A CAA preview using quotes from ‘The Sopranos’

It’s great to be (almost) back.

Seven months ago, UNC Wilmington toppled Delaware in our nation’s capital, punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament as the CAA’s automatic representative. The Seahawks put on a hell of a show once they hit the national stage, going blow for blow with Texas Tech before a late flurry ended their season, and the CAA’s with it. (OK, Elon lost to Army in the CBI three days later, but work with me here.)

Now, after a long, arduous offseason, it’s about time to do it all again.

It was a fascinating summer, too. Some teams imploded. Some stuck together. And the vast majority did a little bit of both. It’s given way to a conference that’ll be tantalizingly competitive at the top, dismal at the very bottom, and a confusing, but promising, moshpit in the middle. At the end of it all, we’ll descend back on Washington, D.C., ready to send another champion off to the Big Dance.

Predicting college basketball is impossible. What’s below is a preseason power ranking of sorts, with my anecdotal analysis sprinkled in, which will almost certainly be proven wrong in a matter of weeks. That’s just part of the fun.

Cheers to another season, and I hope you enjoy.

Oh, and I used a Sopranos quote for each team. Not really sure why, but it felt right.

“To the victor, goes the spoils.” – Bobby Bacalieri

The rich, as they say, get richer.

Since his arrival at UNCW, head coach Takayo Siddle has steered his Seahawks to a 106-47 record, including a 27-8 clip a season ago that saw them make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. Once there, they gave Texas Tech all they could handle, putting a prideful bow on an incredibly successful season for Siddle’s bunch.

And yet, they might be even better this year. Yes, the core of last season’s team is completely gone. Frontcourt lynchpins Khamari McGriff and Harlan Obioha went to Kansas State and West Virginia, respectively, while superstar point guard Donovan Newby graduated, joining fellow backcourt mates Bo Montgomery and Sean Moore.

For most teams, that level of loss would be a death sentence. Not for these Seahawks. Siddle got right to work in the portal, securing a transformational six-man class featuring a whopping four players from the CAA. That in-conference group is headlined by Stony Brook transfer guard CJ Luster, who shot 42% from beyond the arc en route to All-CAA honors. It continues with guards Jahnathan Lamothe and Madison Durr, each of whom averaged double-digits at NC A&T and Monmouth, respectively. It finishes with Towson transfer swing Christian May, who was integral to the Tigers’ effectiveness both offensively and defensively.

That familiar foursome will bring a tantalizing blend of height, ballhandling, shooting, and acumen, but it doesn’t stop there. UNCW also found a way to grab Binghamton transfer forward Gavin Walsh, who chose the Seahawks over interest from UConn and Clemson, as well as Virginia Tech center Patrick Wessler, who didn’t play much at Tech but simply oozes potential at 7-feet tall.

Those six will slot in alongside a returning group that includes three tall, capable guards in Nolan Hodge, Noah Ross, and Greedy Williams, all of whom played around 24 minutes per contest last season. Down low, Walsh and Wessler will be complemented by the 6-foot-11 Makoi Mabor Makoi, who figures to improve in his sophomore season.

When’s the last time a CAA team had a 10-man rotation that looked this damn good? I know they play the games for a reason, but would anyone be surprised to see these Seahawks representing in the Big Dance again come March?

“Genetic predispositions are only that: predispositions. It’s not a destiny written in stone. People have choices.” – Dr. Jennifer Melfi

Pat Skerry might not agree with you, Doc.

By virtually every measure, the Towson head man has experienced loads of success since his arrival. Skerry’s Tigers went a staggering 1-31 in his first season — no, that’s not a typo — but flipped a switch in year two and never looked back. Of the 12 full seasons since then, Towson has eclipsed 18 wins a whopping 10 times, culminating in four straight 20-plus win seasons, a streak that carries into this campaign.

There is a void in Skerry’s illustrious Tigers career, though. He knows it; we know it; everyone knows it: despite the oodles of regular season output, Towson hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 1991. The Charm City Curse (yes, I’m coining this) reared its head in the ugliest of fashions just last year, with the top-seeded Tigers falling in a massive upset to the upstart, hot-shooting Delaware Blue Hens in the semifinals.

Towson’s, and Skerry’s, track records are littered with finishes just like that. However, if there’s ever a time to break the CCC (coining the acronym, too), it’s this year. In a shocking development, the Tigers retained their two best players — reigning CAA Player of the Year Tyler Tejada and All-CAA Second Teamer Dylan Williamson — through an offseason where either player could’ve easily left for greener pastures, giving TU a superstar duo that feels like the best in the conference by a wide margin.

The rest of the roster is… not. After Tejada and Williamson, six of Towson’s rotational pieces from a season ago are gone, leaving just Caleb Embeya and Abdou Samb, who combined to play 24 minutes a game. Star role players such as Nendah Tarke, Tomiwa Sulaiman, and Messiah Jones all graduated, while the sharpshooting Christian May headed south to UNCW and steady backup point guard Mekhi Lowery left for UIC. Graduate Valpo transfer Tyler Schmidt should replace some of May’s shooting, and Wright State grad transfer Jack Doumbia Jr. pencils in as a like-for-like Tarke replacement, but the depth beyond that will rely on unknowns.

Maybe 7-foot Fresno transfer Mor Seck adds a new dimension, or Embeya takes a leap in his second year. Maybe not, though, and barring something supernatural from the Tejada-Williamson duo, a few players from this mishmash of depth will need to step up for a week in March for Skerry to finally snap his destiny and break that Charm City Curse.

“You’re only as good as your last envelope.” – Paulie Gualtieri

Year one of the Pat Kelsey-Chris Mack coach swap probably bore more fruit for a resurgent Louisville team than it did Charleston, but the latter’s first year in the Palmetto State was pretty decent in its own right. Although Mack’s Cougars fell short of the Big Dance, a 24-9 record and a nail-biting loss to UNCW in the CAA Semifinals would be considered acceptable for most coaches heading up a mid-major program for the first time.

In Charleston, though, winning is the expectation, and a second-straight season without postseason play could put Mack under pressure after Kelsey took the Cougars to two NCAA tournaments in three years. Getting back won’t be easy, either. Each and every one of their top-eight minutes leaders from a season ago is gone, and their only returner with any real experience is Serbian junior Đorđe Ćurčić, who appeared in 22 games a season ago.

Mack did some damage in the portal, though, bringing in stars (Colby Duggan from conference foe Campbell, Mister Dean from USC Upstate and Christian Reeves from Clemson) along with some quality depth. In fact, Dean and Duggan could challenge Towson’s duo for the most talented in the conference, with both players receiving preseason All-CAA nods. Their similar styles — both downhill, attacking players — should mesh well, as Charleston has the necessary shooting in transfers Kendall Taylor and Bryce Baker as well as the playmaking in Jlynn Counter to surround them properly.

Chemistry will be the name of the game here, and while they should stack wins throughout a meager non-conference schedule, a second straight tournament exit could see the temperature of Mack’s seat start to rise. Even with all the buzz, and a categorically good first season for Mack’s Cougars, that envelope is going to have to get thicker in the next year or two if the new head coach is to be considered a success.

“Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in!” – Silvio Dante

Hampton’s first two years in the CAA didn’t go so well.

After joining from the Big South before the 2022-23 season, the Pirates struggled, sputtering to a combined 17-48 record over their first two seasons, resulting in the firing of head coach Edward Joyner. The CAA’s 2024-25 preseason poll placed new coach Ivan Thomas’s Hampton squarely in last, well behind the likes of NC A&T and Stony Brook.

And, after a 3-8 start to conference play, the polls looked vindicated. Many, including myself, wrote Hampton off, assuming it’d be another lost year. From there, however, the Pirates rattled off five straight wins, including a dominant performance over UNCW before losing two tight ones on the road to close their season. A hard-fought victory over Northeastern in the CAA Tournament proved their run not to be a fluke, and even as UNCW knocked them out in the next round, Hampton had finally established itself in the CAA with their first winning season since 2018-19.

While a lot of quality players either graduated or transferred over the summer, the Pirates did well to retain a few key guys while bringing in some established, plug-n-play pieces to replace them. Breakout stars such as sophomore guards Etienne Strothers and Daniel Johnson are still around, and forwards Eunique Rink and Xzavier Long stuck in southeastern Virginia to prowl the frontcourt. Surrounding them are newcomers such as Alcorn State transfer Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt, former Southern Miss swingman Christian Watson and sharpshooting Hawaii transfer Kody Williams.

Hampton’s backcourt is one of the conference’s most talented, and if Rink, Long, and graduate 7-footer Josh Ogundele can hold their own in the frontcourt, this Pirates team can battle with the big boys. Don’t be surprised if Hampton has two byes come tournament time. Look for Strothers to find himself on an All-CAA team.

“We need to repeat what’s familiar, even if it’s bad for us.” – Dr. Jennifer Melfi

OK, maybe King Rice isn’t necessarily bad for Monmouth. But there’s no debating his familiarity, and while his results over a long 14 years have been solid enough to earn him the benefit of the doubt, a 38-61 stretch over his last three years at the helm has raised some eyebrows.

Despite (or maybe in spite of, depending who you ask) Abdi Bashir Jr.’s breakout, James Harden-esque campaign a year ago, the Hawks flatlined to a 13-20 mark. Although they managed a 10-8 clip within the conference, Monmouth’s defense bled points, which was hampered by a frontcourt that ranked in the bottom 3% in defensive rebound rate; offensively, that same frontcourt couldn’t put the ball in the basket, ranking even worse in efficiency from inside the arc.

With the engines of that team gone — Bashir to Kansas State and complementary stud Madison Durr to CAA rivals UNCW — the identity will change, but have they improved? Senior transfer guard Kavion McClain should help fill the scoring void, and senior returner guard Jack Collins performed well enough as a junior to earn preseason an All-CAA Second Team nod, but the frontcourt looks the same as a season ago. Cornelius Robinson is talented, but functions as more of a swing at 6-foot-7. Dok Muordar stands at a towering 7-foot-1 but has never played more than 15 minutes per game. Outside of that, the frontcourt options are all either freshmen or big guards. If that group can rebound and defend, Monmouth’s ballhandlers are good enough, but that’s a big if.

“Remember ‘when’ is the lowest form of conversation.” – Tony Soprano

Remember when Hofstra was a yearly force to be reckoned with in the CAA?

Alright, I do too. It was just two years ago, after all. Before last season, the Pride had its first losing conference record since 2014. It failed to win the conference tournament in any of those years. At the very least, Hempstead had good basketball to look forward to on a yearly basis.

So, then, 2024-25 was a disaster, one in which a highly thought of squad dramatically underperformed to the tune of 6-12 in conference play. Hofstra had two uber-talented guards in Cruz Davis and Jean Aranguren, but little else went their way. Now, after a weird offseason in which the two star guards put out a joint announcement professing their loyalty before Aranguren entered the portal just weeks later, the Pride comes into 2025-26 with an incomplete roster which will rely heavily on transfers and freshmen to compete.

Biggie Patterson’s arrival from Iona should help matters. At 6-foot-7, he’s a versatile, experienced guard who should help Hofstra on both ends. The shooting will improve with A.J. Wills from Wyoming joining the rotation, and a couple lower-division transfers, such as Trey Boyd III (Pace), have the potential to provide some depth. Elsewhere, maybe uber-athletic center Victory Onuetu from the international circuit can have a significant impact from day one. Silas Sunday, German Plotnikov, and Joshua DeCady make up three intriguing returners, and there are some freshmen that could play a role.

Even so… it’s hard to see a scenario in which this team got too much better from a season ago. Unless Davis and Patterson make magic, it could be another season of “remember whens” for Speedy Claxton’s Pride.

“You steer the ship the best you know. Sometimes it’s smooth, sometimes you hit the rocks.” – Junior Corrado

Bill Coen has been steering this ship a long time.

Tip-off in November will mark the beginning of Coen’s 20th year at the helm, which has produced a record of — wait for it — 299-299. He’s had his fair share of success over that time, leading the Huskies to two NCAA Tournaments and four CAA regular season titles while molding talents like Tyson Walker and Jahmyl Telfort into stars at the high-major level. Coen has rightfully the benefit of the doubt, and with Northeastern ticketed to be without Matthews Arena for the better part of three seasons, the stability he brings is no doubt attractive to a middle-of-the-road CAA program.

Despite all of that, the Huskies’ ship over the last four-plus seasons has strayed off course. NU is just 48-77 since 2021, and a highly-touted, extremely talented roster last season could only muster a 17-15 record and a meek first round conference tournament exit. And that was before star guards Rashad King and Masai Troutman left for LSU and George Washington, respectively, and CAA blocks leader Collin Metcalf departed for Maryland.

It’s not all bad. Coen convinced stud guard LA Pratt to stick around, and the sharpshooting Will Kermoury will step into a massive void after injuries hampered a promising sophomore season. JB Frankel will provide some stability at the point guard position, and the Huskies figure to get consistent play out of Davidson transfer guard Mike Loughnane. The frontcourt is a bit hairier, though — some combination of the undersized Youri Fritz, the inexperienced Xander Alarie, and the undersized and inexperienced (at the NCAA level, at least) Haris Elezovic will be in the mix. Look out for the 7-foot freshman Petar Pinter in a pinch (try saying that five times fast), but outside of him, the Huskies are going to be hard-pressed for size. If the frontcourt holds up and a six-man freshman class can produce a few difference-makers. Keep an eye out — if not, you’ll know, because this bunch will finish in the bottom third. (Oh, and if sophomore guard Luca Soroa breaks out, remember I told you so.)

“It’s not a nursing home! It’s a retirement community.” – Tony Soprano

Got that IcyHot ready?

This season’s Tribe is old, with eight players in either their senior or graduate year. Below that, they have four juniors to round out a whopping 12 upperclassmen, easily taking the mantle as the CAA’s most weathered team.

In head coach Brian Earl’s system, that’s probably a good thing. Earl’s philosophy — push the pace, press full-court, chuck threes, and make wholesale, hockey-style substitutions — requires equal parts of conditioning and experience, which this William & Mary team should possess in spades.

Last year was Earl’s first season at the helm. It went well, as his arrival helped transform a program that had endured a lot of losing over the past couple years into a fourth-place finish. Sustainability was a question, though, as they went just 4-6 in their last 10 regular-season games before getting trounced by lower-seeded Delaware in their first CAA Tournament game.

A large chunk of last season’s core is gone with the Dorsey brothers, Noah Collier, Matteus Case, Keller Boothby, Isaiah Mbeng and Malachi Ndur all out the door. The Dorseys and Collier stand out as the biggest losses, but when you add the rest, the Tribe lost nearly 62 points per game. Gabe Dorsey and Collier were also the team’s two best 3-point shooters, creating a void not only in minutes but also in identity.

Guards Kyle Pulliam and Chase Lowe, who were each very good a season ago, are still around. Kyle Frazier is also still there. He gives the Tribe a legitimate shooting threat from beyond the arc. Outside of that, this roster is mostly transfers, headlined by FDU switchover Jo’El Emanuel, who fits Earl’s pressing system like a glove, and Cade Haskins, a Dartmouth transfer that shot the lights out at his old school. Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi, from La Salle, is intriguing, but the Swedish forward never really broke out in Philadelphia and will be a major question mark (albeit one with significant potential) in Williamsburg. Behind them, it’s mostly JUCO transfers, such as Reese Miller and Ethan Connery, who both had very solid-if-unspectacular years at the lower levels.

As long as they play Earl’s style, the Tribe is going to be a tough team to project. Can it make 22 more threes than their closest in-conference foe again next year? Can they force a whopping 12.7 turnovers per game again? Will a team with no projected rotational pieces above 6-foot-8 compete enough on the glass to avoid falling into a rebounding chasm?

Nobody knows. If you claim to know, you’re a liar. With that being said, a lot went right for William & Mary last season, and a roster with significant turnover feels like a ripe target for some regression. If they do tread water, or get better, both the experience of the retirement community and the 3-point shot will play huge roles.

Campbell Fightin’ Camels

“You didn’t go to hell; you went to purgatory, my friend.” – Paulie Gualtieri

Let me start by saying that Buies Creek, N.C., isn’t the purgatory in question. I’m sure it’s a nice place (I think).

But, if being 149 games under .500 since your last NCAA Tournament appearance (which was in 1992, by the way) isn’t purgatory, I’m not sure what is. In that period, the Fightin’ Camels have been in four different conferences — including the Big South on two different occasions — without any prize to show for it. And, while things weren’t catastrophic under Kevin McGeehan’s 12-year tenure, they didn’t improve much either, and the Humps (as they’re so affectionately called) will roll into their third year in the CAA without much in the way of success thus far. Unless, of course, you count last year’s fun regular season win streak that served as a life raft to another middling season and early tournament exit.

The pieces from last year’s competitive team are all but gone: CAA First-Teamer Colby Duggan spurned Campbell for their neighboring in-conference foe in Charleston, while CAA Defensive Player of the Year Nolan Dorsey booked a ticket to paradise and the Cal Golden Bears. Jasin Sinani, Caleb Zurliene and Terren Frank graduated. While Campbell did stumble upon some reinforcements such as graduate guard DJ Smith (Robert Morris) and Jeremiah Johnson (Green Bay). They’ll be reliant on volatile arrivals such as Dovydas Butka (Pepperdine) and Muneer Newton (Delaware St.) to reach their full potential. Ultimately, though, the fate of this team rests with star guard Cam Gregory, who stuck around through a turbulent offseason to lead the Humps once more into the breach.

Oh, and they also fired McGeehan, replacing him with Florida’s national champion assistant John Andrzejek. Probably should’ve mentioned that earlier. Nothing gets the heart pumping like leaving the national spotlight for purgatory — or Buies Creek, N.C. If Campbell is going to be successful, look for this group of newcomers to quickly familiarize themselves with Andrzejek’s vaunted defensive system.

“People only see what you allow them to see.” – Dr. Jennifer Melfi

What do people see in Stony Brook?

They don’t let me vote on the poll, but I can harbor a guess. I’d say… a gutted, unfamiliar roster coming off the school’s worst season (8-24) since 2008. Oh, and that team’s best player is now playing for your conference rival in UNCW, which seems like a bad thing.

All of that is true, and it’s why the Seawolves are third from the bottom in the CAA’s preseason poll. It will undoubtedly be a tall task for head coach Geno Ford to pull Stony Brook back to former glory without any semblance of continuity and what little talent he had at his disposal a season ago gone.

With that being said… the 2025-26 Seawolves have some pieces. Sophomore guard Collin O’Connor parlayed All-Rookie honors a season ago into a preseason All-CAA slot this year, and junior forward Leon Nahar returns with him. In transfer guards Erik Pratt and Rob Brown II, Ford has two veteran scorers who excelled in similar conferences a season ago. Sophomore forward Richard Goods showed promise at Hampton in 2024-25. Oleg Kojenets, a 7-foot transfer from Wyoming, should help stabilize the middle, too, adding some oomph to a frontcourt that sorely lacked it last year.

Beyond those six, it admittedly gets dicey, but if one more guy can step up — looking at you, New Haven transfer swing Ethan Simmon — Stony Brook has a fighting chance to compete. Yes, the depth is brutal, but I’d say the top-end talent here is deserving of a spot or two higher than they found themselves in the poll.

“He was with the interior ministry. Guy was some kind of Russian Green Beret.” – Tony Soprano

One thing you can’t take away from Drexel is that its coaches seem to routinely have awesome names.

Zach Spiker is an objectively sweet name. Brings to mind visions of Rob Gronkowski, or a 2000s mohawk hairstyle. Bruiser Flint, who preceded him, is an absolute all-timer. Steve Seymour doesn’t jump off the page, but he gets extra points for sharing with a Simpsons character.

Unfortunately for Drexel, even though the “N” in “NIL” stands for “name”, that’s probably not what recruits — or transfers — are thinking about when they make their decisions. At least not if recent history is any indication. Last year’s trio of star Dragons guards (Kobe MaGee, Yame Butler and Jason Drake) all departed in the offseason, fleeing for greener pastures such as Florida State, Butler (yes, Yame Butler is playing for Butler now) and Indiana, respectively. Not wanting to be left out, junior forward Cole Hargrave joined the exodus, himself heading to the Big East and Providence.

For those keeping track at home, that’s four transfers out, all to major conferences. That’s a lot of talent to go… 18-15 and finish seventh in the CAA, which they did. Hmmmm. Now that all that talent is gone, and little in the way of offseason recruiting seems to have been done about it, what’s next for Drexel? Is a team with objectively less talent and the same coaching staff going to be even close to as competitive?

You might be wondering what the deal is with the quote, which is understandable. I was going to get there. Drexel’s best returner is senior forward Victor Panov, who hails from St. Petersburg, Russia. He’s really good, but outside of him, it’s really junior guards Kevon Vanderhorst and Shane Blakeney alongside D-III transfer guard Eli Beard. Garfield Turner will be a welcome sight after an injury cost him all of last season. Maybe Villiam Garcia Adsten can make a stride. There’s a lot of “ifs” here, not much upside, and the Dragons have sneaky cellar-dweller potential.

“They say every day’s a gift, but why does it have to be a pair of socks?” – Tony Soprano

Maybe a quote from a different show would’ve done the job here: “Who are you people?” – Patrick Star

Elon had — and then lost — a lot of talent. Nine players entered the transfer portal, and seven of their top eight minutes leaders from a season ago are gone. Sam Sherry graduated. Others, such as the Simpkins brothers and Nick Dorn, found homes in power conferences. Matt Van Komen, a 7-foot-4 center, headed to Marshall, and depth pieces such as Andrew King and Brayden Crump left for lateral moves. Even with all that talent, Billy Taylor’s bunch endured frustrating inconsistency en route to a 17-16 mark, punctuated by wins over Notre Dame, UNCW, and Towson, but it was peppered with puzzling losses to Gardner-Webb, NC A&T and Stony Brook.

Now, that talent is gone, and all that’s left (besides junior forward Isaac Harrell) is the coaching structure that led to that instability. Of Elon’s incomers, none jump off the page. Maybe grad forwards Chandler Cuthrell or Kacper Klaczek provide an inside presence, or junior guard Randall Pettus II makes a leap, but the more likely outcome is a much bleaker one: a jumbled hierarchy of average-ish players struggling to keep their heads above water throughout a tough non-conference schedule and a CAA slate which includes two matchups against each of Towson, UNCW, Charleston and William & Mary. Keep an eye on the Phoenix as a potential bottom-feeder.

“You ever feel like nothin good was ever gonna happen to you?” “Yeah, and it didn’t. So what?” – Christopher Moltisanti and Paulie Gualtieri

Want some numbers?

The 2024-25 Aggies ranked in the bottom 20% of the country in nine different KenPom categories, including — but not limited to — offensive and defensive efficiency. They finished 7-25 for the second straight season, and won three conference games — by a combined five points. After starting 3-2, NC A&T finished 4-23, bringing their season to a close with a 22-point drubbing at the hands of a maligned Hofstra.

Want to feel even worse?

In January, following an 0-9 start to conference play, the Aggies’ three leading scorers (Ryan Forrest, Landon Glasper and Julius Reese) were all suspended indefinitely for a “violation of team rules.” All three would never play again for A&T, hitting the portal nearly instantly. In their absence, sophomores Jahnathan Lamothe and Nikolaos Chitikoudis broke out. They also exited in the summer, transferring to UNCW and Robert Morris, respectively. What’s left is a smattering of players left over from a year-from-hell campaign, a handful of generally uninspiring transfers and a jumbled hierarchy with next-to-no clarity at any position.

If the Aggies do manage to compete, the path runs through center Will Felton, whose massive frame and potential should make him the focal point of his team on both sides of the ball. Look out for junior guard Bryson Ogletree too. He showed flashes a season ago and will have every opportunity to establish himself as a lead guard.

The outlook here is… not good. KenPom has this team 353rd in the country — out of 365. Think of it like a Closed for Renovation year for head coach Monte Ross and his team.

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