23-24 America East Conference preview

Exhibition week is nearly upon us and that means it is time for preview season. Predications are a fickle business but fun nonetheless. With so much roster turnover across the league it is increasingly hard to get a gauge on a team's true identity before the season starts. One of the effects the COVID years and the transfer portal has had is that leagues like the America East get old instead of young. Certainly in previous eras it was all about highlighting the contributions of young talent and the development of future stars. With minutes and opportunities for young players continuing to dwindle, reloading rosters with transfer talent is a must, particularly in a mid major league. The rosters of the America East title contenders this season are littered with 5th year college players. This is exciting for the competitiveness of the league as teams looks to use that veteran experience to stabilize these fluid rosters. America East success is almost always defined by teams that have strong, composed, workmanlike execution and the teams that rise to the top this season will be no different. Let's dive in.

1. Vermont

    Another year, another preseason at the top. Vermont is the favorite to win again with a heralded transfer class and a small group of strong returners. The Cats are in a similar situation last year with a combination of known contributors and new faces. The difference this season is that the several of the new faces are experienced college basketball veterans versus the young inexperienced group last season. As a result this team has a completely different feel. The cohesiveness and understanding of what it takes to win is already light years ahead of where the team was last season. Aaron Deloney returning as the unquestioned leader was the defining moment of this offseason. His ability to pass on the knowledge to this next group of Catamounts of what it takes to be a part of the Vermont program is crucial to their success this season and beyond. He is poised for a big year. Matt Veretto was the spark that changed the outlook last season, coming out of nowhere to become an indispensable part of the Cats attack. His continued ascension with a full offseason under his belt will be fun to watch. The transfer group of Brenton Mills, TJ Long, Jace Rocquemore, and Shamir Bogues immediately infuses the roster with a plethora of college game experience. Bogues in particular will be a fan favorite and has all conference potential. With the Nick Fiorillo injury shaking up the frontcourt, Ileri Ayo-Faleye will be tasked with making a big jump, particularly adding a little more offensive impact to his stellar defense. It also gives freshman Seth Joba a chance to make a immediate impact. This team has all the talent to make a run at the title and the major question facing the team is can they put all of the potential into practice when the step on the court. 

2. UMass Lowell

    

    Lowell put together a strong season, falling just short of their goal, losing to Vermont in the title game. Once again this season they will look to challenge the Cats for the top spot. The River Hawks return their strong frontcourt duo of Max Brooks and preseason all conference big man Abdoul Karim Coulibaly. Second season breakout candidate Cam Morris III also returns to give Lowell a powerful post rotation. This group will anchor both their defense and provide the foundation for their efficient offense. Ayinde Hikim and buzzy breakout candidate Brayden O'Conner return to lead the backcourt. Last year what put the River Hawks over the top was a huge jump in three point shooting efficiency from Everette Hammond and Allin Blunt. That duo has graduated and leave behind the biggest question mark for Lowell. Where does the perimeter shooting come from? They have a strong group of candidates to fill that role in returner Yuri Covington and newcomers Andres Fulgencio, Jordan Thompson, and Xzavier Lino. Finding reliable perimeter shooting to make room for their post players to operate will be the deciding factor in the River Hawks season. 

3. Bryant

    Bryant's first season in the America East was a roller coaster as they struggled to adapt to the slower paced more methodical style of play that most teams in the conference are comfortable in. The Bulldogs offseason was thrown into turmoil when their head coach Jared Grasso was placed on leave in what seems to be a strange and messy situation. Coaching turmoil is always challenging for a team to navigate so it will be interesting to see how this situation plays out. The Bulldogs do boast one of the strongest groups of returners including the preseason all conference duo of Sherif Gross-Bullock and Earl Timberlake. Gross-Bullock will make a run a the conference scoring title and Earl Timberlake is a stat stuffing monster. The biggest struggle for Bryant last season was finding consistent production from three, particularly on the road. They will be looking to Tyler Brelsford in a larger role and St, John's transfer Rafael Pinzon to bring some perimeter punch. Kvon Kramer steps in a big role underneath for what will be a slightly undersized Bulldogs team. It will be interesting to see if the coaching staff makes any adjustments in year two to adapt to the America East style of play. Bryant will be tough, physical, relentless, and if they are able to put it all together will be a strong contender. 

4. Binghamton

    The next tier of challengers feel pretty evenly split. There should be a tight middle group and really any of these teams could emerge out of the pack.  Binghamton continues to knock at the door, pushing the top teams with a physical style of play. This season will likely be more of the same with the Bearcats biggest transfer addition being Symir Torrence, a strong leader at the PG position known for his defense. Torrence is the type of lead guard who can raise the level of play for his entire team. Dan Petcash, Armon Harried, and Taveion White headline a group of returners looking to continue the recent success. The Bearcats biggest struggle last season was poor perimeter shooting. This remains a questions mark and Binghamton will be looking to newcomers Tymu Chenery and Chris Walker to give them a lift from the three point line. In order for Binghamton to break through they will need consistent offensive production as they have been prone to long cold shooting stretches over the last few seasons. 

5. Maine

    For the first time in a LONG time, Maine was able to hold on to and return a strong core that helped the Black Bears climb out of the basement and put together a competitive middle of the pack finish last season. Chris Markwood has the program headed in the right direction and there are real expectations in Orono this season. Leading the returners is preseason all conference and reigning defensive player of the year Kellen Tynes. Tynes was not just one of the best defensive players in the conference, he led the nation in steals last season. Between Shamir Bogues (Vermont) Symir Torrence (Binghamton), and Tynes the America East could be one of the toughest conferences for opposing guards. These matchups during conference play will be ones to watch. Jayden Clayton and Ja'Shonte Wright-McLeish also return for Maine to give them a dynamic backcourt. Okay Djamgouz headlines the newcomers, bringing a strong perimeter threat to the Black Bears. AJ Lopez, Quion Burns and Adam Cisse also look to make an impact from the transfer portal.  Peter Filipovity and Kristians Feierbergs return a scoring punch to the frontcourt. Last season Maine struggled with rebounding and particularly with rim protection, allowing teams to have their way underneath. Shoring up their froncourt, particularly on the defensive end will be crucial in order for Maine to take the next step. 

6. UMBC

   The Retrievers will be looking to continue to battle in the middle of the pack. In order to do that they will be relying on trio of transfers. Max Lorca-Lloyd, Khydarius Smith, and Bryce Johnson will step right in and be the leaders of this UMBC squad. Returning guards Devan Sapp and sophomore breakout candidate Dion Brown will look to provide a spark for Jim Ferry's squad. Last season UMBC struggled mightily on the defensive side of the ball and that has often been a hallmark of Jim Ferry coached teams. The Retrievers will have to find a way to stay out of shootouts in order to climb out of the middle of the pack. UMBC is one of the few teams that has a large freshman class and if any of the young players find their way into the rotation it will certainly raise the ceiling of this group. 

7. New Hampshire

    For the first time in almost two decades, Bill Herrion will not be on the sidelines for the Wildcats. Nathan Davis takes over and unlike last season, UNH will have some returning contributors to lean on. Headlining the returners is preseason all conference forward Clarence Daniels. Daniels is one of the best returning players in the conference and should be able to keep the Wildcats knocking at the door in the middle of the pack. Jaxson Baker, Ridvan Tutic, Christian Moore, and Trey Woodyard also return for UNH. If the Wildcats are going to find success this season they will need to improve their offensive efficiency. Last season the Wildcats finished 358th out of 361 teams in 2pt field goal percentage. That is an appalling number and not a recipe for offensive success. UNH will be looking to newcomers Dior Davis, Ahmad Robinson, Naim Miller, and Paul Gakmar to give them a lift inside the arc. 

8. Albany

    From a pure talent perspective, Albany has a chance to far exceed this prediction. In the conference preview last season, I mentioned that Albany was the hardest team to predict and I feel similarly this season. They have strong returning talent and made nice additions through the portal. Dwayne Killings is on the hot seat this season after a tumultuous first two seasons. During his tenure the Great Danes have often looked disengaged and disconnected. Jonathan Beagle returns after winning rookie of the year and looks to make a big jump this season. Justin Neely, the 21-22 rookie of the year, returns after missing last season due to injury. Aaron Reddish, Marcus Jackson, and Ny'Mire Little round out the young returning core. Through the portal the Great Danes added former Binghamton guard Tyler Bertram, Sebastian Thomas, and Ama're Marshall. Marshall in particular has created significant buzz as a potential offensive spark plug. Last season the Great Danes were one of the worst defensive teams in the country and they will have to make significant strides on that end of the floor in order to stay out of the basement.  

9. NJIT

    It will be a complete rebuild in Grant Billmeier's first season. With nine freshman on the roster, there will likely be growing pains outside of the starting lineup. The Highlanders do return Adam Hess, Mekhi Gray, Justin Anderson, and Kjell de Graaf to provide the starting lineup with a veteran presence. They also bring in two graduate transfers in Elijah Buchanan and Daniel Schreier to give NJIT some experience to rely on as they navigate this transitional year. The Highlanders will just be looking to set new program expectations and to try and build some positive momentum for future success.