While guard J.C. Show may be ineligible to play for the Binghamton men’s basketball team this season, make no mistake about it — the sophomore has already had a major influence on the program without ever stepping on the court.
“I really feel blessed that he’s here with us,” BU head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “He’s been a tremendous leader … I think the guys already look up to him.”
Show spent his freshman year at Bucknell, where he played in 34 games and averaged 18.3 minutes per contest. But, after battling foot injuries immediately after the season and seeing his head coach Dave Paulsen depart to take the helm at George Mason, Show decided that he needed a change.
“I wanted the opportunity to be in more of a ball-handling roll,” Show said. “At Bucknell, I was just a shooter. There was a new coach there coming in who didn’t really know me … I didn’t really know how I fit there, so I felt like I needed a fresh start, and Coach Dempsey is someone who I’ve known since I was a young kid.”
Because of NCAA transfer rules, Show must redshirt this season, spending home games sitting at the end of the Binghamton sideline. While that area is littered with people in suits this season, whether it be injured players — the Bearcats have three — assistant coaches (four of them), or support staff, spectators’ eyes are almost always drawn to Show. He is always the loudest at the end of the bench, consistently encouraging his teammates on the floor, praising his peers and giving them advice during timeouts.
“It’s a different feel when you’re in the game and not in the game,” Show said. “I try to respect that and not really try to become too involved as far as what I say, be very careful with what I say and just be very positive and productive.”
Show’s positivity even shines prior to games when, during warm-ups, he can be found organizing a game of monkey-in-the-middle with his coaches’ children or helping them improve on their dribbling skills.
Show’s father, Mike Show, was the head coach at Bible Baptist College — now known as Summit University in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania — for 20 years, and Show’s experiences as a child around those teams have left a clear impression.
“I know exactly what it is to be in those kids’ shoes — being a coach’s kid, being around a college team and just wanting to be hanging out with the guys,” Show said. “It’s a cool opportunity for me. I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum.”
Although he has already made a major impact in the locker room, Show’s biggest influence could be on the court as a playmaker for a Binghamton team that has struggled to score at times this season.
Show was a heavily recruited player after being named Pennsylvania “Mr. Basketball” his senior year of high school after averaging 17.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game that season. As a freshman at Bucknell, he averaged 6.9 points per contest while shooting 36.6 percent from 3-point range. Next season, Show could pair with current BU sophomore forward Willie Rodriguez to form a potent scoring tandem for the Bearcats.
After being forced to redshirt and dealing with the side-effects of plantar fasciitis this season, Show is anxious to return to the court at the start of 2016-17, but he’s learned a great deal from his time away from the game.
“It’s been a very necessary year; I feel like I’ve grown a lot,” Show said. “It’s been very difficult being away from a game that I really enjoy playing for a long period of time. But, it’s given me a lot of perspective. I’ve realized it before, but it’s allowed me to have a good realization that there’s more to me than just basketball.”
Binghamton is set to return to action Wednesday when the team travels north to face Vermont. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vermont.