High expectations for La Salle in A-10

NEW YORK - As expected, La Salle enters the Atlantic Ten basketball season with a much higher profile than a year ago after posting a 24-10 record and advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

Meanwhile, the opposite is the case for St. Joseph's, coming off an 18-14 season and second straight NIT appearance.

One thing that both programs have in common is their coaches' thoughts on preseason predictions.

Neither La Salle's John Giannini nor St. Joseph's Phil Martelli, puts much stock in where people predict they will finish in the beginning of October.

During Tuesday's Atlantic Ten media day at the Barclays Center, La Salle was picked in the preseason poll to finish third in the 13-team conference. St. Joseph's, last year's preseason favorite, was picked fifth.

VCU was selected first while defending regular-season and postseason champion St. Louis was chosen second.

"My thoughts about being third are the same as being 14th or first," Giannini said. "It doesn't matter."

Martelli took a page from the same playbook.

"I prepared our team and told them that last year we didn't acknowledge it, we just went about our business this year we are not acknowledging it and just going about our business," Martelli said.

La Salle, which was picked seventh last preseason, returns all but one starter. But it's a huge loss in guard Ramon Galloway, who was third in the Atlantic Ten in scoring (17.2 points per game).

Explorers senior guard Tyreek Duren (Neumann-Goretti) was a preseason first team all-Atlantic Ten choice.

"I think Tyreek Duren is a great player and I think their interior players are really good," said Richmond coach Chris Mooney, a product of Archbishop Ryan. "The big challenge is [replacing] Galloway, who was tremendous, but I think La Salle will be as good this year."

Senior guard Tyrone Garland (Bartram) and junior forward Jerrell Wright (Dobbins Tech) were third-team choices.

Garland averaged 13 points per game coming off the bench and made the Southwest Philly Floater a famous shot for his game-winner in the NCAA tournament against Ole Miss that advanced La Salle to the Sweet 16.

Wright, among the most improved players, averaged 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds.

Expectations for St. Joseph's are muted to a degree, but this still should be a highly competitive team despite losing two starters, guard Carl Jones and center C.J. Aiken.

Guard Langston Galloway (13.8 ppg.) and 6-foot-8 forward Ronald Roberts Jr. (11.3 ppg., 8.3 rpg.) were both named to the preseason second team all-A-10 squad.

Junior point guard Chris Wilson (6.5 ppg., 3.5 apg.) and senior forward Halil Kanacevic (8.5 ppg., 7.2 rpg.) will also start. Martelli isn't sure about his substitute rotation, but DeAndre Bembry, a highly regarded 6-6 freshman from St. Patrick's (Elizabeth, N.J.), will be one of the starters.

@sjnard