With a new coach at the helm, only one returning starter and a roster consisting of just 10 active players, there are more questions than answers for Binghamton University heading into the 2014-15 season.
“I feel like we are an entirely new team,” sophomore forward Kristin Ross said. “There are so many new players. The coaches are new. I think there is a different feel in the gym. We are all working hard and pushing each other. I think it is definitely an improvement from last year.”
The Binghamton women’s basketball team hired first-year head coach Linda Cimino — who hails from Division II Caldwell College — in April. Cimino inherited a Binghamton team that went 5-25 and captured just two America East victories the prior season.
Since accumulating that record, the team has suffered a large roster turnover. Binghamton’s starting backcourt — Stephanie Jensen and Vaneeshia Paulk — was lost to graduation. Starting forward Kandace Newry transferred. Just days before the end of the preseason, star forward Morgan Murphy left the team.
All those losses combined, and Cimino’s left with just one experienced player: Sherae Swinson. The 5-foot-10 forward averaged 10.1 points per game last season, but opened this season with a double-double in a blowout of an exhibition win over Mansfield (17 points, 10 rebounds).
Aside from Swinson, the Bearcats return a group of five other players who combined to start a total of 15 games the previous campaign. Senior guard Gintare Surdokaite, junior guard Kim Albrecht, senior center Jessa Molina and Ross all averaged fewer than six points per game from the bench. Sophomore guard Kylie Libby has only appeared in three games through her college career.
“There [have] been a lot of changes, but they have been good for us,” Albrecht said. “We are working really, really hard — harder than maybe we ever have before — and it has been great. I think we are getting better as a group and we are learning about each other. We are all gelling really well with the coaching staff and we are lucky to have that.”
In turn, Cimino has been impressed with what she has seen from her returning players so far.
“The experienced players who have returned have done everything we have asked them to do,” Cimino said. “They have been great for us. They have conformed to our style and the culture change. They are dedicated and committed. They are working on their individual game and we are working as a team to incorporate changes into our offense and defense right now.”
With so few returners, the Bearcats will rely heavily on their newcomers for offensive production. Especially guards Jasmine Sina and Imani Watkins — who are anticipated to be the starting backcourt — are expected to rise to the occasion.
Sina, from Gill St. Bernard’s School in New Jersey, was Cimino’s first recruit to BU, signing just days after she took over as head coach. Sina enters the program with the reputation of being a strong shooter with good floor vision. Watkins, on the other hand, is a dynamic athlete who can score from anywhere on the court. Freshman guards Asia Baker and Megan Goldstein, a recruited walk-on, will also see time on the floor this season.
“We have four freshmen total, three on scholarship,” Cimino said. “[Jasmine Sina] is probably right now going to be our point guard. She has great control on the court, she can shoot, she is poised, she is a leader. Imani Watkins was a recruited scholarship player. She is phenomenal. She is probably our most athletic player. She is a very good scorer. She can play on the inside, get to the basket.”
Alongside their coach, the returning players have liked what they have seen from their new teammates so far.
“A lot of the young kids bring so much energy and enthusiasm for the game,” Ross said. “They are so willing to learn, ready to jump into anything they can and do their best.”
With so many new pieces coming together and so few experienced returners, Binghamton may struggle to win games this season. However, the Bearcat coaching staff promises to bring a needed culture change to a program that lacked energy at times during the previous year.
“We might not win every game, but we will be competitive every time we step on the court,” Cimino said. “Our fans are going to expect to see us diving on the floor for loose balls, getting back on defense, running hard on transition offense, talking and communicating. They won’t see negative body language. They are going to see a competitive game.”