Holders of the 2014-15 regular-season and championship America East (AE) titles, the Albany Great Danes know how to win. Especially when you take into account Albany’s AE Championship title the year before that and the year before that. But this season, Albany is without a key player in Sam Rowley, as the three-year starting forward graduated from the program at the end of last season.

“We ran a majority of our offense through Sam [Rowley] and this year we will be more guard-oriented,” Albany head coach Will Brown said. He continued, “We made sure Sam got a touch every time we went down the floor and played through Sam. Now everything will be played through our perimeter guys.”

So ends the list of major losses for the Great Danes.

Well, that is if you’d like to count switching to a perimeter game as a loss for Albany. Already deep, the Great Danes will bring back senior guards Evan Singletary, Peter Hooley and Ray Sanders, recipients of first, second and third-team All-AE last season, respectively.

“Usually you win with guards in this league,” Brown said. “So for us to have, in my opinion, the best point guard in the league in Evan Singletary, I think that bodes well. He can run our offense for us, spearhead our defense. And the fact that Peter [Hooley] won second-team All-Conference last year and he didn’t play half of the games — I think that shows the respect that other teams in the conference have for Peter.”

Hooley, after missing eight contests in 2014-15 to return home to Australia and care for his ailing mother, will look to improve on his 42.9 percent field goal percentage from last season. This mark includes the now-famous buzzer-beater against Stony Brook that sent Albany to the NCAA tournament in the AE final.

Up front for Albany, returners include junior forward — and Sam’s brother — Mike Rowley, who averaged 4.4 rebounds per contest last season, as well as 6-foot-11-inch junior center Richard Peters, who proved to be a valuable asset at the five-spot with 23 starts. According to Brown, with the perimeter so deep, Albany’s success in the gritty areas hangs on the big men.

“If we have any concern about this year it will be about what sort of offensive production that we get from our front court,” Brown said. “I know those guys will defend, rebound, be physical, but they have to contribute on the offensive end a little bit, and it doesn’t have to be one guy, it can be a collective effort and I think we’ll be fine.”

Already rich with returning talent, Albany’s newcomers are set to play a pivotal role as part of the Great Danes’ competitive roster. Among the top fresh faces is freshman guard Joe Cremo, a two-time New York State Class A Player of the Year from Scotia-Glenville High School. Guard Jamir Andrews and forward Travis Charles have also impressed early, both as transfer students beginning their careers as Great Danes as part of the junior class.

Making a point to kick off its season in championship form, the Great Danes are set to open their season on the road, facing Kentucky in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Ranked as one of the best teams in the nation in the latest preseason poll, Albany will make the trip with its hands full and an upset on its mind.

“That’s a heck of a way to open the season and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Brown said. He continued, “We’re going there to win, that’s our mindset. Whether that happens our not, we’ll find out soon enough — but we’re throwing our guys to the wolves right from the get go. “