After an up-and-down 2014-2015 season — which saw the Binghamton men’s basketball team lose its best player to transfer and suffer through a 14-game losing streak early in the season, but rebound to win five America East games, the program’s highest total in five years — the Bearcats now head into a critical off-season. BU head coach Tommy Dempsey discussed summer workouts, the impact of his new recruits, the maturation of his young roster and more in an interview with Pipe Dream.
Pipe Dream: Have you and the team begun summer workouts?
Tommy Dempsey: We will start as a team on July 5. The boys will all be back for the second summer session. The only two players we had for summer [session] one, [sophomore guard] Justin McFadden and [redshirt freshman guard] John Schurman were here and we worked out with those guys while they were here. But, as far as the full team goes, we will have all 15 guys on July 5.
PD: In these summer workouts, what do you look to gain from working out with the team, even though you have such short time with them during the summer session?
TD: Just start putting the pieces together, getting them in great shape. We are limited in how much time we can spend on the court, but we do spend a lot of time doing strength and conditioning. We make sure that everybody is starting that process of getting in the kind of shape they are going to need to be in in the fall. Probably a combination of getting them together on the court, getting them used to playing together. They’ll spend some time even without the coaches, playing pickup games and just indoctrinating the new players with the guys that have been here. Then the second piece would be the strength and conditioning element.
PD: What do these summer workouts mean for your staff to get to work with your freshmen for the first time, specifically your two main recruits [guard] Everson Davis and [forward] Thomas Bruce and what does it mean to them to be on the campus for the first time and work out with the team?
TD: It’s a nice introduction to how hard they are going to have to work, what the expectations are. It is nice because they get a chance to take a couple of summer classes and get to work with our academic support staff. I think it always gives the freshmen a little bit of a sneak preview to what it is going to be like to play in the program, to what it is going to be like to attend Binghamton University, to work with our academic people. I always think it gives your freshmen a head start so when they get here to start the fall semester they are already accustomed to the routine.
PD: What does it mean for the players that you do have coming back to be able to work on their game for an entire summer, especially since most of the contributors you had for last season were freshmen?
TD: They’re more ready this next time through. So many of our guys were so young last year and now they have a chance to go through the program for a whole year. They understand what the expectations are. When they came in last summer, they were wide eyed and they didn’t know what to expect. I think this next time through, when they come back as sophomores, they’re just ready to go. They’re ready to take that next step and they now have some guys under them, as far as some guys coming in behind them, that they have to set the tone with and become leaders. I think it’s an exciting process for guys when they go home for a little bit, they have a chance to unplug and then they come back hungry and ready to take that next step in their careers.
PD: Even though he has to redshirt this season, what does it mean to have added [former Bucknell guard] J.C. Show to your program, since he has played at such a high level?
TD: J.C. is going to be a guy that, even while he is redshirting, is going to provide help as far as just leadership, adding talent into our practices, into our workouts, maturity. I think he will be a good mentor, especially for the younger guys. J.C. is a really hard worker. I think he could even provide examples at times, even for guys in the program, of what it takes to be successful at the Division I level.
PD: Have the losses of [former sophomore forward] Magnus Richards and [former sophomore forward] Nick Madray to transfer affect the way you plan on playing next year at all?
TD: No. That is really not a concern. We have a good roster. We have 15 guys that are committed to this program and ready to get to work. They’ve all been recruited now by me and my staff, so we have recruited players that fit our style and fit our system. We are excited about getting out on the court this summer and to start implementing those things.
PD: What should new fans of the program expect to see from your team this year?
TD: Just a continuation of the way we ended the season. I thought that by the end of the year last year we started to develop into a hard-working, tough team that played good defense and played together. And I think we’ve added some pieces that are going to help us take the next step. … We’ve added some athletic guys that can really get out and help us in our pressing up-tempo style.