America East Basketball: 5 “must-watch” players for 2020-21 season

Which America East Basketball players should you keep an eye on for the upcoming season?

In March of 2020, Binghamton was set to square off with Vermont in the America East Basketball Championship Game with a berth to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Unfortunately, the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below, you will find the five players to watch in the conference and how they will contribute to their team’s success.

1. Darnell Rodgers – UMBC

First of all, here is a stat you may not know: Rogers is the shortest scholarship player in Division-I basketball history, standing at 5’2″. Despite his stature, Rogers is an absolute beast on the court. He was only able to play in seven games last season due to an injury but should be back in full form for the 2020-2021 season.

In those seven games, he averaged 14.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 4.3 APG. Rogers is lightning-quick and can dish the ball to his teammates. He also shot 42.2% from three-point range last season, which he will need to do again for the retrievers in 2020. He will likely carry the scoring load, and his veteran leadership will be depended upon if UMBC is going to make it back to the NCAA Tournament in March.

2. Mouhamadou Geuye – Stony Brook

After the conclusion of the 2019-2020 season, Stony Brook seemed positioned for an America East title run in 2020-2021. They were supposed to return three dominant players in Elijah Olaniyi, Makale Foreman, and Andrew Garcia.

However, they fell victim to the most active transfer portal in the history of college basketball, losing Olaniyi to Miami, Foreman to California, and Garcia to Georgia. Many things about Stony Brook in this upcoming season are a mystery, but a player that they will need to step up is Mouhamadou Gueye. He played two seasons in JUCO before transferring to Stony Brook.

Coming in as a top-100 JUCO prospect, Gueye played solid minutes this past season and averaged 7.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and adding almost 2 BPG as well. He has shown flashes of clutch ability, hitting the game-winning shot vs Wagner and knocking down the game-winning free throws vs Binghamton. Gueye is a relentless finisher and might be the most talented defensive player in the conference. In order for Stony Brook to compete this year, it will require a great season from Gueye.

3. Stef Smith – Vermont

This is a name that should be more well-known. Stef Smith was a star on a Vermont team that was projected to make the NCAA Tournament and were many people’s Cinderella pick. They were led by Anthony Lamb, who overshadowed Smith in the media. Smith averaged 14.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.6 APG.

On top of that, he was deadly from beyond the arc, hitting 42.3% of his 3 point attempts. He was also named to the All-America East First Team. With the absence of Lamb, Smith should be the primary ballhandler allowing him to use his passing ability and be more involved in the offense.

Expect Smith to average upwards of 20 PPG this season and to help the Catamounts get back to the conference title game. His senior leadership will be crucial to Vermont’s season and the team will live and die based on how Smith plays.

4. Souleymane Diakite – NJIT

Diakite ended the 2019-2020 season off strong, posting three double-doubles in a row. He was thrust into a bigger role as a sophomore and burst onto the scene, averaging 7.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and adding 2.0 BPG to round it out. Diakite is a defensive monster and has added 20 pounds to his frame this offseason.

He will have an even larger role this upcoming season and will be asked to anchor the defense, as well as score. This will be NJIT’s first season officially competing in the America East Conference, and Diakite should tear it up.

5. George Tinsley – Binghamton

George Tinsley was thrown into the fire right away, starting all 28 games for Binghamton as a freshman. In fact, he ranked second in the entire NCAA in minutes per game with an average of 38 minutes and 23 seconds played per game. He averaged 11.6 PPG and grabbed 7.4 RPG. Those numbers were good enough to land Tinsley the America East Rookie of The Year.

As a sophomore, he is expected to have another great campaign and transition to the leader of the team. His starting experience and versatility will be extremely key to the success of Binghamton in 2020-21 and do not be surprised to see him in the conference Player of The Year conversation.