OUTLOOK: In some conferences through the nation, there are several at-large
bids to be had come NCAA Tournament time. For many other leagues, such as the
America East Conference, winning the conference championship means everything,
as it is extremely rare to see a team grab an at-large bid to the "Big Dance."
So nine teams will compete for the AEC crown in 2009-10, including the
Binghamton Bearcats, who are fresh off their first-ever NCAA Tournament
appearance. Four starters are back for Binghamton, and the team figures to
battle the likes of Boston University and Vermont for the title this season.
The Terriers also have four returning starters in place and appear best suited
to claim the top spot. But never count out the Catamounts, especially
considering that the league's best player will be wearing a Vermont jersey
once again. The middle of the AEC pack figures to be comprised of New
Hampshire, Stony Brook and Albany, three schools with enough talent to hang
with the big boys on any given night, but not enough to challenge for the
league crown. The bottom third of the conference is made up of Maine, UMBC and
Hartford. All three programs had losing records in AEC play a year ago, and
there is no reason to expect a major turnaround.
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Boston University
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Boston University, 2. Binghamton, 3. Vermont,
4. New Hampshire, 5. Stony Brook, 6. Albany, 7. Maine, 8. UMBC, 9. Hartford
TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:
BOSTON UNIVERSITY - Pat Chambers takes over as the head coach at BU, and he is
stepping into a tremendous situation. He inherits a team with nine seniors,
poised for an NCAA Tournament berth. It is hard to find a better duo in the
AEC than John Holland and Corey Lowe, who averaged 18.1 ppg and 17.2 ppg,
respectively, a year ago. Those two standouts don't have to do it alone,
however, as Jake O'Brien (12.5 ppg) brings scoring punch to the front line.
Point guard Tyler Morris has battled injuries the last two seasons, and if his
senior season can be a healthy one, the Terriers will benefit in a major way.
The lone starter lost from last year's team was Matt Wolff, but it won't be
hard to replace his 4.5 ppg. Boston University was 17-13 overall last season,
including 11-5 in America East play, and it would be surprising if the squad
didn't win 20 games this time around.
BINGHAMTON - In just his second year as head coach, Kevin Broadus led
Binghamton to a 24-9 overall record in 2008-09, including a 13-3 ledger in
league action. With four starters back in the fold, including star guard D.J.
Rivera, duplication of that success seems likely. Rivera scored 20.0 ppg a
year ago, and the 6-4 senior forward brings back 6.5 rpg as well. Emmanuel
Maybin, a 6-3 guard, returns 11.5 ppg, and Malik Alvin, another guard, hopes
to improve on his 11.7 ppg. Obviously, there is a wealth of offensive talent,
but the Bearcats lack proven size. Kyric Sutton started at center as a
freshman last season, but his 1.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg are proof that he wasn't
much of a factor, with the exception of his shot-blocking ability. Strong
guard play is typically key to success at the collegiate level, but bigger
teams may find success against Binghamton.
VERMONT - Mike Trimboli will be missed, as the point guard was the catalyst
for the highest scoring team in the AEC (76.8 ppg). Fortunately, Marquis
Blakely is back in place, and he very well may be the best player in the
conference. The dominant forward is just 6-5 in stature, but that didn't stop
him from racking up 16.1 ppg and 9.0 rpg as a junior. Nick Vier and Garvey
Young both return as backcourt starters, but neither player is a proven
scoring threat as they were held to fewer than 7.0 ppg a year ago. The hope is
that swingman Maurice Joseph is ready to become a consistent scoring threat
after showing promise in some games last season. If so, Blakely won't face
quite as many double teams.
NEW HAMPSHIRE - Tyrece Gibbs is gone, and with him goes 14.6 ppg. But the
Wildcats were just 8-8 in league play with Gibbs a year ago, and there is
reason to believe that the club is ready to take a step forward. The junior
class is loaded with talent, as Tyrone Conley, Alvin Abreu, Dan DiLiegro and
Radar Onguetou are ready to lead the team. Abreu is the most proven scorer of
the bunch, as he is netting 12.8 ppg. Conley provides 8.9 ppg, and Dan
DiLiegro ripped down 6.9 rpg a year ago while shooting 52.9 percent from the
floor. Bill Herrion is a terrific coach who will get the most from his
players. If Conley can prove to be 100 percent recovered from the knee injury
that plagued him last season, New Hampshire will be a tough out.
STONY BROOK - The fact that the Seawolves are coming off their best season
since joining the Division I ranks in 2001-02 is reason for excitement among
fans of the program. The fact that three freshmen were in the starting lineup
a year ago makes that accomplishment all the more impressive. The top option
at the offensive end is guard Muhammad El-Amin, a 6-5 guard who netted 15.7
ppg a year ago. He gets some help from backcourt mate Bryan Dougher, who
netted 11.2 ppg as a rookie. Tommy Brenton was also a freshman last season
when he ripped down 8.9 rpg, and the hope is that he can improve as a score
while maintaining his tremendous production on the backboards. Dallis Joyner
showed flashes of promise as a first-year player, and there is reason to
believe that the best is yet to come.
ALBANY - The Great Danes were just 6-10 versus conference opposition last
season, their worst showing in AEC play since 2003-04. Unfortunately, there
isn't a great deal of reason to believe that a turnaround is imminent. Tim
Ambrose is back, and that is great news considering the fact that he posted
14.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 2.6 apg last season. He will get help from forward Will
Harris, who brings 12.9 ppg and 6.5 rpg to the mix. Aside from those two,
however, the roster is rather green. Brett Gifford returns to his starting
center position, but the fact that the 6-11 pivot posted a mere 2.5 ppg and
3.9 rpg last season suggests that he can't be counted on. It looks like
Ambrose and Harris will have to carry the load alone, and while both are
talented, a top-three finish is unlikely for the club.
MAINE - Mark Socoby led Maine in scoring in each of the past two season, so
the fact that he is no longer with the program is concerning. Fortunately, all
four other starters from the 2008-09 campaign are back, hoping to improve the
club's 4-12 league record from a year ago. The top returning scorer is Gerald
McLemore, who netted 12.1 ppg last season as a freshman. It is only logical to
believe that McLemore will get better with experience, so don't be surprised
to see him approach 15.0 ppg in 2009-10. Sean McNally is a 6-7 forward with
some muscle who had 9.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg last season, making him a legit
double-double threat. Troy Barnies brings back 7.7 ppg, and Junior Bernal
returns 7.5 ppg. Clearly, head coach Ted Woodward has some talent to work
with, but not talent on the level of Binghamton or Boston University.
UMBC - Three starters are back for coach Randy Monroe, and he has brought in a
pair of transfers who figure to pay immediate dividends. Robbie Jackson is a
6-11 center who came over from Marshall and figures to man the middle
immediately. As for Siena transfer Chris De La Rosa, a point guard, he seems
to be the logical choice to run the show. Chauncey is the returning starter at
the shooting guard position, and he brings back 10.0 ppg. Matt Spadaford, a
swingman, and Justin Fry, a 6-9 power forward, both scored just over 8.0 ppg
in 2008-09 and have the talent to approach double figures. The overall lineup
is solid, but this team lacks the type of star player who can take over at the
end of a close ball game.
HARTFORD - After winning a mere two league games last season, is there any
surprise that Hartford is picked to finish at the bottom of the AEC standings
this season? Two double-digit scorers were lost from that 2008-09 group of
Hawks, who finished a dismal 1-16 on the road a year ago. There is some good
news, however, as standout shooting guard Joe Zeglinski is back from an ankle
injury. Zeglinski played in only 10 games last season, but the fact that he
averaged 15.3 ppg and 5.5 rpg speaks to his talent. Morgan Sabia is another
returnee who brings back 10.6 ppg to the frontcourt. Still, this team lacks
depth, and many more losses figure to be in store for 2009-10.
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