With the 2023-24 season quickly approaching, the Binghamton women’s basketball team will look to make a splash in the America East (AE) conference with a roster that features many familiar faces, along with several newcomers. Still, as a relatively young team, the Bearcats will look to utilize the experience they gained during their 2022-23 campaign and bounce back from their early first-round exit to Maine in the AE quarter-finals last year.

“Having such a young group grow over the season and then for this year my expectations, first and foremost, for us to have success this year, it’ll require a commitment to the process daily,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “Working hard, going together, competing between the lines and improving every day.”

Shapiro Ord will be at the helm for BU for the sixth consecutive season. Despite finishing in sixth place in the AE last year with a 13-17 record overall and a 6-10 record in AE play, Binghamton was picked to finish fourth in this year’s AE preseason coach’s poll. Last year consisted of several ups and downs for the Bearcats, with stretches of both success and adversity. After starting conference play relatively strong, BU went on to drop its final six games of the season.

“With the [AE], it could be anybody’s championship,” Shapiro Ord said. “If our girls continue to work the way they have been, getting closer and the chemistry keeps building, the sky’s the limit with this team.”

Shapiro Ord also expressed her excitement about graduate student guard Denai Bowman, who decided to return to Binghamton for her fifth and final season as a Bearcat. Bowman was the leading scorer for BU last season, averaging 13 points per game while also surpassing 1,000 career points, making her the 19th Bearcat in program history ever to do so. She was also named to the AE second-team all-conference. Additionally, Bowman ranked second in the conference in steals, averaging two steals a game, as she has also earned AE all-defensive team nods for the past three seasons.

“In today’s landscape of women’s basketball with the transfer portal with people doing all kinds of things and changing schools, it’s really huge [to have Bowman back],” Shapiro Ord said. “For [Bowman] to give us her fifth year … we’re really excited because I feel like she has some unfinished business with us and this team, and I think that she keeps adding layers to her game. She set high goals for her and the team, and I’m excited to see her reach all those.”

Other players to keep an eye on include redshirt sophomore guard Jadyn Weltz, who had a breakout campaign in 2022-23, averaging 7.6 points per game while also leading BU with 4.1 assists per game. She also led the entire AE with 2.5 steals a game. As a result, she earned AE all-rookie and all-defense team honors and will look to take the next step in continuing to play a significant role for Binghamton on both ends of the floor this season.

“[Weltz] has stepped up and is one of our leaders on and off the court,” Shapiro Ord said. “Having that great campaign, doing such a great job last year, getting all-rookie and all-defensive team, were big. I just see her continuing to help this team, lead them and I’m excited in seeing a great campaign with [Weltz] as our general on the floor.”

Also joining Weltz on the all-rookie team was redshirt sophomore guard Ella Wanzer, who was second on the team in scoring, averaging 11 points per game. Another notable returner is junior forward Genevieve Coleman, who started all 30 games and averaged 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for Binghamton. The biggest loss for the Bearcats is senior guard Clare Traeger, who led BU with 8.8 rebounds per game. As a result, sophomore guard/forward Camryn Fauria will step into a bigger role in the upcoming season. BU will rely on her size and positional versatility to be successful this season.

“[Fauria] keeps working, and she is a tough physical player who will step into a bigger role,” Shapiro Ord said. “She can score at all levels and gives us the flexibility with lineups with her ability to play multiple positions.”

Lastly, BU also signed four players to be a part of its 2023 recruiting class. The class consists of freshman guards Yanniah Boyd, Kaylee Krysztof and Bella Pucci, along with freshman forward Kendall Bennett. Shapiro Ord looks forward to seeing how the four freshmen will contribute to the team this season, noting their strong work ethic.

“We signed four freshmen and I have been so happy with their immediate impact so far,” Shapiro Ord said. “With their blue-collar work ethic and grit in practice, they’ve been making us more competitive. [Pucci] and [Boyd] [are] very versatile guards with their quickness and athleticism. [Krysztof] can stretch the floor with her ability to shoot deep which will keep the defense on their heels and then [Bennett] has given us a big presence inside.”

Binghamton will look to acquire a few wins under its belt during non-conference play — in preparation for AE conference play, which will commence on Thursday, Jan. 4 at home against UMBC. The Bearcats’ season opener is set for Friday, Nov. 3 against Roberts Wesleyan. Tipoff is set for 6:07 p.m. at the Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.

“I think we’ll be fun to watch,” Shapiro Ord said. “I’m really excited about this year.”