Here’s how I would break down the conference as of right now:
- Vermont
- Boston University
- Albany/UMBC
- UMBC/Albany
- Stony Brook
- Binghamton
- Maine/UNH
- UNH/Maine
- Hartford
There is significant separation between the top two teams (Vermont, BU) and the rest of the America East, and there is also some separation between teams 3-6 and the bottom of the conference. However, as a whole, the only team in the conference that should really be classified as playing flat-out bad has been Hartford, as the rest of the conference has played up to, or exceeded, preseason expectations.
Vermont’s inside-outside combination of Mike Trimboli and Marqus Blakely has been the best duo in the conference, as both are playing like All-Conference first teamers, but it’s been the Catamounts’ supporting cast that has made them hands down the team to beat in the America East. The Catamounts lead the conference in scoring, field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage.
Stony Brook Notes
- Speaking of pre-game acrobatics, no team in the America East is as fun to watch go through their lay-up lines as Stony Brook. I would recommend fans show up before Seawolves games as early as possible, as they put on one heck of a pre-game dunk-a-thon. Last year Demetrius Young and Jermol Paul were the Seawolves’ resident high-flyers, but this year they have some stiff competition in freshmen Danny Carter, Tommy Brenton, Dallis Joyner, junior college transfer Muhammad El-Amin, and even walk-on Michal Zylinski.
- El-Amin is in his own world in some of the tomahawk, windmill, and reverse jams he throws down, as his hang time is up there with anyone in the conference.
- And for sheer back-board shaking power, the conference hasn’t seen someone like Desmond Adedeji in a long time.
- While Dougher came to Stony Brook with a lot of hype, and Brenton exploded out of the gates, Carter may be the Stony Brook freshman with the highest ceiling. At 6’9″ he has been hyped as a pure shooter, and he certainly looks it, but what has been overlooked is his athleticism. Brian Benson of UNH may be the most athletic player 6’9″ or taller that the conference has seen in some time, but Carter isn’t far behind. The only thing holding Carter back right now is his weight, as he will need to bulk-up to become an impact player, but with a good strength training program, the sky is the limit.
- Putting on weight isn’t a problem for Adedeji, who is a monster at 6’10” and reportedly upwards of 325 pounds. Adedeji has the skills to do serious damage in the America East, with an incredibly soft shooting touch to go with his brute strength, and can even hit the college 3. While Adedeji will need to get down to around 300 to be a true impact player, he is hardly fat, with a build that looks strikingly similar to actor Michael Clarke Duncan of The Green Mile fame – if Duncan were a half a foot taller. Big players in the America East have been hamstrung by referees in the past, but Adedeji may not fall into that trap, as he is already an incredibly smart player who knows how to use his size. He also knows how to lower the boom, as evident when he leveled UConn’s Stanley Robinson with a pick, which left Robinson on the ground dazed, and later forced him from the game.
