Men’s Basketball Preview

Following a lackluster 2016-17 season plagued by injuries among multiple top players, Binghamton men’s basketball coach Tommy Dempsey and his team are ready to put the past aside and focus on the future success of the upcoming season.

“We don’t ever talk about last year,” Dempsey said. “We made a conscious decision that everything was going to be about moving forward and being positive.”

Last season, after starting solidly in nonconference play, the squad fell apart midway through the year, ending on a nine-game losing streak. They were left eighth in the conference standings with an America East (AE) record of 3-13 and their overall record at 12-20.

“We had a good mojo for much of the year, and then losing can beat you down,” Dempsey said. “We lost our way emotionally, I thought, in the second half. In some ways, we stopped believing we would be successful.”

This season, the team looks to change that. With the return of junior guard J.C. Show, the squad is feeling optimistic about its chances at a championship. Show played the first 12 games of last season, but a tricep tear in his left arm forced him off the court due to the escalation of the injury.

Entering his final season for BU, senior forward Willie Rodriguez does not want to leave without giving the Binghamton community a winning season.

The debut of power-duo J.C. Show and Willie Rodriguez on the court could provide an imperative spark to the Bearcats’ offense. Their ability to score in isolation and within set plays should help facilitate the roles of other players. Both named as third-team selections to the America East Preseason All-Conference Teams, the tandem look to improve an offense that ranked seventh in the conference in offensive efficiency.

During the 2016-17 season, Bobby Ahearn certainly did everything he could to help the Bearcats capture victories. On Nov. 22, 2016, Ahearn scored a career-high 27 points and 11 field goals in a match against Ave Maria. He also scored in double figures 12 times, including seven of his final 12 matches during the season. Never looking to let his teammates down, the forward averaged 24.4 minutes per game.

Thomas Bruce is known primarily as a defensive player, ending last season with 30 blocks, far higher than any of his teammates, and third in the America East (AE) Conference. He also averaged one block per game, being one of only three AE players with this distinction. As a confirmation of his talent, Bruce was named to the AE All-Defensive Team.

As Timmy Rose transitioned from his freshman to sophomore season, his role on the team continued to grow. Starting in 27 out of the 32 games he played, he averaged and led the team with 26.4 minutes per game. His increased involvement was well deserved as he not only went on to finish seventh in the America East Conference in assists, but also shot a stellar 46 percent from behind the 3-point line.

Women’s Basketball Preview

Ever since the 2014-15 season, which featured the Binghamton women’s basketball team winning just two conference matchups and four games overall, head coach Linda Cimino has been a major catalyst in turning the program around. The Bearcats have finished the past two seasons with an identical 8-8 conference record, an obvious improvement from their 2014-15 last place finish, but Cimino and her players are still hungry for more.

Predicted to finish third in the America East (AE) Conference in the preseason coaches’ poll, Cimino thinks that projection is a fair assessment heading into the season.

“New Hampshire won the league last year … they didn’t lose much, so out of respect you have to vote them first, and Albany won the tournament,” Cimino said. “For us to be picked first among the rest of the remaining programs, I find joy in that, because we’ve earned some respect, we might not have had in the previous years.”

Cimino has effectively pulled the team out of the doldrums of the AE, but this would not have been possible without the performance of her players.

Senior center Alyssa James and senior guard Imani Watkins are two players who have grown into leaders for this ever-improving squad. Individually, James is in reach of the record for all-time blocks in the AE, while Watkins is in striking distance to becoming the top scorer in BU program history. Both of these feats would be momentous, but Cimino remains focused on the team’s success.

As the principal offensive threat last year, Imani Watkins ranked among the top-10 leaders in the AE in every major statistical category. It was not surprising to anyone that Watkins made the All-Conference team this past season as she was second in scoring (18.8), third in steals (2.2), sixth in blocks (1.0), eighth in both rebounds (5.6) and assists (3.0), first in 3-point field goals per game (2.7) and 10th in both 3-point field goal percentage (.339) and free-throw percentage (.723).

Alyssa James has proven to be an elite defensive force for the Bearcats, earning America East (AE) Defensive Player of the Year honors in back-to-back years. Leading the conference in blocks per game (2.34) and finishing eighth in steals per game (1.8) certainly helped James become just the second player in AE women’s basketball history to win the award multiple times.

With quick speed and deft passing, Jasmine Sina excels at feeding the ball to her fellow teammates, such as senior forward Alyssa James, and has been at, or close, to the top of the team in terms of assists. More significantly, Sina has proven to be a major threat from behind the 3-point line, a facet of the game that’s only grown in importance over the years at collegiate and professional levels.

Kai Moon started all 30 games as a freshman, solidifying her position as part of a strong offensive core. Her consistent play throughout her freshman season earned her a spot on the America East (AE) All-Rookie Team. The Bearcats will attempt to live up to their third-place preseason selection and look to Moon for another season of consistent contribution.

Entering her first year on the Binghamton women’s basketball team, expectations are high for heavily recruited freshman forward Kaylee Wasco, who managed 182 points in her senior year at H.H. Dow High School in Midland, Michigan. Standing tall at 6-foot-3, with the help of her experienced teammates, Wasco is ready to reach expectations on an entirely new level of competition.