Around the A-10

Harper in his natural habitat.

The NBA Draft - not usually a huge occasion for the conference - has come and gone another year. The most highly rated A-10 player to head for the lockout this year was Justin Harper, Richmond's silky smooth 6'10" forward, who went 32nd to the Cavs before being traded to Orlando. Despite his size and potential as a match-up nightmare, he only ever had one good game in a win against Xavier (20/8 on 6-8/6-6/2-2 as a sophomore), which is probably why I don't remember him with any animosity. That and he was playing next to the loathsome Dan Geriot, the Matt Howard of the A-10.

Harper developed from averaging just over 3 points and 1 rebound per game as a freshman to going for 18/7 in 31.8 MPG as a senior. His shooting touch was on display, with a line of .534/.448/.797. He probably bolstered his draft stock with not only a great senior season but also a Sweet 16 run with Richmond in which he averaged 18 and 6 and went 6 of 6 from behind the arc. Unlike Kevin Anderson - who still hasn't returned Jordan Crawford's A-10 Player of the Year trophy - it's not too difficult to wish Harper all the best in his career as a professional.

A little further down, Temple's LaVoy Allen was selected 50th by the Sixers. At that range, you're really getting an invite to camp and a chance to prove you can stick at that level. Allen is understandably excited to stay in Philly, but it's not clear what the future holds for him. At 6'9", 225 lbs with 19 made three-pointers in 135 collegiate games, Allen's work is cut out for him. Odds are that he ends up playing somewhere overseas, but - as Brad has gone out of his way to illustrate - that's not always a bad thing.

Loose balls:

-The Draft also provided the Blackburn Review a chance to take another look at Chris Wright's career. They took the high road, kind of.

-Over the past month or so, Ron Everhart's future at Duquesne has been a question. He recently announced he's sticking around, and the gang over at Yuku Dukes is thrilled.

-The Blackburn Review has a good article looking ahead to next year's Flyers. If you have some time (and want to keep tabs on UD), I'd recommend taking a peek.

-Finally, Charlotte is looking to put together a 4-6 team event just before Christmas. While this doesn't affect X at all, it's good to see other A-10 teams getting out there and doing work in the non-conference scheduling.