VCU, George Washington, Dayton, UMass, Richmond, RIU,
LaSalle. Mark those games on your calendars SJU fans, because those are the 7
teams that the “experts” say are better than St. Joe’s. SJU is predicted to finish 8th in the
A-10 this season after their amazing run of winning the A-10 Championship
last season. Considering their three most productive players last year are no
longer with the team, many believe the experts may have been too kind. Since
the team only has two returning starters, there is no doubt that the Hawks are
not the same as they were last season. Hopes are not high on HawkHill. No-one,
not even the coaches have the expectations of winning the A-10 Championship. That
is because this team is building towards the future. The plan is to make a run
in a year or two at the A-10 championship and the NCAA tournament. In a couple
years, winning the A-10 and entering the NCAA tournament are real
possibilities. SJU has the potential to be the number one team in the A-10 in a
year or so, but we will have to see growth throughout this season. However,
last year the top 6 teams in the A-10 went dancing in the NCAA tournament. So,
if the Hawks get in the top 6 of their conference they could be in the
tournament two straight years.
As
we said in our last article, the most important player this season for the
Hawks will be DeAndre Bembry. The team’s chances of making a run will fall on
his shoulders. Bembry has condensed his shot and will be taking on the number
one scoring role for the Hawks. But the real questions lay in the other
players, such as Aaron Brown and Isaiah Miles. These are two players that are
coming into the season with a lot of expectations for St. Joe’s. If the Hawks
want to compete and move up from being ranked 8th, they will have to
get production from Bembry, Miles, and Brown. Besides Bembry, Miles is expected
to take on a larger scoring role as well this season. Since Papa is out for the
season, Isaiah has one less person competing against for playing time. Miles is
officially the guy. What fans saw from Miles last season was flashes of
brilliance and head scratchers. Miles has the potential to score double digits
each game. He just needs to become more consistent. Miles’ time has come and
SJU coaches are expecting Miles to consistently show that he can consistently
score. Aaron Brown, who can be seen as a veteran on this team of young guys,
will have to provide both leadership and scoring ability. Brown will have to
fill what is missing from Halil. Like Halil, Brown is not afraid to speak his
mind. Brown will provide also provide additional athleticism. Miles and Brown
are two guys that will have to have an impact on each game this season if the
team wants to perform at the highest level.
This is going to be a season of growth and potential.
However, the 8th spot does not give this team justice. DeAndre and
Chris proved last season that they could be leaders and now that they
have been named captains, expect bigger things from them. This team has the
potential to make it to the 5th spot, if and only if all of their
players give them what they need. The pressure will be on this team, but they
will strive to become A-10 Champions. REPEAT!
-Brett
-Brett
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