When he was selecting a second captain to pair with senior Reggie Fuller, Binghamton University’s men’s basketball coach Kevin Broadus had some obvious options. He could choose a senior who had been in the program for four years, such as Jaan Montgomery or Dwayne Jackson, or a big name transfer who would lead the Bearcats on the court, such as Emanuel “Tiki” Mayben or D.J. Rivera.

Instead, Broadus named walk-on Dave Fine, an unheralded junior guard who transferred from Jacksonville University, a captain for the upcoming season. The decision caught Fine off guard and also surprised Binghamton fans, who knew him only as the person sitting at the end of the bench last year.

At last season’s Media Day, a Pipe Dream writer spotted Fine and asked an assistant coach who he was.

“That’s nobody yet,” was the reply. But will he be somebody next year?

“Maybe.”

During his year of sitting out, Fine proved that he was indeed a “somebody” for the Bearcats, both on and off the court. Despite majoring in business in the rigorous School of Management, he had the highest GPA on the team last year. He wants to play overseas and eventually work in real estate when he graduates.

But Fine isn’t your typical team-GPA-boosting walk-on; he’s an experienced Division I player who will see some playing time this year, backing up Mayben at point guard. When he played at Syracuse prep-power Christian Brothers Academy in high school, Fine was actually recruited by Al Walker, then Binghamton’s head coach, but the roster spot filled up when Mike Gordon decided to play for the Bearcats.

Instead he spent his freshman year in the Atlantic Sun Conference at Jacksonville, playing 10 minutes per game and scoring three points per game on .467 shooting. He hit double figures in two games and saw increased playing time as the season progressed.

But Fine didn’t see eye-to-eye with Jacksonville head coach Cliff Warren and wanted to transfer back home where he could be closer to his family.

Meanwhile, Broadus had just landed the job at BU after reaching the Final Four as an assistant at Georgetown.

Fine’s father, Syracuse associate head coach Bernie Fine, was friendly with Broadus and helped establish contact between his son and Binghamton’s new coach. Broadus welcomed him into the program and Fine sat out a year as per NCAA regulations.

“Georgetown people don’t know about this,” joked Broadus. “They’d kill me if they found out I had a Syracuse guy on the team.”

That’s because Georgetown, where Broadus coached, and Syracuse, where Fine’s father coaches, are archrivals in the Big East. That made for some good-natured teasing between Broadus and Fine in practice when the Hoyas and Orange played each other last season.

“We argued a lot over who had the better program, more NBA players, a better coach,” Fine said. “Pretty much everything that you could possibly think of between the two programs.”

When No. 8 Georgetown visited Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, Broadus watched from behind the Hoya bench while Fine sat with his friends from Binghamton. Syracuse won the game, 77-70, for its biggest victory of the season, but Fine refrained from rubbing it in.

“I didn’t really say too much because I knew he still has the power to make us run in practice,” Fine said. “Making fun of him during the season is not a smart idea.”

Broadus brushed off the Hoyas’ loss.

“Hey, if that’s their one shining moment, so be it,” Broadus said. “But it’s good to have stuff like that on your team because it takes the edge off everyday practice. He’s such a good kid and he brings a lot to the program.”

One of the things Fine brings to the program is his work ethic, which comes from being a coach’s son.

Broadus said Fine works harder than anyone on the team, which helps him overcome any deficiencies in natural talent or athleticism. He is known as a glue guy and a pass-first point guard who likes to set up the offense.

But he’s still a Syracuse guy. How would Broadus feel if his own son wanted to play at Syracuse?

“His dream school when he was a kid was Maryland,” he said. “And I was coaching at Georgetown. I was like, ‘How are you going to be living in this household wanting to go to Maryland?’ Then he changed; he said he wanted to go to North Carolina. Then one day recently, he told me he wants to play for Georgetown. But if he wanted to go to Syracuse, as long as he gets a good education, and he’s happy, then I’m happy. If my son wants to go play at Syracuse, I’ll root for him, I’ll wish him well, other than when they play Georgetown.”

It turns out that the animosity of rivalries doesn’t quite extend to coaches’ personal relationships. The Fine-Broadus connection may even lead to a game between the Bearcats and the Orange next year.

“I keep telling my dad and coach Broadus to set up a game next year. I would really love to go back and play in the Dome. I grew up there; since I was two years old I’ve been going there, so to be able to go back in front of family and friends, it would mean a lot to me.”