the best player in the league this season. Kalu Anya is another solid returner and will probably be the first guy off the bench.
As for new guys, Quentin Jones is the best one of the crop after he averaged 16.6 PPG at Northern Illinois this past season. Paul Otieno had 13 PPG at Quinnipiac. Trey Green (Xavier) and Paul Dunlap (St. John’s) both come in with solid high-major experience in the Big East. Ishan Sharma (Virginia) and Dion Brown (Boston College) each had small roles on ACC squads.
There is a nice infusion of returning talent and star potential for the new guys on this team. It could end up being the squad to beat in the Atlantic 10.
Saint Joseph’s Hawks
2024-25: 22-13 (11-7 A10), lost in NIT first round
The Hawks underwent a coaching change very late in the cycle as Billy Lange left for an NBA assistant job. The keys are now turned over to Steve Donahue, the former Cornell, Boston College and Penn coach.
It’s a talented roster that features mostly returners, but adds in a nice small group of new guys too.
Derek Simpson (8.7 PPG), Anthony Finkley (7.1 PPG), Dasear Haskins (5.7 PPG) and Justice Ajogbor (4.7 PPG) are all back and will likely make up 80% of the starting lineup. The last spot should likely go to Deuce Jones II, who averaged over 12 PPG at crosstown rival La Salle last season.
In terms of other new guys, Jaiden Glover-Toscano played limited minutes at St. John’s but should see a nice role at a lower level. Jaden Smith should see some minutes after limited playing time at Fordham, and Al Amadou is a former Marquette recruit who is on St. Joe’s roster this year.
If things work out, this is a St. Joe’s team that will have a shot at finishing top five in the league. It had success with a similar group of guys last season. That would be considered a great season following a late coaching change.
George Washington Revolutionaries
2024-25: 21-13 (9-9 A10), lost in Crown first round
George Washington had its winningest season in a decade last year and should take another step this year.
The Revolutionaries return three guys who averaged in double figures and another guy who came pretty close. That group is led by Rafael Castro, who averaged 14 PPG last season while tacking on almost nine rebounds per game. To round it out, Garrett Johnson had 13.4 PPG, Trey Autry had 10.4 PPG, and Christian Jones had 8.7 PPG. Role guy Trey Moss is also back.
Tre Dinkins comes over to GW after being Duquesne’s best player last season and will be one of the go-to guys. It also brought in Jean Aranguren from Hofstra, Bubu Benjamin from Tarleton State and Tyrone Marshall from Western Kentucky, all of whom were in double figures.
There is good reason to be high on Chris Caputo’s team heading into this year. A top-three finish in the league certainly feels possible. The program has not been to the NCAA tournament since 2014. Can that drought end?
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
2024-25: 22-12 (9-9 A10), lost in NIT first round
The St. Bonaventure program has been a model of consistency over the years. A 14-1 start last season raised eyebrows, but the team went 8-11 the rest of the way and was never a real threat to win the league.
Dasonte Bowen is the main returner on this roster but he was limited to just 10 games last season due to injury. However, during that time he was in double figures at 11.1 PPG.
Joe Grahovac, who has never played Division I basketball, is the guy to watch here. He was an absolute star in junior college and his game translates well to the Division I level. He could end up being the team’s best player.
As for other transfers, Darryl Simmons II averaged 17.4 PPG at Gardner-Webb last season and Amar’e Marshall had 14 PPG at Albany. Frank Mitchell had limited minutes at Minnesota last season but was fourth in the nation in rebounds at Canisius two seasons ago. He can be a huge difference maker in the middle. Daniel Egbuniwe was in double figures at Tennessee Tech and joins this squad.
Two international freshmen, Achille Lonati and Ilia Ermakov, should have key roles off the bench for the Bonas.
Overall, it could be another middle of the pack finish for this team. However, it regularly exceeds expectations, and if things fall into place they certainly could do better than that.
Duquesne Dukes
2024-25: 13-19 (8-10 A10), no postseason
It was an interesting first season at the helm for Dru Joyce. He oversaw a team that started 0-6, won four of its first five conference games, endured a five-game losing streak in league play and finished just under .500 overall in A10 play.
The Dukes return five important players from last year’s squad in Jake DiMichele (10.9 PPG), Cam Crawford (8.6 PPG), Maximus Edwards (8.3 PPG), Jakub Necas (6.0 PPG) and David Dixon (5.7 PPG). All will be important.
As for new guys Joyce brings in Tarence Guinyard, who had 16.3 PPG at UT Martin, and Jimmie Williams, who had 7.5 PPG at South Florida. John Hugley IV had a small role at Xavier last season and could see a larger one this year.
Alex Williams from Furman and Stef Van Bussel from Charleston each did not play last season.
Overall, Duquesne probably should have won a few more games last year but the bounces didn’t go their way quite a few times. If the fortunes flip in their favor, the Dukes can certainly win a few more games than last year.
Rhode Island Rams
2024-25: 18-13 (7-11 A10), no postseason
Rhode Island began the season 9-0 and 11-1 heading into league play, but certainly didn’t do as well in the conference portion of the season.
This year’s roster is mostly new for coach Archie Miller, but it’s one to have some level of excitement about. The Rams feature four players who scored in double figures at their last stops, including Myles Corey (South Alabama), Tyler Cochran (Toledo), RJ Johnson (Charleston Southern) and Alex Crawford (Fresno State).
As for guys who weren’t in double figures, Mo Sow had 8.9 PPG at Saint Peter’s, Jonah Hinton had 8.4 PPG at conference rival St. Bonaventure, Jahmere Tripp had 7.9 PPG at Fordham and Keeyan Itejere had 7.3 PPG at Northern Kentucky.
The only semi-important returner is Drissa Traore, who played limited minutes last season and should have a larger role.
Rhode Island fans didn’t need to wait to see the best version of last year’s team, but might need to this year as this group gels. There should need to be some level of progress as the season goes on, and in comparison to years past.
Davidson Wildcats
2024-25: 17-16 (6-12 A10), no postseason
There’s some real buzz around the program right now to Steph Curry’s quasi-GM role with the program, but the results will need to happen on the court.
Josh Scovens (15.2 PPG at Army), Sam Brown (13.9 PPG at Penn) and Parker Freidrichson, who had a limited role at Wake Forest, will probably the guys to carry a large amount of the offense and shooting. JQ Roberts, who had a small role at Vanderbilt, should be asked to have a role too.
As for the returners, Roberts Blums and Sean Logan should have larger roles after being simple role guys as freshmen. Hunter Adam and Manie Jones are also back. Seven-foot Spanish freshman Ian Platteeuw should see some meaningful minutes from the jump.
Entering the fourth year of his tenure, Matt McKillop has yet to go .500 or better in league play. There’s some buy low pieces on the roster, but it could be an uphill climb to get to .500. The pressure is mounting for McKillop to show improvement to get close to what his father consistently did at Davidson.
Richmond Spiders
2024-25: 10-22 (5-13 A10), no postseason
After a down season last year, this year’s edition of Chris Mooney’s team will feature a decent mix of old and new guys.
Two mainstays in guard Mikkel Tyne, who had 9.3 PPG, and big man Mike Walz (7.4 PPG), are back for another season. Both will need to see improvements in order to move the needle. Key reserves Apostolos Roumoglou, Collin Tanner and Jonathan Beagle are all back too.
Three new guys were in double figures last season at their last schools: Will Johnston from Loyola Marymount, AJ Lopez from Maine and Jaden Daughtry from Indiana State. Daughtry is probably the most impressive as he averaged 12.9 PPG in less than 20 minutes with the Sycamores.
After a down season last year, the Spiders should have a better team this year. Just how much better will they be?
La Salle Explorers
2024-25: 14-19 (5-13 A10), no postseason
It is an incredibly deep roster for new coach Darris Nichols, who takes over for Fran Dunphy retired after more than three decades as a head coach in Philadelphia college basketball, the final three years of which were at La Salle.
Nichols brings two of his players from Radford with him, Truth Harris and Josiah Harris. Justin Archer also played for him at Radford before spending last season at Georgia State.
Four additional players, Jaeden Marshall from Niagara, Jerome Brewer Jr. from East Carolina, Noah Collier from William and Mary and Josue Grullon from Tennessee Martin, all were in double figures last season. Jaden Johnson had 8.6 PPG at Old Dominion and is also new.
Eric Acker, who played limited minutes last year, is the only notable returner. Nichols also brought in JUCO import Edwin Daniel, who will probably see a lot of minutes.
This is a very, very deep roster that will probably be 10 or 11 deep each night. It will have to be a gritty roster in order to win consistently in this league.
Fordham Rams
2024-25: 12-21 (3-15 A10), no postseason
Mike Magpayo, an up-and-coming name in coaching circles, is the new coach at Fordham after spending the past five seasons at UC Riverside.
He has a near entirely new team at Fordham and picked up a lot of productive guys. Of those, the ones to like the most are Christian Henry, who had 14.7 PPG at Eastern Michigan, Dejour Reaves, who had 17.3 PPG at Iona, and Zarique Nutter, who had 14.2 PPG at Georgia State. Magpayo also brings in Demetri Gardner, who was top 15 in the nation in scoring at Division II Augusta with 23.2 PPG.
He also brings in Louis Lesmond from Harvard and Hawaii teammates Marcus Green and Akira Jacobs. Jace Howard comes in from Michigan. Two role guys from UC Riverside, Jack Whitbourn and Rikus Schulte, follow Magpayo.
This roster is both deep and experienced. Magpayo and his staff need to figure out how everyone fits. The wins might not be there as much as Fordham fans would like, but the Rams should be difficult to play night in and night out.
AJ Hoops 