BOSTON – For the second straight season, the University of Albany and the University of Hartford are unanimous choices to win the America East men’s and women’s basketball championships, respectively, in the annual preseason coaching polls.

The University of Maine men were picked to finish second with 49 points, one ahead of 2005-06 runner-up Vermont. Black Bears senior guard Kevin Reed, back after missing last season with a broken foot, has been picked to be on the preseason all-conference team.

The Maine women have been selected seventh.

In the men’s poll, the defending champion Albany Great Danes received all eight possible first place votes for 64 points. Coaches cannot vote their own team first. Boston University received Albany coach Will Brown’s first place vote.

The Black Bears finished sixth in the regular season standings last season and lost to Binghamton in the conference quarterfinals last season, but are expected to be a top contender for the league title this season with Reed leading the way. The Yarmouth, Mass., native averaged 12.8 points per game in the 2004-05 season along with 6.9 rebounds. He also shot 38.8 percent from 3-point range.

Reed’s return, combined with the presence of senior center and 2005-06 AE all-defensive team pick Olli Ahvenniemi (6.2 rebounds per game) and AE all-rookie team pick and sophomore forward Philippe Tchekane Bofia (5.5 rpg), should make Maine one of the AE’s top rebounding teams as the two frontcourt players are the second- and third-best returning rebounders, respectively, in the conference.

The Maine men also announced Wednesday that former Hampden Academy multiple-sport standout Jay Uhrin has been added to the roster as a walk-on player. Uhrin joins former Hampden Academy teammate Jordan Cook, a freshman recruit for UMaine. The pair helped lead Hampden to the Class A state basketball title in 2005 and back-to-back Class A east titles the last two seasons.

Uhrin averaged 14.3 points, four assist, and three steals per game last winter as an all-Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference first team selection and BDN all-tournament pick.

The rest of the projected order in the AE preseason poll has New Hampshire (45 points) in fourth, Boston University (42), Binghamton (30), Stony Brook (22), University of Maryland Baltimore County (15) and Hartford (nine).

The rest of the AE’s preseason all-tournament team includes unanimous selections Albany senior guard Jamar Wilson and New Hampshire forward Blagoj Janev, Stony Brook University guard Mitchell Beauford, and Vermont guard Mike Trimboli.

In the women’s poll, Hartford junior forward Danielle Hood and sophomore forward Erika Beverly, senior guard Mykeema Ford and junior forward Jessica Smith of Stony Brook, and Binghamton junior center Laine Kurpniece.

After Hartford, with eight first place votes, comes runner-up pick Stony Brook with one first place vote and 56 points, B.U. (49 points), Binghamton (37), New Hampshire (36), UMBC (33), Maine (23), Vermont (14) and Albany (12).