With college basketball season set to kick off in under a month, the America East released its 2011-12 Coaches’ Preseason Polls yesterday, ranking Binghamton University men’s basketball last, while selecting Binghamton’s women’s basketball team to finish the year in fourth.
Reigning America East champion Boston University topped the poll on the men’s side. For the women, defending regular-season champion University of Maryland, Baltimore County was chosen to finish the year in first.
The Binghamton men’s basketball team finished the 2010-11 season in last place alongside UMBC, posting an 8-23 record overall while going 4-12 in conference play.
The Bearcats received a total of 11 points in this year’s preseason poll, while first-place Boston University led with a total of 62.
The Bearcats return seven letterwinners and three starters to the squad this year, including lone senior center Kyrie Sutton and junior guard Jimmy Gray, who is the Bearcats’ leading returning scorer. Gray averaged 6.5 points and 1.8 assists per game. Sutton rounded out the conference’s top 20 last year in rebounding, averaging 4.1 boards per game.
Binghamton was hit hard at the end of last season however, losing several key players to graduation. The Bearcats said goodbye to Greer Wright, Mahamoud Jabbi and Moussa Camara, last year’s three leading scorers, and a trio that included the team’s top two rebounders and its leaders in assists, steals and blocks.
Attempting to fill the void alongside the returning veterans will be eight newcomers, including a pair of freshmen guards in Storm Clonch and Chris Longoria.
The Binghamton University women’s basketball team, chosen to finish fourth in the conference, received a total of 43 points in the preseason poll.
Following a loss to Boston University in the America East semifinals, the Bearcats will look to build on an impressive 2010-11 season. The squad is returning all but two players from last year’s team, including four seniors and reigning America East Rookie of the Year, Jasbriell Swain.
Also returning for the Bearcats is star senior guard Andrea Holmes, who was named to the America East Preseason All-Conference team for the second consecutive year. Holmes tabbed first-team all-conference honors last season after leading the Bearcats in scoring and assists averaging 14.3 points and 3.3 assists per game.
Holmes spent the offseason rehabbing from surgery to repair an ACL tear which she suffered at the end of last season.
Swain, senior guard Orla O’Reilly and senior forward Viive Rebane make up the remaining returner starters for the Bearcats.
Last year’s squad ranked nationally in a pair of defensive categories — the Bearcats were 19th in the nation in scoring defense and 15th in field goal defense.
Binghamton will welcome five newcomers to this year’s roster, including sophomore transfer Vaneeshia Paulk, a forward, and freshmen Gintare Surdokaite and Sherae Swinson.
The men’s basketball team is set to kick off play at 7 p.m. on Nov. 7 with a exhibition game against Mansfield University at the Events Center.
The women will open their season the following night, also playing host to Mansfield.