When Binghamton Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott hired Linda Cimino to head the women’s basketball program in April of 2014, many believed that the rebuilding of the program wouldn’t happen overnight. While there is no formula to determine exactly how long it should take a struggling team to become one that opponents see as a viable threat, a few years at the least is a safe bet.
The BU women’s basketball program, in the 22 months since Cimino’s hiring, has ignored any relevant time frame for progress. In just two seasons, the program has transformed from a team that lacked energy and focus, winning just two conference games in 2013-14, to one that legitimately challenges every team that it faces.
Despite being chosen to finish last in the America East in this season’s preseason poll, the Bearcats will carry the fifth seed into the conference tournament this weekend — their highest ranking since the 2010-11 season when they were third. Cimino’s coaching style has undoubtedly been the catalyst behind this marked improvement. When she took the helm almost two years ago, she acknowledged that at first, victories would be few and far between. Instead of focusing on the number in the win column, Cimino emphasized simple, controllable aspects of the game — getting back quickly on defense, running hard in transition, talking and communicating.
In her first season as head coach, the wins certainly didn’t pile up; Binghamton came out on top in just four games that season. There were, however, other results of her new coaching style. Players dove onto the floor after every loose ball. There was a palpable energy in the Events Center. While some games were still blowouts, more often that not, Binghamton was competitive every time it took the court, never ceding defeat until the final buzzer had sounded.
The same attitude carried over into this season. But this time around, the wins came, too. The squad has gone 10-3 on its home court and 8-8 in conference play, its best mark in five seasons. In 2014, the scoring margin between BU and its opponents was an ugly 15 points. This season, BU has cut the deficit down to 1.3. As it prepares to host the America East Conference Tournament for the second straight year, Binghamton has a real chance to make waves.
How has Cimino turned the Binghamton program around in such a small amount of time?
The short answer is simple: She brought a fresh perspective and boundless energy to a program that desperately needed change. The long answer is more intricate.
The foundations for the team’s recent success were laid upon her arrival, when Cimino met or recruited new players to the Bearcats. In order for a player to perform to the best of her ability, she must trust completely in her coach’s philosophy and be willing to make any necessary adjustments. The relationship Cimino has cultivated with each of her players allows for exactly that.
Both sophomore guard Jasmine Sina and sophomore forward Alyssa James cite their main motivation for choosing Binghamton as Coach Cimino. Sina, a player initially overlooked by recruiting coaches, fell in love with Cimino, who called her first after she got the job at Binghamton. James, who played under Cimino at her previous coaching position, DII Caldwell College, agreed to play under Cimino before ever stepping foot in Binghamton. For two players of such a high caliber to put their college careers in the hands of Cimino speaks volumes about their trust in her.
It would have been easy, even understandable, for Cimino to lower her expectations for the team this season once Sina, the 2015 America East Rookie of the Year, was lost to an ACL injury in the preseason. Instead, Cimino acknowledged the loss, but repeated that her goals were the same. It is this mindset precisely, in which she explicitly challenges her players to step up at critical moments, that has set the stage for Binghamton’s improvement this season.
If the past two years are any indicator of Cimino’s long-term effect on the program, the progress she has made thus far will only continue. After Cimino has had the chance to bring in a few more of her own recruiting classes and continues to improve the talent already present on BU’s squad, Binghamton is posed to be a top contender in the coming seasons.