The Atlantic 10 Tournament has a strange format in that, of the 14 member schools, only the top 12 make the tournament. This year, that meant La Salle and Fordham stayed home. The first round games are played at the home site of the higher seed today, and those four winners advance to the tournament proper kicking off Friday in Atlantic City. Here are the top fourteen returning scorers from previous Atlantic 10 tournaments who may or may not actually make it to Atlantic City...
#1: Ryan Brooks (Temple guard; 88 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - Senior guard to a very good Temple team, and a solid role player who can accept his position on a good team and allow someone else to be the star. Temple has always had solidly coached teams, and coach Fran Dunphy has carried on the wise tradition set by Don Chaney. The Owls are the number one seed going into Atlantic City and expected to do the conference proud in the NCAA tournament as well.
#2: Marcus Johnson (Dayton guard; 75 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - The Flyers have not had the season they expected to have, especially with high profile high school athlete Marcus Johnson maturing to his senior year. The first round game in Dayton tonight where they host George Washington is a showdown of underachievers to go to Atlantic City and get knocked out by Xavier, who is usually strong even in sub-par seasons.
#3: Bill Clark (Duquesne guard/forward; 62 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - Part of a solid nucleus of returning players from last year's Duquesne team that made the A-10 championship game, yet they only earned themselves a #9 seed and will have to beat St. Bonaventure at home in Pittsburgh to earn a flight to Atlantic City and unenviable position of challenging the Temple Owls.
#4: Kevin Anderson (Richmond guard; 62 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - The Atlantic 10's player of the year this year, and he's still only a Junior. The semifinals on in the Atlantic 10 tourney actually should be some high quality basketball this year, as opposed to some seasons where there's one good team, two questionable ones, and then a bunch of go-nowheres.
(La Salle guard Rodney Green, who has scored 62 points in previous A-10 tournaments, would have gone here if La Salle had not finished next to last in the conference and not qualified for the damned thing.)
#5: Darrin Govens (St. Joseph's guard; 60 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - Senior leader of a St. Joe's team that actually won the A-10 title two years ago, and has fallen to being the last team to qualify for this year's tournament. They have to win at Rhode Island tonight just to get into Atlantic City.
#6: Melquan Bolding (Duquesne guard/forward; 56 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - Just recently signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens, and once broke his face.
#7: Damian Saunders (Duquesne forward; 56 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - Saunders was named first team All-Atlantic 10 and the A-10 defensive player of the year. And yet, here they are, dwindling on the bubble of even going to Atlantic City. Might they upset Temple? Seems possible at least, and it is March, and the madness gets started long before the NCAA selection committee finishes tinkering with their brackets.
#8: Lavoy Allen (Temple forward; 48 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - Allen's only a junior, and took over the A-10 this year, making first team All-A10, and clocking 12 double doubles. His dominating presence closer to the basket combined with Ryan Brooks on the perimeter make them a tough team to not go ahead and declare Kings of Atlantic City.
#9: David Gonzalvez (Richmond guard; 46 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - A guy like Anderson can become player of the year when surrounded by complementary teammates, like Gonzalvez, a second team All-A10 player, and defensive specialist, who has made his name known in Virginia during his run at U of R. A back court combo like Anderson and Gonzalvez not only makes them a tough team for the Atlantic 10 tourney, it makes them a legitimate threat in the NCAA tournament to get to the second weekend and maybe the elite eight.
#10: Eric Evans (Duquesne guard; 39 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - Sophomore sensation on the Duquesne Dukes team, most noteworthy in recent years for having five players get shot up back in 2006.
#11: Garrett Williamson (St. Joseph's guard; 37 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - A solid shooter who has made the A-10 All-Defensive team two years in a row.
#12: Dan Geriot (Richmond center; 36 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - Every non-premier basketball program in Division I needs a big ugly whiteboy to do some enforcing on the inside. That is Dan Geriot's job.
#13: Keith Cothran (Rhode Island guard; 34 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - Senior season player; the Rams of Rhode Island have to beat St. Joseph's at home to earn a chance to play Saint Louis in Atlantic City.
#14: Mickey Perry (Dayton guard; 33 previous points in the A-10 tournament) - Briefly played Big Ten ball in Wisconsin before transferring to Dayton, where he is petering out his last season of college basketball eligibility.
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