AMERICA EAST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Vermont
- UMBC
- Binghamton
- NJIT
- Bryant
- UAlbany
- UMass Lowell
- Maine
- New Hampshire
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-AE TEAM:
-David Bolden – SO, G – NJIT
-Keegan Harvey – SR, F – Bryant
-Demetrius Lilley – SR, C – Binghamton
-Victor Okojie – SO, F – UMass Lowell
-Jeremiah Quigley – SR, G – Binghamton
-Gus Yalden – JR, F – Vermont
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Vermont being the AE preseason favorite is sort of like me being the Hoops HD preseason favorite to get buzzered the most during our podcasts. While other teams have competed with them, and UMBC finished ahead of them in the standings last year and beat them in the championship game, Vermont is still the conference’s flagship team. They won 22 games last year and have won 20+ for so many years in a row now that I’ve lost count. Gus Yalden is back. He is one of the best players in the conference and can score from pretty much anywhere on the floor. Darrel Uepdo, who was a standout player at UMass Lowell, also joins the roster this year, which is a big pickup for the Catamounts. They’re balanced, they should have a fair amount of depth, and it’s hard to pick against them this year.
-UMBC did unseat Vermont last year. They were 14-2 in league play and won the conference tournament on their home floor before losing in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. The problem is that only one starter is back and ten new players join the roster. Flash Burton averaged over 15ppg for Rider last year and is a great addition, but no one else appears to have all that much proven experience at the D1 level.
-Binghamton is getting a lot of love. I confess that I’m not enitrely sure why. They won just 8 total games a year ago and failed to even make it into the AE Tournament. Demetrius Lilley is a solid scorer and rebounder and he alone can give Binghamton a formidable front court, but he will need some help. KiJan Robinson joins the roster after averaging over 10ppg for New Hampshire last season. Will that be enough for them to finish as high as third??
-NJIT’s 16 wins last year was their best season in a while. The problem is only one starter is back. David Bolden averaged double figures last year and will probably be a key player for them in his sophomore year this year. They do have some guys transferring in that can hit from the outside, but they don’t appear to be super-strong in the frontcourt, which could be an issue.
-Bryant won just 9 total games last year, which was a huge downfall after winning 20 or more in three of their previous four seasons. Two starters are back, including Keegan Harvey who averaged over 10ppg and who was a very good outside shooter. He’s a big guy with range, and big guys with range can come in handy! He will need some help, so some of the transfers will have to step up.
-UAlbany struggled last year going below .500 in league play, and the prognosis is that they will struggle again this year. Ollie Engen is a player to watch. He averaged just under 20ppg playing in Canada last year. They also have some other guys that can shoot, so it’s possible they can outperform their preseason expectations.
-A few years ago UMass Lowell was among the best teams in the conference. They won just 15 games a year ago and with no starters back the expectations are once again not very high. I think Coach Pat Duquette has done a good job during his 13 years considering he took over when the team was transitioning up to D1, but they appear to be going through a rough patch right now. They just don’t have much in terms of proven D1 experience.
-Two years ago, Maine won 20 games and was one of the great Under the Radar stories of that season. Last year they won just 8, and this year isn’t expected to be much better. No starters are back. Ace Flag is on the roster, and he is Cooper Flag’s twin brother. Perhaps they could try and pass Cooper off as Ace? It’s the best idea I can come up with. They don’t have anyone with a whole lot of proven experience at the D1 level, so in order for them to be successful, unproven players will have to step up and prove themselves.
-I don’t think New Hampshire will finish in the top half of the league, but with three starters back I’m a little surprised they are being picked dead last. Now to be fair, they were awful last year, and they were perhaps playing their worst ball at the end of the year, but they do have a few good outside shooters and Kaleb Myers tranfers in from NAIA who also played Nicaragua’s national team and had some impressive showings with them. I’m thinking they do better than last. That’s a low bar, but I think they will clear it.
