In my freshman year, I watched a young Division I basketball program ascend to the top of its conference for the first time and play in the NCAA tournament against one of the most storied programs in the history of college basketball.
Now, here I sit in my sophomore year, watching the ashes smolder.
The rise and fall of the Binghamton University men’s basketball program almost seems like it belongs in a movie. To top it all off, there are countless unanswered questions swirling around the ruins of what was once a Cinderella story.
The mystery surrounding the scandal makes it difficult to write an opinion on the issue. I have listened to both official statements and off-the-record ramblings trying to make sense of it all. So I will begin with the things I know.
Firstly, the athletic department needs to be more open about this entire thing. I understand the need for privacy in administrative dealings, but the administration also needs to understand that it has just come out of a major indignity for which it will probably get slammed by NCAA sanctions. After such a horrible chapter in our school’s history, the athletic department and the administration need to regain public trust and confidence, because they surely don’t have it right now.
Students don’t know any better than to point the finger at the administration, which makes them look worse and worse while continuing to be secretive about it. If you want to rebuild this program, you can’t do it without the students, which brings me to my second point.
As students, we will endlessly support Binghamton’s athletes. That said, it doesn’t mean we have to support the administration itself. Because of what’s happened, the athletic department has to work to regain the support of the student body and the general public. But as far as the athletes themselves are concerned, our support will be unwavering, which takes me to my third point.
No matter how much it may have potentially softened the blow of the inevitable NCAA sanctions, it was still not fair to the current men’s basketball team to voluntarily exit the tournament this year. The players on this year’s team inherited a mess they had no part of and turned a season that was expected to be a disaster into a fifth-place finish. I congratulate the members of this year’s squad for their determination; they were great.
That’s what I know, and it isn’t much. As far as what I don’t know, it is difficult to speculate about what we haven’t been wholly informed of. Lois DeFleur (whose retirement was awfully conveniently timed, don’t you think?), Joel Thirer and Kevin Broadus were once seen as the architects of a champion, and now they have left or been ousted from their respective posts. So where do we go from here?
The athletic department has to prove to us that it is willing and ready to get over what has happened, but pulling this year’s team from the tournament was not the proper way to do that. It must demonstrate to the students that it is still committed to excellence and integrity, and that’s going to be a difficult and lengthy process. Above all, just be honest with us. It goes a long way with students, you know.
I wish I could speak positively about this situation, I really do. But the truth of the matter is that this embarrassment has affected each and every student on this campus. Moving forward requires transparency and honesty, and at this point, I’m not too sure that we’re going to get that, and that’s sad. We have such a great University here, but its reputation is being tarred by sleaze at the highest levels.
As we watch the smoke rise over these ashes, we better hope we’ve learned our lesson, because any more of this dishonor will really burn us.