Colonial Preview

Colonial Athletic Association 2008-09 Preview

by Jay Pearlman

CAA fans tighten your belts: with all due respect to Michael Litos’ Cinderella 2005-06, you just may be in for the ride of your lives!

When we last convened in this space, we looked back at a balanced, competitive, but slightly down 2007-08 in the Colonial Athletic Association, focusing on William & Mary’s magical run to the tourney final, an even better coaching job by Jim Larranaga than two years earlier (and his decision to stay at Mason rather than return to Providence), and the value of the new postseason College Basketball Invitational in the development of Old Dominion’s underclassmen. With terrific coaches, lots of strong returnees, and a super crop of recruits (frosh and newly eligible transfers), well, lookout in the MAC, Horizon and even the Atlantic-10, as here comes the CAA!

Some stories to focus on:

1. Will Anthony Grant and his staff make a pro out of Larry Sanders? Just a freshman in 2007-08, skinny, fouling too much, not yet homogenized, but with a body more athletic than Roy Hibbert’s, Sanders showed flashes of being the best forward – perhaps player – since I’ve been around the conference. Long body and longer arms, great vertical leap, and that rare ability to wait until an opponent has left the floor, leap, and catch him in mid-air to block his shot (Orlando Woolridge did that at Notre Dame, Michael did some of that, neither Dr. J nor Patrick Ewing could). Oh, and he can score in more ways than just dunking, defend in more ways than just with blocks. And oh how he can run the floor; with Eric Maynor still in a Ram uniform (doesn’t this seem like Maynor’s 6th year?), Sanders will be hugely rewarded for all that speed every time he runs the floor (defense to offense, and offense to defense). This writer’s prediction: Sanders will challenge Maynor for Player of the Year, and under Grant’s tutelage rather than an agent’s, enter next spring’s NBA draft.
2. Will Coaches Rod Barnes and Pat Kennedy get the most from their four-year transfers? You fans know the risks inherent in bringing in transfers, even transfers dropping down from stronger conferences: you get a player who may have failed before, another coach’s baggage, and not much time to fix it. There are also tremendous potential rewards – witness the impact of Junior Hairston and Josh Thornton at Towson last year, Marc Egerson and Jim Ledsome at Delaware, Nkem Ojougboh at Northeastern, even Abdulai Jalloh at JMU. So now the playing field shifts for these two veteran coaches: you were able to bring in these players; now can you teach, coach and motivate them enough to get more out of them then their previous coaches? The one (or both) of you who can do that will have a shot at both a first round CAA Tournament bye, and a bid to play further into March.
3. Will the coaching change at JMU (Matt Brady for Dean Keener) serve to maximize the potential of Pierre Curtis, Abdulai Jalloh and Juwann James, or confirm that those players’ potential has already been reached? This writer has liked Curtis from the beginning (defending, distributing and scoring), thought former Freshman of the Year James overrated, and wondered about Jalloh’s game when he’s not shooting. Welcome Coach Brady!
4. Will Hofstra be able to win without star shooter/scorer Antoine Agudio? While most will be looking to Tom Pecora’s additions from Florida’s Broward Community (particularly guard Tony Dennison), and the further development of last season’s Freshman of the Year Charles Jenkins, this writer believes the answer may lie more in the maturation of sophomore Nathaniel Lester. The former Canarsie star, of whom more was expected than Jenkins in last year’s freshman class, has the body and skills to be a big star in this conference. If Pecora can just get his maturity to catch up with his body.
5. Will Drexel guard again? When this writer came to the league, it was easy to like Bruiser Flint’s defensive emphasis, and view his team’s defensive play as a reflection of his personality (ok, it helped that Chaz Crawford and Bashir Mason were on that team). With last year’s obvious scoring difficulty, defense at the guard position ultimately broke down, resulting in a number of noncompetitive outings. Now with forwards Frank Elegar and Randy Oveneke gone, it’s all the more necessary for the guards to guard, particularly former defensive stalwart Tramayne Hawthorne, who disappointed last season.
6. Will Delaware be able to replace long-time star Herb Courtney without regressing? Courtney was Delaware’s Mr. Everything two years ago (and the first half of last year), then got transfer help last December. He’d have earned more than his third team all-conference designation if his team had won more. Who will replace him? Well, it’s unfair to put all of the pressure on 6-9 Florida freshman Adam Pegg. More fairly, Monte Ross could move swingman Marc Egerson to forward (perhaps even power forward), and feature the star transfer guard that this writer missed in last season’s wrap-up: Delaware high school all-time leading scorer, 2006 Player of the Year, and Saint Joseph’s transfer Jawan Carter. At 5-11, undersized for the second guard position in the Atlantic 10, Carter will team up with 5-10 point guard Brian Johnson and returning All-Freshman 6-4 Alphonso Dawson to form a formidable backcourt, hopeful of competing with Northeastern’s as the best in the conference. If the backcourt clicks (and Egerson and Ledsome defend and rebound), Delaware could overcome its loss of Courtney.
7. Can Chad Tomko grow as a star at Wilmington with his four fellow starters gone? Long a disciple of Coach McGuire (“cut off the head, and the body dies”), this writer has always loved guards, particularly point-guards; I voted for Tomko as Freshman of the Year last season. So that really poses two questions: first, can Tomko score more yet remain a distributor despite a weaker supporting cast? Second, just how good are the players Benny Moss brought it, who will have to play a ton of minutes? More specifically, how good is Xavier transfer guard 6-3 Johnny Wolf, who will team with Tomko to form another backcourt hoping to match Northeastern’s?
8. Will ODU’s “babies” be ready to win the conference? Coach Blaine Taylor’s freshmen and sophomores really came on in the CBI: forwards Ben Finney, Frank Hassell and ultimately Keyon Carter, and guard Darius James. And with center Gerald Lee still just a junior, two redshirt freshmen and a heralded group of true frosh recruits, ODU should be ready to challenge once conference play starts.
9. Is this Northeastern’s year? Perhaps the most important player in the conference this winter will be sophomore point guard Chaisson Allen. A superior defender (I thought better than Defensive Player of the Year Brandon Johnson), and terrific distributor, in the second half of last year’s conference season Allen began shooting better (and more), using his legs and putting more arc under his treys. Then he played hurt in the conference tournament, so some of you have yet to see the real Chaisse Allen. Paired with junior long-range shooter Matt Janning (who should shine all the more at the new three-point distance), this backcourt has a chance for national prominence next year when they’re a junior and senior. For that to happen, Bill Coen’s backcourt needs to be ready to dominate in conference this year. Now, add to that backcourt the fact that all five starters are back (only conference team returning all five), which will allow Coen to bring along freshman forward Erik Etherly, 6-10 Canadian redshirt freshman Ben Felix is now eligible, and that Cape Verde sophomore forward Vin Lima will benefit from a preseason this time around. Also a slightly more favorable schedule. On that, everyone in America knows that Drexel played monsters on the road two years ago, but fewer realize that Northeastern did in both of Bill Coen’s first two years. Well, gone are five monsters away from home (and a game at URI), replaced by games at Indiana, at Memphis, at South Florida, perhaps at Michigan, and URI at home. And some of those are winnable!
10. Will the conference pass the A-10, and reclaim a spot in America’s strongest ten? Last year the A-10 was loaded with upperclassmen, and with Butler in the top 20 the Horizon League also edged the CAA. Now, the CAA still does not have either the gyms or the budgets of the A-10, Horizon, and MAC, but with this year’s personnel, look for the CAA’s coaches to bring the conference back into America’s top ten, and ahead of all three of these others.

Preseason predictions

My preseason all-conference team (first team) includes Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders of VCU, Leonard Mendez of Georgia State, Matt Janning of Northeastern, and Gerald Lee of ODU. I can’t get Ben Finney of ODU, Danny Sumner of William & Mary, Chad Tomko of Wilmington, Pierre Curtis of JMU, Charles Jenkins of Hofstra, and newly arrived Jawan Carter of Delaware out of my mind, though they missed the cut. Player of the year: the conservative in me says Maynor; the ex-coach in me says Janning. Considering everything (and particularly pure unadulterated talent), and notwithstanding my prejudice for guards, I predict VCU center Larry Sanders will be our league’s Player of the Year.

Obviously the other awards are tougher, particularly rating freshmen I haven’t seen play. I’m not going out on a limb to predict Jim Larranaga’s prize recruit, 5-10 Charlotte guard Andre Cornelius, as Freshman of the Year. I can’t wait to see him match up with Northeastern’s Allen, JMU’s Curtis, Delaware’s Johnson and/or Carter, and Wilmington’s Tomko. If you called it Newcomer of the Year (including all those transfers), I’m thinking about Delaware’s Jawan Carter. Defender of the year will be Larry Sanders, with Northeastern’s Chaisson Allen a close second. With John Rhodes joining his staff after nine years under Tim O’Shea at Ohio, and all his starters back, and after acknowledging that my impartiality could be compromised on this choice, I predict Northeastern’s Bill Coen will be Coach of the Year. Most improved player could be Hofstra’s Nathaniel Lester; if Lester doesn’t reach his potential, it just might be Northeastern’s Allen.

Team summaries (reverse predicted order of finish)

12. Drexel Dragons (12-20, 5-13 CAA, tied for tenth place)
Projected starters:
Tramayne Hawthorne, 5-11 senior guard
Gerald Colds, 5-11 sophomore guard
Scott Rodgers, 6-3 senior guard
Eric Neisler, 6-8 junior forward (former BC transfer)
Kevin Phillip, 6-7 freshman forward (Bishop Loughlin, Brooklyn, New York)
Major nonconference games:
Nov 18: host Penn (10 a.m.)
Nov 22: at Georgetown
Dec 22: at Memphis
Dec 31: host St. Joseph’s (Palestra)
As underwhelming as was Frank Elegar’s senior season, losing him in the middle is a monstrous loss, as was that of much-improved forward Randy Oveneke. For Bruiser Flint’s team to be competitive, they’ll need immediate contributions from freshmen forwards Kevin Phillip and local product Sam Givens, and something from disappointing BC transfer Evan Neisler. And on the subject of disappointing, the Dragons could use contributions from both NYC guards brought in last year, Jamie Harris, and St. Raymonds’ shooter Gerald Colds. That became amplified when another New York guard, promising freshman guard Chris Fouch, suffered a torn ACL in early practice that will sideline him for the season.

11. William & Mary Tribe (17-16, 10-8 CAA, fifth place)
Projected starters:
David Schneider, 6-3 junior guard
Quinn McDowell, 6-4 freshman guard (Archbishop Moeller, Mason, Ohio)
Danny Sumner, 6-7 junior forward
Peter Stein, 6-9 senior forward
Alex Smith, 6-5 junior forward (2007-08 redshirt)
Major nonconference games:
Nov 14: at Penn State
Nov 28-29: Liberty Thanksgiving tournament, Lynchburg, VA, games against South Carolina State and Liberty/Coker.
With Laimis Kisielius and Nathan Mann gone from conference tournament Cinderella, the pressure to build on that run falls squarely on the shoulders of guard David Schneider and forward Danny Sumner. Respectively, the most overachieving and most improved players in the conference last season, these are the two William & Mary players who would benefit from a faster pace. Alas, Tony Shaver’s remaining returnees probably couldn’t keep up. And given the Tribe’s success playing like Princeton, it is unlikely Shaver will change his style. That said, as conference personnel improves, it could be difficult for William & Mary to keep up.

10. James Madison Dukes (13-17, 5-13 CAA, tied for tenth place)
Projected starters:
Pierre Curtis, 6-3 junior guard
Abdulai Jalloh, 6-1 senior guard
Juwann James, 6-6 senior forward
Kyle Swanston, 6-7 senior forward
Dazzmond Thornton, 6-7 senior forward
Major nonconference games:
Nov 17, 18, 24, 28: NIT Season Tip-Off, games against Davidson and Oklahoma/Mississippi Valley State
Nov 30: at Fordham
Dec 22: host Seton Hall
Dec 29, 30: Cable Car Classic at Santa Clara, games against Texas-El Paso and Santa Clara/Belmont
After a strong non-conference schedule, the Dukes appeared to quit on former Coach Dean Keener last season, only some of which can be attributed to Pierre Curtis’ games missed due to injury. Having clearly surpassed Juwann James in productivity, Terrance Carter will be difficult to replace; that production needs to be made up by more from senior Kyle Swanston and junior Dazz Thornton, and a significant contribution from freshman forward Rodrigo Peggau from North Carolina. Like Coach Flint at Drexel, former Marist Coach Matt Brady will be tempted to play a three guard alignment at JMU, moving Curtis to an undersized three position and inserting talented sophomore Heiden Ratner at the point. However, as good a rebounder as Curtis is at the guard position (like Northeastern’s Chaisson Allen), will he be able to rebound enough against forwards?

9. Hofstra Pride (12-18, 8-10 CAA, eighth place)
Projected starters:
Greg Johnson, 5-10 senior guard
Charles Jenkins, 6-3 sophomore guard
Nathaniel Lester, 6-3 sophomore guard
Darren Townes, 6-7 senior forward
Dane Johnson, 6-10 senior center
Major nonconference games:
Nov 14-16, Charleston Classic, games against Clemson, Western Michigan, and TCU
Dec 3: host Fordham
Dec 20: at UMass
Tom Pecora begins his second “post-Three Amigos season” relying on two pairs of former teammates: juniors Miklos Szabo (6-9 250 from Hungary) and Tony Dennison (6-2 from Queens), both form Broward Community, and 6-2 Brooklyn freshman guard Yves Jules, joining former Canarsie High School teammate Nathaniel Lester. Those four will join Freshman of the Year Charles Jenkins and steady senior point guard Greg Johnson in filling the void left by Antoine Agudio. If Lester can grow up and both junior college juniors can produce, there just might be enough talent surrounding Jenkins to make this team competitive by the conference season.

8. UNC-Wilmington Seahawks (20-13, 12-6 CAA, tied for second place)
Projected starters:
Chad Tomko, 5-11 sophomore guard
Johnny Wolf, 6-3 junior guard (transfer from Xavier)
Darryl Felder, 6-3 sophomore guard (medical redshirt 2007-08)
Dominique Lacy, 6-7 sophomore forward
Brad Bald, 6-8 freshman forward (Archbishop Spalding, Severn, MD)
Major nonconference games:
Nov 19: at Wake Forest
Nov 23: at Kent State (part of South Padre Island Invitational)
Nov 25: at Texas A&M (part of South Padre Island Invitational)
Nov 28, 29: at South Padre Island Invitational, games against NC Central and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi/Jackson State
Dec 3: host East Carolina
After leading the nation in additional wins last season (from 7 the previous season to 20), Benny Moss once again rebuilds in 2008-09. For rebounding and scoring at the forward positions, Moss will rely on improvement from sophomore Domnique Lacy and junior Montez Downey, and contributions from freshmen Brad Bald and Will O’Huaregbe (6-7, Fort Union Military). But his most important addition will be Xavier transfer Johnny Wolf. At 6-3, before last winter Wolf projected as a purer point guard than Chad Tomko, and could well move Tomko to an undersized second guard position (defensively, Wolf will guard the taller opponent). If this group can be competitive this season, look for another bounce-back season in 2009-10 for UNCW.

7. George Mason Patriots (23-11, 12-6 CAA, tied for second place, tournament champion)
Projected starters:
Andre Cornelius, 5-10 freshman guard (Victory Christian, Charlotte)
Cam Long, 6-3 sophomore guard
John Vaughan, 6-3 senior guard
Louis Birdsong, 6-6 junior forward
Darryl Monroe, 6-7 senior forward (medical redshirt in 2007-08)
Major nonconference games:
Nov 22: at East Carolina
Nov 29: host Ohio University
If ever a coach and program were entitled to a pressure-free rebuilding year, this year’s GMU squad is. Not coincidentally playing their easiest schedule in a while, even the addition of erstwhile Freshman of the Year Andre Cornelius won’t be enough to keep this Mason team as strong as its predecessors. Of course, that will allow Jim Larranaga to evaluate his three freshman forwards, Ryan Pearson (Christ the King, Queens), Kevin Foster (Kathleen HS, Lakeland, Florida), and Michael Morrison (Lakewood HS, St. Petersburg), and if two of the three can produce in conference play, the Patriots can be dangerous, particularly at home.

6. Towson Tigers (13-18, 7-11 CAA, ninth place)
Projected starters:
Brian Morris, 6-5 sophomore guard (transfer from Richmond)
Josh Thornton, 6-1 junior guard
Rocky Coleman, 6-2 senior guard
Junior Hairston, 6-8 senior forward (inadvertently left off my list of returnees in last spring’s wrap-up)
Jarrel Smith, 6-7 sophomore (transfer from Colorado State)
Major nonconference games:
Nov 14: host Navy
Nov 16: at Niagara (part of Philly Hoop Group Classic)
Nov 24: host NJIT (part of Philly Hoop Group Classic)
Nov 28, 29: Philly Hoop Group Classic (at Palestra): games against Villanova and Penn State/URI
Dec 22: at Bowling Green
Dec 31: at NC State
Last season, Pat Kennedy was able to take a step forward, and without departed shooter Gary Neal. In doing so, Kennedy relied tremendously on now-departed point guard, defensive stalwart, and conference assist/turnover ratio leader C.C. Williams, perhaps the most valuable player in the conference that no one talks about. For that reason, notwithstanding the additions of Jarrel Smith and Calvin Lee (Allegheny, Maryland CC) at forward (joining Junior Hairston and Kevin Durant’s older brother Tony – who really improved late last season), the key addition is 6-5 point guard Brian Morris. If Morris can replace Williams, Towson can jump into the upper echelon of the conference, giving veteran Coach Pat Kennedy the opportunity to return to post-season play for the first time in a long time.

5. Delaware Blue Hens (14-17, 9-9 CAA, tied for sixth place)
Projected starters:
Brian Johnson, 5-10 junior guard
Jawan Carter, 5-11 sophomore guard (transfer from Saint Joseph’s)
Alphonso Dawson, 6-4 sophomore guard
Marc Egerson, 6-5 senior swingman
Jim Ledsome, 6-9 senior center
Major nonconference games:
Nov 16: host Rutgers
Nov 21, 23: Garden State Tipoff Classic at Rutgers, games against St. Bonaventure and Marist
Nov 29: at Seton Hall
Dec 13: host Ohio University
Dec 30: host Toledo
With the eligibility of Saint Joseph’s transfer Jawan Carter, and the strong play of Georgetown transfer Marc Egerson during last year’s conference schedule, Delaware should be able to stay in the middle of the CAA pack- perhaps even improve a bit – despite the loss of Herb Courtney.

4. Georgia State Panthers (9-21, 5-13 CAA, tied for tenth place)
Projected starters:
D.J. Jones, 6-1 sophomore guard
Leonard Mendez, 6-5 senior guard
Rashad Chase, 6-7 senior forward
Kevin Lott, 6-7 junior forward
Chris Echols, 6-6 junior forward (eligible transfer from Arkansas-Ft. Smith JC)
Major nonconference games:
Nov 14-16: NABC Classic at Minneapolis, games against Bowling Green, Concordia-St. Paul, and Minnesota
Dec 13: host Florida State
Dec 17: at Georgia Tech
Dec 27: at Texas-San Antonio
America’s biggest junior class in numbers (and pretty darn big in physical size) should rebound and defend. This writer projects sophomore D.J. Jones to take over the point from junior Trae Goldston, with Goldston, Lefty Driesel’s junior grandson Michael Moynihan, and Wake Forest junior transfer Joe Dukes (eligible in December) all pushing for playing time. If JUCO Chris Echols produces at forward, along with even one of the three SEC transfers (6-10 Xavier Hansbro and 6-7 Trey Hampton from Rod Barnes’ last program Mississippi, and 6-8 Bernard Rimmer from Mississippi State), this could be a big year for the Panthers, with good enough basketball to make the Sports Arena more crowded on game nights.

3. VCU Rams (24-8, 15-3 CAA, first place; eliminated in tournament semi-final by William and Mary)
Projected starters:
Eric Maynor, 6-2 senior guard
Joey Rodriguez, 5-9 sophomore guard
T.J. Gwinn, 6-4 junior forward
Lance Kearse, 6-6 sophomore forward
Larry Sanders, 6-9 sophomore center
Major nonconference games:
Nov 22: at URI
Nov 25: at East Carolina
Nov 29, 30: Cancun Challenge, games against New Mexico and Drake/Vanderbilt
Dec 4: host Western Michigan
Dec 13: at Richmond (Farm Bureau Blue and Black Classic)
Dec 17: host Akron
Dec 20: at Oklahoma
Major conference games:
Jan 17: host Old Dominion
Jan 21: at Georgia State (GSU a tougher test now in its own building)
Jan 28: host Northeastern (only meeting of the year)
Feb 14: at ODU (could be the game of the year in the conference)
Last year’s Player of the Year (Maynor), and my projected Player of the Year for this year (Sanders) on the same team, a point guard and a center, and I’m picking them third?! Either the conference’s best team the last two years is flying under my radar, or Northeastern and ODU are pretty darn good! What a wonderfully strong third-best team VCU would be, and this time, I suspect they won’t burn out for the conference semi-final and NIT, like they did last year.

2. Old Dominion Monarchs (18-16, 11-7 CAA, fourth place)
Projected starters:
Darius James, 6-1 sophomore guard
Marsharee Neely, 6-2 junior guard
Ben Finney, 6-5 sophomore forward
Frank Hassell, 6-8 sophomore forward
Gerald Lee, 6-10 junior center
Major nonconference games:
Nov 16: at UNC-Charlotte
Nov 22: host UAB
Nov 29: at Marshall
Dec 3: host Richmond
Dec 17: at Duquesne
Dec 20: host Winthrop
Major conference games:
Jan 3: at Georgia State
Jam 10: at George Mason (in-state rival, in their gym)
Jan 13: host Georgia State (GSU twice in the first ten days of conference-only play)
Jan 17: at VCU
Jan 24: host Northeastern
Feb 14: host VCU
Feb 28: at Northeastern (expect lots of snow in Boston)
Coach Blaine Taylor had the best recruiting class in the conference, and reserve forward Jonathan Adams is the only senior. Let me be the first to say that ODU will win the conference in 2009-10, and could very well do it this year. Four starters returning from last year’s CBI team, and if you don’t love Marsharee Neely, I count four quality second guards pushing him for the job. Redshirt freshmen guards Etiole Imama from Montreal and Kent Bazemore from North Carolina should merit playing time. And true freshmen guards Marquel Delancey (Mt. Vernon, Alexandria) and Trian Iliadis (Australia) could be just as good, though one would think one or both would redshirt for this season.

1. Northeastern Huskies (14-17, 9-9 CAA, tied for sixth place)
Projected starters:
Chaisson Allen, 6-4 sophomore guard
Matt Janning, 6-4 junior guard
Erik Etherly, 6-7 freshman forward (Annandale, VA)
Nkem Ojougboh, 6-9 junior forward
Manny Adako, 6-8 junior center
Major nonconference games:
Nov 11-12: 2K Sports Classic at Ann Arbor, games against IUPUI and Michigan/Michigan Tech
Nov 15: at Providence
Nov 20-21: possible 2K Sports Classic semifinal and final at Madison Square Garden
Nov 29: at South Florida
Dec 3: host URI
Dec 22: at Indiana
Dec 31: at Memphis
Major conference games:
Jan 7: at Georgia State
Jan 24: at Old Dominion
Jan 27: at Virginia Commonwealth (only match-up of the year with VCU; what a road trip that’ll be!)
Feb 28: host ODU (will the winner get the No. 1 seed?!)
The Huskies have a slightly easier – but still brutal – non-league schedule, also a tiny bit fairer in terms of home games. If athletic Virginia freshman Erik Etherly can handle the three spot by the time conference play begins, that leaves just one obvious hole to be filled. It’s not at forward, where Vin Lima will back up Nkem Ojougboh and Manny Adako at the four and five positions. It’s no longer at the three, where former starter Chris Alvarez and streaky shooter Eugene Spates will combine to back up Etherly. It’s at guard. As good as the Allen-Janning backcourt can be, the only other player on the roster with significant time in the backcourt is diminutive French junior Baptiste Bataille, and he may not overachieve for a second straight season. That moves the focus to athletic but inconsistent sophomore Allen Aragbaye. An athletic 6-4 who can shoot outside, if Aragbaye can provide steady reserve play in the backcourt, this Husky team just might be good enough to win the conference.
Also, could this be the year Northeastern breaks through, and captures a piece of the Boston market? With neither the Celtics nor Boston College playing on Saturday February 28, will the Huskies sell out their 6 p.m. regular season finale against ODU? On the court, with Allen’s scoring up to the level of the rest of his game, the Allen-Janning backcourt could be beautiful to watch. While I am calling it the best in the conference, I wonder if national writers will be watching closely enough.

Concluding comment

So for all you CAA fans; for all you mid-major fans; for all you fans of America’s best college basketball: keep an eye on the improved and still-balanced CAA. Watch all those transfers at Towson and Georgia State (and the ones at Wilmington and Delaware). Watch Maynor and Sanders at VCU, another great mix of old and new at ODU, and that backcourt of Allen and Janning at Northeastern. And watch the CAA pull back into America’s top ten conferences… perhaps even into the top eight!

Preseason note

Occasionally real life intrudes upon one’s passion, and that took place for this writer during the off-season. That intrusion was real life causing me to relocate to Ohio, where I both coached and practiced law in the 90s. That makes the knowledge I gained the last two years covering Northeastern and the CAA no longer quite as useful (think I had packed much of it into short-term memory anyway). I will report from various games during the season and the CAA Tournament in Richmond at season’s end. Thanks for all of the notes you CAA fans sent (and the help); if Horizon fans are as much fun I’m in for a super winter!