tseugnekillib Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 Out of curiosity about the A-10, I caught 6 games, and 10 of the 12 teams, at the A-10 tournament in Dayton on Wednesday and Thursday. (I passed on the A-10 Wednesday night session to catch SLU against SoMiss.) I came away late Thursday night impressed with our future A-10 home. A couple of thoughts. Both daily sessions drew 13,000 fans. I don't see anybody outdrawing Dayton for this tournament. Dayton fans HATE Xavier. St. Joes lives with the 3pter, averaging 24 per games and shooting at a 41% clip. St. Joes gets little offense from their post players. However, against Xavier they shot terrible, while Xavier shot 71%. Xavier's 6-5 205# Romain Sato was the best players I saw in Dayton. The A-10 is basically a big guards league. Temple has the strongest team, playing four and sometimes five guys in the 6-4 to 6-6 range all built like pro linebackers. GWU and Richmond were impressive as well. While the A-10 doesn't have deep, athletic rosters like Cincinnati, Louisville or Memphis, it will be a very competitive league for the Billikens and Charlotte. SLU needs to add both talent and muscle. I also saw all of the Missouri Valley teams at their tournament at the Savvis last weekend. IMO, from top-to-bottom, there is a big difference in the quality of teams in the A-10 versus the MVC. SLU made the correct choice in going the A-10 route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 the Atlantic 10 is an upgraded version of the Missouri Valley. With St. Joseph, they found two elite guards that could turn around any program. Unfortunately, Nelson graduates and I believe his backcourt partner might leave too. I'm a huge fan of John Chaney, but his program reminds me of Penn State's Joe Paterno. It's on the downslide. I like Dayton and Xavier is a truly underrated program. But this conference is not on par with Conference USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGB91 Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 THE A-10 IS NOT AS GOOD AS C-USA NOW. HOWEVER THE A-10 WILL BE MUCH BETTER THAN THE RECONFIGURED C-USA IN 2005-2006 SEASON. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesycow Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted March 13, 2004 Author Share Posted March 13, 2004 AJ, I didn't say it was equal to C-USA. But it's closer to the C-USA than the MVC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 I agree that the A-10 is consistently better than the MVC. However, one could make an argument that the MVC was better than the A-10 the year before last. I'll also agree that the A-10 is better than the reconfigured CUSA and was probably the best option for SLU. However, I'm just disappointed that CUSA didn't remain together. With those big-name coaches, it became an elite conference this year and would have remained so for the near future... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STLfan Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 They already have some solid programs and in two years they will add us and UNCC. Two programs that in my opinion are improving. I don't remember what CUSA looked like when it formed nine years ago but for those of you who do does the A10 now look similiar. If the A10 can keep there best coaches it could become a top conf. like CUSA has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj_arete Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 is that Louisville, Cincy, and Memphis stepped up and paid the big bucks to land high-profile coaches. With the A-10, I see it as primarily a stepping-stone to coaching in the power conferences. Will Martelli of St. Joseph stay there next year, my guess is he's not. Who thinks Brian Gregory of Dayton will be there long-term? I don't see it myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 You need to do a little more research on Martelli, aj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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