Interim athletic director Jim Norris shed some light on his vision for the future of Binghamton University Athletic Department during a press conference Friday night before Late Nite Madness.

While details on what’s to come for men’s basketball head coach Kevin Broadus, who is on a paid leave of absence for an indefinite amount of time, were not disclosed, Norris introduced interim head coach Mark Macon, who expressed optimism for the days ahead.

“I’m very humbled to have been named the head coach of Binghamton University,” Macon said. “We have a great staff; any one of us could have done the job, and we do the job together. As for our kids, they’re great. We had a great day of practice today; we’re looking forward to the challenge of coming out and competing every night and hopefully winning as many games as we possibly can. I’m a teacher at heart, and that’s what we do.”

When asked about the return of Broadus, Norris said that he is still on campus and was told to be available to cooperate with the independent audit of the program that is taking place.

“The leave is for an indefinite period of time,” Norris said of Broadus. “We certainly aren’t going to be doing anything until the review is completed and we get the report back.”

Broadus was placed on leave following his violation of an NCAA recruitment rule. It was the most recent in a string of controversial events related to the men’s basketball program, and came two weeks after Emanuel “Tiki” Mayben pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing and selling cocaine. Those charges led to his permanent dismissal from the team, and sparked the dismissal of five other players from the team for what officials say were commitment issues. Days later President Lois DeFleur announced the resignation of Joel Thirer as athletic director and Norris’ appointment to the interim post.

“I feel honored and privileged to have the opportunity to be able to provide leadership to our intercollegiate athletic program during this transitional period,” Norris said.

He spoke just minutes before the beginning of Late Nite Madness, which was held at the Events Center to introduce the men’s and women’s basketball teams. During the introduction of the men’s lineup in which all players were given a free T-shirt to throw to the crowd, several team members threw their T-shirt to the upper corner of the stands where Mayben was sitting.

Norris also explained some of the additional changes to the oversight of the men’s basketball program in the future.

“I’ve spent a significant amount of time working and developing our men’s basketball operational plan, and that is nearing its completion,” Norris said. “Up until this year, I always oversaw 19 of our 21 sport programs, and now the two basketballs have been added to my area of oversight.”

This change in supervision will require some changes to the previous guidelines, specifically in recruiting technique, but the policy will generally remain the same.

“We’re not going to operate much differently than the way I’ve operated with the other 19 [sport programs],” Norris said. “But we have placed some additional recruiting restrictions on the men’s basketball program, and now what they’ll be doing is clearing all of their trips prior to their departure with our compliance office.”

Despite the negative events in the past few weeks, Norris is intent on looking ahead.

“I’ve tried to focus on where we’re going as opposed to where we’ve been,” he said. “We sponsor 21 sport programs, not just one. We have 460 student-athletes, and for the most part, those kids are making great decisions and representing our University, our department, our community in a manner that makes us all proud.”

While some may be quick to point out the many losses that the athletic department has suffered, Norris still believes that the department has the makings of a great program.

“The two biggest resources that I have at my disposal is a tremendous staff that I have to work with, our coaches, our administrators and our support people, and of course our student-athletes,” Norris explained. “I’m very proud of our student-athletes; they’re a great bunch of kids.”

Norris continued to exert the positive achievements of the student-athletes at Binghamton University, noting the fact that overall BU student-athletes have had a 3.0 grade point average for 13 of the last 16 semesters, along with other academic achievements.

In addition to their scholastic successes, student-athletes also are a value to the Binghamton community, he said.

“Not only are we competitive on the field and in the pool and on the mat, not only do we get it done in the classroom, but our kids give a tremendous amount back to this community in terms of community service.”

While the past few weeks have not been easy for the athletic department or for Bearcats fans, Norris emphasized that he and his staff are doing all they can to restore the luster of Binghamton athletics.

“Our players and coaches have been working hard,” he said. “They’re committed to our program, and they are appreciative of the opportunity they have to represent Binghamton University.”