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Tuesday, November 7
America East Breakdown

ESPN.com

HOW THEY'LL STACK UP

HOFSTRA: Don't worry, life without "Speedy" won't be all that bad.

DREXEL: The return of a healthy Joe Linderman will be measured in wins.

DELAWARE: Dave Henderson era begins with plenty of questions.

MAINE: Last year's broken dreams being pieced back together ... slowly.

BOSTON U: No seniors, which may be a good thing after past two seasons.

TOWSON: Brian Barber (17.9 ppg.) may be league's best-kept secret.

VERMONT: It's Brennan's 15th season, an amazing tenure in this league.

NORTHEASTERN: Foundation includes last year's top four scorers.

HARTFORD: Coach Harrison recruited the dynasty while assisting Huggins.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: They make opponents uncomfortable and work for wins.

Tuesday, Nov. 7
Hofstra coach Jay Wright could have won the America East last year without point guard Speedy Claxton. He didn't have to. He does now and he still can.

Wright has taken over Mike Brey' reign as the king of the conference with a loaded returning lineup. Norman Richardson was the perfect compliment to Claxton and will take over as the team's go-to player, but the difference could be the emergence of sophomore Rick Apodaca in place of Claxton.

The Flying Dutchmen should get a run for the title from Joe Linderman and Drexel. Point Huggy Dye will keep Maine in the hunt and transfers Ajmal Basit (UMass) and Maurice Sessoms (Wisconsin) give new Blue Hens coach Dave Henderson a chance.

Boston University and Towson are in the next tier, but most of the ink in the conference might go to Towson freshman Tamir Goodman, the orthodox Jew who originally committed to Maryland.

Perennial overachieving Vermont could lurk as a spoiler while Northeastern, Hartford and New Hampshire will struggle to climb out of the bottom three.

ESPN.com All-America East

Guard: Norman Richardson
Senior, 6-5, Hofstra

Guard: Tony Orciari
Senior, 6-3, Vermont

Forward: Mike Kouser
Senior, 6-7, Drexel

Forward: Brian Barber
Senior, 6-6, Towson

Center: Joe Linderman
Senior, 6-9, Drexel

Player of Year ...
Norman Richardson, Guard
Should follow "Speedy" into the NBA after this season. The 6-5 forward will emerge as the go-to guy in the Flying Dutchmen's offense after averaging 16.2 points a game even with Claxton on the court with him. While his game is closer to the basket, Richardson can go outside, hitting 35 percent of his 3-pointers last season.

Introducing ...
Ajmal Basit, F, Delaware
You may have heard of Basit from his days on the bench at UMass. The senior hopes to find a new lease his basketball life -- albeit for only a season -- with the Blue Hens. The 6-9, 260-pounder sat out last season after averaging 4.8 points and four rebounds a game for the Minutemen in 1998-99.

Best backcourt ...
Northeastern: The Killer Bs ... Marcus Blossom, Jean Bain and Toby Brittain. Blossom (14.9 ppg. in '99-00) is a former walk-on who's led the Huskies in scoring the past two seasons, while the versitale Brittain is a 6-4 sophomore who brings athleticism to the backcourt. Bain isn't a pure point guard at 5-11, but will be asked to run the show.

Best frontcourt ...
Drexel: If the Dragons frontline can stay healthy ... and that's a big "if". Joe Linderman is a player of the year candidate after going down nine minutes into Game 2 last season, and missing the rest of the season. Two years ago, the 6-9, 240-pound center averaged 17.2 points and 7.6 rebounds. Mike Kouser, a 6-7 senior, emerged last year in Linderman's absense and is back to join 6-6 Petrick Sanders, who has played in all but one game in his first three seasons.

Team on way up ...
Drexel: Adding a healthy Linderman to the starting lineup makes this club much better than .500 in this league.

Team on way down ...
Delaware: Little did anyone in Newark know how much Bill Guthridge's decision to step down at Chapel Hill would affect their Fightin' Blue Hens. The domino effect took their coach. Mike Pegues' graduation also takes 21 points a game out of the offense.

Tournament tough ...
NCAA: Drexel, after winning the postseason tourney.

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