If New Year’s Day marks the start of a new calendar year, then Media Day denotes the start of the college basketball season. There’s even accompanying festivities, such as last weekend’s Terrier Tip-off, which felt a lot like New Year’s Eve.
Pack a bunch of people into a big room, turn the lights down and the music up, then have someone dressed up like Superman try some crazy stunts. Yeah, sounds like New Year’s Eve to me.
But while Terrier Tip-off is the party, Media Day has all the actual important parts. Need a New Year’s resolution? America East has nine men’s basketball coaches, each of whom promises certain things from his team this season.
Most of all, the new year is about looking ahead ‘-‘- so Media Day also marks the release of the America East coaches’ poll, a set of predictions with questionable accuracy certain to draw the ire of nearly every fan base in the conference.
What’s a new season without predictions? Here’s my forecast for this year’s America East men’s basketball season, starting from the bottom.
I start from the bottom, of course, because it’s the easiest to pick. Perennial doormat Stony Brook managed to avoid the cellar last season by virtue of a tiebreaker advantage. When you go 3-13 in AE, have the league’s worst offense and lose your two best players to graduation, well, you finish last.
If the Seawolves were so incredibly bad last year but avoided last place, what does that say about the team that finished last? Yes, that would be Maine. The Black Bears finished dead last in scoring defense and adjusted defensive efficiency, somehow went 0-3 against Stony Brook, and lost more than half their conference games by double-digit margins.
Mark Socoby is better than anyone Stony Brook has ‘-‘- or had ‘-‘- and Maine’s recruits have been hyped a little more, so I’ll give them eighth place. Home whites for the play-in game!
Albany ended last year’s tournament run early with a quarterfinal loss to the Terriers. Then the Great Danes lost the remainder of the core that brought New York’s capital region two America East titles.
Virginia transfer Will Harris gives the Great Danes a strong interior presence, but barring some breakthroughs for the supporting cast, legions of purple-afroed fans will see a seventh-place finish and an early exit from the tournament. That means fewer annoying people with afros blocking your view during the semifinals.
Sixth place is reserved for Albany’s hated rival, the Bearcats. Binghamton has reloaded for the upcoming season the Retriever way, with transfers. Unfortunately for the Bearcats, those transfers don’t also come with UMBC stars Jay Greene and Darryl Proctor, meaning Binghamton won’t see the same return on its investment.
A young New Hampshire team finished seventh last year, outside the clump of teams at 9-7, but clearly above the bottom-feeders. While the Wildcats will miss Mike Christensen’s leadership and are a bit undersized on the interior, their outstanding guards and wings, led by senior Tyrece Gibbs, will carry them farther this year. Mark UNH down for fifth.
UMBC rode its starters hard all season last year, working with a tight rotation that rarely included more than seven players. Three excellent transfers complemented the Retrievers’ homegrown talent en route to the school’s first AE title. This year, the Retrievers pay the price. With only two returning starters (Greene and Proctor) and no proven depth, UMBC will have to hope Matt Spadafora, Justin Fry and a bunch of question marks have enough in the tank to finish higher than fourth.
Last year, Hartford found balance for its perimeter shooters with big man Warren McClendon, reaching the AE finals before losing to UMBC. Hartford’s talented perimeter players and wings have put the Hawks among the league’s best, but McClendon won’t be there this year to provide second chances when Hartford’s shots aren’t falling. The Hawks continue to bring in solid recruiting classes, but perimeter play alone isn’t enough to climb past third.
Unlike the Hawks and Retrievers, both of which should be a tough out come tourney time, the Terriers haven’t lost anyone this offseason. A healthy Tyler Morris should revert to his Rookie of the Year form, and Corey Lowe might be the best guard in the league.
Among the forwards, John Holland is a threat to make SportsCenter every time he touches the ball. Scott Brittain provides valuable interior scoring and Matt Wolff brings the trademark Terrier work ethic and commitment to defense. The bench is stocked with a combination of proven depth and raw talent.
Why am I not picking the Terriers to finish first? Marqus Blakely is one huge reason. Mike Trimboli is another. The Catamounts’ two AE Preseason All-Conference team members are bona-fide stars and are supported by excellent depth across the front line.
As if that weren’t enough, Michigan State transfer Maurice Joseph joins Trimboli in the backcourt, giving the Green Mountain State a pair of guards as good as any in the conference. It’s almost unfair ‘-‘- almost.
Who will stand atop America East come tournament time? I say the Catamounts. Terriers, the gauntlet has been laid down. Go prove me wrong.
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