If you were at Late Nite Madness last month and saw all the new and unfamiliar faces on the Binghamton University women’s basketball team, you know first-year head coach Nicole Scholl’s team is in the process of a major youth movement.

Five freshmen and one sophomore transfer joined the team, looking to immediately fill the void left by last year’s senior class, which accounted for much of the Bearcats’ offense in 2007.

As they have in the past, with former Bearcats stars Laine Kurpniece and Laura Sario, the Bearcats’ coaching staff crossed international waters to secure three new recruits.

Twins Orla and Sinead O’Reilly from Cork, Ireland, look to see immediate playing time at the guard and forward spots, respectively.

Orla brings immediate depth and versatility to the guard position.

“Orla can play the one, two or three spots, so she’s very versatile that way,” Scholl said.

In 2007, Orla was named Irish Examiner National Junior Sports Star of the Year.

Sinead, at 6 feet 2 inches, will contribute both offensively and defensively in the frontcourt.

“[Sinead] is very good at slashing to the basket, she’s a good defender as well,” Scholl said.

Sinead was named Glanmire Basketball Under-18 Player of the Year in 2007. Both of the O’Reilly twins also played on Ireland’s under-16 National Team.

Viive Rebane will also be seeing immediate playing time in the frontcourt for the Bearcats.

“[Rebane’s] another versatile player, she can play the wing or post … very good defender,” Scholl said.

Rebane, a 6-foot forward hailing from Tallinn, Estonia, participated in the Estonian Championship League, and was named most valuable player of that league in 2008.

Andrea Holmes will be Binghamton’s starting point guard, which solidifies the Bearcats’ backcourt with junior guards Erica Carter and Muffy Sadler.

“[Andrea’s] starting in the point position, so we can move Muffy Sadler to the wing where she is more comfortable,” Scholl said.

Holmes, a 5-foot-6-inch guard from Memphis, Tenn., was named captain of her team at Mitchell High School for three years while also being named league MVP in both 2007 and 2008.

Kiara Conner was looking to fill the void in the frontcourt left by former America East first-teamer Kurpniece, but a shoulder injury will mean a medical redshirt season is in the cards instead.

The 6-foot-1-inch Conner is no stranger to success though. As a high school senior, she was named to Chicago’s all-suburban team by helping Whitney Young High School win the Illinois 4A state title.

The last new addition to the BU squad is sophomore Emma Cronk from Ontario, Canada. At 6 feet 4 inches, Cronk is the team’s tallest player. Unfortunately, due to transfer rules, Cronk must sit out this season. Cronk’s gained experience at Gardner-Webb University, where she played in 30 games, making four starts averaging 1.3 points and 1.4 rebounds a game.

As for Scholl’s assessment on the freshman class so far, the new class brings what the Bearcats need.

“They are helping provide us with depth, especially on the perimeter,” she said.

Even though the Bearcats are only one game into the season, it appears that the freshmen will be a crucial cog to Binghamton’s success, and the early results for the freshman class look very promising.

In the 66-51 loss to Saint Bonaventure on Friday, Holmes and Orla O’Reilly led the team in minutes, as each was on the court for 26 minutes. Rebane also tied for the team lead in both rebounding and scoring, as she scored 10 points on 5-10 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.

The contingent of Bearcats freshmen are going to be the key to BU this season. Complimenting the star returners is their role this year and how well they fit into it will determine how well Binghamton does this season.