For most basketball teams, the point guard is the leader on the floor. Most are considered an extension of their head coach, calling plays, distributing the basketball and running the offense all while facing the dilemma of finding their own shots or setting up their teammates. This was the task that faced freshman guard Jasmine Sina, the first recruit for the Binghamton women’s basketball program first-year head coach Linda Cimino signed to play.
“I had to gain respect,” Sina said. “It was something I was put in a position to do and I think they all looked up to me in the sense that I was the leader and they were comfortable with it. I think that I looked up to them too and we looked back-and-forth.”
Sina entered a program that had a barren roster, with playing time up for grabs. The Bearcats (4-25, 2-14 America East) had just one returning starter from 2013-14 and only six returning players total, many of whom had little experience. Sina was thrust into a starting position from her first minute as a Bearcat.
The freshman took the opportunity and ran with it, averaging a conference-high 39.1 minutes per game while scoring 14.7 points per contest — the fifth highest total in all of the AE. Sina also showed the ability to knock down 3-pointers and attack the hoop for layups and fouls, despite her 5-foot-5 stature.
“I didn’t think I was going to play 40 minutes a game,” Sina said. “I didn’t really expect it, but I knew that I was going to have to be in a position to play a lot and do a lot coming into this team and this program. I love playing — I’m not going to complain about playing 40 minutes a game. It’s just something that I knew coming in, I was going to have to take a big part in the program and I was ready to do that.”
After an incredible scoring stretch during the first half of conference play — which saw the freshman score in double figures against all but one conference opponent — Sina became a main focus of the opposition’s game plan. Throughout the second half, America East rivals started sending their best defenders to guard Sina. They denied her the ball, making it difficult to even dribble up the floor and even tougher to find open looks at the basket from 3-point range.
“A lot of teams tried to face guard me the whole game and not let me get my shot up,” Sina said. “But I had to drive more and get everyone else involved. I think that is very important, making sure that everybody else is involved in the offense as well and try to get myself open if I can. It’s a fun challenge when they face guard me — I think it’s an extra thing to play for.”
Sina found ways to score and distribute for her teammates. Whereas in the beginning of the season, most of her points were coming from behind the arc, Sina adjusted her game as the season progressed. She began attacking the paint, driving in for layups or dishing to teammates as well as running off screens to find open jump shots. During the final eight regular-season conference games, Sina averaged 14.9 points and 3.6 assists per game despite the extra attention from opponents.
“I think for me, I just let the game come to me,” Sina said. “I just have to read the defense and I think that I can do that well.”
The on-court experience Sina gained this season as part of a depleted roster, along with her success, provides the Bearcats with a building-block for their roster reconstruction under Cimino.
“I think mentally I have developed a lot,” Sina said. “For next season I know what to expect and how to get better and how to learn from all my other teammates. Having all of those games and practices under me will make me a better player next year. We are going to have a lot of good players coming in and our program is going to develop over the next three years.”