AMERICA EAST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Vermont
- Maine
- UAlbany
- UMass Lowell
- Binghamton
- Bryant
- UMBC
- NJIT
- New Hampshire
MEDIA DAY PREASEASON ALL-AMERICA EAST TEAM:
-Quincy Allen – SR, G – Bryant
-TJ Hurley – SR, G – Vermont
-Demetrius Lilley – SR, C – Binghamton
-Amir Lindsey – SO, G – UAlbany
-TJ Long – SR, G – Vermont
-Josh Odunowo – SR, G – UMBC
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Vermont has been the dominant program in this conference for the past several years, and while they slipped to 2nd last year and did not win the conference tournament, expectations are still high for the Catamounts this year. Very high, in fact. They have the best backcourt in the conference with TJ Hurley and TJ Long, who both put up big time numbers last year. Hurley in particular is a fantastic shooter. While they do have to replace their frontcourt, they have a couple of solid transfers coming in in Ben Johnson (Bellarmine) and Ben Michaels (Buffalo). This is a team that will likely run away with the league and could give someone fits in the Round of 64.
After Vermont, there is a MAJOR drop off!!!
-You have no idea how happy it makes me to see Maine this high in the preseason poll!! Well, if you followed us last year, I guess maybe you do. Maine was one of the worst programs in all of D-1, but their recent turnaround has been remarkable and the expectations are high again this year. Now having said that, I am not quite sure why the expectations for this year’s team are so high. Four starters are gone from last year’s 20-win team that made it to the AEast championship game, and there doesn’t seem to be anyone all that proven on this year’s roster. Ace Flagg’s brother had a pretty good season at Duke last year, and he is a solid signee for the Black Bears, but I think they are in rebuilding mode.
-UAlbany is tasked with replacing four of their starters after a so-so season last year. The 17 games they won were the most they had won in a while, but with so many new guys on the roster it is hard to say whether that will translate into success for this year. They have a smattering of guys who transferred in after seeing limited minutes at bigger programs, so this is their chance to play a bigger role. Amir Lindsey received preseason honors after having a pretty solid year as a freshman last year, so he is someone they will be relying on.
-Like a lot of teams, UMass Lowell’s roster has turned over. All five starters from a year ago are gone and they have turned to the portal to try and replace them. This year’s team does not seem to have a ton of experience, so there are more questions than answers about them.
-It has been a while since Binghamton managed a winning season, and like seemingly everyone else in this league they are faced with a roster overhaul and a lack of experience at the D-1 level. Bryson Wilson put up some decent numbers and minutes at Buffalo, and he may be the Bearcats’ most experienced player.
-Bryant had a fantastic season last year! They were the 1st-place team! They won the conference tournament! They won 23 total games and made the NCAA Tournament! And this year…well…all those key players are gone and they are pretty much starting over. Jamion Christian takes over as head coach and he seems to have a roster that lacks experience. It may be a long season as they look to rebuild.
-It is fair to say that UMBC did not have a good year last year, and were particularly bad down the stretch. But, they do have two returning starters, and they are both pretty good. Josh Odunowo is a solid guard who earned preseason all-conference honors. Devin Ceaser comes in from Old Dominion and should be able to contribute right away, and Jah’likai King put up some big numbers at New Haven (who was D-2 last year), so they have some pieces. I think they can finish higher than this. Like…a lot higher than this. Maybe even as high as 2nd.
-NJIT has three starters back, which makes them among the more experienced teams in the conference. The problem is they only won six total games a year ago and were dead last in the standings, so despite the experience the expectations are not high. What they do appear to have are some outstanding outside shooters. I know they need more than that, but at least they have something. They may be able to do a little bit better than next-to-last this year.
-New Hampshire won just eight games a year ago and appears to be in for another long season this year. Just one starter is back and they will be relying on players without a whole lot of proven D-1 level experience.
