According to some, Binghamton University’s men’s basketball team is the 28th-best team in the country.
Not in the northeast. Not among mid-major schools.
The country.
Clark Francis of Hoop Scoop, a 26-year-old basketball recruiting publication, compiled a list projecting the top 30 Division I basketball teams in America for the upcoming season. Binghamton’s squad holds the 28th spot. According to Francis, the Bearcats are better than major conference teams such as Georgetown (29) of the Big East Conference and Georgia Tech (30) of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Pittsburgh Panthers of the Big East, whom Binghamton will square off against early this season, did not appear on the list. In other words, Clark thinks the Bearcats are the better team.
Francis used criteria such as talent, experience, chemistry and depth to determine his rankings. “You’re kind of guessing, midway through February, who is going to be 20-3,” he said. “Bottom line, it was about who I liked better.”
The Bearcats return all but one starter from last year. Reggie Fuller, who started at center last season for the Bearcats and is now playing basketball professionally in Germany after graduating last May, was one of the Bearcats’ most valuable players. However, according to Francis, “It’s easier to replace big guys than good guards. If you got four starters back but you lost your center, it’s not too devastating.”
Francis was also quick to point out that Kevin Broadus, the head coach of Binghamton’s men’s basketball team, is one of the “brightest up-and-coming coaches in the country.” Francis also believes that the Bearcats’ experienced backcourt, made up of senior guards D.J. Rivera, Emanuel “Tiki” Mayben and Malik Alvin, is one of the country’s best.
Broadus, a former assistant coach of numerous other Division I basketball teams, said that he used to read Hoop Scoop when he was recruiting. He referred to Hoop Scoop as a “pretty reputable [publication] for player rankings, though I didn’t necessarily look at their team rankings as much. But they do good research.”
Joel Thirer, director of health, physical education and athletics at Binghamton University, knows that all preseason rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. “Preseason rankings don’t mean nearly as much as postseason rankings,” he said. “When it’s all said and done, we’ll need to prove it on the basketball court. I think last year we snuck up on a few teams. Everyone knows how talented we are now and we aren’t going to sneak up on anyone.”
“I would love all this to be true, but when it’s all said and done, it only matters where you finish,” Broadus added. “I’m not necessarily going to bring [the ranking] up at practice. I’m just going to work my guys even harder.”
Last year, collegeinsider.com ranked Binghamton as the 22nd-best mid-major school in the country. The term “mid-major” refers to the conference in which the team plays. A mid-major team plays in a historically less-competitive conference compared to a high-major program. Of the top 25 teams on collegeinsider.com’s mid-major ranking list, only two were ranked nationally.
Health Update: Binghamton’s star senior swingman D.J. Rivera is wearing a cast for a fractured finger. Broadus claimed that the cast is strictly precautionary and that Rivera will be fine for the upcoming season. The squad will rely heavily on Rivera again this season in its attempt to repeat as America East Conference champions.