St. Joe's Basketball: The 2003-2004 Team

Throwback Monday! Yup, I said it! I know this is another post about St. Joe's but as A-10 fans, we need to pay our respects to the unbelievable 2003-2004 SJU team. College star point guards and future NBA guards Jameer Nelson and Delonte West started off the season 27-0 and led their team to a #1 seed for the big dance, but the dream came to a halt. They lost a heartbreaker in the 2004 NCAA Basketball Regional Final to the Oklahoma State Cowboys and star point guard John Lucas on a last second three point shot.

For all you small schools out there, are you the next St. Joe's that will shock the college basketball world? Let's go back and time and see this great St. Joe's team in action! Below are some videos commemorating this legendary team.

DeAndre Bembry: 2016 Atlantic 10 Player Of The Year?

Leading the A-10 last year at 17.7 points per game, St. Joe's DeAndre Bembry is one of the top player's in the conference. The 6-6 junior small forward just about did it all for the Hawks. He rebounded at an efficient rate last season at 7.7. rebounds per game and nearly averaged 4 assists per game.

On a mediocre St. Joe's team that struggled last season, Bembry will need to produce at a high rate once again this year. If he produces at the rate he did just a season ago, I can't envision anybody surpassing him as the 2016 A-10 Player of the Year.

We know the stats will be there for the 21 year old NBA prospect, but will he be able to lead the team to an NCAA Tournament Birth? It will be a tall task but if anyone can will their team, it would be junior leader DeAndre Bembry. Expect the St. Joe star to become the 2016 A-10 Player of the Year.

Below are videos of Bembry and his career highlights. Enjoy!

                        

Where Are They Now? List of A-10 Player's In The NBA

The A-10 currently has 10 players playing in the National Basketball Association. While it is nice that the A-10 is receiving some recognition from the likes of Stephen Curry, Langston Galloway, Jameer Nelson, and Andrew Nicholson, when will the next A-10 player be selected in the NBA draft?

The last time an A-10 player was selected in the NBA draft was back in 2012 when the Orlando Magic selected St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson with the 19th overall selection in the 1st round.

According to nbadraft.net however, the three year lapse should come to an end when the 2016 NBA Draft rolls around. Nbadraft.net projects Rhode Island junior guard EC Matthews to be selected with the 28th overall pick. Time will tell, but one can only hope the streak will be put to rest.

                        

Without a doubt, NBA draft selections help recruit highly touted high schoolers and help continue the strong quality of basketball in the Atlantic 10 moving forward.

Player	College	NBA Team
Langston Galloway	Saint Joseph's	Knicks
Troy Daniels	VCU	Hornets
Chris Johnson	Dayton	Jazz
Andrew Nicholson	St. Bonaventure	Magic
Justin Harper	Richmond	Nets
Stephen Curry	Davidson	Warriors
Brian Roberts	Dayton	Hornets
Gary Neal	Towson	Wizards
Jameer Nelson	Saint Joseph's	Nuggets
Rasual Butler	La Salle	Spurs

Are You Ready For Some Basketball?

I understand that the months of September and October are all about football, but we are nearly one month away from the tip off of the 2015-2016 NCAA Division 1 men's basketball season!

To contain my excitement along with everybody else's, here is a video for all you A-10 fans out there wishing that the season tipped off today!

Are you getting chills yet? Keep up to date with you favorite A-10 team! Basketball season is just around the corner.

Notable Non-Conference Matchup: VCU vs. DUKE

The VCU Rams will head to New York, New York to compete in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic at Madison Square Garden. MSG is one of the biggest stages in all of sports, however the stage becomes much larger for the Rams when they face the defending 2015 National Champion Duke Blue Devils in early November.

With the departures of guard Tyus Jones (Minnesota Timberwolves) and center Jahlil Okafor (Philadelphia 76ers) to the NBA, one would assume Duke would have some trouble this year. Nonetheless, Duke recruits top talent year after year and returns a strong team once again.

With returners in form diaper dandy guard Grayson Allen, forward Amile Jefferson, and guard Matt Jones along with prized recruits in center Chase Jeter and guard Brandon Ingram, Duke should be a top team from November through March.

Besides a little bit of luck, VCU will need their defense to be in prime form. Guard Mo-Alie Cox, guard JeQuan Lewis, and guard Melvin Johnson will need to be defensively sound against a Duke squad with unlimited firepower.

We all know VCU is an outstanding defensive team year after year, but will they keep that reputation? Defensive specialist and defensive leader in guard Briante Weber graduated this past year and will be severely missed. The Rams might have some unfamiliar defensive hiccups this season.

Anything can happen but one thing is for sure however, VCU will have to play their very best to beat the best. Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils are always tough to dethrone.

Remember the last time VCU beat Duke? Star point guard Eric Maynor and the Rams defeated the Blue Devils 79-77 in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Without a doubt, the Rams will need to play close to their ceiling to take down big, bad, Duke.

Notable Non-Conference Matchup: St. Bonaventure at Syracuse

The rivalry is back! On November 11th, 2015, the Syracuse University Men's Basketball team will host St. Bonaventure University in the Carrier Dome. The last time the two schools faced one another was back in the 2009-2010 season. 

While Syracuse will lose three scholarships in each of the next four seasons and will be placed on probation for the next five years, Syracuse still has experienced players in Kaleb Joseph, Trevor Cooney, and Michael Gbinije who led Syracuse to 18 wins with notable victories over Notre Dame and Louisville in the 2014-2015 season.

The Bonnies will have their work cut out for them as the Syracuse crowd will certainly be a factor as the Carrier Dome will be bumping as usual.

Arguably the best backcourt in the A-10, guards Marcus Posley and Jaylen Adams will need to do the bulk of the scoring to steal an away victory. Senior forward Dion Wright will also need to be the "Breakout Player of the Year" Sports Illustrated tabbed him to be this past season.

Look for the matchup to be very similar to when the Bonnies faced the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Petersen Events Center last season. The game should be closely contested, but the Bonnies will need strong play at the end of the second half to hold on to their lead this time around.

                     St. Bonaventure vs. Pittsburgh matchup:

The Return

Allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Jacob Mishkin and I am a senior journalism and collegiate tennis player at St. Bonaventure University. In the summer of 2013 I created The Atlantic 10 Conference...The Now, The New, and The Impending. With over 5,000 page views that summer, I believed my blog was on the rise. Unfortunately, I took a break from blogging for over two years. This was a big mistake but nonetheless, the past is the past. I am back folks and I am here to stay!

From conference realignment talks, game predictions, game summaries, injuries, roster updates, team projections, and former A-10 standouts in the NBA, this blog is all about A-10 Men's Basketball. For all your A-10 basketball needs, theatlantic10conference.blogspot.com is the place to visit.

For my current followers along with my future followers, I know this will be the place for you. As I said back in 2013, advice, comments, and suggestions are always welcomed on my blog.

Be on the lookout for my next post about the A-10's most intriguing non-conference matchups!

Thank you,
                 Jacob C.