America East Basketball: Vermont, Stony Brook, 2019 conference tournament favorites
By Cody Gerena
Key Players in the America East Tournament
Junior Forward – Anthony Lamb – Vermont
2018-19 Stats: 20.8 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game, 2.1 assists per game, 2.0 blocks per game
Anthony Lamb is no doubt the America East Player of the Year for this season. He leads his team in points, rebounds, and blocks per game. According to SportsReference Lamb leads the conference in win shares with 5.9, over one win higher than the next highest player. The America East is also giving him props to, as he has won the Player of the Week honor five times this season alone. He’s been unstoppable at times on the offense, scoring 20 points or more 15 times this season, including 42 points against St Bonaventure, a potential tournament team from the A10.
Junior Guard – Akwasi Yeboah – Stony Brook
2018-19 Stats: 16.7 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game, .505 two-point percentage
Akwasi Yeboah has been the star player of this year’s second seed team. He has managed to win the Player of the Week award for three straight weeks earlier this year. He has been the key player for some of Stoney Brook’s best wins this season, such as scoring 24 with 11 rebounds at South Carolina in a major upset from earlier this season. If the Seawolves want to win this is the man who needs the ball as they are 9-3 in games where he has more than 15 field goal attempts. Those three losses, Hofstra at home and away at Vermont and UMBC.
Senior Forward – Joe Sherburne – UMBC
2018-19 Stats: 14.3 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, .563 two-point percentage
Joe Sherburne may not be as much of a star player as his senior teammates from last season, but he still played a key role on a team that beat one of if not the best college basketball team last season.
This season he has tried his best to replace the gaps left by the departing Jairus Lyles and K.J. Maura and there’s only one thing left for him to do to fulfill his duty as the only senior that gets significant playing time on this team, win the America East Tournament. A key to a UMBC conference tournament victory is in his field goal percentage as they are 10-3 in games where Sherburne shoots over .500.
Senior Guard – J.R. Lynch – Hartford
2018-19 Stats: 16.3 points per game, .408 three-point percentage, 2.2 steals per game, 3.7 assists per game
On team with seven seniors that practically et all the minutes, J.R. Lynch is arguably the best of them. Leading the Hawks in points, assists, and steals per game in addition to minutes played averaging over 37 minutes played per game, he has proven himself to be in discussion as one of the best players in this tournament. Hartford is 12-4 in games where he scores over 15 points. There are also 10-3 in games where he makes at least three 3-pointers.
Senior Guard – Ernie Duncan – Vermont
2018-19 Stats: 14.3 points per game, .426 three-point percentage
A redshirt-freshman that has started in all the games that he’s played(129 straight starts in games he’s played), and the eldest of the three Duncan brothers on the Catacombs, the first time three brothers have played on the same team this millennium, Ernie Duncan has been a reliable talent that is one of the reasons for why Vermont has been so good over the past few seasons. With a career 3-point percentage of .416, he is always a threat to opposing defenses from behind the arc. The Catacombs are 15-3 in games where he makes multiple three-point baskets.
Vermont is also 15-3 in games where the oldest Duncan scores double-digits. Since he’s graduating after this season, I’ve wondered how the Catacombs will do without such a reliable player, but then I remembered that there is two more players just like him waiting to have break out seasons, and notice that Vermont will be just fine for a long time.