The Sauer's Watch List: Preseason Top Players List 25-11

Everybody loves a good list. We've listed a group of breakout players, but it was broken up so it didn't quite have that list frenzy you get from using completely subjective comparisons to slot people in order.

This, however, is the definitive America East Preseason Top Players list -- and I'm naming it after Albany coaching Legend Doc Sauers because it mirrors the Naismith watch list -- no freshman (I  might bend that rule next year when twitter phenom Reece Watson enters the league). 25-11, here we go:

25. Kyrie Sutton, Binghamton: This is a mystery to me. Can anyone explain this? He's 6'9, he's the most talented kid on a depleted team, he has flashes of brilliance, and yet he can't earn consistent minutes. He's a good rebounder, an a efficient and fairly high volume offensive threat – Macon needs to give this kid some slack. He's steadily improved his offensive rating every year (a five point jump to 99 last year). There's no reason he shouldn't be one of the better big men in the America East.

24. Chandler Rhoads, New Hampshire: This should be Alvin Abreu, but I'll believe a full healthy season when I see it. Rhoads is a high volume guy (24.5 % Poss in league play last year, 8^th among returners) with a solid A/T ratio – which is even more impressive because no one on UNH could score last year. At 6-4, he has the size advantage to bully AE guards and make up for his lack of foot speed – but an outpour of offensive in Canada forced my hand to include Rhoads in here. He scored in the 30s on back to back night and most importantly, shot very well from three (9-16 over four games)– something he was incapable of doing last year (a brutal 28% from 3).

23. Anthony Jackson, Stony Brook: SBU has a litany of good young players with potential – but Johnson is the only one who fits a desperate need: dribble penetration. If Chris Martin did anything last season, he proved that the key to unleashing the offensive weapons on the Seawolves is getting into the lane. Dougher, Hayes, Rouse – if you get these guys the ball on the perimeter with a decent look, you're probably going to tally up an assist. If Johnson can separate himself from the crowd, his high usage (25 %Poss in conference play) and 7^th best assist percent in the league (25.2 % in conference play) make him the ideal candidate to run the show. 

22. Luke Apfeld, Vermont: He's lean and far too bouncy for a big man of his height in the America East. He's going to make a difference doing the dirty work on both ends – if he stays healthy. His full breakout profile is here.

21. Chase Plummer, UMBC: Perhaps the single bright spot for UMBC on defense all season was that Plummer managed to clock in an impressive Stl % (3.6, 76^th best in the nation). But it's offense were Plummer will need to break out, after a fast start of 4 straight double digit scoring games, he managed only six for the rest of the season and slumped to 6.7 PPG. That said, he's clearly in line to assume the offensive mantle with CDLR steps aside – and lord knows CDLR needs the help now. A sturdy 6'6 player who doesn't even pretend to be a three point shooter (nine 3FGA), but he draws fouls at a high rate, rebounds well especially on the offensive glass and isn't gun shy – at 26 %Poss, he's the second most aggressive option the Retrievers have. He'll need to improve his 84 O Rtg, but UMBC doesn't have the luxury of bringing him along slowly.

As promised, it continues!

20. Raheem Singleton, Maine: Singleton was at the helm of a transformation that saw Maine shoot to top of the America East in offense (the corresponding slide in defense doomed the season, however). A true point guard, he controlled the ball while he was on the floor (team high 26% poss), but with varied success. He's one of the top assist men in the league (54th best assist rate in the country) and he gets to the free throw line frequently, so he's not without talent. One of the top questions heading into the season is can Raheem orchestrate Maine's offensive options (McLemore, Fraser and a number of talented 6'3 freshman) and play himself onto an All-AE team?

19. Ferg Myrick, New Hampshire: A poor man's John Holland. He's a high usage, athletic, oversized wing who can draw fouls and isn't afraid to shoot from deep. Check the numbers:

Ferg: 6'6 200, 30.4 %Poss, 5.3 Foul Draw/40 minutes 35 % from three.

Holland 6'5 205 30.5 % Poss 5.8 FD/40 33% 3PT

But there's a reason Ferg's no John Holland, his 84.8 O Rtg (even though he managed to lead UNH in scoring with 12.1 ppg) is far lower than Holland's 106 (which was well below his previous seasons when he had Corey Lowe drawing significant attention). The big number that stands out is that Holland was 86% from the line while Myrick, who's also capable of drawing fouls, shot only 57% – if Ferg continues to give up that many free points at the line, he may never get over the hump and be a true leading man. There's not many people in the AE equipped to stop a 6'6 swingman who is athletic enough to get to the hoop and make shots (though his line-drive jumper is less than ideal), but he wasn't cleared to play on the teams Canadian trip so health is certainly still an issue.

18. Luke Devlin, UAlbany: The most athletically limited kid on the Great Danes, but he's tough as they come. Over the course of the year Luke was stitched up mid-game, received two blacks eyes at once and a went through constant pounding down low, and he somehow got stronger as the year went on. His absolute job security last season allowed him get a ton of run and, instead of wearing down as I feared, he improved his play as he managed to stay on the court for longer stretches. His stretch of double-doubles to close out the year, comprised mostly of sheer will on the glass and a sprinkling of three pointers, made him an obvious All-Rookie choice, and he arguably would've captured ROY if not for Voelkel. The darker side (and why he's so low in the rankings): he had minor back surgery over the summer and that's not something you just bounce back from. Also, while he managed to score garbage points of his offensive rebounds, he didn't show much ability in the post (not sure the last Great Dane who has...) and it's reasonable to wonder if he's already hit his ceiling on offense.

17. Dallis Joyner, Stony Brook: There is an abyss in the middle of most America East defenses, and Joyner should have a mismatch most conference game. He had an off-year last season and he's an awful free throw shooter, but he gets it done on the offensive glass, can throw down with the best of them in the league – and will probably be the single biggest beneficiary of Brenton's return. Brenton's a sneaky good assist man and expect the Dallis Joyner highlight reel dunk production to return to 09-10 levels. If he struggles early, however, he'll be hearing footsteps from Anthony Mayo and Eric McAlister.

16.Patrick Hazel, Boston: Exactly the type of player you want anchoring your defense in the America East. He's undersized at 6'6, but he has great bounce and is the league's best shot blocker (41^st nationally). You don't want to ask him to create on offense, but with D.J. Irving and co. he won't have to.

15. Brian Benson, New Hampshire: Benson's game is about as one dimensional as it comes – but what he does, he does absurdly well. The definition of springy, he uses high energy play to clean up on the glass (8.2 RPG and the sixth (!!) best defensive rebounding pct int the country). I wouldn't trust him to a score from more than a few feet away from the basket, but he was a big reason UNH had one of the best defensive teams in the league last year – with Dane DiLiegro out of the way, he'll have to anchor the defense himself.

14. Genesis Maciel, Hartford: This young man (with the best beard in the league -- that's a big boost in the rankings) looked unstoppable for short stretches against the Danes last year and finished the season strong – leading the Hawks with 19 points in their tournament upset over Maine. He's a big man who lingers too much on the perimeter and loves to shoot threes – and with Morgan Sabia and Joe Zeglinski departed, the Hawks are going to be dying for someone to take an outrageous amount of low percentage threes. In all seriousness, there are going to be shots to go around in Coach Gallagher's uptempo, three point heavy offense, and Maciel, especially when he gets going, is going to demand a lot of them. If things break even mildly well for Hartford this season, expect Genesis (on BIAH's "All-Bible" Name Team) to be high in the scoring ranks. 

13. Andres Torres, Hartford: If healthy, a very good chance he'll be a more likeable CDLR (the Hawks should actually put up some effort on defense). See our breakout player profile on him here.

12. Bryan Dougher, Stony Brook: Do-er has been playing like a savvy vet for Stony Brook for years now (an image not unaided by his appearance similar to middle aged school teacher), but he's not an all-conference pick in my book. He's a great spot up shooter, but frankly, he'll be best served if SBU asks him to do less. Injuries forced him to take a lead role last year and his play suffered because of oversized responsibility: his % possessions rose from 20 to 24 while his O Rtg plummeted from 117 to 97. It took Chris Martin's return for the season to take off because Do-er was stretched beyond his capabilities. I should add that I was impressed by defensive pressure, especially his quick hands – he was able to give the more athletic Mike Black fits.

11. Mike Black, UAlbany: Last year, Black was the most valuable player on the Great Danes... but that doesn't make him the best. When Black and his point guard play went down with an injury last year, the Danes fell apart apart; another injury could thrash the Danes' title hopes for this year (although a strong Canadian showing by 6'4 Aussie Peter Hooley gives hope of a dependable fall back plan). If he can duplicate the aggression and finesse he played with in the last two games of the regular season (18 & 26 points), he could force his way into the 1^st team or even POY discussion. He's one of the most accurate three point shooters in the league (43%), but despite often being indispensable for the turnover prone Danes, he is not being an elite distributor. He'll have plenty off tools around him and it's time for him to finally tip his A/TO ratio to over 1 (and stay healthy). 

Check back Monday (suspense building...) for 10-1!