Atlantic 10 Kicks Things Off In Cincy With a Bang
by Bill Kintner
CINCINNATI – The Atlantic 10 Conference went to a football stadium to kick off their basketball tournament when they held their annual Commissioner’s Reception at the Bengals’ beautiful Paul Brown Stadium on the banks of the Ohio River.
In the eastside lobby of the stadium with a picturesque view of the Cincinnati skyline the A-10 coaches, players, staff and the members of the media gathered for some good food, fellowship and for the announcement of the Atlantic 10 All-Conference teams.
This year the Player of the Year was actually shared by two players. The coaches voted to select Saint Joseph’s senior Pat Carroll and La Salle junior Steven Smith Atlantic 10 co-Players of the Year.
For the fourth time, Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli earned the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Award. Martelli got a laugh when he took the microphone and said, “I apologize to the coaches and teams that have to play tomorrow that have to look at my ugly mug tonight.” He also gave credit to his assistant coaches who he said were vital to his success.
The Atlantic 10 coaches also voted Bryant Dunston of Fordham as Rookie of the Year, Saint Joseph’s Dwyane Jones as Defensive Player of the Year, Kieron Achara of Duquesne as the Chris Daniels Award winner as the most improved player and J. R. Pinnock of George Washington as Sixth Man of the Year.
Smith leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring, averaging 20.3 ppg upon entering this week’s Atlantic 10 Championship at the US Bank Arena on the Ohio River in Cincinnati. The 6’8″ junior from Philadelphia is also third in the A-10 in rebounding at 8.5 rpg. Despite being constantly double-teamed, Smith managed an Atlantic 10-best 14 double figure scoring games, including seven in league play. He also posted an impressive 10 double-doubles, eight of which came against Atlantic 10 opponents. He is first La Salle player to earn Player of the Year honors since the Explorers joined the A-10 a decade ago.
Carroll is the second Saint Joseph’s player to earn Player of the Year honors in as many seasons, following in the footsteps of Jameer Nelson. The 6′ 5″ senior from Horsham, PA is the Hawks leading scorer at 17.3 ppg. He leads the A-10 in scoring in league games with a 19.5 ppg average. The A-10’s all-time leader in career three-point field goal percentage, Carroll leads the league again this year with 45.4 percent. His 99 career three pointers tie the Saint Joseph’s record held by Marvin O’Conner.
All-Atlantic 10 First Team
Pat Carroll, Saint Joseph’s
Mardy Collins, Temple
Rashaun Freeman, Massachusetts
Steven Smith, LaSalle
T. J. Thompson, George Washington
Second Team
Bryant Dunston, Fordham
Mike Hall, George Washington
Dwayne Jones, Saint Joseph’s
Bryant McAllister, Duquesne
Pops Mensah-Bonsu, George Washington
Third Team
Justin Cage, Xavier
Scott Hazelton, Rhode Island
Monty Scott, Dayton
Ahmad Smith, St. Bonaventure
Kevin Steenberge, Richmond
All-Rookie Team
Stanley Burrell, Xavier
Bryant Dunston, Fordham
Brian Roberts, Dayton
Marcus Stout, Fordham
Mark Tyndale, Temple
All-Defensive Team
Justin Cage, Xavier
Mardy Collins, Temple
Carl Elliot, George Washington
Dwayne Jones, Saint Joseph’s
Dwayne Lee, Saint Joseph’s
All-Academic Team
Kiaron Achara, Duquesne
Jamaal Scott, Richmond
Chet Stachitas, Saint Joseph’s
Brian Thorton, Xavier
Mushon Ya’ekosi, Fordham
Tournament Starts Wednesday
The opening round of the 29th annual Atlantic 10 Basketball Championship commences on Wednesday with four games. West No. 4 Richmond opens play against East No. 5 Rhode Island at 12 noon. That game will be followed by Massachusetts, the East third seed, meeting West No. 6 La Salle.
The second session of the opening round begins at 6:30 pm when Fordham, seeded fourth in the East, faces the West’s fifth seed Duquesne. The final game starts at 8:30 pm and features West’s third seed, Dayton, against St. Bonaventure.
The Championship continues Thursday with four games, then two games on Friday night. The final round will be played on Saturday at 6:30 pm.
