All about the A-10

Good morning! It’s another great day for a media day. The Field of 68’s focus is on the Southern Conference, which will feature coach and player interviews from 9:30 am - 4:30 pm ET. Watch it on X.com/Twitter or on YouTube.

Let's get to Wednesday’s news.

1. VCU narrowly tops SLU as top A10 team + more from media day

Did you watch all five hours of Atlantic 10 media day coverage? Don’t worry. I’ll cover the important things.

First and foremost, something hasn’t changed: The A-10 runs through VCU.

The Rams were picked to finish first in the preseason poll with 11 first-place votes. Saint Louis also had 11 first-place votes, but was just ahead of the Billikens in total points (342 to 341). Dayton, George Washington and and Loyola-Chicago rounded out the top five.

VCU has no shortage of talent. It brought in loads of high-major talent: Jadrian Tracey (Oregon), Tyrell Ward (LSU), and Ahmad Nowell (UConn), among others. But the player new coach Phil Martelli Jr. brought to media day was returning guard Brandon Jennings.

And that's for one reason.

"I don't know if there's anyone who represents VCU better than Brandon Jennings," Martelli said. "Richmond kid, homegrown. His intensity. All I've ever seen from him is care about winning. He's never looked at me and gone, Well, I didn't get that shot. It's always just like, I didn't get that shot, but he's sprinting back."

That’s just one of many good stories from A-10 Media Day, which is celebrating its 50th season. Watch all the coverage below.

Rob Dauster and John Fanta spoke to each A-10 coach and various players, so check that out. You can see a few highlights and good quotes below.

• Loyola Chicago center Miles Rubin is one of the sport’s top rim-protectors. Why stay at Loyola? “I felt like there was no reason to go anywhere. I feel very comfortable where I am. I feel like Drew (Valentine) trusts me a lot, and he believes in me and what I can become in the future.”

• New Fordham coach Mike Magpayo fielded an entirely new roster, and focused on one thing: "We lived by the numbers," he said. "I went for high offensive ratings, efficient players. Like DeJour Reeves had over a 100 offensive rating at Iona and Northern Colorado, obviously averaged 17 ppg."

• Steve Donahue went from an assistant to head coach of St Joe's in September. "This business is really difficult. To have jobs, to stay in this business, and the longevity I had. And then the situation at Penn and in a lot of ways, to land a better job 20 minutes closer to my home. So it saves on the commute."

• Rhode Island guard Tyler Cochran lost some major weight this offseason, dropping from 253 pounds to 225 pounds in eight weeks. He's back in playing shape after missing last year.

• Saint Louis big man Robbie Avila and coach Josh Schertz have a tight bond that extends beyond the court — like keeping Schertz’s bag from being left on the plane. "We were off the plane for about five minutes already," Avila said. And he's walking around back and forth, and I was confused on what he was doing. He finally got off, and I told him his bags in the car."

• It was refreshing to hear Richmond center Mike Walz discuss why he stayed for his final season. "All these moments and all these people that have come together and made this place remarkable and unforgettable and a place I'll always call home.” Walz said. "When the time came after the season, people were asking, hey, what are you gonna do? It was never a question. Coach Mooney trusted me when I was an 18-year-old kid; I'm going to trust him with my senior season."

• Rebound that jawn? It's a new motto for La Salle hoops under Darris Nichols. "I was coming from the grocery store, and I said this to a lady, and she had a T-shirt on that said "Nurse Jawn." Nichols said. "And I was like you know what? My teams are always top in the country at rebounding the ball. If you want your guys to really embrace something, you have to brand it as well." It also comes with a gaudy chain.

Avila and Rubin headlined the A-10 first-team, along with Dayton’s Javon Bennett, George Mason’s Brayden O’Connor, George Washington’s Rafael Castro and St. Joe’s guard Deuce Jones II. You can see the rest of the all-conference picks here.

2. Maryland, Creighton coping with key injuries

October just started, but injuries keep popping up.

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