After last season’s disappointing first-round exit from tournament play, the Binghamton University women’s basketball team will look to this season to put an end to the underachievement of the past. The loss of star guard Erica Carter will undoubtedly loom large for the Bearcats in their quest for improvement, but a heightened sense of determination and confidence and the invaluable experience of returning veteran players creates the formula for a season with, at the very least, the potential for great success.
Last year, the Bearcats watched their season come to an early close after a tough loss to Stony Brook in the America East tournament quarterfinals. The regular season had not been that much more impressive. Full of potential and picked to finish third by the coaches’ preseason poll, the Bearcats fell short of expectations, finishing with an 11-19 record overall and a 7-9 record in conference play, which landed them in fifth place in the standings.
This year, BU has been chosen to finish third in the preseason poll once again. This time, however, the Bearcats are determined to not only meet those expectations, but surpass them.
‘There’s a different focus with our returners this year ‘ They’re ready for this program to do better things than what we’ve done the last couple years,’ head coach Nicole Scholl said. ‘It’s not good enough anymore for us just to make it [to the semifinals] ‘ In order for this program to move forward, we need to experience success early on, continue that through conference play and then play well going into the America East tournament. And, you know, at some point in time, this program needs to make it into the finals.’
That point in time may be now. Last year the Bearcats graduated one of the finest guards the program has seen in Carter, but the team will return three starters, including 2009-10 second-team All-Conference junior Andrea Holmes. She is already receiving accolades, as this season she was one of the three players unanimously selected to the preseason All-Conference team. Last season, Holmes, who was the 2009 America East Rookie of the Year, ranked third in the conference in assists and ninth in scoring. The team also returns two key players in senior guard Jackie Ward and junior forward Viive Rebane.
In addition, Scholl has implied that the loss of Carter has forced the Bearcats to become a more balanced team, since the ability to count on one player to produce points is gone. As a result, Scholl expects to see more players step up, take on new roles and fulfill their potential.
‘Really, I think our scoring is going to be a lot more balanced this year,’ Scholl said. ‘Our guard play is very strong ‘ and our post play, with the return of Viive Rebane, who I think is gonna step her level up and probably do a little more scoring for us ‘ I think we’re a lot deeper this year.’
Adding to the balance on the court are three new faces in freshmen Kyra Aloizos, Emilie Vachon and Jasbriell Swain. Scholl has high expectations for the newcomers, especially Swain, whom Scholl feels adds to the already talented array of guards on the team ‘ Holmes, Ward and Orla O’Reilly. The Bearcats also welcome junior Mallory Lawes and sophomore Julia Barac, who both will sit out this season per NCAA transfer regulations and will be eligible again in 2011-12.
Ward is the lone senior on the team, but despite this, the team is lacking in neither leadership nor experience as it returns 10 upperclassmen to the court. A strong group of veterans who experienced the disappointment that defined last season may provide BU with the extra push it needs to advance to their full, expected potential.
‘I think that ultimately we’re all kind of sick of underachieving and of not reaching our potential,’ Ward said. ‘We have ‘ everyone telling us, ‘You guys are so good, you have so much potential,’ and we don’t quite reach it every year. And I think that’s building up in us. We have great talent, we have great returners, we have great freshmen who came in this [season]. We have so much that I think it’s kind of like, ‘Why not this year?’ I don’t think we’re going to underachieve this year. I think we’re definitely going to overachieve.’
Why not this year?
The Bearcats are set to open their season at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9 with an exhibition game against Mansfield University in the Events Center.