WH's Previews

[X-band '01]

#1 - Xavier Musketeers (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/415116-10-preview-1st-place.html)
#2 - Massachusetts Minutemen (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/415114-10-preview-2nd-place.html)
#3 - Dayton Flyers (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/414802-10-preview-3rd-place.html#post5739835)
#4 - Temple Owls (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/414731-10-preview-4th-place.html#post5738733)
#5 - La Salle Explorers (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/414432-10-preview-5th-place.html)
#6 - Richmond Spiders (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/414332-10-preview-6th-place.html#post5731649)
#7 - Charlotte 49ers (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/414006-10-preview-7th-place.html)
#8 - Saint Joseph's Hawks (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/413865-10-preview-8th-place.html#post5725280)
#9 - George Washington Colonials (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/413811-10-preview-9th-place.html#post5724357)
#10 - Rhode Island Rams (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/413728-10-preview-10th-place.html)
#11 - Saint Louis Billikens (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/413597-10-preview-11th-place.html)
#12 - St. Bonaventure Bonnies (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/413408-10-preview-12th-place.html)
#13 - Duquesne Dukes (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/413314-10-preview-13th-place.html)
#14 - Fordham Rams (http://www.basketballforum.com/atlantic-10-conference/413082-10-preview-14th-place.html)

For the posters who don't usually frequent the A-10 board, WH is a longtime poster (UMass fan) who puts together annual previews on all the A-10 teams. They're very detailed and more informative than you'll see in any of the preseason mags out there.

[GoMuskies]

And so ends the DW era at Fordham.

[XU05and07]

And so ends the DW era at Fordham.

Airballs again

[X-band '01]

They need to end the Frank McLaughlin era at Fordham - Whittenburg is becoming "Fordhamized" much like Marvin Lewis is being Bengalized by the front office.

[nuts4xu]

The A-10 needs to end the Fordham era in this league.

[PMI]

Not that this hasn't been discussed at least a million times, but the A10 really needs to cut it down to no more than 12 teams, and I really wouldn't mind just 10, like they advertise. Maybe get rid of Fordham, St. B's, LaSalle, and Dayton for starters.

[MADXSTER]

Make it a million and one times now.

[jdm2000]

I thought Fordham was going to turn the corner a couple of years ago. Apparently they turned two more corners and ended up right back where they were.

[GuyFawkes38]

Not that this hasn't been discussed at least a million times, but the A10 really needs to cut it down to no more than 12 teams, and I really wouldn't mind just 10, like they advertise. Maybe get rid of Fordham, St. B's, LaSalle, and Dayton for starters.


It makes sense for St. Bonaventure to leave the conference (both from the A10's and St. B's perspective).

As for Lasalle, the situation is more mixed.

As for Fordham, the school has too many positives (a Jesuit school with great academics, in the largest media market in the country, which has been able to attract high profile coaches). If the facilities improve slightly, they should be able to attract a lot of talent.

[muskienick]

Despite the fact that LaSalle's stock is rising due to the quality of its present head coach, three programs from the same City in the A-10 is at least one too many. And no one in his right mind would suggest that St. Joe's or Temple be excluded from the A-10 lineup before LaSalle.

For years we have had to endure the whining by those in the Eastern half of the Conference that they cannot draw larger fan interest to their teams due to the competition for the sports entertainment dollar in the larger cities. Philly points to its having 5-6 D-1 basketball programs as well as both the Flyers and 76er's to contend with. To that one might respond that both Villanova and Temple have proven that false (Villanova more traditionally and recently than Temple).

Fordham fans point to the equally large number of NY/NJ/Conn area D-1 programs, the NHL's Devils and Rangers and the NBA's Nets and Knicks, and the high cost of real estate in the area as some of its many stumbling blocks toward national prominence in college basketball.

GW fans have also used the high cost of real estate as their usual excuse for their program not being able to upgrade to a facility that could cause the Colonials to be a more relevant rival to the Georgetown Hoyas.

The fans of UMass and URI have usually come to the defense of their eastern bretheren when any of the more "hayseed" element of the A-10 question the commitment of the Philly, DC, and NYC A-10 members. None of those folks will ever concede the fact that their metro populations generally dwarf those of Cincy, Dayton, St. Louis, and Charlotte. Furthermore, Charlotte and St. Louis both draw quite well while competing with either an NBA or NHL franchise as well as other D-1 basketball programs in the erea. UD and Xavier always lead the A-10 in attendance figures while competing with pro hockey teams and in-town D-1 programs (each with arenas bigger and better than any eastern A-10 program except Temple) in mid- to high-level D-1 leagues.

Complacency by some of its members and the lack of solid leadership, innovative efforts, and tough standards by the A-10 "Central Command" have stunted the growth potential of our League. One can only hope that the new leadership of the A-10 under Commissioner McGlade and the League's new President Council President, Fr. Michael Graham, will get the ship righted.

[PMI]

Well said, nick. I don't see the LaSalle situation as being all that gray anymore. They suck. The league has enough exposure in Philly. LaSalle really brings nothing to the table.

As far as Fordham, I agree it's a good Jesuit school and all that, but they need more than a slight improvement of their facilities. Rose Hill is about as old as the Founding Fathers of this nation, and so is the Rams' tradition of sucking. They seemed to make the commitment to slightly improving by hiring Coach W, but they will never land consistent talent to compete at the top of this league at that school. I think being part of the largest media market isn't all that great if your product comes nowhere close to competing with the dozens of other pro and college sports teams that people generally care about much, much more than Fordham basketball. You are right though, in that it will be very difficult to break ties with them, but it's more political than anything else.

[X-band '01]

La Salle is at least acting like they care; they did manage to get in a decent recruiting class last season. Duquesne is still in Year 3 of their new administration; this could be their make or break year as far as developing their program goes.

Fordham - well, at least it's a guaranteed W when you go to that place.

[MADXSTER]

Despite the fact that LaSalle's stock is rising due to the quality of its present head coach, three programs from the same City in the A-10 is at least one too many.

For the same reason both Xavier and UC will never be in the same conference.

Well put Nick.

[Emp]

Nick, way to hijack yet another thread with your obsession about LaSalle and Fordham.

The audacity of Xavier posters on this point and the A10 boards telling everyone who should get out of the A10 is not only obnoxious to the rest of the league fans, but just so high horse, I should be able to retire any day now.

First, LaSalle doesn't suck, they are recruiting and playing better, and we don't need to look beyond last season's games against them. They got a good coach, they are getting great players, there is just no factual basis to complain any more. Give it up, or start your own LaSuck Recovery Board.

Let's see, why did we hire Book Richardson? Oh, to recruit New York players, where there are great prospects. And how would we lure such prospects to Ohio? In part because we could guarantee them playing in New York at least every other year, at Fordham. Why are we playing Duke in New York and giving up both revenue and a home game? Recruits! Why would we throw away playing in New York? Reason 2 we want a league member in New York, the sports media capital: exposure to network and print media, exposure to those who put together the network TV schedules.

I want Fordam to succeed, and they have plans for a new field house, a point always omitted in these discussions. But even if they continue to be lousy on the floor, we want and need New York for the two very important reasons noted. The rants to get rid of Fordham are (beyond being pretentiously based on the assumption that what is good for Xavier is good for the league).

[XU 87]

Nick, way to hijack yet another thread with your obsession about LaSalle and Fordham.

The audacity of Xavier posters on this point and the A10 boards telling everyone who should get out of the A10 is not only obnoxious to the rest of the league fans, but just so high horse, I should be able to retire any day now.



And yet another angry pissed-off post from you.

And so we're all clear, discussing and/or complaining about the annual bottom feeders in the A-10 is off limits, correct?

[XU 87]

[QUOTE=TheEmperorHasNoClothes;66337]
First, LaSalle doesn't suck, they are recruiting and playing better, and we don't need to look beyond last season's games against them. They got a good coach, they are getting great players, there is just no factual basis to complain any more. Give it up, or start your own LaSuck Recovery Board.

/QUOTE]

One other thing. LaSalle does suck. They've had one winning season in the last 10 years. If they would provide accurate attendance records, they probably draw less than 2000 per game. (Their NCAA atttendance report says they drew a whopping 2400 per game).

By some absolute miracle, they did land a top 50 recruit for next year. But unless you think their 3 point win over Morgan State last week, at home, is indicative that they have "turned things around", they will suck until they demonstrate otherwise.

(I hope I'm not pissing you off by having the audacity to discuss LaSalle's crummy record and program.)

But I'm in agreement with just about everyone else on this board. Either LaSalle gets better or they should get out. They offer absolutely nothing to the rest of the A-10 or Xavier.

[XU05and07]

LaSalle has sucked in the past...they had some great years way back and have had some years that would make the Clippers and Knicks look like high caliber teams. They have not turned the corner at all, but they have made some steps in the right direction. One thing to watch is to see if the top 50 player leaves after one year is how they compete the next year. If they go back to the way things were, then it's time to raise hell about their inclusion in the league. But if they can maintain the center of the league or move closer to being a competitive team then they have deserved their inclusion and could be a better draw for the A10.

It is like the article I read on the Plain Dealer's (Cleveland) website...Michigan's poor season does not help, but hurts the Ohio State season. We need LaSalle to do better than they have in the past. And that goes for all the teams, not just for LaSalle.