Normally, Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell would look to his seniors to provide a hefty freshman class with much-needed leadership. This year, that’s not an option.

With only four upperclassmen — all juniors — on the roster, the Seawolves will experience much the same uncertainty as many other programs in the America East: Pikiell will be forced to throw unproven freshmen and sophomores with meager experience into vacated roles, in the hopes of drawing a fourth straight 20-plus win season.

“There’s a part of me that worries about that,” Pikiell said. “We have no seniors in the program, so we have no senior leadership … We have some experience at key positions but we don’t have a ton of experience. So I’m excited about our youth, but you’re also concerned sometimes when you have a lot of newcomers.”

There is, of course, a small factor that sets Stony Brook apart: 2014 AE Player of the Year Jameel Warney.

The 6-foot-8, 255-pound junior averaged 14.5 points and eight rebounds per game last year. He finished on a 61.6 percent clip from the field, ranking fifth in the nation. In scoring 32 points on 13-of-14 shooting and grabbing 21 boards against Detroit on Nov. 24, Warney became last season’s only Division-I player to post a 30-point, 20-rebound game.

As you might imagine, Warney gets double-teamed. A lot. So he passes the ball. To Pikiell, he’s almost unselfish to a fault. But with the low-post player stretching out his jumper to a 12- or 13-foot range, opposing coaches will need to find a new strategy.

“He’s one of the leading field-goal percentage guys in the country, but a lot of his baskets are around the basket or in close,” Pikiell said. “He’s now been able to extend his range out a little bit more in the perimeter. He’s just become a little bit more of a complete player and a better shooter.”

And what’s more, Warney has finally come into his own. 2013’s Rookie of the Year is now the king of his squad, and he can provide all the leadership Pikiell requires.

“It’s his team [this year],” Pikiell said. “He’s kind of demanded that it be his team. He’s the guy in charge and it’s a real good feeling.”

He and junior point guard Carson Puriefoy — who averaged 12.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 28.9 minutes per contest — will have to develop their inexperienced guys, all of whom averaged 10.1 or fewer minutes per game.

Among those expected to step up are junior forwards Rayshaun McGrew and Scott King and sophomore guard Kameron Mitchell. The other pieces come in the five-man freshman class.

Headlining the class of 2015 are Michigan’s Mr. Basketball, Deshaun Thrower, and a 6-foot-6 versatile two or three in Roland Nyama. The Seawolves lost their most athletic shooters to graduation or transfer, and Thrower should help to produce from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged nearly 18 points, six assists and five rebounds in high school and can really shoot and get to the rim.

“I think he’ll be one of our better defenders,” Pikiell said of Thrower. “He’s built already like a senior physically. He’s going to have an immediate impact for sure.”

Nyama, who redshirted last season, will provide extra athleticism. One of those players who can “do it all,” the Frankfurt native will be called upon to cover a lot of floor. The graduation of Dave Coley, Anthony Jackson and Eric McAlister as well as the transfer of All-Rookie team member Ahmad Walker leave the team bereft of its four most productive rebounders behind Warney. Those four combined for just under 50 percent of the team’s rebounding output, at 18.2 per contest.

But Pikiell expressed his confidence in Nyama’s defensive development during his redshirt year, and he should help to crash the glass for last year’s top rebounding team in the AE.

Despite the losses, Pikiell knows what it’s like to move forward. He lost all-in-one 2013 AE Defensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year Tommy Brenton last season and still finished second in the conference with a 13-3 record. And besides, Warney’s a lot to work with.

“Every year we expect to compete for a league title,” Pikiell said. “That’s every year. I don’t care who we graduate or who’s left the program or what have you, that’s our expectation every year is to compete for a league title.”