As the search for our next men’s basketball coach continues, many students are thinking about the Bearcats’ possibilities of success next year in the America East, especially with stars like Albany’s Jamar Wilson and Vermont’s Chris Holm graduating.

No matter whom the department brings in to head the program, the Bearcats will return their two best players from this season: point guard Mike Gordon and four-man Lazar Trifunovic.

And while the prospect of success remains in a conference that should again be weaker than the year before, it’s more important at a time like this to look at the bigger picture ‘ as agonizing as that may sound.

The man brought in to replace Al Walker will be expected to produce results somewhat quickly, as he should be. Unlike rival programs Boston University (hockey), Albany (Siena basketball) and Stony Brook (no real support for anything), Binghamton men’s basketball is THE premier team in the area; a team with this much support should never need late-season help to reach sixth place.

But New York sports fans are unique in that they always demand immediate results. The concept of rebuilding is foreign to fans of the Yankees and Knicks, many of whom also cheer for our beloved Bearcats.

That cutthroat nature of Knicks fans has them questioning Isiah Thomas’ recent contract extension, even though he’s shown some improvement this season. Don’t even mention the dreaded r-word around the Yankee faithful, who bawl for months over only winning an ALCS, and constantly boo one of the best five players of all time.

If the athletics department doesn’t screw it up ‘ which I truly believe it won’t ‘ the current hiring process will have an eye on the future.

For the most part, the department has succeeded with its non-revenue programs: men’s lacrosse (Ed Stephenson), women’s tennis (Mike Stevens) and swimming and diving (Sean Clark) are all rapidly improving. (The only real misstep that comes to mind is the departure of Tony Robie in the wrestling program, and Pat Popolizio has stepped in and done a great job since arriving.)

Unfortunately, the stage is bigger for the revenue-generating basketball team, and the margin for error is much smaller. The plan for the next couple of years should be to recruit talented high-schoolers, not quick junior college or transfer fixes, to shoot for a championship next season.

In what ended up being his final recruiting class, Walker looked to immediately replace the scoring void left by Andre Heard. Bringing in junior college transfers was a high-risk, high-reward gamble that didn’t pay dividends ‘ and Walker paid the price.

With a brand new coaching staff, that philosophy has to change, even if it means struggles in the next year or two that will keep Binghamton in the bottom half of the America East. (Not to say Gordon and Trifunovic can’t pull off a miracle next season, but it’s going to be incredibly tough.)

At Boston University, head coach Dennis Wolff brought in a spectacular recruiting class, featuring three young guards that have many pundits picking the Terriers as AE runners-up next season (behind Vermont, of course). The Catamounts are the obvious favorites next year, with junior Mike Trimboli already nearly having Player of the Year honors locked up.

Junior college transfers have burned the Bearcats in the past as well. The unexpected departure of transfer Darel Lucas significantly altered the career path of Troy Hailey, a player whose subsequent decline in production directly mirrored the painstaking demise of Walker.

Meanwhile, the silver lining was Gordon, a four-year recruit from New Jersey whom the Bearcats will lean heavily on next season. Gordon’s incredible growth was the reason many ‘ this writer included ‘ thought Walker would have at least one more season to try at success.

I’m not saying transfer students have no place in the program. Andre Heard was a spectacular player in every way, and on the women’s side, Shea Kenny was instrumental this season.

But the fundamental growth of Binghamton basketball depends on the ability of the new coach to recruit four-year players who can quickly learn his new system. Then in a couple of years, if the program is missing one small part ‘ perhaps a dominant junior college center ‘ that is keeping it on the brink of success, that’s the time to look to junior colleges.

Here’s just praying that the Bearcat faithful can stay that way through the next year or two of struggles, and that Dr. Thirer stays focused on the program’s long-term prospects. For some reason, I’m more inclined to believe in Thirer than the Zoo.