A new coach. A brand new system. Going into her senior year, forward Rebecca Carmody has every reason to be upset or pessimistic about the upcoming season. However, she is neither of those things, instead taking a positive, excited approach. Carmody has been one of the staples of this Bearcats team, from her freshman year, when she made the America East (AE) All-Rookie Team, to last year, when she dominated the AE in rebounds (No. 5 with 6.8 rpg) and blocks (tied for 10th with .6 bpg). One of only two seniors on the women’s basketball team this year, Carmody is embracing the team’s changes and her emerging leadership role.
“I actually love it,” Carmody said, talking of the new system. “Having a fresh start for everyone is always a good thing. The coaching staff has been nothing but incredible to me and to my teammates.”
Carmody thinks the new system will complement her game, focusing on faster transition, which she thinks will boost her fast layups and passing.
“Change is hard,” Carmody said. “But it’s been a good hard. It’s been a good challenge. I love the offense [the coaches are] bringing, so I haven’t had a problem with it.”
The new system is not the only change Carmody is going to face this season. For the first time in her college career, she will be looked upon as a true veteran leader for the team. With Binghamton’s top scorer and AE Player of the Year Imani Watkins, ‘18, and AE Defender of Year Alyssa James, ‘18, both gone to graduation, the Bearcats are going to need some players to step up and fill the void in the locker room and on the court. Carmody is someone who can be expected to step up this season.
Carmody can do a little bit of everything on the court. She is the second-leading scorer (7.6 points per game) left on the team from last year, just under junior guard Kai Moon (11.5 ppg). Carmody tallied 13 double-digit scoring performances last season, including three double-doubles. She started in all but three games last season and has yet to have a season where she ranked lower than 11th in the conference in rebounds.
Carmody is already beginning to embrace the responsibility of being one of the team’s role models. When asked to describe the team she’s leading, Carmody struggled to find words for it at first. When she returned to the question, she seemed to know exactly what she would say.
“We’re a fun bunch,” Carmody said. “And I think that really creates a really positive environment, something that we’ve lacked, and it’s also brought up our team chemistry, which is really important [in order] to win.”
The team’s chemistry is something that Carmody seems very passionate about. She appeared excited to see how the team’s chemistry translates to the court. She says she is trying to help add to that growing chemistry as an emerging leader. She hopes to focus beyond scoring and defending, spending more time teaching the rest of the team the little day-to-day things that she values above all else.
“Off-the-court stuff are things that do affect how you play,” Carmody said. “It does affect the energy in the gym every day.”
With all the change surrounding the team — new players, a new coach and a new system — Carmody and the Bearcats could be anxious for the new season. They could consider it a rebuilding year for the team. But, no. This team gives off a sense that it is invigorated, fun and pumped up.
“We’re all very excited,” Carmody said. “I’m very excited. Especially, it’s my senior year and I want it to be the best year. Everyone’s been working extremely hard, getting better every day, so it’s gonna be a special year.”