Atlantic 10 Transfers to Watch in 2018-19

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Atlantic 10
(Photo by Chris Coduto/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)

The Atlantic 10 Conference enters the 2018-2019 regular season with major contributors no longer on their respective rosters. Jaylen Adams, Matt Mobley, Peyton Aldridge, Justin Tillman, B.J. Johnson, E.C. Matthews, Jared Terrell, Yuta Watanabe, Shavar Newkirk, and James Demery all graduated. This forced plenty of teams to be active on the transfer market the last two summers in preparation for the upcoming season. With nearly two months left before the start of the regular season, who are the Atlantic 10 transfers to watch?

G Antwon Portley, Fordham

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Antwon Portley is the quietest transfer into the Atlantic 10. He transferred from St. Peter’s to the worst team in the conference, so that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Portley arrived in Jersey City in 2015 and immediately entered the starting lineup. He started all 30 games for the Peacock’s and also led the team in scoring. It only took 14 points per game, but he turned into a top scoring option during his first season playing Division 1 basketball. His hard work paid off with three MAAC Rookie of the Week titles and a spot of the All-Rookie team.  

Sophomore year came with a sophomore slump. Portley only started in 12 of his 36 appearances. His points, rebounds, and field goal shooting percentage all regressed. This year off gave him time to add strength and improve his already solid 34 percent three-point shooting percentage.

The Junior joins a Rams team without leading scorer Will Tavares. Expect Portley and Tre Evans to compete for starting shooting guard.

G Troy Holston, St. Joseph’s

JOE PETRO/ICON SPORTSWIRE

St. Joseph’s has six quality players returning next season and can also add a solid transfer into the rotation. Troy Holston, a South Florida transfer, played two full seasons in Tampa. He suffered two season-ending knee injuries and missed all of the 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 seasons. This season is his final season of eligibility.

Holston produced in the two seasons he played in. He averaged 7.9 and 9.7 points per game, respectively. He also led the Bulls with 54 three-point field goals made his sophomore season. St. Joseph’s finished 247th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage. 

Expect Chris Clover to start at shooting guard with Phil Martelli easing Holston back to action. Having two knee surgeries is always a red flag for a head coach. With St. Joseph’s contending for the conference title, they need to make sure Holston is healthy at the end of the season.

G Armel Potter, George Washington

(Jim Killian/CSU athletics)

Armel Potter is a bright spot to what’s been a rough summer for George Washington. They lost their top three scorers in Yuta Watanabe, Jair Bolden, and Patrick Steeves. Watanabe also led the Colonials in rebounds and blocks per game. Bolden led the team in assists.

Potter gives George Washington an offensive weapon who’s comfortable playing a top role. He led Charleston Southern in 2015-16 with 13.8 points per game. That ranked second among freshman and landed him a spot on the Big South All-Freshman team. His sophomore year saw a slight dip averaging 12.7 per game.

Potter looks ready to take the Colonials starting point guard spot aside Terry Nolan Jr. Expect a rebuilding year in our nation’s capital.

G Curtis Cobb, UMass

Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

UMass didn’t have to travel far to land a quality transfer.

Fairfield University transfer Curtis Cobb joins the Atlantic 10 after two solid seasons in the MAAC. Cobb averaged 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game during his All-MAAC Freshman First Team season. He improved in all three categories his sophomore year. 

Cobb shot nearly 40 percent from the field and 35 percent from three over his two collegiate seasons. He should have no issues fitting into Matt McCall’s system.

Luwane Pipkins, Carl Pierre, and Cobb give UMass a solid three-headed monster for the next three seasons. Expect major improvement in Amherst. 

G Traci Carter, La Salle

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Traci Carter went from a promising freshman to a regressing sophomore during his time Marquette. Carter saw a surprising decrease in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game. Halfway through the 2016-2017 season, he announced his transfer to La Salle. 

The Philadelphia native joins a La Salle program with plenty of opportunities at guard. The Explorers lost B.J. Johnson and Amar Stukes to graduation, so there’s a massive hole next to Pookie Powell. Carter looks ready to take the starting role.

Carter his freshman season finished fifth in the Big East with 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He averaged less than 5.5 points per game over two seasons, but Powell averaged 16.9 last season. 

La Salle now has a top scoring option and on-ball defender in their backcourt. It’s the most underappreciated duo in the Atlantic 10.

G Jalen Poyser, St. Bonaventure

Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports

St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt has dominated the guard transfer market over the last four summers. He’s signed Marcus Posley, Matt Mobley, and now UNLV transfer Jalen Poyser. 

Poyser is an all-around combo guard who made major strides over two seasons in Las Vegas. He averaged 10.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game his sophomore season. All were improvements over his freshman campaign. 

Now Poyser joins a Bonnies squad without Jaylen Adams, Matt Mobley, and Idris Taqqee. That class was won the most games in St. Bonaventure basketball history. 

The pressure is on Poyser and Courtney Stockard to lead this young team into the post-Adams era. Schmidt’s ability to maximize his guard’s strengths should give fans confidence next season is a retool, not a rebuild. 

G Tramaine Isabell, Saint Louis

Photo: Drexel Athletics

Calling Tramaine Isabell’s college career a roller coaster ride would be an understatement. 

Isabell began his collegiate career at Missouri before first transferring to Drexel. He averaged 4.1 and 6.2 points per game, respectively, and missed all of the 2016-2017 season due to the NCAA transfer rules. Most of that production came off the bench. 

When Isabell arrived at Drexel, he became the team’s number one scoring option. Isabell averaged 21 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. That led the Dragons in all three categories.

He tested the NBA Draft waters but removed his name and signed as a graduate transfer with Saint Louis. 

Saint Louis’ loaded roster looks ready to dominate the Atlantic 10 next season. Isabell fits perfectly in between Javon Bess and Jordan Goodwin. 

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