It took years to build up the Binghamton University basketball program, but only one week to tear it down.
And no one seems to know why.
President Lois DeFleur has called for an audit of the athletic program and promised to look to the future (see Page 1). Where better to start this tradition of openness than right here, with the re-organization of the basketball team? But the University has kept silent on the reasoning behind the release of the additional five players from the team, including leading scorers D.J. Rivera and Malik Alvin. There has likewise been no explanation for the resignation and subsequent transfer of Joel Thirer, who told The Press & Sun-Bulletin that his job hadn’t been threatened.
As far as setting a positive precedent goes, these actions seem to be failing.
No one is arguing that drastic measures needed to be taken to fix the basketball team, but was it really necessary to jump from one extreme to another? If the players truly went against team policy and their releases are justified, there is no reason why an honest explanation can’t be given. The truth may be unpleasant, but it can’t be worse than the vague platitudes DeFleur and Broadus have offered. If the reason behind their releases can’t be made public, then why were they let go in the first place?
If the University really is dedicated to changing the basketball program for the better, there is no room for secrets, especially not at this critical stage. The results of the audit and investigation of the basketball team should be made available to both students and the public, and the recruitment and supervision plan DeFleur has requested of Broadus must be as transparent as possible once it’s finalized.
We hope the athletics department had a good reason to let go of the five players, and that this will allow the team to develop into one we can be proud of. But until the personnel responsible for the decision speak up and explain themselves, it’s hard not to wonder if the University may have jumped the gun with this latest move.
If the University can’t trust us to understand its reasoning, there’s no way we can trust it to ensure the same mistakes aren’t made again.