America East conference preview

The America East coaches poll has been released so I thought I would take a swing at how I think the team will finish this season. A new era begins in the league with the addition of Bryant and the departures of Hartford and Stony Brook. The addition of Bryant immediately brings a new challenger at the top of the league. While the transfer portal fueled Bryant's ascent to the top, it caused several teams in the bottom half of the league to scramble to complete a roster. Last season was a reminder about that the portal can yield equally unknown results as a freshman recruiting class. I remember writing my preview last year and lauding the talent up and down the league that was brought in through the portal. Many of the players that were highlighted ended up injured or ineffective. This year there is more of a balance between teams integrating young players and additions from the transfer portal. Now on to a few thoughts about each team and how they will finish. 

1. Vermont

        Picked to be the top finisher by the coaches and every other preseason rating system, the Cats are ready to compete for another title. They lost several major contributors due to graduation and are incorporating several new players into the program. They do however have an experienced core group of returnees who are ready to grow into new and expanded roles. Robin Duncan, Finn Sullivan, Nick Fiorillo and Aaron Deloney will all be asked to do a little bit more and expand their games in order to fill in the gaps. Expectations are high for Sullivan in particular, especially after he was named to the preseason all conference team. He showed flashes and stretches of dominating games last season and will be looking for more consistency this season. Dylan Penn is the most experienced of the new Cats and once he returns from injury will be the focal point of the Vermont offense. A preseason all conference performer as well, Penn is driven to make the NCAA tourney after losing out last season due to Bellarmine's DI transition status, making them ineligible last season. The rest of the rotation is a mystery with high potential players like Matt Veretto, Ileri Ayo-Faleye, Kam Gibson, TJ Hurley, Perry Smith Jr, and Sam Alamutu looking to make an impact. Getting the frontcourt rotation figured out will be the key to Vermont's success. 

2. Bryant

        A new challenger emerges as Bryant enters its first season in the America East with sky high expectations. Making huge additions through the transfer portal, the Bulldogs have positioned themselves as a team with a championship on their mind. Bryant also presents a foil to the traditional America East style of basketball. Slow paced and defensive minded has been the name of the game around the league for quite some time. The Bulldogs will look to buck that trend with their high flying up tempo offense and zone heavy defensive scheme. Charles Pride is Bryant's key returner who will likely lead the league in scoring and make a run at conference player of the year. Earl Timberlake highlights the group of transfers and joined Pride on the preseason all conference team. Timberlake was a projected first round NBA draft pick out of high school and is looking to stay healthy and capitalize on his tantalizing potential. A plethora of other transfers highlighted by Rhode Island transfer Antwan Walker and March Madness favorite Doug Edert will help fill out the Bulldogs rotation. They will challenge the Cats for sure and have the talent to make a run at the title. The biggest questions will be: Does their style translate to the America East? Will they play enough defense to win the tight games in February and March? The Bryant/Vermont instant rivalry will be the story of the season. 

3. UMass Lowell

        In a season with so much change, the River Hawks are the team bringing back the most experience and minutes. Max Brooks returns as an established defensive force and with a pre-season all conference nod under his belt, he will be looking to expand his game even further. Allin Blunt, Everette Hammond, and Ayinde Hikim give them a strong core of returning guards. Getting Connor Withers back from injury will be a huge lift. Withers broke out during the shortened COVID season and looked poised to establish himself as on of the league's best players before last season's injury. Lowell will be looking to transfers Yuri Covington, Mikey Watkins, and Abdoul Karim Coulibaly to get them over the hump and into the top half of the league. Coulibaly in particular will be crucial in bringing size to the River Hawks frontcourt. Always scrappy on defense and efficient on offense, Lowell has a tremendous opportunity this season to push the top teams. Last season the River Hawks had the unfortunate distinction of being the worst three point shooting team on offense and the worst team at defending the three. Improving even one of those areas will be key to winning. 

4. Binghamton

        For the first time in a while Binghamton comes in to the season with some positive momentum. The Bearcats were mostly competitive in the middle of the pack and return several key players. Jacob Falko was named preseason all-conference and along with John McGriff, Christian Hinckson, an Dan Petcash, the Bearcats have an experienced group of returnees. Binghamton made huge strides on the defensive end last season and are one of the bigger and more physical teams in the conference. With so much experience and a more defensive mindset, the Bearcats are set to surprise some people this season. The key will be pushing forward and not losing the momentum they built last season. They might not quite crack the top of the league but will be pushing to emerge from the middle of the pack and give themselves an opportunity to make noise in the conference tournament. 

5. UMBC

        In Jim Ferry's first season, the Retrievers were able to continue the programmatic momentum they built under Ryan Odom. Coming off a second place finish and a championship game appearance, Ferry and UMBC will use that experience to motivate and inspire a new group. Even though the Retrievers are one of the teams who had to recreate their entire team, I think they have put together an intriguing roster. Jacob Boonyasith, Yaw Obeng-Mensah, and Matteo Picarelli are the lone returners who played significant minutes. They did add some experience with the rare in conference transfer, adding Jarvis Doles from Albany. The Retrievers add Tra'Von Fagan from the transfer portal and are hoping for a healthy season from Anyang Garang to improve their rebounding and give them a more effective post presence. It UMBC can get more out of their big men this season, they will push the teams at the top of the league.

6. Albany

        The Great Danes are a very young team brimming with talent but probably still a year away from pushing the teams at the top. Freshman of the year winner Justin Neely is joined by Aaron Reddish, and Ny'Mire Little to form a formidable sophomore class. Jonathan Beagle should be one of the best freshman in the league and looks to make an instant impact. To balance the young core Albany added Mailk Edmead, Sarju Patel, Da'Kquan Davis, and Japannah Kellogg from the transfer portal. This is the team that is hardest to project. I truly feel like they could finish several spots higher but there are too many question marks at this point in the season. The biggest area in need of improvement is finding more offensive continuity. The Great Danes offense was choppy at best and featured too much isolation. If Albany can get better ball movement and get more open looks, they could exceed their preseason expectations. 

7. NJIT

        The Highlanders fell apart down the stretch last year, losing 5 straight including a 39 point loss to Vermont in the quarterfinals to end their season. Another team that suffered from an isolation heavy offense that caused them to be the worst shooting team in the conference. They will be looking to find more team cohesion and get themselves back to the middle of the league. Miles Coleman and Souleymane Diakite were effective in spurts and bring experience to a young group. Keeshawn Mason and Mekhi Gray showed flashes last season and will look to make a jump this season. The Highlanders made a huge splash on the recruiting trail landing guard Paul McMillan IV, their highest rated recruit ever. Transfer Raheim Sullivan will try to ease the load early but McMillan will need to make a significant instant impact if the Highlanders are going to stay out of the basement. 

8.    New Hampshire

        No team had more work to do to fill their roster this offseason than the Wildcats. Nick Johnson is the only player to return who played significant minutes. One Player. Period. That is really all you need to know about the Wildcats season outlook. They managed to fill a roster but they need everything to go right to be competitive this season. Maybe they found some diamonds in the rough but it might be a long season in Durham. 

9.     Maine

        All that needs to be said about the Maine basketball program is that even with the offseason turmoil that New Hampshire experienced, the Black Bears are still picked to finish last. I really like the Chris Markwood hire and if anyone can get momentum there, it is an alum with coaching experience at two great New England programs. They do return more than New Hampshire but it has been a long time since Maine had any success no matter what the makeup of their team was. Just climbing out of the Division I basement would be an improvement.