ORONO – If majority rules, the University of Maine men’s basketball program really is Maine’s team these days.

Eight of the 15 players gathered Wednesday for the team’s annual media day at Memorial Gymnasium field house played their high school ball within a two-hour radius of the flagship campus. Six of them started at least one game for the Black Bears in 2007-08.

The days of the Pine Tree State producing one or two Division I players in every four-year cycle are over. And there’s no greater beneficiary than the state university, where past coaches Rudy Keeling and John Giannini searched up and down the eastern seaboard and even around the world for reinforcements.

“It’s nice to see kids from home have an opportunity to play at their state university. I think that’s a special thing,” said Maine coach Ted Woodward. “We’ve seen the quality talent that’s come out of this state the past few years. We’ve worked hard to get them up here, and we’re very proud to have them.”

Both Bangor High School star Mark Socoby of Houlton and New York City transplant Junior Bernal, a product of Hyde School and Maine Central Institute, were double-digit scorers as sophomores last season.

Troy Barnies of Auburn, Sean McNally of Gardiner, Jordan Cook of Hampden and Jason Hight of Westbrook all emerged as impact players last winter. Now Bangor’s Jon McAllian and Maranacook’s Ryan Martin leave behind their state championship hardware and join the Black Bears.

“I think it’s great,” Barnies said. “Some of these guys I knew from AAU, and Sean I played against every single year. Now that we’re on the same team we get to joke around with each other about what we did in high school, so it’s nice.”

Last year’s learning experience was no laughing matter. Maine dipped to 7-23 overall, 3-13 in America East. The Black Bears were – and still are – the youngest team in the league.

First or second-year players logged 64 percent of Maine’s minutes last winter. It happened out of necessity. Of the team’s 2007 graduates, Kevin Reed and Olli Ahvenniemi are playing professionally in Europe, while Jon Sheets competes for semi-pro Athletes in Action.

“Basketball’s a very cyclical game. We’ve always been very competitive,” Woodward said. “I knew last year we were going to have a bit of a rough season, losing four key seniors, three of whom are still playing professional basketball, and not really having a junior class behind them that were ready to step up and be in that type of leadership role.”

Bernal (10.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3 assists per game) and Socoby (14.6 ppg) are likely candidates to serve in that capacity for the Black Bears this season and next.

Senior Kaimondre Owes (12.5 ppg) completes a three-pronged backcourt that returns intact.

“I was a sophomore. Mark was a sophomore. There’s a lot of things we had to go through and learn and experience,” Bernal said. “Now I think we’ve got a good grasp on it. We’ve definitely had a void as far as a vocal leader is concerned. We need to keep the team together in good and bad situations.”

Barnies and McNally, both 6-foot-7 and significantly bulked up from last winter, team with Cook and Philippe Tchekane Bofia to give Maine a sleeker look in the paint now that 6-9, 310-pound center Brian Andre has graduated.

“We’re going to be running,” said Barnies. “I’m a power forward and I’m only 6-7, so we’re smaller up front. But that’s fine. We don’t have any seven-footers we play against.”

Maine will prepare for the rigors of America East with a brutal non-conference schedule that includes Oklahoma, Providence, Boston College and South Alabama. The Black Bears are the only team in the conference that will face at least one foe from the ACC, Big East and Big 12.

Despite flashes of its potential last season, including a road win over conference champion Maryland-Baltimore County, Maine isn’t afforded much respect from early national preseason publications.

“I saw some predictions for the America East conference, and I know we’re down there,” said Barnies. “They don’t know what’s coming.”

The future also is now, out of necessity, for the Maine women. Offseason defections leave the Black Bears with only 10 players – four of them freshmen – after a 7-23 mark in Cindy Blodgett’s first season as coach.

Five of the six veterans started games last winter, including Tanna Ross of Hampden and Kristin Baker of Bingham. Ross (8.8 ppg) was named to the league’s all-rookie team.

Amanda Tewksbury (9.1), Colleen Kilmurray (9.1) and Brittany Boser (8.7) all return. Kilmurray and Boser are six-footers.