2023-24 Binghamton Centric Thread

1499 Views 48 Replies 10 Participants Last post by Bingo v2.0, 3 d ago

Bingo v2.0

Discussion Starter · 28 d ago (Edited)

Figured I'd get a Binghamton-focused thread going as the roster is really taking shape now and, dagnabbit, we deserve one of our own!

Overview of those departing the program and those coming in...

Exhausted eligibility:
G Jacob Falko - 33.0 mpg, 14.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 45.5% FG, 33.6% 3FG, 80.5% FT
F Miles Gibson - 31.1 mpg, 11.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 43.8% FG, 81.1% FT
F Christian Hinckson - 24.8 mpg, 6.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 44.3% FG, 33.8% 3FG

Entered the portal:
G John McGriff - 19.5 mpg, 6.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 38.9% 3FG
F Ogheneyole Akuwovo - 13.0 mpg, 4.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 60.0% FG
G Matt Solomon - 7.7 mpg, 2.4 ppg
F Ador Athuai - 3.5 mpg, 2.3 ppg

Transferred in:
G Symir Torrence, 6'3" - back-up point guard at Marquette (2019-2021) and Syracuse (2021-2023)
G Chris Walker, 6'6" - 3x OVC Frosh of the Week for Ark.-Little Rock, 20.8 mpg, 7.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 36.0% 3FG in 17 games
G Tymu Chenery, 6'6" - started 67 of 85 games over 3 years at Quinnipiac; 25.4 mpg, 7.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg in career
F Nehemiah Benson, 6'7" - appeared in 79 games over 3 years at Rider; 10.2 mpg, 2.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg in career

Incoming freshmen:
G Evan Ashe, 6'3" - earned All-NEPSAC AA honors this season as a post-grad at Winchendon
F Gavin Walsh, 6'7" - IMG Academy (post-grad), chose Binghamton over 10+ other offers
G Max Sims, 6'5" - IMG Academy (varsity)

Team loses 132.6 mpg and 47.1 ppg, which is roughly 2/3rds of both total floor time and point production. Going to need some combination of returning players stepping up and incoming players producing right away. Good news is that all three of the incoming transfers should make immediate contributions. There are also two more scholarships available.

Things are trending in the right direction under Sanders, but one concern is the weak finishes to the regular season. In 2021-22, the team was 7-4 in AE play and then dropped 6 of 7 to end the year. In 2022-23, they sat in 2nd place at 8-4 before dropping four straight to end the season, including two in OT. In each season, they won road quarterfinal games in the AE Tourney which is a minor accomplishment of note given where the program was before Sanders took over, but for 2023-24, they need to avoid the late season collapse, secure a better seed in the conference tournament (mostly so they don't need to face Vermont in the semis) and get past the semifinal round. It's the logical next step if they intend on continuing to move things forward.

What does everyone think of the roster changes so far? What are your expectations for the team this season?

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Bingo v2.0

Discussion Starter · #2 · 25 d ago

bubearcats.com

Men's basketball adds four players to roster for 2023-24 - Binghamton University Athletics

Bearcats welcome seasoned collegiate transfers, talented freshman forward

bubearcats.com

Official release announcing the four most recent additions for next season. They announced incoming freshmen Ashe and Sims over the winter, if I remember correctly.

As noted, still two scholarships available and we know at least one offer remains on the table (Tana Kopa). Like last year with Miles Gibson, they may add very late into the summer and we might not get anything official on any other signings. Though with everything being on Twitter, an official release isn’t really necessary these days to stay up to date.

Bingo v2.0

Discussion Starter · #3 · 19 d ago (Edited)

Bearcats add 6'7" forward Nehemiah Benson from Rider. Seems like a very necessary addition as the frontcourt was a little thin on bodies. Whereas Balogun is more of a traditional, back to the basket post player and White is more or less just a defensive player who will occasionally clean up a board for a put back, Benson appears to have some face-up game. Nice to have a different "look" in that sense.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1656407523908374528

Bingo v2.0

Discussion Starter · #4 · 18 d ago (Edited)

Chance to get to know Torrence a bit as he speaks on his path for about an hour.

Chose Binghamton over Bowling Green primarily, but also Albany, Siena and Quinnipiac. Didn't realize Killings was at Marquette the same time Torrence was.

Bingo v2.0

Discussion Starter · #5 · 7 d ago

Unofficial 2023-24 Roster - Gr. designates 5th year Senior/Graduate student, others are in line with how many years of eligibility they have left, not necessarily what year they are in academically

1 - Tariq Balogun - F - 6'10" - Gr.
2 - Armon Harried - G - 6'5" - Gr.
4 - Masud Stewart - G - 6'1" - Soph.
11 - Dan Petcash - G - 6'4" - Gr.
13 - Taveion White - F - 6'7" - Gr.
-- - Symir Torrence - G - 6'3" - Gr.
-- - Tymu Chenery - F - 6'6" - Jr.
-- - Nehemiah Benson - F - 6'7" - Jr.
-- - Chris Walker - G - 6'6" - Soph.
-- - Gavin Walsh - F - 6'7" - Fr.
-- - Evan Ashe - G - 6'3" - Fr.
-- - Stephan Snagg - F - 6'7" - Fr.
-- - Max Sims - G - 6'5" - Fr.

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TheBingZone

· #6 · 6 d ago (Edited)

Bingo v2.0 said:
Figured I'd get a Binghamton-focused thread going as the roster is really taking shape now and, dagnabbit, we deserve one of our own!

Overview of those departing the program and those coming in...

Exhausted eligibility:
G Jacob Falko - 33.0 mpg, 14.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 45.5% FG, 33.6% 3FG, 80.5% FT
F Miles Gibson - 31.1 mpg, 11.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 43.8% FG, 81.1% FT
F Christian Hinckson - 24.8 mpg, 6.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 44.3% FG, 33.8% 3FG

Entered the portal:
G John McGriff - 19.5 mpg, 6.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 38.9% 3FG
F Ogheneyole Akuwovo - 13.0 mpg, 4.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 60.0% FG
G Matt Solomon - 7.7 mpg, 2.4 ppg
F Ador Athuai - 3.5 mpg, 2.3 ppg

Transferred in:
G Symir Torrence, 6'3" - back-up point guard at Marquette (2019-2021) and Syracuse (2021-2023)
G Chris Walker, 6'6" - 3x OVC Frosh of the Week for Ark.-Little Rock, 20.8 mpg, 7.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 36.0% 3FG in 17 games
G Tymu Chenery, 6'6" - started 67 of 85 games over 3 years at Quinnipiac; 25.4 mpg, 7.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg in career
F Nehemiah Benson, 6'7" - appeared in 79 games over 3 years at Rider; 10.2 mpg, 2.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg in career

Incoming freshmen:
G Evan Ashe, 6'3" - earned All-NEPSAC AA honors this season as a post-grad at Winchendon
F Gavin Walsh, 6'7" - IMG Academy (post-grad), chose Binghamton over 10+ other offers
G Max Sims, 6'5" - IMG Academy (varsity)

Team loses 132.6 mpg and 47.1 ppg, which is roughly 2/3rds of both total floor time and point production. Going to need some combination of returning players stepping up and incoming players producing right away. Good news is that all three of the incoming transfers should make immediate contributions. There are also two more scholarships available.

Things are trending in the right direction under Sanders, but one concern is the weak finishes to the regular season. In 2021-22, the team was 7-4 in AE play and then dropped 6 of 7 to end the year. In 2022-23, they sat in 2nd place at 8-4 before dropping four straight to end the season, including two in OT. In each season, they won road quarterfinal games in the AE Tourney which is a minor accomplishment of note given where the program was before Sanders took over, but for 2023-24, they need to avoid the late season collapse, secure a better seed in the conference tournament (mostly so they don't need to face Vermont in the semis) and get past the semifinal round. It's the logical next step if they intend on continuing to move things forward.

What does everyone think of the roster changes so far? What are your expectations for the team this season?

Nice job breaking down the roster Bingo!

Going to try to keep my thoughts short for a change....lol

Love the Addition of Torrence, but he wants to prove he can score at all 3 levels...never seemed liked Boeheim trusted him to shoot the 3, but floor general for sure...Boeheim: love the guy as a Syracuse fan, but was set in his ways, and if Torrence tried to shoot too much he would be benched. How much does Sanders let him go?

Love the mixture of Vets, and freshman,

Really excited about Walsh***, Ashe and Sims, I think they make an impact right away... especially Walsh

As for the other members from the transfer portal, I believe Walker is a very nice addition and Tymu should get decent minutes...Benson adds depth

Disappointed we didn't get another big man, sure you can go small and win games..but when it comes to tournament time, conference or the big dance you need a couple decent bigs ..and I don't think we have it.

I was never a big fan of Petcash, but he's grown on me, him and Harried need to be outstanding this year

Overall Sanders is bringing in 4 Freshman so I think he's looking towards the future well trying to stay competitive in the now...next year will be telling, but as a fan I'm thinking top 4 finish this year

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TheBingZone

· #7 · 6 d ago

Honestly I hope Sanders does well, but to me he is lazy, his assistant 's do the work...he never seems really into the game...

bearcatbbal22

· #8 · 6 d ago

TheBingZone said:
Honestly I hope Sanders does well, but to me he is lazy, his assistant 's do the work...he never seems really into the game...

What, if anything, are you basing this on?

He's already had more success than Dempsey imo

TheBingZone

· #9 · 5 d ago (Edited)

bearcatbbal22 said:
What, if anything, are you basing this on?

He's already had more success than Dempsey imo

Again I want him to succeed, and yes he has had more success then Dempsey at Binghamton... Dempsey actually was a very good college coach before he came here ... but his teams never improved at Bing... Sanders hasn't been a head coach in College, the team didn't improve from last year, and I don't think he's had too much experience in actually recruiting players..

He's Stoic on the sidelines, sometimes a sign of a good coach, but sometimes not...will see

As far as the players coming in, maybe besides Walsh...the assistants were the ones to bring them in...Im hoping this Freshman class is special..and can propel Bing to the next level

But yes it's Sanders third year, and it's time to see real results...Bing can't give him a ridiculous amount of years like they did Dempsey...this is not a make or break year for him but the results this year and next should be

catpower

· #10 · 5 d ago

TheBingZone said:
Again I want him to succeed, and yes he has had more success then Dempsey at Binghamton... Dempsey actually was a very good college coach before he came here ... but his teams never improved at Bing... Sanders hasn't been a head coach in College, the team didn't improve from last year, and I don't think he's had too much experience in actually recruiting players..

He's Stoic on the sidelines, sometimes a sign of a good coach, but sometimes not...will see

As far as the players coming in, maybe besides Walsh...the assistants were the ones to bring them in...Im hoping this Freshman class is special..and can propel Bing to the next level

But yes it's Sanders third year, and it's time to see real results...Bing can't give him a ridiculous amount of years like they did Dempsey...this is not a make or break year for him but the results this year and next should be

I'm gonna provide you with some breaking insight here, but assistant coaches at every school across the country, are guys who "bring in" recruits. It's literally their job to be the first line of contact and build relationships with players first before the head coach gets involved.

Dempsey seems like a nice guy, but he rode Jason Thompson (who played in the NBA) and his brother Ryan (who played at a very high level in Europe) to all his success there...all of 1 CBI and 2 CIT bids. He took over a bad situation where the school didn't give a crap and he and his staff managed to bring in solid players who had talent but, the best he could ever do was a 5-11 record in the league when it is not as though the AE has absolute world-beater coaches or rosters. Sanders is at least making things way more respectable than Dempsey ever did, and might have a better pulse on team building and roster construction and actual coaching because Dempsey I always wondered if he had any idea how to play to his team's strengths the entire time he was coaching and did actually have players with talent.

Also, for that "lazy" comment...buddy, have you watched John Becker's demeanor on the sidelines? Just because some coaches don't get up and act like madmen or look locked in or whatever doesn't mean they're not doing a good job...because here's another insight: sometimes the most animated coaches also hand off in-game planning to assistant coaches. Delegating tasks and managing staff and players are part of what can make up being a good basketball coach. There is not a one-size fits all solution.

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Bingo v2.0

Discussion Starter · #11 · 5 d ago

It’s not unusual for assistants to handle recruiting. Sanders as head coach might act as “the closer” because obviously a kid wants to mesh well with the head coach and get an idea of who the guy is that he’s committing to, but assistants are often doing the leg work and using their connections to make inroads. This should not at all count against Sanders.

Yes, he is stoic. Doesn’t mean he didn’t
lead the way in formulating a game plan in the days leading up to the game.

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TheBingZone

· #12 · 4 d ago (Edited)

catpower said:
I'm gonna provide you with some breaking insight here, but assistant coaches at every school across the country, are guys who "bring in" recruits. It's literally their job to be the first line of contact and build relationships with players first before the head coach gets involved.

Dempsey seems like a nice guy, but he rode Jason Thompson (who played in the NBA) and his brother Ryan (who played at a very high level in Europe) to all his success there...all of 1 CBI and 2 CIT bids. He took over a bad situation where the school didn't give a crap and he and his staff managed to bring in solid players who had talent but, the best he could ever do was a 5-11 record in the league when it is not as though the AE has absolute world-beater coaches or rosters. Sanders is at least making things way more respectable than Dempsey ever did, and might have a better pulse on team building and roster construction and actual coaching because Dempsey I always wondered if he had any idea how to play to his team's strengths the entire time he was coaching and did actually have players with talent.

Also, for that "lazy" comment...buddy, have you watched John Becker's demeanor on the sidelines? Just because some coaches don't get up and act like madmen or look locked in or whatever doesn't mean they're not doing a good job...because here's another insight: sometimes the most animated coaches also hand off in-game planning to assistant coaches. Delegating tasks and managing staff and players are part of what can make up being a good basketball coach. There is not a one-size fits all solution.

I don't really need your insights, I know how coaching works, Dempsey was a terrible in game coach at D1, he did win at a lower levels which tells me something about his coaching without the greatest players

I know how recruiting works in D1, I'm not an idiot, besides his one year as an assistant coach has he ever recruited players?

Yes head coaches tend to seal the deal, but they usually have experience being the assistant bringing them in first.. it's not needed, but it helps

TheBingZone

· #13 · 4 d ago (Edited)

As for him being lazy on the sidelines, he doesn't move (I'm correcting myself and going with stoic...kind a like Becker,) however I seen Becker on fire when it was needed haven't seen it from Sanders yet...

I want to see Bing win 20 games a year, I know it's only his third year, and I just want to see results, I apologize to you for being a passionate fan stating my opinion

It's the reason I don't post on here, people reject certain people's opinions and attack there thoughts...

TheBingZone

· #14 · 4 d ago

Catpower I want to thank you for all the breaking insights, that provided me nothing and helped me realize that there are still idiots that don't like freedom of opinions on here... thanks for getting in the Binghamton blog...you quickly ruined that too

TheBingZone

· #15 · 4 d ago

Bingo v2.0 said:
It’s not unusual for assistants to handle recruiting. Sanders as head coach might act as “the closer” because obviously a kid wants to mesh well with the head coach and get an idea of who the guy is that he’s committing to, but assistants are often doing the leg work and using their connections to make inroads. This should not at all count against Sanders.

Yes, he is stoic. Doesn’t mean he didn’t
lead the way in formulating a game plan in the days leading up to the game.

I agree with this, but there are times coaches that are stoic, realize there team's getting no breaks and all the calls are going against them.

That's when the coach should step up, and I haven't seen Sanders do it yet... I'm sorry that's just my opinion

TheBingZone

· #16 · 4 d ago

Crickets....

TheBingZone

· #17 · 4 d ago

Im sorry for offending anyone with my opinion, it's clear that I don't belong here, go Bing!

Alumni96

· #18 · 4 d ago

Sometimes a coach needs to be the calming influence on a new team. There is something to be said for quiet confidence in a stressful situation. He may not meet your expectations of what a coaches demeanor should be, but I'd like to point out that Dwayne Killings is very animated on the sideline and that didn't translate to a good level of effort or play from his team. Just something to think about.

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catpower

· #19 · 4 d ago (Edited)

TheBingZone said:
Catpower I want to thank you for all the breaking insights, that provided me nothing and helped me realize that there are still idiots that don't like freedom of opinions on here... thanks for getting in the Binghamton blog...you quickly ruined that too

You're entitled to your opinion. I'm entitled to say your opinion, which had very little merit in my opinion, is a dumb one. That's how this works.

How people coach is a broad spectrum. I have no idea if Sanders is the answer long-term for Binghamton to win 20 games a year or not. I have no idea if Binghamton as an institution wants to do what it takes to be a regular 20-win team. What he does in the next 2-3 seasons in terms of W-L improvement, and sure, improving his own coaching (any smart coach evolves) will be telling to see if he's the guy or not, but going into year 3 when he's turned around a team that routinely embarrassed itself under Dempsey into a tough out that's a respectable league opponent is pretty good. I know we live in the age of quick roster flips and massive turnarounds, but things always regress to the norm, and the best hope for Binghamton fans is that Sanders keeps pushing things along. I think most observers would agree that it feels like he is at the moment.

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Bingo v2.0

Discussion Starter · #20 · 4 d ago

Let’s not forget that Sanders wasn’t even named the permanent coach until February of 2022. The first year (from March 2021 until then) was with an interim tag. I’d think it’s a little tougher to get a kid to commit when he can’t be sure you’re even going to be around next season.

As far as I’m concerned, this is Sanders and staff’s first real class of signees. He’s been the coach, he’s signed long term, and they’ve had time to pursue “their” guys. Seems like they’ve got a couple good ones in Ashe and Walsh.

As for on the court stuff, they improved by win percentage (8-10 -> 8-8) and in the standings (7th -> t-4th) so hard to say things didn’t improve, even if incrementally. They were on the cusp of hosting an AE tourney game. Did Dempsey ever even sniff that?

Through two seasons, there is simply no measure by which one could say Sanders has not been a great hire given the state of the program when he took over and for the almost 15 years leading up to it.

All that said, the next step needs to be taken. Getting over the .500 mark and hosting an AE playoff game seem like reasonable goals to move things forward. After that we’re talking 20+ wins and postseason play.

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