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Head coach Tommy Dempsey enters his third season of a rebuilding process with his strongest roster top to bottom in 2014-15. Binghamton, which won 23 games and advanced to the NCAAs in 2009 before a sudden and harsh descent, now has the ingredients for another run at a conference championship.

With a roster that featured as many as four starting freshmen, the Bearcats more than doubled their win total last season. After reeling in another strong recruiting class, Dempsey expects his young 2014-15 squad to push for a top-half finish in the America East Conference and isn鈥檛 shy about the team鈥檚 lofty goals.

鈥淭he team鈥檚 goal is to win an America East championship,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I think that should be every team鈥檚 goal. We set high goals and challenge the players every day so they know this is what it takes to put themselves in position to be successful.鈥�

Conference coaches may also be wary of Binghamton鈥檚 steady rise, as they voted the Bearcats fifth (out of nine) in the America East Preseason Poll 鈥� the highest Binghamton has been picked in six years.

Reed one of top players in conference

Junior guard Jordan Reed has racked up some big numbers in his first two collegiate seasons (913 pts., 524 rebs.) and is poised to become one of the premier players in the Northeast as the second-half of his career unfolds.

Reed, at 6-foot-4, has led the America East in rebounding in back-to-back years 鈥� the only guard to accomplish that feat in the league鈥檚 35-year history. He finished third in scoring (15.4 ppg.) and was one of just eight players across the country to finish in his conference top-3 in both scoring and rebounding. He pumped in 26 points against No. 4 Syracuse and had 30-plus points in back-to-back games to end the regular season. He has 23 double-doubles in two seasons and remains the backbone of the program鈥檚 resurgence under Dempsey.

鈥淛ordan is one of the best athletes in the league,鈥� Dempsey said. 鈥淲e are looking for him to take on more of a leadership role. He has to continue to play to his strengths 鈥� being the best rebounder in the America East and being relentless defensively. He plays with a chip on his shoulder that makes him successful. Jordan will score points and put up good numbers if he can bring that emotional edge.鈥�

Sophomore class coming off big production year

Binghamton鈥檚 quartet of sophomores were called on to play big roles in the 2013-14 season and the group didn鈥檛 disappoint, scoring nearly half the team鈥檚 points (48%). Guards Yosef Yacob (70 assists, America East All-Rookie) and Marlon Beck II (83 assists, freshman record) and forwards Nick Madray and Magnus Richards each earned league Rookie of the Week honors 鈥� the first time in conference history a team has produced four different weekly freshman winners. The foursome contributed more than 42 points a game when all were healthy and Dempsey is counting in their continued production and leadership.

The ongoing development of Yacob (11.5 ppg.) and Beck (9.2 ppg.) in the backcourt will be pivotal to Binghamtom鈥檚 success. Each averaged more than 32 minutes of play last season and the pair continue to push each other on the practice floor.

鈥淵osef and Marlon are our quarterbacks,鈥� Dempsey said. 鈥淭hey have to facilitate and lead 鈥� both by example and vocally. They embrace playing together on the floor and have to challenge each other every day.鈥�

Madray is back after his promising freshman campaign was cut short due to injury halfway through the conference slate. He is a gifted jump shooter, especially at 6-foot-9, and averaged 10.8 points in 21 games. He eclipsed the 20-point mark four times last year. Madray has also added 10 pounds of muscle and Dempsey expects him to have a greater presence in the post.

Richards worked his way through an unsteady freshman season that likely owed its cause to a preseason injury. But the 6-foot-7, athletic forward can play Dempsey鈥檚 up-tempo style and his contributions should increase this winter.

鈥淭he sophomore class is having fun,鈥� Dempsey said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e embracing a team that they feel has a chance to be good. They understand that because they played key roles last year and we now have six freshmen on this year鈥檚 team 鈥� the sophomores are now leaders, even though they are so young.鈥�

Another returnee with an understated game is junior guard Karon Waller, who was the team鈥檚 best three-point shooter (41%) and started 15 games, averaging 6.2 points.