When Linda Cimino left her head-coaching position at Caldwell to take the reigns of the Binghamton women’s basketball team in the spring of 2014, she brought with her not just a strategy to rebuild the struggling program, but also one of her most productive defenders: Alyssa James.
Despite not having played in a game in over a year, James, currently a sophomore, finished the Bearcats’ preseason contest against East Stroudsburg last Friday night with 19 points and nine rebounds. Prowess in the post position runs in James’ family, as she is the niece of New York Knicks great and NBA Hall-of-Famer Patrick Ewing.
James cited her decision to transfer from Caldwell to Binghamton prior to last season as a result of the strong connection she had developed with Cimino.
“When [Cimino] recruited me at Caldwell, she was just so enthusiastic,” James said. “Other coaches don’t give you the same feel that she gives you, like ‘this is going to be your new home.’ I had never even been to this campus before the first day of summer session. I just love her.”
Last season, the Bearcats struggled on the glass as they were out-rebounded by nearly 10 per game. Cimino hopes that James’ abilities will lead to a significant improvement in her team’s play in the paint.
“[James] is a remarkable presence inside,” Cimino said. “She’s a shot blocker and a rebounder. We gave up too many offensive boards last year and I believe that her presence inside is really going to change our defense.”
Cimino is just as excited about James’ offensive potential. Without sophomore guard Jasmine Sina in the lineup due to a torn ACL, the Binghamton coach believes that James will help create more space on the perimeter for the guards.
“Offensively, her presence is going to open it up for our guards a little bit because she’s going to attract so much attention,” Cimino said. “She’s really going to give our guards some space to work with. She catches anything so our guards know when they’re in a jam, they can just throw it up to her and she’s going to catch it and do something with it.”
James acknowledged that she’ll need to quickly adjust to the style of Division I players, since her prior experience came at the Division II level. In addition to this acclimation, she will look to fill the role played by Sherae Swinson last season. Swinson, who graduated at the end of the 2014-15 season, was the Bearcats’ best post player as well as a leader on and off the court.
“We definitely need leadership in the post,” James said. “We had Sherae [Swinson] last year, but, it’s going to be different without her. So, we need leadership for our freshmen.”
Although this season is the first in which she will officially don the green and white for the Bearcats, James is far from a newcomer — having practiced with the team since summer 2014. James is also a former high school teammate of freshman guard McKayla Hernandez, a first-year Binghamton player this season.
After redshirting in 2014-15 in accordance with NCAA transfer rules and witnessing a four-win season, James’ motivations for this year include the desire to win more games and grow as a leader.
“It’s a different experience knowing that you’re going to play and not just be a practice player,” James said. “I’m really excited for this year.”