America East 2006-07 Preview
The 2005-06 season wasn’t the best for America East by a long shot, but it almost had a historic close during the NCAA Tournament. In their first-ever trip to the Big Dance, Albany had Connecticut on the ropes and looked like they could become the first No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed. It didn’t happen, but it brought more notoriety to the program and the conference, while also helping to fuel those who mistakenly believe that the gap has closed between high-majors and mid-majors.
No doubt, the Great Danes’ close call was partly behind the work done that led to the recent announcement of a new scheduling policy on the day of the media teleconference. It is much like that implemented by the Missouri Valley Conference several years ago, one which has led to critics claiming that they have “cracked the code” amidst their winning ways of late. Whether or not America East will have the same bump in success following its introduction remains to be seen.
Albany was the clear favorite last season, and the Great Danes came through to win the conference tournament. This time around, the Great Danes may still be the favorites, but there should be some stiff competition this time around. Northern New England is host to their most likely challengers, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the conference title game winds up being a rematch of last season’s. While last season was marked by the “Upstate Uprising” with Albany and Binghamton finishing atop the conference in the regular season, this one could be termed the “Revenge of the North” in light of the northern New England contenders.
The conference as a whole figures to improve, as several teams in the bottom half look to be better while not necessarily looking at a projected jump in the standings. Even so, several teams could be poised for either a significant jump from last season, as Maine could make a jump if they stay healthy and Stony Brook gets an infusion of good young talent, while Boston University and Hartford had heavy personnel losses and could drop several places in the standings unless unproven talent comes through. In the Hawks’ case, there is also a new head coach to adjust to, as former Temple assistant Dan Leibovitz is the lone new head coach in the conference this season.
Preseason Awards
Player of the Year: Jamar Wilson, Albany
Rookie of the Year: Corey Lowe, Boston University
Defensive Player of the Year: Mike Gordon, Binghamton
Top Newcomer: Ricky Lucas, Stony Brook
All-America East Team
Mike Gordon, Jr. G, Binghamton
Blagoj Janev, Sr. F, New Hampshire
Kevin Reed, Sr. G, Maine
Mike Trimboli, So. G, Vermont
Jamar Wilson, Sr. G, Albany
Albany (21-11, 13-3 America East)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Jamar Wilson (17.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.3 spg)
Sr. G Jason Siggers (5.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
Jr. G Brian Lillis (4.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.6 spg)
So. F Jimmie Covington
Jr. F Brent Wilson (10.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Schedule Highlights: A good non-conference slate opens up with Bucknell at home, and they also have home dates with VCU (return from last year’s BracketBusters game) and St. Bonaventure. They also play at Connecticut in late November, head across town to play Siena, then head to Utah to play the Utes and Utah Valley State before America East play. The Great Danes will also be in the BracketBusters event as a road team once again. Early in conference play, they play three of four on the road, with Maine being the only opponent at home in that stretch.
Outlook: The Great Danes are favored again, as they return many key components from last season’s title team, led by reigning Player of the Year Jamar Wilson. He leads a strong perimeter unit that figures to be better if Lillis is healthy the entire season, while Siggers played well later in the season and should move into the starting lineup, and former Rookie of the Year Jon Iati is also available. The frontcourt doesn’t have much in the way of proven options after Brent Wilson, a second team All-America East performer last season, but there is talent. Covington may be the best of the holdovers, with 6’11” freshman Brett Gifford giving them some size.
The Great Danes will be hard-pressed to post the good rebounding margin they did last year, but if they do most of the things right that they did last year, they could ride their perimeter unit and experience to another title.
Maine (12-16, 7-9 America East)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Jon Sheets (9.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.3 spg)
Sr. G Kevin Reed (redshirt)
Fr. G Junior Bernal (redshirt)
So. F Philippe Tchekane Bofia (9.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Sr. C Olli Ahvenniemi (5.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.6 bpg)
Schedule Highlights: The non-conference slate features a good deal of time on the road, starting with Harvard and then moving to Milwaukee for the College Basketball Experience Classic, where they get Detroit and possibly Marquette. A good Robert Morris team is the best home game in that slate, and later road games at Providence, Penn State and Nevada await in December. The Black Bears will also go on the road for a BracketBusters game in February. In America East play, four of the first six games are at home, but right after that is a tough three-game road stretch that includes Vermont and much-improved Stony Brook.
Outlook: The Black Bears were riddled with injuries last season, and the development of several players could really pay dividends this season. Reed is a known quantity and has had an excellent off-season, while Bernal has plenty of talent and Sheets is a steady player. Rashad Turner’s departure near the start of practice hurts depth, but the Black Bears have enough options remaining that it may not hurt them much. Junior Jason Hight and redshirt freshman Tyson Hartnett should also figure into the mix. Bofia had a nice freshman season and should only get better, while Ahvenniemi will be a presence inside at the defensive end. Buffalo transfer Brian Andre becomes eligible in December, while Chris Bruff is another senior who has continued to improve and Christian Cavanaugh gives them another big body. That unit will need to improve on the glass, as only two teams were out-rebounded more last season.
Defense has been a staple of Maine teams that have won recently, but it was absent last season as only two teams allowed more points. If they improve there, take better care of the ball and stay healthy, the Black Bears will be right in the hunt for the conference title.
Vermont (13-17, 7-9 America East)
Projected Starters:
So. G Mike Trimboli (14.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.6 spg)
Jr. G Kyle Cieplicki (8.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Sr. C Chris Holm (8.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
Sr. F Martin Klimes (11.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
So. F Colin McIntosh (4.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Catamounts will spend much of the first month of the season on the road with some good tests. They open in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Maryland (Mike Lonergan’s former school), where they will play New Orleans and either Maryland or Hampton, then come back to New England to play at Boston College. After hosting former America East rival Drexel in a return game from last year’s BracketBusters, Michigan State and Towson are among four road games that await. They get three straight home games before closing out the non-conference slate with two games in Connecticut. In America East play, a key could be back-to-back home games with Albany and Maine, followed by a three-game road stretch in January. The toughest part of the schedule has to be in mid-February, when they play Albany and Maine in back-to-back road games.
Outlook: This time around, it won’t be a surprise if Mike Lonergan’s team is playing for the conference title, as they return almost every significant contributor from last season. Trimboli quickly became one of the conference’s best players en route to easily winning Rookie of the Year honors, and he should be better if freshman Nick Vier is able to run the show. That would allow him to play off the ball some and also not have to play as many minutes, a key last season since he wore down towards the end. Cieplicki became a steady contributor at both ends of the floor and McIntosh got better as the season went along as the main options on the wing. Klimes, a winner who always played well at both ends of the floor, broke out last season and will be a key leader this time around. Holm gives them some size inside and should only be better this time around, and junior Timothy McCrory should be one of the first off the bench. Freshmen Joe Trapani and Kyle Robbins add depth.
The Catamounts led the conference in field goal percentage defense, which helped them overcome some offensive deficiencies like turning the ball over more than all but one team. While they did make the conference title game last season, they struggled towards the end of the regular season and finished sixth. If they keep up the defense and improve at the offensive end, the Catamounts might be playing for an NCAA trip again this season.
New Hampshire (12-17, 8-8 America East)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Jermaine Anderson (8.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.3 spg)
So. G Tyrece Gibbs (6.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.3 apg)
Sr. F Blagoj Janev (14.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Jr. F Mike Christensen (9.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg)
Fr. F Radar Onguetou
Schedule Highlights: After opening at Boston College, the Wildcats play two of their three home non-conference games, one of which is against a non-Division I school. Notable road games are at Northeast contender Robert Morris, Rutgers, former America East rival Northeastern, and an appearance in the Kent State Tournament. In conference play, it starts out tough: the first two games are at Albany and at Maine. A three-game homestand in late January that concludes with Albany could be a key stretch.
Outlook: Four starters are back for the Wildcats, one of the pleasant surprises last season as Bill Herrion got an 8-8 finish out of a team that had struggled the year before. Janev figures to have a strong finish to his career, while Christensen has always had the potential but hasn’t played like it consistently. He showed signs of it late last season, so there is hope this season, especially with freshman Onguetou giving them some toughness inside and 6’11” freshman Sam Herrick adding size. The backcourt is in good hands with steady senior Jermaine Anderson, an excellent defender, leading the way at both ends of the floor. Gibbs showed some potential as a freshman, with junior Brandon Odom as the other returning guard. Freshman Dan McGeary figures to give them a good boost.
The Wildcats were a statistical anomaly last season, finishing at or near the bottom in several key areas and not at or close to the top in any. Some improvement on defense, where they forced the fewest turnovers, allowed teams to shoot almost 44 percent and were out-rebounded worse than all but one team, would be one path to improving on the good start in Herrion’s tenure.
Binghamton (16-13, 12-4 America East)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Troy Hailey (8.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg)
Jr. G Mike Gordon (8.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.7 spg)
Sr. G Steve Proctor (4.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
Sr. F Giovanni Olomo (1.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
So. C Ian Milne (6.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: The Bearcats get five non-conference home games early, including three straight to start December. Akron is the most notable among them, while road games of note include Miami and a trip to the Comcast New Mexico Lobo Invitational, where they will play an improved Pepperdine team as well as New Mexico or Alcorn State. A home-and-home with Long Island is also on tap. In America East play, three of their first four games are at home, but in February it gets difficult with four of the first five being on the road at tough places: Albany, Boston University, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Outlook: Last season was great for the Bearcats, but this one will be much more challenging with the loss of key starters Andre Heard and Sebastian Hermenier. There are still some parts in place to be near the top of the standings, but questions abound. Hailey is capable of picking up the scoring slack from Heard’s departure, but the consistency has never been there. Gordon, one of the most underrated players in the conference, and Proctor are solid at the defensive end. Depth on the perimeter comes mainly from junior college transfers Richard Forbes and Marvin Lee. The frontcourt has a little more depth, starting with Olomo and Milne, who give them good size. Milne missed the first seven games of last season and should be better this time around if he stays healthy the entire season. Senior Duane James will also figure into the mix, along with a sophomore (Jann Montgomery) and two freshmen (Miladin Kovacevic and Lazar Trifunovic) that are all 6’9″ or taller.
The Bearcats had the best turnover margin in the conference last season. They’ll certainly need that again, as they were sixth in scoring and lost their top two scorers from a team that was out-rebounded badly and allowed opponents to shoot nearly 44 percent from the field.
Boston University (12-16, 9-7 America East)
Projected Starters:
Sr. G Brian Macon (5.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.1 spg)
Fr. G Corey Lowe
So. G-F Matt Wolff (redshirt)
Sr. F Omari Peterkin (6.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
Fr. F Scott Brittain
Schedule Highlights: Not surprisingly, the Terriers will be tested in non-conference play right from the get-go. They open with George Washington at home, then have five of six on the road including Northeastern (renewing the cross-town rivalry), Manhattan and Saint Joseph’s. Continuing the Atlantic 10 theme (at least five games against teams from there, possibly six), they have UMass (home) and Rhode Island before the MSG Holiday Festival in New York, where they get St. John’s and either Hofstra or Saint Joseph’s, then come home for Holy Cross. The most notable fact of the America East slate is that the Terriers never play back-to-back road games.
Outlook: Fans will need a program, as the Terriers have hardly been the picture of roster stability of late. Four players transferred after last season to go with departed starters Shaun Wynn and Kevin Gardner, and talented but oft-injured forward Ben Coblyn has left the program recently as well. The roster now has just two seniors and one junior, so the Terriers have a lot of unproven players that they will be counting on. The two seniors, Macon and Peterkin, are good starting points, with Macon the perfect fit for the ball control offense they ran last season and figure to run again this season. Wolff, who tore his ACL in just the fourth game of last season, is the most experienced of the other holdovers, which isn’t saying much. Athletic forward Ibrahim Konate has talent but is rail-thin and has been hobbled by injuries in his career to date. The freshmen most likely to make an impact are Lowe, a nice late pickup, and freshman forward Scott Brittain.
The Terriers’ defense will keep them in a lot of games just like last season, but they’ll need to score to win. It will be a little tougher to do that with this team, as they have less Division I experience and less experienced playing together.
Stony Brook (4-24, 2-14 America East)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Mitchell Beauford (14.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.6 spg)
So. G Tre Cunningham (6.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
Jr. G-F Ricky Lucas (transfer from George Washington)
Sr. F Mike Popoko (10.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
Jr. C Emanuel Neto (junior college transfer)
Schedule Highlights: The non-conference slate isn’t murderous like last season’s, but it’s not a cakewalk even with five home games. They open on the road for three games, including Penn State, and later have home games with Villanova and Hofstra. They close out non-conference play at Notre Dame. No portion of conference play stands out for any reason, although they have tough back-to-back home games in late January when Maine and Vermont come to town, and they finish the season hosting Albany before traveling to Maine.
Outlook: With an excellent recruiting class that has received some fanfare, the Seawolves could be poised to make a jump in the conference in Steve Pikiell’s second season. They have a good perimeter unit led by Beauford, who can score the ball and defend, and Lucas, who will give them a big scoring boost on the wing. The frontcourt is unproven save for Popoko, a solid forward who plays bigger than his size and will be the leader of this team. The newcomers add plenty of depth on the perimeter, while Neto could start and will give them some much-needed size. Sophomore Stephane Bakinde showed some promise at times last season, while classmate Andrew Goba started 18 games last season but wasn’t a factor inside.
One bright spot statistically last season was that the Seawolves turned the ball over fewer times than all but one team. With the improvement in the backcourt, that will be one good thing to build on. Contention doesn’t look likely this season, but it should be a season of good progress toward that goal.
UMBC (10-19, 5-11 America East)
Projected Starters:
Jr. G Brian Hodges (12.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Sr. G Chris Pugh (8.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.5 spg)
So. G Jay Greene (8.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg)
Sr. F Mike Housman (7.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.3 spg)
So. C Chris Timba
Schedule Highlights: Four home games are on tap in non-conference play, highlighted by nearby MAAC contender Loyola (Md.) and Big West favorite Long Beach State. Among the notable road games are Michigan, St. John’s, La Salle, George Washington and Marquette. In America East play, they will quickly see if they can reverse their struggles away from home, as they open with two games and three of five on the road.
Outlook: One of the younger teams in the conference, it may be another rebuilding season for the Retrievers as they have just three upperclassmen. They start with a perimeter unit that has potential but hasn’t always been consistent. Greene should be their floor leader for the next three years, as he has a good feel for the game, while Pugh played well near the end of last season and Hodges is capable of being one of the conference’s best scorers. Sophomore Tom Young is the only other guard with experience after playing 12.1 minutes last season. The frontcourt is where the real personnel concerns are, as Housman is a capable player but the rest are unproven. There is some size in sophomores Chris Timba and Tyler Massey as well as freshman Justin Fry, but also no shortage of question marks.
The Retrievers’ most glaring need for improvement is at the defensive end, as they were the worst team in the conference at that end last season. The offense should still be okay despite losing two of their top three scorers, but they will continue to struggle to win if they can’t stop opponents from scoring.
Hartford (13-15, 9-7 America East)
Projected Starters:
So. G Chris Cole (3.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.8 apg)
Jr. G Rich Baker (4.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 spg)
Sr. F Bo Taylor (6.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg in eight games)
So. F Fabrice Tafo (2.2 rpg)
Sr. F Alex Zimnickas (2.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
Schedule Highlights: Things start out difficult right away, as the Hawks open at Georgetown and then head up the road to play at Towson. They also play at Penn State, at Northeast contender Monmouth, and Boston College at the end of January. The non non-conference slate has just four home games. Three of their first five conference games are at home.
Outlook: New head coach Dan Leibovitz inherits a team that will struggle to score after the departure of the top four scorers from last season. They knew four seniors would be gone, but Paris Carter’s transfer stings after he was the best freshman in the conference the latter part of the season. Cole is a solid building block at the point, as he’s pass-first and has a good basketball I.Q. Baker and classmate Brian Glowiak are the only other guards with college experience on the roster, while three freshmen will get some time immediately. The frontcourt doesn’t have much size, but Tafo has some potential and could develop now that he should get more minutes and Taylor is a good player who was limited to just eight games last season due to off-court issues. Freshman Vincent Aldevinge will surely get a chance right away, as he gives them some size at 6’11”.
It may be a long season for the Hawks, but they have a good young coach and a couple of players that could be a good help in building the program from here.
Conference Outlook
This season looks to be a four-team race for the top, with Albany as the team to beat but the next three all having a good chance if they stay healthy. The conference appears to have a little different look elsewhere in the standings, as Boston University seems set for a drop in the standings unless some new players have instant impacts, and Stony Brook seems poised to make a noticeable move up with their young talent.
Getting more than one team in the postseason doesn’t seem likely unless the regular season champion loses in the conference tournament. The conference should improve from last season, but it won’t reach the level it was at two years ago just yet.
