A month ago when the throne of the former America East men’s basketball champions began to crumble and then collapse in a matter of days, there was little idea as to where the Bearcats program would go.

Now in the wake of the storm, both new and old faces emerge to take the reigns of the Binghamton University basketball program, including a new coach and six walk-ons. Leading the pack is Mark Macon, who after former coach Kevin Broadus’ indefinite suspension, took the role as interim head coach.

“Every day is going to be a battle toward success for this team,” he said. “We have new walk-ons who are working hard for us every day and getting the experience to play against college athletes. They give me everything.”

Macon played college basketball for Temple University in which is the all-time leading scorer for the Atlantic-10. Macon was the eighth overall choice in the 1991 NBA draft for the Denver Nuggets. After playing six years for both Denver and Detriot and three more years overseas, Macon took on the assistant coaching position for former head coach John Chaney at Temple. Three years later he coached George State for the 2006-07 season. Macon joined Kevin Broadus in 2007 serving as assistant coach and helped the Bearcats to their first America East championship last season.

Macon promised to lead the Bearcats in a “right” and “successful” direction.

“It’s a day-by-day process, but the guys are trying to put the pieces together,” he said. “We want to put the guys in positions where they will be successful. I call it transportation.”

Macon will have to rely on this three remaining veterans to pull the team together and lead the new guys this season: sophomore Kyrie Sutton and juniors Chretein Lukusa and Moussa Camara.

“Chretein, he is the glue,” Macon said. “Moussa is the velcro that Chretein has to stick to. To play the game well, we have to stick together.”

Lukusa averaged 4.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and .9 steals last season and played 27 minutes or more over the final 11 games of the season in which the Bearcats were 10-1. Perhaps one of Lukusa greatest moments last season is when he scored the winning shot in the remaining 35 seconds in the Bearcats’ win at Boston University, 60-59. Lukusa also scored double figures in three games.

“It’s unfortunate how [the leadership position] came about,” Lukusa said. “It’s definitely something I’m looking forward to. We are just trying to work hard. We’ve got good chemistry from the locker room to the court and we are still trying to find an identity for the team.”

Meanwhile Camara averaged 3.4 points and 1 rebound last season, scoring a season-high 13 points three times during the season. Camara went 15-41 on three points and had over 70 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

“You’ve just got to stay focused,” Camara said. “Hopefully good things will start to happen once we move on.”

Sutton ranked second on the team and fourth in the conference in blocks per game, with 33 blocks for the season. The 6-foot-9-inch center averaged 1.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

As for the new guys, Macon and the veterans say that they are doing all they can to get them acquainted with college basketball.

“It’s a daily process and those guys are playing well together right now,” Macon said. “We are young and we are learning. We only had three guys that truly played last year, but those guys have pulled everybody together. We work together.”

When asked if he will coach as if Broadus was coming back or as if it were his own team, Macon stated that despite the changes, the game will be taught the same way. He explained further with a line from the hip-hop song “Who Am I” by Snoop Dogg.

“’He is I and I am him,’” he said. “If this was not me here and it was one of the other coaches, it would be the same way. As you see me, you see him. He was our leader. I optimistically have to continue to move forward, but he is still on my back. [All the coaches] roll together.”

The Bearcats’ first test will be in an exhibition game on Monday, when they take on Holy Family, a Division II school. They will then officially kick off their season on Saturday when they take on Bloomsburg College on Saturday. The season holds some tough challenges for the Bearcats because of their new roster. Macon’s squad was picked to finish last in the America East pre-season poll out of nine schools. It is scheduled to face big names like Pitt and La Salle.

“We demand that we be successful by keep taking steps toward success,” Macon said. “One day at a time, one step at a time.”