The University of Maine men’s basketball team was ranked fifth out of nine teams in the America East conference preseason poll released Wednesday.
The team is coming off its best season in recent memory, finishing with a 7-9 record against America East opposition and a 13-17 record overall. UMaine was eliminated in the first round of the conference tournament.
It’s a big jump for the Black Bears, who were ranked ninth in the 2022-23 preseason poll after a 6-23 record the year prior.
Last year’s team was led by first-year head coach Chris Markwood, NCAA steals leader Kellen Tynes and the team’s leading scorer Gedi Juozapaitis.
Markwood, a South Portland native and UMaine basketball alumnus, will be without the graduated Juozapaitis this season, but has a much deeper roster to work with otherwise.
In addition to returning Tynes, America East All-Rookie Team Member Jaden Clayton, Sixth Man of the Year finalist Peter Filipovity and two other members of last year’s starting five, the Black Bears have recruited several key pieces this offseason, including sharpshooter Okay Djamgouz and big man Adam Cisse.
“We have a really talented team,” Tynes, the reigning NCAA Division I steals champ, said. “The freshmen are smart, and the transfers have experience and are hungry to play. It’s going to be tough this year for coach — we have a lot of guys that can play.”
The increased depth on UMaine’s roster has made practices much more competitive, with players trying to separate themselves from the pack before the season starts late November. It’s still unclear who this year’s starting five will be.
“It’s a good thing we don’t know yet,” Markwood said about his prospective starting five. “We brought in a lot of talented pieces that are going to fight for those spots. You can’t compete for championships until you can compete in the locker room; that healthy competition will drive everything.”