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Atlantic10

Storify: Atlantic 10 Coaches Media Call – Giannini says Zack’s availability uncertain

The biggest piece of anticipated news came without much substance, as La Salle coach John Giannini simply explained that Explorer center Steve Zack, who injured his foot in the Explorers blowout win over Duquesne, would miss practice to visit a doctor today.


Storify: Atlantic 10 Coaches Conference Call

Storified by PhilaHoops· Mon, Mar 04 2013 09:01:17

On the line with the A-10 Conference Call. Follow along for the next couple hours #philahoopsJames Hill
Dwayne Evans of SLU is the A10 Player of the Week: 21.5 ppg and 12 boards per game this week #philahoopsJames Hill
Semaj Christon of Xavier gets the A10 Rookie of the Week nod. By my count, that’s six times for him this year #philahoopsJames Hill
Derek Kellogg, UMass: I don’t think there’s ever a good time to play Butler, doesn’t matter if they’ve lost two straight #philahoopsJames Hill
Chris Mack, Xavier: "We were a split personality team last week"… In my opinion, the entire year, not just this week #philahoopsJames Hill
Mack: We don’t talk about switching conferences at all with our players #philahoopsJames Hill
Mack refers to VCU’s Troy Daniels as "a human 9-0 run" because of his 3-point shooting ability #philahoopsJames Hill
Mack: Christon is arguably one of the best freshmen Xavier has ever seen #philahoopsJames Hill
Dayton’s Archie Miller on his offense, which has shot over 50% in each of their last four games: "I’m not real sure" #philahoopsJames Hill
Miller: The only team to stop us this year is ourselves turning the ball over #philahoopsJames Hill
RPI Numbers: A10 is ranked 7th as a conference. 5 in top 50, 10 in top 100. Temple is 42nd, La Salle is 45th, and SJU 87th. #philahoopsJames Hill
VCU’s Shaka Smart: There was an extra buzz and excitement in the Siegel Center after Butler beat us in the Final Four in 2011 #philahoopsJames Hill
Smart: NCAA Tournament seeding is not important. It’s all about the match-ups #philahoopsJames Hill
Fran Dunphy, Temple: I’d like to think we’re improving defensively #philahoopsJames Hill
Dunphy: We’re an inconsistent group, but we’re resilient #philahoopsJames Hill
Jim Ferry, Duquesne: We were overwhelmed by a talented LaSalle team that came out with a sense of urgency #philahoopsJames Hill
Ferry on LaSalle: Their guard play is exceptional. They are really, truly playing unselfishly #philahoopsJames Hill
Ferry used the phrases "playing unselfishly" and "sense of urgency" about 5 times when describing LaSalle #philahoopsJames Hill
Fordham’s Tom Pecora says he wouldn’t be surprised to see St. Joe’s make a run in Brooklyn #philahoopsJames Hill
Pecora stopped short of calling SJU a "sleeper team" since they were picked to win the league. Good call, Tom #philahoopsJames Hill
Pecora did blame Halil Kanacevic being in and out of the lineup various times this year as the reason they lost their rhythm #philahoopsJames Hill
Phil Martelli: We were able to do what a home team should do when a team comes in without their best player #philahoopsJames Hill
Martelli: CJ Aiken is not moving any better than he was last Thursday and Friday #philahoopsJames Hill
Martelli: The talk of Xavier/Butler leaving has a major impact on scheduling for SJU #philahoopsJames Hill
Phil Martelli says he’s unsure about CJ Aiken’s availability this week: http://www.philahoops.com/martelli-cj-aikens-status-is-still-uncertain/ #philahoops #thwndJames Hill
Mike Lonergan, GW: LaSalle’s Coach Giannini is one of the most underrated coaches in the country #philahoopsJames Hill
Giannini on deck, anxious to hear injury updates for Steve Zack and DJ Peterson #philahoopsJames Hill
Martelli: CJ Aiken’s status is still uncertain http://bit.ly/ZhFIjm #philahoopsBackdoor Cut
Giannini: Steve Zack is missing practice today to see the doctor. He had nothing definitive to report #philahoopsJames Hill
Giannini said DJ Peterson was still a bit sore, and will probably be limited in practice, but should be ok for Wednesday #philahoopsJames Hill
Giannini: In four separate conversations, people have told me they think Saint Louis can make the Final Four this year #philahoopsJames Hill
@TGYaegel_78 @JoeFedorowicz already putting on the camo face paint to blend in #philahoopsJames Hill
Charlotte’s Alan Major on the problem during the 9ers slide: We need to get our defense back to where it was #philahoopsJames Hill
Chris Mooney, when asked if VCU’s was toughest arena to visit, mentioned St. Joe’s as the toughest in his mind #philahoops @54thAirborneJames Hill
Interesting: The A10 Women’s Championship will take place in the Barclay’s Center following the men’s semifinal games #philahoopsJames Hill
The first three rounds of the women’s tournament are in Philly at SJU’s Hagan Arena #philahoopsJames Hill
CBS Sports and USA Today each have 6 A-10 Teams in the NCAA Tournament: Saint Louis, Butler, VCU, Temple, La Salle, and UMass #philahoopsJames Hill
Brad Stevens of Butler: "VCU made us really look bad on Saturday"… Ya think? Understatement of the year #philahoopsJames Hill
Butler has lost three of five, with losses to Charlotte, VCU and SLU, and wins over Fordham and Duquesne #philahoopsJames Hill
Stevens: Not many, if any, teams would have beaten VCU the way they played on Saturday #philahoopsJames Hill
Stevens: My preference would be for all 16 teams to go to Brooklyn — only 12 go, 4 will remain home #philahoopsJames Hill
Rhode Island’s Dan Hurley: We’ve talked all season in restoring pride in our program #philahoopsJames Hill
Thanks for following and tweeting along this morning. If you missed anything, check the #philahoops siteJames Hill
James, who hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, is a graduate student at Drexel working towards his J.D. and M.B.A. degrees. A 2011 Saint Joseph’s graduate, he wrote for The Hawk for the duration of his college career, working terms as both the news editor and sports editor. He graduated with a degree in business management while minoring in journalism. In addition to his studies at Drexel, James also coaches high school football at the Haverford School.

-Backdoor Cut is the official blog of Philahoops. Follow on Twitter @backdoorcutblog.