The University of Maine men’s basketball team finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in America East with New Hampshire and Binghamton a year ago.
The Black Bears have been chosen to finish fourth again this season in the preseason coaches poll announced on Monday. That is the highest they have been selected since the 2010-11 team was chosen to finish third.
Vermont, which has won eight straight America East regular season titles, the longest streak of conference dominance in the country, has been picked to make it nine in a row.
Vermont received 64 points and eight first-place votes. UMass Lowell was second with 55 points and the other first-place vote.
Bryant was third with 52 points followed by UMaine (39), University of Maryland Baltimore County (31), Binghamton (30), Albany (26), the New Jersey Institute of Technology (15) and New Hampshire (12).
UMaine third-year head coach Chris Markwood lost All-America East second team selection Peter Filipovity (team-leading 14.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game) to New Mexico State, but his next four leading scorers are back led by All-American East third team guard and two-time American East Defensive Player of the Year Kellen Tynes (12.6 ppg, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.3 steals) and fellow guard Jaden Clayton (9.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4 apg).
“They are our foundation pieces. They continue to get better every year,” said Markwood, who has guided the Black Bears to 28 wins in his first two seasons, the most in a two-year span since 2009-11.
UMaine was 15-17 a year ago, 7-9 in the conference. The 15 wins last season are the most since the 2010-11 team went 15-15.
Markwood said in addition to being an elite defender, if Tynes can continue to improve his three-point shooting, “he will become real hard to guard because of how quick he is off the bounce and the decisions he makes when he gets into the paint. And he is an underrated passer.”
Clayton, according to Markwood, took “major strides last year. He has a high basketball IQ and is a great facilitator and creator for others. He leads the league in assists (247) over the last two seasons. He shot the ball very consistently in the league.”
Tynes is a graduate student, and Clayton is a junior.
Markwood also sees a big upside for senior guards A.J. Lopez (8.6 ppg) and Quion Burns (6.4 ppg).
“They are really talented offensive players,” said Markwood. “They had some great stretches last year. A.J. was playing great before he separated his shoulder and missed five weeks. Quion averaged 13 points while averaging 18 minutes a game over the last six games.”
Markwood added that Burns shot more than 40 percent from long-distance during stretches.
Both will get more playing time this season. Lopez averaged 21 minutes per game.
Markwood said he is also excited about sophomore two-way guard Logan Carey and junior forward Keelan Steele.
Carey averaged 5.8 minutes per game a year ago, but Steele missed his past two years due to foot surgeries.
“Logan is similar to our other guards. He is quick and athletic. He can play off the bounce and get into the lane. He is a two-way guard,” said Markwood. “Keelan has had a very productive preseason for us. I’m expecting big things from him.”
Markwood said he likes his roster makeup.
“We have good depth and good versatility,” said Markwood. “We have an opportunity to hurt [opponents] in different ways more than we have in my first two years.”
UMaine will open the season on Nov. 4 at Duke University in Newport native Cooper Flagg’s much-anticipated college debut.
“He is a tremendous talent,” Markwood said. “I’ve been watching him play since he was 15. This will be a great opportunity for us. There’s going to be a great atmosphere and the Cooper situation is going to add energy to it.”
