Just last season, Stony Brook enjoyed a 26-7 record, including a 14-2 mark in conference play. The Seawolves’ star big man, America East (AE) Player of the Year Jameel Warney, had his sights set on being drafted, while former head coach Steve Pikiell was finally getting the team noticed on a national level. After coming painfully close to the AE title for the past few years, SBU finally sealed the deal on its home court in a comeback victory against Vermont.

This season looks drastically different though. Stony Brook’s two best players have graduated. Warney and guard Carson Puriefoy III, who averaged the most minutes per game for the Seawolves in 2015-16, are losses that will severely affect this team. They are not the only departures, however, as Pikiell left the program after receiving an offer to coach at Rutgers.

On top of this, in April, two players, senior forward Rayshaun McGrew and sophomore guard DeShaun Thrower, were charged with felonies related to a theft on campus. The Seawolves’ nightmare offseason continued when senior guard Ahmad Walker was suspended from the team in October after an incident in the dorms led to misdemeanor charges.

Stony Brook made a splash this offseason by signing former Ohio State assistant coach Jeff Boals to take the helm this year. Instead of going with an in-house option, the athletics department chose someone with experience from a larger school to match the goals of a program which is on the up-and-up.

Boals will welcome junior guard UC Iroegbu and junior forward Junior Saintel, transfers who are set to infuse the depleted Stony Brook roster with much-needed talent and experience.

For SBU, the hope is that replacing veterans with hungry transfers and underclassmen will lead to more intense practices and a lineup that is able to maintain the Seawolves’ status as legitimate contenders in the AE.

With all of the change swirling around the team, there remains a core of veterans who will try to get back to the top of the AE. Junior guard Bryan Sekunda and senior guard Lucas Woodhouse will try to pick up the scoring burden left by the departure of Stony Brook’s four highest scoring players from last season.

Six-foot-11 junior forward Jakub Petras will team up with 7-foot redshirt freshman Alonzo Campbell to try and fill the void left by Warney, although it’s safe to say that’s a tall order.

From the outside looking in, it is hard to be optimistic about Stony Brook’s chances heading into the season. Losing four starters, including one of the best players in AE history, a coach and key bench players isn’t usually a recipe for success. However, Stony Brook’s returning players tasted the NCAA Tournament last year and they are eager for a repeat performance.

The Seawolves’ game plan will be the same this year as it was last year. They will try and get out in transition and dominate beyond the arc.

The 2015-16 season was everything Stony Brook wanted it to be, but that year is over. This is the first year of the next era of the Seawolves, and they don’t plan on giving up their title without a fight.