GW picked eighth, TT made first team.  That is all.

No one from Richmond on the first, second or third teams yet they are picked 5th overall.  Think it will be Mooney's biggest test.  Will he be able to keep up the level of play in the post-KA era?  I have my doubts.

Dayton?  If GW is being slighted for having a new coach, I don't see how Archie Miller get a bump for it.  They lose CW and Staten, and will rely on a transfer PG.  6th?

I imagine the point is, based on the votes, 6/7/8 is pretty much a toss-up and GW happened to be the odd man out.

Hope the 'slight' keeps the team hungry.

I know he's coming off an injury but found it interesting that Lasan made pre-season third team last season but not this season with a full class (last year's seniors) no longer in the picture.  Putting it another way, I'm pretty sure that I'd rather have Lasan Kromah on my team than Derrio Green.

Rodney Dangerfield

 http://www.gwsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101311aab.html

- Apparently, the coaches and media didn't see our tied-for-fourth finish last year as a sign that we'd turned the corner.   Given that SJU is picked ahead of us, they probably saw that game as more reprsentative of the teams than all the close games we won over the UMASSes and Charlottes and LaSalles.   f course, I think they are wrong and would pick us no worse than 5th, and perhaps as high as 3rd if Lasan is back to form.  

- Richmond getting picked 5th is a sign of respect for Mooney's system. There is  decent amount of talent on that team, but not a lot of experience .

- I'm not surprised at Kromah getting left off 3rd team.  Impossible to predict weather he'll be back to form.

- Happy for Tony to get this pre-season award.  However, with Holloway and Nicholson a lock, Ramone Moore a probable safe bet, and guys like Juan Fernandez and Kwamain Mitchell likely to play a full year this time  - as well as a new system that may not rely on TT to go one-on-three so much, I'm not sure I'd predict 1st team for him (especially because the new system may hold his numbers a little lower). Plus, there a lot of guys who could knock him off, like Chris Gaston and Mark Lyons. 

- I think they have the wrong guy from St. Joe's on the third team.  Tay Jones can score, but he's kind of a one-dimensional chucker (ditto for Derrio Green).  I'd take Langston Galloway over him becuase of the rebounding and defense, along with solid scoring.

- Not so sure about Chris Johnson on the 2nd team.  He's an athletic freak, but last year he didn't play that well.  Maybe his new system will help get the most out of his ability, but I don't really seee him as a 2nd teamer pre-season.

- Fearless prediction:  Jabari Edwards will finish 1st or 2nd in the league in blocked shots.  Most years I'd peg him for number 1, but if Darius Garrett plays 24 minutes a game this year, he could block 200 shots.

Won't top-5 D1 blocks leader C.J. Aiken be in the running as well?

Link to Statsheet Comparison

Wow... Jabari's block percentage is other-worldy though...

 Bizarre list to say the least. Preseason lists mean jack shit though. 

who cares?  The unknown is will the players take to the new coach or not.  If they take to him and his style of play fits the type of players he has on the roster then 8 is too low.  If they take to him but his style of play does not fit the type of players he has on the roster then 8 is about right.  If they don't take to him, regardless of the syle of play - 8 is too high.   Play ball!

To echo Notta's point and to refute FQ's opinion, the 8th place prediction likely had far more to do with a coaching change coupled with losing out on two recruits than whether last year's team has turned a corner or not.  I sincerely doubt that a single A10 coach thought to themselves that GW won a lot of close games last year so they are likely not as good as their record reflected.  I just don't think that other coaches are thinking along these lines.

If Kromah is back in form and scoring 20 points a game, I don't see how GW is not better than last year and good for somewhere between 3rd-5th in the A-10.  I think the A-10 media probably forgot about him.  I hate to put too much pressure on one player, so I won't go beyond that.

JUST LET TAYLOR ENJOY HIS DAY!!! WITH ALL THAT TONY HAS DONE, YOU GUYS ON THIS BOARD NEVER SUPPORT HIM FOR ANYTHING.... HE HAS DONE A HELL OF LOT OF THINGS FOR THE TEAM AND NEVER GETS ANY LOVE, I AM SURE HE AND ANYONE ELSE THAT PLAYS ON THAT TEAM WILL BE GLAD TO MOVE ON ELSEWHERE CAUSE THE LOVE YOU GUYS ON THIS BOARD GIVE IS HORRIBLE...

WELL DONE TONY, WELL DONE!!!!!  GREAT JOB!!!  IF YOU ARE READING YOU HAVE ALOT OF TRUE FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BELIEVE IN YOU...GOOD LUCK THIS SEASON... .

 I LOVE PEOPLE WHO SHOUT EVERYTHING AND INVENT NON-EXISTENT DRAMA.

CJ Aiken was 3rd in the nation last year in blocks as a freshman so I'd say his the first choice for blocks leader going into the season.  Sometimes guys like Edwards or Garrett don't stay on the court long enough to become block leaders and their blocks/minute % goes down if they play longer.

GW 8th?  If I'm Lonergan, I'm hopping they pick GW 13th in the league pre-season.  Better to sneak up on everyone.  Temple and XU are a clear distance above the rest of the league and SLU should be greatly improved with Mitchell back as well as all their young talent.  4-10 is wide open in the league.  Every team has strengths but big holes ...like GW's front court. 

I do like St Joe's and their young tallent and they played very well down the stretch.  Duquesne losses Sanders but they play at a great pace and will continue to force tons of turnovers and score in transition.  I'm not buying the Bonnies, though.  They lack depth and any superior player not named Nichols. 

I'd put GW 4th for the season with a competitive OOC and an NIT bid.  Maybe a run in the A10 tourney could get them in contention for a NCAA bid........Or they could finish 9th. 

 Duquesne lost Clark as well, their two best players from a team we were tied with last year. Richmond lost everybody, literally everybody. Dayton was bad last year and lost two of their three best players. GW should have been listed at worst 5th at best 3rd, it's complete bullshit but it also means absolutely nothing. 

WHYNOT, everybody loves Tony. Do you read this board? Clearly not.

I agree that we should not be 8th but I chalk most of that up to a few factors - uncertainty about our frontcourt, how good Lasan will be upon his return, the change in coaches and philosophy. I think the other coaches and probably a lot of us (maybe ML included) don't yet know what we really have. Fortunately, pre-season predictions mean nothing.

But I would raise this question to the board - if we do finish 8th as predicted, how would you feel about it today under the circumstances of a new coach:

(A) respectable season - not bad for ML's first year in the A-10

(B) somewhat disappointing season - I expected a little more from ML this season in the A-10

(C) very disappointing season - ML definitely should have had a better year in the A-10

(D) disastrous season - Bring back KH! He definitely would have had this team finishing higher than 8th in the A-10.

I'll answer with A but I could be convinced of B.

Also note that there is very little point difference between positions 6-9.  I don't think it's a huge snub, but I'll take the #8 for motivational purposes.

Highlights from the press conference: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/sports/ncaabasketball/atlantic-10-mens-basketball-cultivates-roots-in-brooklyn.html?_r=1

1) Can't believe I forgot CJ Aiken!    Of course, he'll probably lead the league.  Heck, you could see three of the top 5 or 10 shot blockers in the nation in the A-10 this year.  Then again, maybe Jabari's blocks go down if Lonergan wants him to stay home more and doesn't let him go for the swat as much.

2) MV, I think you and I are basically saying the same thing.  I didn't mean to suggest the voters consciiously thought about our finish and decided it didn't mean much. I just mean the little run with wins over bad teams (and then URI and Dayton late) didn't turn a lot of heads of coaches or media. That's all.

3) Whynot -- I love Tony Taylor. But with him not having to carry the team this year and a new system, he could play even better and still not make the first team.  Kind of like how Mike Hall never got the awards because his role didn't allow him to put up gaudy numbers.  I think it's great he's getting the recognition finally, though. He deserves it.

4) To DMV's question, I think it's impossible to answer, but it all depends on what we see on the court.  Not all 8th place finishes are created equal (nor are all 4th place finishes).

Why Not...you sound very close to Tony (close friend, even teammate).   If that is true, that is fine, but it may be clouding your objectivity.  I think you are being overly defensive by asserting that those on this board don't appreciate TT..  Tony has been our best player all around player over the past 2 seasons, something that is widely recognized on this board.   Personally, I hope he can be used more effectively this year.  Per the Hatchet Article..."Lonergan’s system that will look to reduce GW’s reliance on Taylor, last season’s top-scorer for the Colonials".   I have been saying this for sometime.  It is the point guard's primary responsibility to be the on court coach...to lead the team and, most importantly, to make the other's on your team better by getting them the ball where they are most effective and to break down defenses.  Tony was asked to do too much due to circumstances beyond his control.  Specifically last year's team needed him to score because that team was  "offensively challenged", something that was exhasurbated by the loss of its leading returning scorer last year who is now back.  I would gladly shave 3-4 points off of Tony's PPG average in exchange for adding 3-4 assists.  If we can do this, I think you will see significant improvement on the team overall. 

i think most of us are holding back our expectations - deliberately understating the team's potential.  this team has the talent and depth to be really special. admittedly there are many ifs and caveats -

kromah's return, jabari staying focused & healthy, byne's continued development, mikic taking a step forward rather than backsliding - edwards, pellom & smith keeping the other guys off the offensive glass, our point guard and big men staying healthy, team learns new system ... 

its a long list but looked at individually we expect every one of these things to be true.  Fact is its a veteran, experienced unit with considerable talent. 

i for one fully expect a top 3 finish. 

So Boston Pops you would be in the C or D response range (to the question posed above) if we finished 8th?

DMV   

not at all

although i have a spring training optimism, i recognize there are many things that could go wrong.  i am not willing to lay these possibilities at the feet of a first year coach & AD.  i think its possible we reap instant rewards from the nero/ml team but i am not willing to judge them poorly until they have had a real chance to turn things around.  for me thats about a 3 yr period before which i would expect to see signs of change and before i would begin to assess blame.  i would be dissappointed if my hopes were not realized sooner but it would be unfair to judge any new regime too quickly.

i hung with hobbs for many years, hoping he would learn and grow.

 http://espn.go.com/new-york/story/_/id/7098486/the-10-got-head-start-move-brooklyn-holding-media-day-new-york-week

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