In the aftermath of the most tumultuous year in the history of Binghamton University sports, the athletic department has been heavily scrutinized by students, the community and even national newspapers. Interim athletic director Jim Norris has heard it all — he inherited his position in the midst of a storm of controversy.

More than six months have passed since the controversy began, and the University has seen its fair share of bumps in the road. But Norris and the athletic department are striving to get Binghamton University back on the straight and narrow path.

GROUND ZERO

The effort began in September after six players were dismissed from the men’s basketball team because of everything from drug charges to alleged debit card schemes, head coach Kevin Broadus was put on an indefinite leave and then-athletic director Joel Thirer resigned. Norris then assumed his current position. Prior to his appointment, he oversaw 19 of the 21 sports programs on campus, while Thirer oversaw the two basketball programs. But problems were seen in the men’s basketball program before the controversy erupted publicly.

“I wasn’t intimately involved with what was happening in those [the basketball] programs,” Norris said. “But did I get bits and pieces of what was going on? Yes … What I had to do was get up to speed with what was happening in those other areas, plus manage the chaos and negativity.”

The two basketball programs have since been added to Norris’ oversight, and he helped to develop a new plan to keep the men’s basketball program in line. That plan, which Norris declined to provide details about, has since been implemented, but results may not be seen immediately.

“I think it’s way too early to tell,” he said. “We really didn’t even finalize it [the plan] until January, so I would say it’s an evolving plan … There will be changes made this summer, as will there be a review of the basketball plan that we’ve come up with, but I think it’s a good starting point.”

SURPRISE SUCCESS

After the dust settled, the men’s basketball team finished fifth in the America East, after being projected to finish in dead-last ninth place.

“Our men’s basketball team clearly far surpassed all expectations in all regards,” Norris said. “I don’t know if there were a lot of people who thought we’d be .500, or be as competitive as we were, and that we would continue to draw the fans in the manner in which we did.”

But the season was cut short prematurely when the Bearcats were pulled from postseason play before the America East tournament began, ending their shot at repeating as conference champions.

“I don’t necessarily personally agree with that decision, but I understand the reasoning behind it,” Norris said. “It was certainly a difficult message for me to deliver to both the coaches and to the young men in our program.”

PROGRAMS FLOURISH

But according to Norris, basketball was not the only program that was flourishing in the athletic department this year. He emphasized the on-the-field achievements of the conference-champion men’s cross country team, the NCAA-qualifying members of the wrestling team, the nationally ranked tennis teams, the soccer teams, the NCAA-qualifying volleyball team and other strong achievements in Binghamton athletics. He added that the cumulative GPA of student-athletes in the fall semester was a 3.07, the highest since Binghamton has gone Division I.

“Despite the distractions, the scrutiny, all those sorts of things, our coaches have been able to keep their focus,” Norris said. “Our student-athletes have certainly maintained their focus, and they’ve delivered athletically, academically and in terms of community service … By every measure, in all regards, despite what you hear and read, we’re having a tremendous year, we really are.”

Norris also emphasized fan attendance, particularly for men’s soccer and men’s basketball (the Bearcats led the conference in attendance), as a testament to the resiliency of Bearcats fans.

“I think that’s a tremendous reflection on our student body here on our campus, because when times get tough, it’s easy to desert organizations and people, and the campus and the community did just the opposite: They rallied around us.”

MOVING ON

The department has endured difficult times since Norris took over, but he believes that things are indeed back on track, held together by the collective glue of its staff and student-athletes.

“I could not be prouder of our staff and our student-athletes. Despite intense scrutiny and tremendous distraction, all those sorts of things, I think everybody involved in our department … has really done a great job,” he said. “I think we’ve represented ourselves in a manner that everybody associated with Binghamton University can be proud of.”

As far as the future of the program’s leadership is concerned, the University is conducting a national search for a new permanent athletic director, a search that has been “temporarily put on hold,” according to Norris, who did not provide a reason for the halt. Norris did not declare himself for consideration for the athletic director position.

No decision has been made yet as to the status of Broadus, or interim men’s basketball head coach Mark Macon.

Moving forward, Norris concedes that continual oversight and constant effort are required to bring the department back to where it needs to be, but it is still operating as strongly as ever.

“The notion that our department is in complete disarray, nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “Are some adjustments necessary? Yes. But by and large, what we do here we do very well and we’re very proud of it, and we’ll continue to do that.”

Above all, Norris finds solace in the support of the Bearcat fans.

“Thank you for your previous support,” he said, addressing the student body specifically. “I’m hopeful that we can count on your continued support. We will do our best to continue making a positive impact as we represent this University.”