May. 25, 2006 - BU women's basketball team to host Villanova

The highest-profile basketball opponent to pay Binghamton University's Events Center a visit will do so in December, its cast to include one of the Southern Tier Athletic Conference's premier alumna.

Villanova's women will play a game at Binghamton on an undisclosed December date, said Dean Kenefick, the Philadelphia institution's assistant athletic director for communications. It is part of a home-and-home agreement, Kenefick said, with 'Nova to host BU the following season.

The contest will represent a homecoming for Kyle Dougherty, a member of Owego's Class of 2005 who was three times Press & Sun-Bulletin Player of the Year. She sat out last season as a redshirt.

"I know (Wildcats coach Harry Perretta) likes to do that, but I always assumed it'd be later, maybe when I was a junior or senior," Dougherty said of scheduling a game in or near a player's hometown. "I was just shocked that we'd be playing there next season."

Villanova is coming off a 21-11 season that included a 9-7 record in Big East Conference play. The Wildcats won nine of their last 12 games, and extended the program's streak of gaining a postseason tournament berth to seven years. Their season concluded with a 94-81 loss to Western Kentucky in the quarterfinal round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.

"It doesn't become official until the contract is done, but we'll be playing them," Kenefick said.

Binghamton coach Rich Conover declined comment, citing lack of a signed contract for the contest.

Binghamton's women posted a 17-12 record last season, concluding with a loss to Hartford in an America East Conference Tournament semifinal. The team will lose three seniors from that squad, all starters.

The Bearcats are 2-5 against Big East competition, defeating St. John's in 2003 and Syracuse last season.

"If we can play a Syracuse or a St. John's, it's a great thing for the university," said Jen Haubrich, one of the three departing starters. "To play with them and be able to beat them, it's good for morale. People look at it and say, 'Oh, look, Binghamton beat Syracuse.'

"It's a great opportunity to get your name out there, and it's a great to get them on your home court."

Dougherty, a versatile 5-foot-10 guard, was a first-team All-State selection following a senior season in which she averaged 20.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists for Owego. She scored 1,958 varsity points.

"It was definitely hard not playing (last season at Villanova), but afterward you feel you've learned so much," she said. "With the system we run and with us having so many seniors, it would have been hard to be thrown right into it.

"I'm glad I took the year off to get adjusted to college, but I'm really looking forward to getting back to playing basketball. We lost a lot of seniors, so there will be opportunity for everyone to get in and play."

As for the BU appearance, she said, "It'll be fun to be back, to play in front of family and friends. The pressure won't be on me, it'll be on our team to win. Not that I won't be nervous, but it'll be fun."

May. 18, 2006 - Bearcats pick up four for next season

Nearly half of his team's offense from this past season is gone. The team is losing its leading scorer from the past two seasons and the conference's defensive player of the year.

But with the signing of four recruits for the upcoming season, Binghamton University men's basketball coach Al Walker is optimistic about the Bearcats' prospects for the 2006-07 season.

Two junior college guards -- Marvin Lee from Pratt Community College in Kansas and Richard Forbes from Howard Junior College in Texas -- are both set to join the Bearcats in the fall semester. They'll be joined by freshman forwards Miladin Kovacevic and Lazar Trifunovic, both from Serbia.

"I really like where we're at," Walker said after the announcement of the signings Wednesday. "We've got 12 guys in the program who, on paper, all have significant size or skills or talent. I think it's a nice group. We'll have to wait and see what happens in November and December (when the regular season starts), but it looks like it's a group that has some talent."

Between graduation and transfers, BU is losing 49 percent of its offense from this past season.

The Bearcats lost three starters --Andre Heard, Sebastian Hermenier and Schafer Jackson -- from this past season's team that went 16-13, the program's best record since moving to Division I five years ago. BU went 12-4 and finished second in the America East Conference, both program records, before losing to sixth-seeded Vermont in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

Walker said he sees Lee as a potential replacement for Heard, a first-team all-conference selection who averaged a team-best 17.1 points per game last season.

Lee, a 6-foot-2, 210 pound guard, averaged team highs of 14.2 points and 6.4 rebounds for a Pratt CC team that went 18-13. He was a first-team all-region selection who also led his team in steals (50).

"He's a big, athletic kid," Walker said. "We think he'll help us right off the bat."

Forbes, a 6-foot guard, averaged 10.8 points and 2.3 assists for a Howard JC team that went 35-2 and finished fifth at the NJCAA Division I Tournament. He averaged 18 points a game at the national tournament and was an all-tournament selection.

Forbes is BU's first scholarship player from New York City, Walker said. Forbes played at Far Rockaway High School and led the Public School Athletic League with 32.0 points a game, outscoring NBA guard Sebastian Telfair.

Kovacevic (pronounced ko-VA-che-vitch), a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward originally from Belgrade, averaged 12.0 points and 10.0 rebounds for Paul VI High School in Fairfax, Va., this past season. Trifunovic (tri-FOON-oh-vich) is 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, and played club basketball with Kovacevic in Belgrade. Trifunovic played on the 16-and-under Serbian National Team.

May. 3, 2006 - Brown and Cross Named Captains for Vermont Women’s Basketball in 2006-07

“I believe Alison and Brittney are great role models on and off the court and will give us great leadership next season,” stated Dawley.

“Alison has become more versatile through her hard work. She has done everything we’ve asked her to do to become a better basketball player. Alison brings a positive attitude to practice every day and she is a terrific role model in the classroom and on the court for our younger players,” continued Dawley.

Brown played her best basketball to date last season. She entered the 2005-06 season having played in 13 career games off the bench. This past season she played in 25 games and got the starting nod six times and set new career-highs in every category, including a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds at Binghamton this season. Brown was a valuable player in Vermont’s frontcourt and finished the year ranked second on the team in blocks.

“Brittney has improved each year to the point where she is one of the top defensive players and ranked among the league leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio this past season. She is a tremendous floor leader and role model for us. She is the one of the hardest working, most positive student-athletes that I’ve ever worked with. As our starting point guard we are looking for her to bring along our freshmen and sophomore guards next season,” said Dawley.

Cross, who will serve as a co-captain for the second straight year, surpassed her career statistics averages in nearly every category in 2005-06 alone. She finished the year leading America East in free throw percentage, ranking 27th overall in the country, shooting 85.9% from the line, the fourth-best percentage in a single-season at Vermont. Cross also led the league in steals (2.30 pg) and her 62 thefts on the year is the ninth-best mark in a single-season at Vermont.

Cross was the only Vermont player to start all 27 games, after entering the 2005-06 season with nine career starts under her belt. She finished the season ranked second on the team in scoring (9.3 ppg) and rebounding (4.1 rpg).

Vermont finished the 2005-06 season with a record of 9-18 overall and 5-11 in America East.

May. 2, 2006 - Basketball team fills three roster spots

A head coach’s job in today’s cutthroat world of college basketball is two-fold. He or she must not only skillfully teach players the game of basketball, but also sell the program to high school stars looking to strengthen their games in tough college environments.

Binghamton women’s basketball head coach Rich Conover needed to replace three influential senior leaders. Several months before the final efforts of Rachel Laws, Jen Blues and Jen Haubrich in Hartford, Conover prepared for a future without the most heralded senior class in BU’s young Division I basketball history.

“It’s always hard to replace 3,000 points,” Conover said.

Rachel and the Jens graduate in a few weeks, but the incoming freshman class looks poised to fill their large shoes. Conover and his staff hit the road hard in recruiting, jetting from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic. Most notably, Conover signed a very talented high school teammate of Candace Parker.

Erica Carter started all four years at shooting guard for Naperville Central High School (suburban Chicago). Initially the second option to Parker, Carter developed her game immensely by practicing against the future Tennessee superstar virtually every day. Parker and “Bucket,” as she was known for her incredible shooting range, won two state titles. Parker was unquestionably the marquee player, but Naperville failed to win the brutal Illinois Class AA tournament before Carter’s jump shot arrived.

“Several schools recruited Erica hard,” Conover said. “We’re really excited to have Erica here. She can really shoot the ball, she’s a great competitor and has a scorer’s mentality.”

After Parker graduated, Carter needed two years to develop a more complete offensive game. When classmate Lauren Grochowski (playing at Coastal Carolina next year) succumbed to injury this winter, Carter performed incredibly, averaging more than 20 points per game in the tough DuPage Valley Conference. Although her team fell in the sectionals, she is regarded as one of the best players in Illinois, earning honorable mention All-State in a loaded girls’ basketball area.

Conover is confident Carter can play a significant role next season.

“She can definitely compete for minutes next year as a freshman,” Conover said. “We’re confident she can compete for that [shooting guard] spot.”

The next order of business for Conover was to land a point guard with leadership qualities. A second team All-Iowa selection, Muffy Sadler hails from Cedar Rapids and started on the Iowa Select Team, the most prestigious AAU team in the state. Her senior year scoring totals are not eye-popping (only 12 ppg), but Muffy grabbed nine rebounds per game at the point guard position and collected five steals and five assists.

Although Sadler brings an excellent resume to the table, cracking the starting lineup will be very difficult with two experienced point guards in Shea Kenny and Rebecka Lindgren returning.

“It’s a great position for Muffy to be in, to learn the college game with two senior point guards,” Conover said.

Sadler also ran track in high school, so if she sees any significant time, the Bearcats can bank on her athleticism to contain quick America East guards.

“She’s a combination guard with good size and is a really good athlete,” Conover said.

The third and perhaps final piece of the recruiting puzzle arrives from Baltimore — another girls’ basketball haven. Darryll Peterson basically did it all for a shorthanded Bryn Mawr squad. She averaged 19.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in Maryland’s IAAM-A conference, an incredibly powerful league that routinely produces major talent. Peterson also earned First-Team All-Metro and All-City honors from the Baltimore Sun.

Most of Peterson’s high school points were scored inside, but Conover hopes she can play small forward for his team.

“In high school, Peterson played at the four position, but we feel she can move out to the perimeter,” Conover said.

Peterson constantly saw double and triple-teams in Baltimore, and only teams with legitimate top-tier Division 1 talent opted to play her straight up. Despite great improvement this past year, Peterson will have a tough time cracking an extremely crowded frontcourt in her first season.

With recruiting done, the focus shifts to next season, when the Bearcats host the women’s conference tournament for the first time. BU posted a very impressive 11-2 record in Vestal, but the America East will once again be one of the toughest mid-major conferences in basketball next year.

Conover remains optimistic.

“We’ve been a tough team on our home court and if some of our returning players can assume leadership roles, we’ll be very tough next year,” he said.

Apr. 25, 2006 - 'Gonzo' era at Seton Hall

Apr. 7, 2006 - New world nears for Byorick

Jack Rentko was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief Saturday. He no longer is Aly Byorick’s public relations agent, the liaison between the basketball star and college coaches.

As of Saturday, coaches could finally call Byorick.

She’s only a junior at Greater Nanticoke Area, and NCAA rules prohibit coaches from contacting juniors – by means other than e-mail or letters – before April 1.

The coaches could come to the game, watch Byorick, and then chat with Rentko, blowing up his ego while handing him business cards and basketball schedules.

It was up to him to return missed calls and become a large part of the recruiting process.

“Mr. Rentko always says I have to pay for all his phone bills,” Byorick said jokingly.

Byorick is being recruited by Stanford, Penn State, Boston College, Xavier, Saint Joseph, Delaware, Bucknell, Syracuse, Towson University, Ohio University, George Washington, Binghamton and the University of Massachusetts.

“It’s neat though,” said Byorick, the Times Leader girls basketball Player of the Year. “I like seeing who’s interested.”

Her first e-mail came from the University of Maryland.

But there are a couple of state schools that have always caught her eye.

When she was 12, her father took her to her first college basketball game – Villanova against Penn State.

“It’s neat to be getting info from them,” she said.

She’s been offered a full ride from Delaware, Bucknell, Xavier and Binghamton.

Her father made her sign up for a weekly three-hour SAT prep course every Sunday. He wants her to keep her options open, he said. With Byorick’s ability, it’s easy to assume she’ll go to college on a full athletic scholarship. But, she’s not sure what the future holds.

“Right now, the dream hasn’t come true yet because I haven’t signed. But, I’m living my dream. This is what I wanted to do. It’s something I wanted to since the first time I ever touched a basketball.”

The early years, when she was playing with the Newport Biddy All-Stars, were just an indication of the player she would be.

She has 1,657 career points, leaving her 15 points shy of breaking Ruth Maley’s record set in 1983. She finished the season with 67 three-pointers, tying the school record for threes in a single season. She has 115 career three-pointers, 75 away from the record Ashley Makarczyk set this year. It seems like that’s a stretch, but she could wind up second. Right now, second is held by Jennifer Blasi, who finished with 150 in 2000.

On paper, she’s impressive. And she holds that up while she’s playing.

It earned her accolades, but also complaints from parents of opposing players. They yell that Byorick is in the game too long when, actually, she’s hardly playing.

“It does get stressful, but you just try to do your best,” Byorick said. “You always have your critics. You’ve just got to learn.

“When I sit back and think of it, I laugh because it’s the furthest thing from the truth. We only play, about, two quarters.”

It’s a small amount of playing time for the starting five. They work in practice just like anyone on any other basketball team. And they scrimmage each other just like other teams. It’s usually so they can beat the competition.

But, when Nanticoke runs roughshod in the first quarter, the junior varsity kids come on to finish the game.

“It’s always frustrating. All five of us used to hate to come out and let the (junior varsity squad) play. They see more time than us. … We’re playing against each other more than other teams.”

One of the rare games when the starters saw limited bench time was in a PIAA Class 3A Eastern quarterfinal game against Oxford. Nanticoke lost 39-35.

It was as devastating for Byorick as for any of the seniors on the squad.

“It still hurts,” Byorick said two weeks after the loss. “We were all watching the state championship game, and texting each other saying, ‘That should be us.’ ”

Byorick has one year left. One more chance to win the state title she’s never earned. And she’s already thinking about it.

The returning players are already preparing themselves to spend some quality time in the weight room, and they’ll play in summer leagues.

It’s to prevent a repeat of this year.

“I don’t want my senior year to end like my junior year did”

Mar. 31, 2006 - 'Rookie of the Year' Trimboli Makes Best of Tournament

In addition to the No. 6 seeded Catamounts' improbable run to the American East Conference championship game, Trimboli excelled on the court. He picked up numerous American East Player of the Week honors and was named the conference's Rookie of the Year.

"This was a really nice season," Trimboli said Saturday afternoon after his team fell to the University of Albany Great Danes 80-67. "We're a young team, and for us to come in and make it to the championship game as a young team is pretty impressive. Everybody's returning next year, so we're really looking forward to next year."

The Catamounts, who relied heavily last year on senior standouts Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine, were in a much different position this season and had to turn to Trimboli, a freshman. Trimboli didn't disappoint, however. He was eighth in the conference in scoring, netting 420 points overall and averaging 14 points per game. He led the conference in assists with 166, averaging 5.53 per game, and made 107 of his 127 free throws. Behind the line Trimboli was dangerous as well, converting 53 of 151 shots.

"I thought Mike had a great year," said first-year Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan. "His Rookie of the Year [Award] was well-deserved, but he still needs to get a lot better to get us to the next level next year. The last month of the season he really struggled, and I think he needs to work on shot selection. When you're not hot shooting the ball, you need to make sure that the guys that are are getting touches. He's terrific, and I think he'll be a four-year all-conference player."

This year, Trimboli also was awarded American East All-Second Team honors.

"It's all good," he said. "I am just happy that we got this far. A lot wasn't just me, but it was my teammates hitting shots and everything. They got me all my assists, and it was a really fun year. I need to work on my whole game for next year. I think if I do that, I will be more aggressive offensively and I'll open up a lot of teammates."

With the loss of Coppenrath and Sorrentine to graduation, Vermont, the winner of the past three American East tournaments, wasn't expected to make it to the final game this year. However, after beating No. 3 seeded Boston University and No. 2 seeded Binghamton, Vermont found itself back in familiar territory.

On Saturday in Albany, the No. 1 seeded Great Danes came out firing and built an 18-6 lead with 11 minutes, 53 seconds to play in the first half. Trimboli did his best, but was unable to find the basket.

After unsuccessfully draining his first six shot attempts, Trimboli scored his first points in a championship game with 6:04 remaining in the half. Trimboli cut through the lane for the running layup, which was good, and he was fouled on the play. After making the foul shot, the Catamounts cut the lead to 31-19.

Trimboli didn't connect on another shot until the 14:41 mark of the second, when he nailed a top-of-the-key three-pointer.

Although he finished the game going four for 14 from the field and one for six from behind the line, Trimboli was seven for eight at the charity strip and led the team with 16 points.

The Great Danes, Trimboli said, "came out hot right away and had their fans all over the place, but we had our fans here too, and they were pretty loud, considering it was in Albany. They came out strong and put us on our heels right away. It's easy to make shots when you're up by 20.

I had a couple of good looks [at the basket], and they were still pressuring me, but I think that if a couple of them dropped earlier in the game, then it could have been a much different ballgame."

Lonergan said he knew the game would be a tough one. "Albany played well, but I am disappointed in the way that we came out. The game was over in the first five minutes. We didn't look good early, and they were ready. You can't make a run when you don't make open shots. I've said all year that Albany's the best team in the conference. Today we didn't play well. We needed our 'A' game, and that definitely wasn't our 'A' game."

Lonergan, however, believes that the loss may ultimately have a positive effect on the Cat-amounts, particularly Trimboli.

"It was tough for us, but I am so happy that we played the game because to me it's a process and these games will do nothing but help us," said Lonergan. The 61-60 double-overtime loss to the Binghamton Bearcats on Jan. 25 "helped us win last weekend against them, and hopefully getting our rear ends beaten today will help us for next year," he said.

The Catamounts finished the season with a record of 7-9 in the conference and 13-17 overall.

Trimboli also is optimistic about next year. "I love my teammates," he said. "We have such a bond and especially going into next year. We've got everybody returning and two new kids coming in that will be important to our success. They'll fit right in, and we'll do well next year. We want to become the No. 1 seed and win the regular season. We want to be in the American East championship again, but this time we want to be the school that's hosting the finals."

What impresses Longeran about Trimboli is that despite being a freshman, he's been taking on a leadership role, both on and off the court.

"I have been hard on him all year, and he's responded well," said Longeran. "I told him that I hope that he's one of our captains next year, whether there are two or three, because we need one of the younger guys to step up in that leadership role. He has a great work ethic, is a good guy; he's a student of the game and has great potential. He's a freshman, and it was hard for him, but I think that this year will really help Mike because he got to go through a lot of good experiences with this team. We'll surround him with better players, which will make his job a little easier."

Mar. 17, 2006 - Women’s basketball ends in overtime at AmEast Quarterfinals

The UMBC women’s basketball team lost in overtime to Binghamton 72-66 in the second round of the America East Conference Tournament. The Retrievers ended their season 15-13.

Binghamton scored first in opening seconds of the game with a rewarded foul shot. UMBC battled back and forth with the throughout the half with nine ties and seven lead changes. The Retrievers ended up with the lead at halftime at 30-27.

The second half seemed much like the first. Binghamton’s Jen Blues scored a three-point shot in the first 15 seconds of the half. UMBC answered back with three-pointer from Sharri Rohde off a pass from Matea Pender. There were two lead changes and two ties before the Retrievers took the lead at 5:43 left in the half when Brittine Hughes scored a layup, bringing the score to 51-50. UMBC went on a small 7-2 run before Binghamton’s Rachel Laws would score a jump shot to start the Bearcats’ run at the basket. With 20 seconds left in the game, the Bearcats scored eight more points to tie the score at 60-60. The Retrievers tried twice to retake the lead in the final seconds but a missed jumper and three-pointer would send UMBC into overtime.

The overtime started out with Binghamton scoring a three-pointer from Shea Kenny to take the lead. Hughes fired back with a jumper and a three-pointer to give the Retrievers the lead 65-63. The Bearcats came back to score a jumper and back-to-back lay-ups to pull ahead 69-66 with 32 seconds left in the extra period. Binghamton would seal the win making three out of four foul shots awarded in the final seconds.

Rohde led UMBC in scoring with 14 points and three assists. Pender and Hughes followed behind with 13 points and two assists while Amanda Robinson added nine points.

Mar. 10, 2006 - Bearcats chase first tourney win

After a season filled with injuries, the Binghamton University women's basketball team is as healthy as it has been since January.

After a month of struggles and losses, the Bearcats have won three in a row and are playing their best basketball in a long time.

That's the good news for the Bearcats heading into this weekend's America East Conference Tournament at the University of Hartford.

Now, here's what the team's up against.

The fourth-seeded Bearcats open the tournament at 8:30 p.m. today with a quarterfinal game against fifth-seeded University of Maryland Baltimore County - a team they split with in the regular season and lost to by 26 last month.

Should BU win tonight, the Bearcats will face a likely semifinal matchup with No. 1 seed Hartford (23-3).

Then there's this: The Bearcats have never won a game in the America East Conference tournament.

"That's just something that needs to be done for the Binghamton basketball program," senior forward Rachel Laws said. "I think it's important we take the next step of really legitimizing ourselves. I think it's time for Binghamton to win one of these conference tournament games."

The Bearcats lost five of six games in February but closed the season with three consecutive victories - a home victory over UMBC and road victories at Albany and Vermont. The road victories were especially nice for BU, which lost five consecutive road games at one point this season.

Laws and Jen Haubrich, two of BU's three senior starters, have fully recovered from the sprained ankles that hampered them throughout the conference season. Laws, who missed five games, scored 21 points in BU's season-ending victory over Vermont.

"I think being healthy helps your confidence, and Rachel is a great case in point," "She came back for a few games, but wasn't 100 percent OK. She did OK, but you didn't see that bounce in her step, that aggressiveness. Now, she feels healthy and she's back to being the old Rachel. She's not thinking about her ankle, and that has elevated her play."

The late-season winning streak has given the Bearcats a much-needed shot of confidence heading into the postseason. The fact that the program hasn't won a tournament game in its previous four trips gives the team some extra motivation.

"That's not nice that everyone keeps talking that we have not won the first game," said sophomore forward Laine Kurpniece, who is the team's leading scorer (12.8 points per game) and rebounder (6.8 rebounds per game). "We need to prove that we can do it."

Advancing beyond the first round won't be easy. The Bearcats and UMBC (15-12) match up well with each other.

UMBC's 3-2 zone defense gave BU trouble both times the teams played this season on Feb. 1, the Bearcats shot a season-worst 29.2 percent in a 63-37 loss.

"They guard the outside shooters a lot," said senior guard Jen Blues. "It's a different look, but a couple other teams have played 3-2 against us."

On offense, the Retrievers run a Princeton-style offense that relies on back-door cuts and intricate sets.

"It's unorthodox for our league," Conover said. "Their offense is something that's hard to prepare for, even if you have three weeks to prepare for it."

But the Bearcats played well against UMBC at home two weeks ago, forcing 18 turnovers in the home victory.

Looming in the back of the players' minds is a potential semifinal matchup with a top-seeded Hartford team that went 15-1 in league play and is the prohibitive favorite to win the conference.

In January, the Bearcats lost to Hartford by one point at home - a game Laws missed.

But to get to the semifinals, the Bearcats have to win that first game tonight.

"We need to go and take care of business," Conover said. "I think it would be a mistake to look beyond what we have to do with UMBC."

Mar. 6, 2006 - Bearcats eliminate UMaine