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2013-2014 America East Preview: Stony Brook breaks through

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Dave Coley (AP photo)

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Dave Coley (AP photo)

All month long, CBT will be rolling out our 2013-2014 season preview. Check back throughout the day, as we’ll be posting three or four preview items every day.

To browse through the preview posts we’ve already published, click here. To see the rest of the Conference Previews we’ve published, click here. For a schedule of our previews for the month, click here.

Dating back to 2003, Albany and Vermont have owned the America East -- Albany has won the league championship three times and Vermont five times. The Catamounts’ momentum was built by Tom Brennan and continued by Mike Lonergan and now John Becker. Will Brown has championed the effort at Albany taking them from obscurity to respectability at the mid-major level.

For the past few seasons though, Stony Brook has been on the verge of bucking the trend. Steve Pikiell has been tantalizingly close two of the last three seasons losing in the league championship game, but the Seawolves finally get over the hurdle in 2014. Featuring the league’s top player and last year’s Rookie of the Year Jameel Warner in the frontcourt and the veteran presence of Dave Coley and Anthony Jackson in the backcourt, Pikiell has a solid core. Finding a way to replace Tommy Brenton, however, will be an early season challenge.

Vermont is nearly on par with Stony Brook as they have the top senior class in the league consisting of Clancy Rugg, Brian Voelkel, and Sandro Carissimo. The Catamounts Achilles heel will be at point guard, once again, and whether Carissimo is able to effectively run it. While a solid and tough player, he isn’t a true PG, and often times Voelkel becomes the de facto point guard.

One of the youngest teams in the country a season ago, Hartford emerged as an elite team in the America East, and will only be stronger this season as they return virtually everyone from a team that finished 17-14 and 10-6 in the league. The inside - outside play of Mark Nwakamma on the interior and Wes Cole, Nate Sikma, and Yolonzo Moore on the perimeter is deadly.

Relegated to the basement in recent years, Binghamton will be vastly improved in 2013-14. They bring back Robert Mansell (14.0 ppg in 2011-12) who sat out last season injured, Fordham transfer Rayner Moquette is at full-go after missing the second half of last season, and return last year’s Rookie of the Year Jordan Reed. Expect the Bearcats to make a big jump in year two of the Tommy Dempsey era.

REALIGNMENT MOVES

In: Massachusetts Lowell (Northeast-10, DII)
Out: Boston University (Patriot League)

PRESEASON AMERICA EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jameel Warney, Stony Brook

Warney (12.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg), only a sophomore, feasted on America East competition last year, and figures to do the same this season. At 6-foot-8 and 260 pounds, he has the size of a defensive end, but skills of a smooth forward. With Tommy Brenton having graduated, Warney will own the paint this season for the Seawolves.

FOUR MORE NAMES TO KNOW


  • Jordan Reed, Binghamton: Rising sophomore guard Jordan Reed is a bright spot for a Binghamton program that has had plenty of blemishes lately. As a freshman, Reed averaged 16.6 ppg and 9.5 rpg.
  • Mark Nwakamma, Hartford: Under-recruited coming out of high school, Nwakamma has developed into Hartford’s top player and was a unanimous selection for First Team All-League as a sophomore last season.
  • Brian Voelkel, Vermont: The term “glue guy” is one that is thrown around far too often, but Voelkel fits this description aptly -- 6.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.4 spg. He fills up a box score better than anyone.
  • Dave Coley, Stony Brook: One of the toughest on-ball defenders in the league and veteran presence for a young Stony Brook team.

ONE TWITTER FEED TO FOLLOW: @onebidwonders

PREDICTED FINISH

1) Stony Brook
2) Vermont
3) Hartford
4) Albany
5) Binghamton
6) New Hampshire
7) UMBC
8) Maine
9) UMass Lowell

Follow @KLDoyle11