America East Notebook: Key Personnel

I’m going to try to catch America East enthusiasts up to date on just some of my many observations around the conference.  The league as a whole is more competitive, and more talented top to bottom than it has been since the “CAA 4″ (Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra, and Townson) bolted the America East for the Colonial Athletic Association. The America East is currently ranked 17th in RPI, up 10 spots from last season, and AE teams have come up with big wins (on the road no less) against the likes of Rutgers, Nebraska, Northeastern, and Air Force, and nearly pulled off the shocker of the year as Vermont lost on the road in overtime to Maryland.

Here are the news and notes from around the league:

Vermont

Marqus Blakely is still the most athletic and most talented player in the conference, but his numbers are down greatly from last season (when he averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds).  The difference is that while Blakely was beaten up and double-teamed last season, Vermont opponents have cranked it up another notch this year, and Blakely is feeling more pressure than ever. But more than that, opponents have changed their defensive scheme.  Where teams last season simply hit Blakely with a straight double team, one which he could fight through off the ball, now they play him man-up, and swarm him when he gets the ball. Blakely has been an excellent passer out of double (or triple, or quadruple) teams, and Colin McIntosh has been terrific taking advantage of opponents keying on Blakely, putting up career numbers (13.2 ppg, .511 from the floor ).  Blakely also continues to disrupt on the defensive end, leading the conference in blocks (2.8 per game), and is also crashing the boards (8.8 per game), but offensive deficiencies in his game have become apparent.  If Blakely had a jump shot, or a real low-post game, he could average 20+ points despite the double teams.

However, Blakely will not shoot even when left open, and his low-post game is very crude. But the biggest area that Blakely is still lacking in is his instincts.  Too often it seems that Blakely will catch a ball on the low blocks, turn, and simply hang onto the ball for a few seconds as if to think out what his next move is going to be. There is a time and place for great players to simply react, and Blakely does not yet have those killer instincts. But he’s working on them every game, and he seemed to have an epiphany of sorts on the court in the second half of Vermont’s come-from-behind win over Maine. After a quiet first half, Blakely exploded in the second, as it seemed that everything just clicked: Blakely seemed react instinctively every time he touched the ball en route to a 23-point, 20-rebound performance.

Two things have become apparent.  For one, Blakely does not have the jump shot, or the offensive repertoire of a Darryl Proctor if he did he couldn’t be shut down by double teams. If Blakely had Proctor’s outside jump shot and array of low-post moves, he’d still dominate. But what also is evident is just how unreal an athlete Blakely is when you consider that he can still single-handedly take over a game despite only standing 6’5″ and despite not possessing a reliable jump shot, or go-to low-post move.

Mike Trimboli is possibly the most polarizing player in the conference: You either love him or hate him. I’ve made no bones about my disdain for some of Timboli’s crunch time decision making and shot selection, nor for his at times self-centered attitude in the past, but let’s give the kid his due.  He’s doing exactly what every senior should do, yet so few do, and playing the best basketball of his life as his college career comes to an end. Trimboli is hitting shots, but more importantly he’s distributing the ball (over four assists a game) and taking care of it too. Trimboli seems more comfortable just being “one of the guys” and doesn’t seem to need to take 20 shots a night, and his team-first mentality is translating into an increased effort on the defensive end, and a spot atop the standings for Vermont.

Binghamton

While Blakely remains the best talent in the conference, the best offensive player at this point is Binghamton wing D.J. Rivera. Rivera was able to successfully petition the NCAA to waive his transfer year after joining the Bearcats from Saint Joseph’s, was declared eligible immediately and hasn’t looked back. Rivera is currently leading the league in scoring at 20.3 points per game, and has scored 20 or more points 14 times. At a very generously listed 6’4″, Rivera is unreal to watch, as he does most of his scoring from within 10 feet of the basket. A streaky 3-point shooter, Rivera’s bread and butter have been slashes to the hoop, and some unreal alley-oop dunks such as his 2-handed reverse off of a lob to close out Binghamton’s road win at Rutgers.  Rivera may be the best leaper in the conference, and literally goes head and shoulders above defenders half a foot taller than him. As tremendous a scorer as Rivera is, he has not faced the kind of defensive focus and double teams that Blakely (and UMBC’s Proctor) have faced. That could, and should, change as teams see Binghamton a second time around, and without a consistent outside shot (which to his credit has been improving lately).

Theo Davis: Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Davis has been absent all season long, averaging a mere .7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6 games while racking up 8 DNPs. While Davis has battled some injuries, the fact is that he simply has never gotten into game shape since setting foot on campus after transferring from Gonzaga following the first semester last season. Furthermore, word is that Davis is still lost on both ends of the floor, has not picked up coach Kevin Broadus’ system, and simply hasn’t worked very hard, which is more of the status quo from a player who has underachieved for all of his career. Binghamton fans shouldn’t hold their breaths or expect Davis to ever become the impact player they were hoping for.

Earlier this season Binghamton’s Malik Alvin ran into (and over) and elderly woman while attempting to flee from a local Wal-Mart with a stolen value pack of condoms (Trojan Magnums). Most fans (rightfully so) scoffed at the two-game suspension that Alvin received, and at how Broadus and the University handled it (suffice to say, they did not seem to take it seriously). Alvin has jump-started the Bearcats offense since his return.  As a dynamic missile of a scoring guard, he has lived up to his own self-advertising as an excellent penetrator, and when he gets into the paint and defenses collapse, Binghamton has excelled. But all is not well in Vestal, as senior guard Dwayne Jackson was recently suspended for a “violation of team rules.” Word is that Bearcats fans should not hold their breaths for a return, and that Jackson’s offense was far worse than that of Alvin.

UMBC

Blakely remains the league’s best talent, and Rivera the best scorer, as of now the player of the year has been UMBC senior forward/bull Darryl Proctor. At closer to 6’2″ in shoes than his listed 6’4″, Proctor is am amazing testament to sheer tenacity, willpower, and heart, as he is second in the conference in scoring (19.6 per game) and third in rebounding (8.6). Proctor has faced every bit of the double-teaming that Blakely has and more, as UMBC doesn’t have another go-to scorer to take any of the heat off of Proctor like Blakely has in Mike Trimboli, Colin McIntosh, and Maurice Joseph to name a few, or like Rivera has in Tiki Mayben and Malik Alvin. Proctor’s heart and consistency have been amazing, as he has scored 20 points or more 10 times, and has scored in double figures in all 22 of UMBC’s games this year. Proctor plays every single game like it is his last, and simply wills himself to the hoop. Watching Proctor take down and take apart opponents half a foot taller than him is a thing of beauty, and as of right now he is hands down the best player in the conference.

Albany

Albany’s Will Harris was touted by Great Danes head coach Will Brown as “the most talented player in the conference” entering the season, and while he hasn’t quite lived up to that billing, he’s certainly looking like a game changer: Harris is a legit 6’6″ and a muscular 240 pounds, and with big time athleticism and at the wing position he presents a tremendous match-up problem in the America East. Like Rivera, Harris is another drop-down transfer (he played significant minutes as a sophomore at Virginia) who successfully petitioned the NCAA for immediate eligibility. Harris took some time to adjust to Albany’s system and to get back into basketball shape (a bit of a head scratcher considering he had no time off in between last season at Virginia and this year at Albany), but has come on strong since the start of conference play, averaging 17.8 points and 9 rebounds in 8 league games (well above his season average of 13 ppg and 6.3 rpg).

Stony Brook

Rivera and Harris came into the conference with as much hype as any transfers in recent history, and both have done their part in living up to the billing.  But there is a third transfer lighting up the conference from the wing position in Stony Brook’s Muhammad El-Amin. The last player signed by Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell before the season, El-Amin was a complete unknown coming from the junior college ranks, but has proven to be a big-time scorer and ranks seventh in overall scoring (15.2 ppg) and fifth in scoring in conference games (17.6 ppg). El-Amin may look gangly and at times awkward in his movements, but he is a top-notch athlete and terrific outside shooter, and at 6’5″ with a huge wingspan has no problem getting off his shot from behind the arc.  He can also beat his man off the dribble, take the ball to the rack, and finish strong around the basket. The general rule of thumb is that it takes “JuCo’s” a year to adjust to the Division I game, which makes El-Amin’s performance all the more impressive this season. The coaches at Stony Brook don’t think that El-Amin has come close to reaching his ceiling, encouraging news for fans of “The Brook,” and a scary thought for the rest of the conference.

If Stony Brook finishes in the top five in the conference standings, head coach Steve Pikiell should run away with the Coach of the Year award. The Seawolves’ turnaround up to this point has been truly remarkable.  During his first three seasons, the Seawolves’ winning percentage was below 30 percent under Pikiell, but this year Stony Brook stands at 13-10 and 5-5 in conference play. More importantly, Stony Brook has competed in every game, played as hard as anyone in the conference, and played as a cohesive unit; night and day from the five players playing as individuals auditioning for the And-1 Mix Tape Tour, which was the norm during Pikiell’s first three years.

The job that Pikiell has done this season has been truly remarkable, as he has kept all of his returning players on board emotionally while working in almost an entire new roster. Seven of Pikiell’s top 11 players are suiting up for the Seawolves for the first time this year, yet the team is as tight-knit a unit as there is in the America East. Perhaps the most encouraging sign of the season has been the behavior of returning players Jermol Paul, Michael Tyree, and Demetrius Young, all three of whom started last season, and all three of whom have found themselves buried at the end of the bench (although Young has since seen a return to the court). There may not have been a more positive sign than looking down at the end of the Seawolves’ roster and watching the trio of Tyree, Paul, and Young cheering their hearts off and their lungs soar while they pulled for their teammates, truly putting the good of their club above themselves.

Maine

Maine’s Mark Socoby has settled into a rut as a spot up three-point shooter and somewhat one-dimensional player. It’s too bad because two years ago Socoby looked like he could be a do-it-all wing with solid athleticism and the ability to slash to the rim, but Socoby’s game has regressed, and he seems unwilling or unable to create his own shot, or do much other than drift around the arc and hope that someone gets him the basketball when he’s open. Don’t get me wrong, Socoby is still a gamer and can put up points in bunches, but he has disappeared in far too many games this year and isn’t playing up to his potential or abilities.

The Black Bears have found a very nice player in sophomore Malachi Peay, whom looks to be developing into a legitimate scoring combo forward. Peay spent most of last season on the bench learning the college game as the youngest freshman in the conference, and missed seven games this season after taking a nasty elbow to the face against Quinnipiac. Upon his return, Peay has exploded, scoring in double figures in five straight games. Peay has emerged as the only forward on Maine’s roster who can create his own shot, and has been opening eyes with an impressive ability to get to the basket in a variety of ways, as he can put the ball on the floor, slash to the hoop, or drop a shoulder and bull his way through defenders. At 6’5″ and 210 pounds, Peay is a bit of a “man without a position,” but the America East is a conference where such players excel (Peay’s game is eerily similar to former Albany standout Levi Levine), and with his ability to score, rebound and defend, as well as toughness, he has the makings of a future all conference player and a very nice building block for the Black Bears. Peay’s importance was evident in Maine’s 70-59 loss to Stony Brook: Peay was unable to play due to the flu, and Maine’s offense never got going.

Maine junior guard Junior Bernal has all the tools to be a terrific player in the America East: a point guard’s ball-handling, tremendous length and athleticism at 6’4″ and 200 pounds, and great quickness. Yet he has been, for large stretches, the worst point guard in the conference. The problem is, that despite spending 4 years at the D-I level (he redshirted as a frosh), Bernal still does not understand his own limitations as player. In other words, Bernal is still struggling with the notion that he is not a scorer. If Bernal would develop the mindset of former BU standout and 4-year starter Kevin Fitzgerald, he could really be something special. Fitzgerald was able to have a game-changing impact nightly despite going weeks without taking a shot, as his passing, and ability to run an offense were incalculable. Unfortunately, Bernal still goes stretches when he thinks he’s the 2nd coming of former conference standout (and current NBA player) Jose Juan Barea.  Bernal is a terrific defender who can pick pockets and get out in transition with the best of them. But once he gets out in running, he often suffers from one of the worst cases of tunnel vision in recent memory: for a point guard, he does a poor job of looking for open teammates, instead forcing horrible, twisting, playground shots that don’t have a prayer of going in.

Boston University

Boston University has gotten a huge boost from junior center Scott Brittain. Brittain was buried, and his career looked all but over during the non-conference season, as he struggled to overcome post concussion syndrome, and played petrified basketball once he returned to the court, earning him a seat at the end of the bench. But with the Terriers’ season on the brink, and the injuries mounting (Tyler Morris and Carlos Strong are both out for the season), Brittain was pressed into playing time and has responded wonderfully. Brittain won’t ever be a dominant big man, but he’s given BU a viable scoring option in the low post, and commands enough defensive attention to take some of the heat off of BU shooters Corey Lowe, John Holland, and Jake O’Brien. Brittain has shown off a pretty jump hook and spin move as of late, and if he can chip in 10 points per game, it could well be enough of a difference to get BU back to their first championship game since 2003. More importantly, Brittain is changing the game on defense, swatting and altering shots nightly.

Has anyone been better since the start of the conference season than Terriers sophomore John Holland?  Holland has flat out taken over, averaging 18.1 points per game, and a league-best 23.5 points in conference play. The scary thing? He’s still not anywhere near his full potential, as he still settles for perimeter shots too much. Holland is a great shooter, and he’s hitting a tremendous amount for a 6’5″ athlete, but with his ball-handling, length, and athleticism, Holland has all the tools to take the ball right to the bucket at will. If Holland becomes comfortable enough in his game to start driving the lane and attacking the basket, he could be as complete a basketball player as there is at the America East level. Holland has now scored 20 or more points nine times, but more impressively in seven of his last nine games.

While Vermont’s Trimboli is the most polarizing, BU senior Matt Wolff is simply the most hated. I’m not going to debate whether or not Wolff should have played as much as he did in previous seasons, and I certainly feel that Wolff is best suited to play 15-20 minutes a game as a defensive stopper/scrapper, and a physical presence on the glass. But Wolff is the best man for the job for this Terriers squad, as he is the only lock-down defender on the roster, and he gives BU toughness that the rest of the roster lacks. He isn’t ever going to be a scorer, and he is a limited player physically, but the kid plays as hard as anyone in the conference, and there were times this season when he was the only player on the floor for the Terriers who looked like he cared. And don’t look now, but Wolff has quietly moved into the top ten in the conference in both rebounds and assists.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire sophomore Ronny Tchatchoua also has the makings of a very nice player. Tchatchoua isn’t ever going to be the wing that some had hoped, but at 6’5″ with big-time hops and an ever improving low-post game, Tchatchoua could provide the Wildcats with the low-post scorer that they have been lacking. Tchatchoua has still struggled greatly with consistency, and still has the annoying habit of getting lost around the perimeter, but considering he picked up the game of basketball late and missed a third of last season because of academics, his development has already been impressive to say the least. And by his senior year Tchatchoua could be a legitimate threat around the basket.

Hartford

The Hartford Hawks took a huge hit with the loss of junior guard Joe Zeglinski, who will redshirt the season after tearing ligaments in his ankle. Without Zeglinski, a top 5 talent in the league and returning first team All-Conference selection, the Hawks’ offense doesn’t have a go-to scorer, or a multi-dimensional scorer. The Hawks need an athletic wing, an impact low post scorer, and someone, anyone, who can grab a rebound. But these guys fight for 40 minutes, and doubt them for a second and they will make you pay.

Hats off to Hartford junior forward David Bookman. Bookman is a great kid and a great story, and no player in the conference puts the needs of his team above himself, or is a better “chemistry guy.” Bookman has busted his butt for three years, never saying a negative word despite occupying a permanent seat on the end of the bench. Whether it’s practice, hitting the weight room, the lay-up lines, or an offseason pick up game, Bookman only knows one speed, and that’s all-out.