In her first two seasons on the Binghamton women’s basketball team, junior guard Kim Albrecht was a role player. She started only 11 total games in two seasons and averaged just 2.8 points per game as a freshman and 5.3 as a sophomore. That all changed this season. Under Binghamton’s new head coach, Linda Cimino, Albrecht became an integral part of BU’s improved offensive attack and is averaging 10 points per game during the current campaign.
Cimino has made a concerted effort to push the tempo of BU’s offense. Whereas in previous seasons Binghamton (4-25, 2-14 AE) has been very deliberate in its offensive approach, milking the shot clock and feeding the ball into the post, Cimino has run and attacked the basket, a scheme that fits Albrecht’s style of play.
“I think [things] have changed a lot, but it has been a good change,” Albrecht said. “This year has been really fun and we’ve learned a lot and improved a lot.”
Albrecht burst onto the scene for BU from the get-go. In the second game of the season, despite dealing with foul trouble that limited her to just 22 minutes of playing time, the junior poured in a career-high 27 points while hitting three 3-point baskets and knocking down all 10 of her free-throw attempts in the Bearcats’ first win of the season, a 90-84 victory over Delaware State in the Akron Invitational.
From there, Albrecht continued to pour in the points. In her first two years on campus, Albrecht had scored in double figures in only five games. This season alone, she has surpassed that mark 12 times, including a stretch between Jan. 19 and Feb. 4 in which Albrecht scored in double figures for five consecutive games.
The junior has found her points in a variety of ways. In transition, Albrecht attacks the hoop, frequently driving into the paint for layups while drawing fouls. In the half-court, she has shown the ability to stroke 3-pointers and knock down mid-range jump shots off of catch-and-shoot opportunities and pull-up dribbles while becoming a much more efficient player in the process. Albrecht, who shot just 31 percent from the field and 28 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore, has increased those numbers to 38 percent and 34 percent, respectively, a testament to her hard work since arriving on campus.
“Ever since I’ve been here I have been working a lot on my shot,” Albrecht said. “I changed my shot completely since I came here — I wasn’t really a jump shooter in high school. I would drive to the basket.”
Albrecht has shown a propensity for scoring in clutch moments during important games. She scored 20 points — including knocking down six crucial free-throws in BU’s first America East victory of the season — in a 65-64 defeat of UMass Lowell. The following week she turned in a 14-point, four-rebound performance, on top of dishing out three assists in a Bearcat victory over Vermont. Albrecht found this confidence through experience, as well as gaining her new coach’s trust.
“Coach always said, ‘You have the green light — go ahead and shoot.’ That has been comforting to have,” Albrecht said. “Just getting on the floor more, more experience has been really helpful. Being a junior, you can see certain situations you’ve been in before and how to deal with them, so that has been really helpful making the transition from a role player to a starting spot.”
As one of just four upperclassmen on the BU roster, Albrecht has not only been looked upon to score more, but also to provide leadership to a young Bearcat roster that relies heavily on its freshmen. Albrecht has grown to embrace the role, one she hopes to carry into next year onto a rebuilding Binghamton squad.
“I wanted to [lead],” Albrecht said. “It is helpful for the freshmen to come in and know that there are upperclassmen who have their back and the freshmen have come in and done a great job … As upperclassmen, you just tell them, all you can do is try your best, and we have your back. Just really try to lead as much as possible and give them advice when they need it.”