Nearly 16 months after taking the helm, Binghamton University men’s basketball head coach Mark Macon shed the “interim” label Wednesday afternoon, bringing some stability to a program rebounding from controversy.
Interim athletic director Jim Norris, who officially introduced Macon, also announced the University’s extension of the second-year coach’s contract, signing a deal that will keep him on the bench through the 2013-14 season.
“Mark is a quality person with tremendous integrity, and he and his staff have worked hard to build the type of program that our campus and our community want, expect and deserve,” Norris said. “He’s a true educator with a solid basketball background, and I am pleased to announce to everybody associated with our program, including the many high-level recruits that we’re presently involved with, that Mark will be our head men’s basketball coach for at least the next three years.”
While appreciative of the University’s actions, Macon insisted that his focus has not changed, stressing that his players compete in the classroom as well as on the court.
“I am very appreciative of what our administration, my team and this community has done with accepting me as the head coach,” Macon said. “I am graciously humbled by it, and I will do my best to be what I consider a great coach, because I expect nothing less of myself, for this community, for this school and for these kids, to give them the best opportunity to become great student-athletes.”
“I’m going to continue to do what it is that I do, what Jim [Norris] had confidence in me doing,” he continued. “That’s being an outstanding citizen, a great basketball coach and a great motivator of kids and teacher of kids. That’s what I do best, I do best teaching. I try to put a great team on the floor that’s going to work hard for us, and try to get the best student-athletes. That’s what we’re looking forward to in building a great program, is to get the great student-athletes.”
In his first full season, Macon led the Bearcats to a 13-18 record, posting an 8-8 conference mark to finish fifth in the America East. His team, with only seven scholarship players, far-and-away exceeded expectations, generating hope for a successful future.
Yet with a revamped coaching staff and an All-Conference senior forward, Binghamton has struggled to find success this season. With five games left to play, the Bearcats (6-18, 3-8 America East) have already matched last season’s loss total, and, in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, currently sit in last place in their nine-member conference.
But despite the recent struggles, Macon insisted he never felt worried about his status with the University.
“I always believed that I would be here,” he said. “Was I nervous? No, because to know not is not to be nervous. You just play it out and believe that you’re going to be here.”
For Macon, shedding the “interim” label is not only a personal gain, but an advantage for the University as a whole.
“I think it’s great,” he said. “In the recruiting process, you can be recruited against by using that terminology [of interim coach]. Now, it solidifies the fact that I am going to be here. When coaches are out recruiting, you don’t want [the ‘interim’ topic] to come across. I know my coaches would get [questions] from kids and from parents. For my coaches, it was more of a burden in recruiting kids, to let them know that [I’m] going to be here.”
Senior forward Moussa Camara, currently in his fourth year with the program, worked with Macon when he was an assistant to then-head coach Kevin Broadus. Camara, one of only three remaining players from Binghamton’s 2008-09 championship team, was pleased with the news.
“He’s done a good job since I’ve been here,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing for the basketball program too because there have been a lot of changes in the last few years, and this will bring some stability to the program.”
Senior forward Mahamoud Jabbi, who transferred to BU after two seasons at SUNY Oswego, also applauded the extension.
“I’m happy for him,” he said. “He’s been working hard and he’s been doing a great job, so it’s good to see him get rewarded.”
While Macon carried the “interim” tag for the entirety of Jabbi’s Binghamton playing career, the forward admitted that the label really wasn’t a prevalent issue.
“I don’t think it changed anything,” he said. “We don’t try to listen to outside factors; we try to keep everything in house. What other people say outside really doesn’t matter, but it’s good to know. I guess for the media, everyone can take a breath of relief and focus on basketball instead of asking those types of questions. I think we’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, trying to win games. The younger guys know that they have their head coach for four more years, so everyone knows what’s going to happen now so there’s no more guessing.”
Freshman guard Robert Mansell, whose playing time has increased throughout the season, was Macon’s first recruit to join the Bearcat program.
“Being his first-ever recruit, it feels pretty good that we’ll be able to finish what I started with him,” Mansell said. “We have a unique kind of relationship, since he was my first collegiate coach and I was his first recruit, so it’s comforting to know we can finish what we started.”
For Mansell, Macon’s “interim” tag had no influence on his decision to play for BU.
“It didn’t really have much of an effect on me. I knew he was the head coach so I just went along with it,” he said of the experience.
With six years of NBA playing experience, Macon has been able to coach from a player’s perspective, interactively instructing and teaching his team.
“Sometimes in practice, when he’s coaching and teaching, he comes on the floor with us and shows us where to look and what to look for,” Mansell said of his coach. “It works well for me.”
Like his teammates, Mansell praised Macon for his overall efforts, citing that the coach has vastly improved not only his game, but his character as well.
“He’s taught me how to communicate more, which is a big part of what he teaches, and just playing hard,” Mansell said. “If we play hard, then there’s not really much else we could have done. Playing hard is basically a big part of what he says, and staying together as one.”
Though some have been critical of his extension, Macon is keeping his eyes on the future, confident that the program is headed in a positive direction.
“I can only tell them we’re going to do our best to continue to compete, and we’re going to try and win games,” he said. “But we’re growing and developing as a good team.”