Thoughts About The 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship....

We have put a wrap on thirteen games in 94 hours, and George Washington has successfully defended their Atlantic 10 Championship at the Richmond Coliseum. Now, as we close our third season of Atlantic 10 women's basketball coverage, some musings from the tournament, looking ahead as well.

1) CHANGING OF THE GUARD: It was weird to have Quarterfinal Friday without Dayton and Saint Joseph's. By the same token, it was fun to watch VCU and Saint Louis reach their first Atlantic 10 semifinal round, and Duquesne play for their first tournament championship.

2) THE JONES FACTOR: Jonquel Jones is very special. Cleared to return to George Washington early this week, head coach Jonathan Tsipis brought her off the bench in all three games for the Colonials, mindful of the chemistry developed by the team in the final six weeks of the regular season, allowing for the growth of players such as Kelli Prange and Brandi Cummings, who made major contributions Sunday in the title game.

How special is Jones? She was one rebound shy of three consecutive double-doubles in the tournament, including an eleven-point, nine-rebound performance in just thirteen minutes in the quarterfinal win over George Mason. Some WNBA Draft prognosticators have Jones going in the first round, others the second. If she slides to round two, it would be a travesty.

3) A DIFFERENT ROAD: The Colonials will be a totally different team in this year's NCAA Tournament due to the adversity, and necessary adjustments made during Jones' absence. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Caira Washington is even more of a force than she was a year ago, plus Lauren Chase can defend an opponent's best player into submission. We look forward to watching them.

4) DUKES HAVE FULLY ARRIVED: Duquesne is even further along in 2016 than George Washington was in 2014 when they were poised to take the "championship step". Had the Dukes shot even 25 percent from the field in the fourth period Sunday, the Dukes would have cut down the nets for the first time. The ability of head coach Dan Burt and his staff to recruit internationally is nothing short of incredible. Three of their best players hail from Hungary, Estonia and Norway, respectively.

Duquesne has the goods to win in the NCAA Tournament, too. How did in-state and ACC teams let April Robinson, the Conference Co-Player of The Year, from West Springfield High School in Northern Virginia, get away to Pittsburgh? The Dukes will miss her, along with Deva'Nyar Workman and Emilie Gronas as they graduate, but return Amadea Szamosi, and two impressive freshman: Kadri-Ann Lass, named to the All-Tournament Team, and Chassidy Omogrosso, getting ready to be their next great guard.

As for the other teams in the conference, a note on each one:

SAINT LOUIS: The Billikens were the team that impressed us most in 2015, and they proved us right, ending the regular season as co-champions with a 13-3 record, just one poor shooting period short of a championship appearance. They should be in the NCAA Tournament, but likely won't, the victim of not being in a "Power Five" conference. If they do go to the WNIT, head coach Lisa Stone can use it as the catapult to the next level for this team. They lose Jamesia Price and Denisha Womack to graduation, but return Co-Player of The Year Jackie Kemph, plus Jenny Vliet, Sadie Stipanovich, Olivia Jakubicek, Aailyah Covington and Madison Gits. That's a mighty powerful nucleus for 2017.

VCU: In two years, the Rams have transformed from an offense-first team to a gritty team focused on defense, rebounding fueling transition towards the basket. For head coach Beth O'Boyle, it's paid off in major ways. VCU will get a WNIT berth as well. They will miss Adaeze Alaeze and Jessica Ogunnorin, but everyone else returns, including Keira Robinson, Curteeona Brelove, and Ashley Pegram, who had a fantastic tournament. Question: why can't Ram Nation fill up the Siegel Center at least one time to see these ladies? If they can sell out Siegel Center 83 straight times for the men, they can come watch these Rams, too.

ST. BONAVENTURE: The team with the most disappointing weekend had to be the Bonnies, who fought for the regular season title, entered as the fourth seed, and exited after one game. Head Coach Jim Crowley apologized to the fans who had made the trip to Richmond only to see his team fall to VCU by nine points in the quarterfinals. The Bonnies will hope to make noise in the WNIT to send Katie Healy, Emily Michael and Nyla Rueter off to graduation with better memories than the ones they made in Richmond. They also will count on Mariah Ruff, Miranda Drummond and Gabby Richmond to start anew next season.

FORDHAM: What a gutsy performance by Samantha Clark in her swan song with the Rams in the quarterfinal loss to Duquesne. Clark was a key piece to the 2014 tournament championship puzzle here in Richmond and will be sorely missed. But Danielle Burns and Hannah Missry do return for their senior seasons, and we say look out for Lauren Holden, who just completed her freshman season with a very impressive performance in tournament play. She has the potential to be a future First Team All-Conference player, and, Fordham's future.

DAYTON: After St. Bonaventure, the Flyers experienced the most disappointing trip to RVA. Head Coach Jim Jabir, just a year removed from an Elite Eight appearance against eventual National Champion Connecticut, found himself befuddled at the season just ended in the postgame press conference following their second round loss to George Mason. He said the program would be looked at from "the secretary to myself". But he also pronounced himself immediately excited about getting to the next season. Injuries decimated the Flyers this year, and now Amber Deane, Kelley Austria and Jodie Cornelie-Sigmundova depart to the real world. Freshman Lauren Cannatelli is a bright spot for the future, joining sophomore Jenna Burdette in the backcourt next year. Saicha Grant-Allen will need to step up in the paint.

GEORGE MASON: The Patriots are in a much better position going into this offseason as opposed to 2015, when their tournament appearance was one loss while several players were suspended due to rules violations. A win over Dayton, under any circumstance, is a signature win for a team that's only been in the league three years. Head Coach Nyla Milleson loses high-scoring guard Taylor Brown and inside force Kristi Mokube, but plenty return, and recruiting looks good, even here in the Richmond area, where she has commitments from Cam Gatling of Highland Springs and, in 2017, Jaiden Morris of defending 4A State Champion Monacan.

RHODE ISLAND: Of all the underclassmen that appeared at a press conference following a loss at the tournament, Charise Wilson looked the most determined to make a negative become a positive, the most ready to get back on the court immediately. The sophomore joins Dominique Ward as the key returnees for the Rams next season. But losing Tayra Melendez, Symone Bullard and Samantha Tabakman, the league's most improved player this season, is going to be hard to overcome. The third season for head coach Daynia La-Force will be challenging.

RICHMOND: The Spiders were beset by injuries as well, so much so that head coach Michael Shafer has talked about how the team had to literally reinvent themselves at mid-season. The guard tandem of Micaela Parson (Monacan) and Janelle Hubbard will return outside, while Karleigh Wike, Salita Greene and Alicia Hudalla (Glen Allen) return inside. Recruiting will be key this year. A full season without a major injury setback, such as Olivia Healy with her knee injuries in the past few seasons, would go a long way to helping the Spiders get back into the competitive mix next season. A full year with Lauren Tolson and Healy, for example, and the Spiders likely aren't near their 5-11 league mark. Credit the Spiders, though, for not packing it in when things looked bleak six weeks ago, playing some of their best basketball down the stretch.

MASSACHUSETTS: No one dreamed a month ago that the Minutewomen would ever come to Richmond and leave a very, very positive impression. At one point, they were 0-11 in conference play. Then UMass went on a roll, winning their last five conference games, including victories over St. Bonaventure, Dayton and Rhode Island. They lose Rashida Timbilla, but will return guards Cierra Dillard and Bria Stallworth, who both had strong play this past week, forward Kymber Hill, and intriguing center Maggie Mulligan, who showed in the tourney she has the tools to become an inside force. Add Alyssa Lawrence inside, too, and, amazingly, UMass has the opportunity to improve as much as Saint Louis did this year. They won't fight for the conference title, but a winning season and a Top Eight tournament seed would be a huge improvement.

SAINT JOSEPH'S: Expectations are always high on Hawk Hill. But going into this offseason, there is also some concern. The Hawks lost in the second round as the #7 seed, the first time they were one and done in the tournament since 2009, and now say goodbye to Cierra Andrews and Sarah Fairbanks. Head Coach Cindy Griffin will turn to a player from each returning class, freshman Alyssa Monaghan, sophomore Chelsea Woods, and junior Kathleen Fitzpatrick to take the leadership reins. The team had several bench injuries, and, just like Dayton and Richmond, could right the ship with lucky in the injury department. A strong recruiting class is a necessity. Don't bet, however, against Griffin, who has a history of winning with 273 victories in 15 seasons. She won't be down for long.

DAVIDSON: Now two seasons into their Atlantic 10 tenure, the Wildcats have an even better idea of what it takes to compete at this level. Hopefully, they have been recruiting for players capable of competing at this level. Mackenzie Latt and Diona Johnson lead returnees.

LA SALLE: Frankly, the Explorers have huge issues. They only managed five victories all season. They only lose center/forward Ebony Wells, so virtually everyone important returns. But even with that, will there be changes in the program? Will head coach Jeff Williams return? In his six seasons, the Explorers have never had a winning season, 15-15 their best finish two years ago. No matter what happens, La Salle hopes to rebuild with junior Jasmine Alston, sophomore Amy Griffin and junior Micahya Owens leading the way.