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VESTAL, N.Y. – It was a busy and productive five weeks for the Binghamton women’s basketball team this summer.
First year head coach Mary Grimes got to watch the Bearcats gel both on and off the court during the second Summer Session. After three highly successful seasons at Le Moyne College, she accepted the Binghamton position back in April.
This year’s Binghamton squad consists of 10 returning players, a pair of transfers and three freshmen. There are also four other new faces on the Binghamton coaching staff from a year ago.
Both of the transfers – Kaia Goode and Leah Middleton – played for Grimes at Le Moyne. Goode enters this season as a junior while Middleton is set to begin her sophomore campaign. The three incoming freshmen are Marisa Smith, Abby Misier and Samantha Baker.
The lone senior on this year’s team is Genevieve Coleman but the Bearcats have five junior returners in addition to a quartet of sophomores. The junior class is represented by Jadyn Weltz, Meghan Casey, Camryn Fauria, Kaelonn Wilson and Ava Thomas. The returning sophomore class, meanwhile, consists of Kendall Bennett, Yanniah Boyd, Kaylee Krysztof and Bella Pucci.
The five weeks together this summer brought positive results for the Bearcats – both on and off the court.
“We had a very good summer,” Grimes said. “Growing as a team and staff was an integral part of our summer session. The players worked very hard and attacked each day with a growth mindset. I am very excited for the preseason and continue our growth as a team.”
“Ever since we got back, we’ve really gotten to know each other and have worked on improving every day,” Boyd said. “It’s going to be a good season and a fun season.”
“I’ve seen tremendous growth as a team,” Fauria said. “We’ve gotten to know each other very well these last five weeks to the point that we are staying after practice to do extra things with some of the players we didn’t know that well at first.”
Back in April, the Binghamton women’s basketball team attended Grimes’ introductory press conference. After five weeks this summer, they have developed an appreciation for who she is as a coach.
“She has that winning mentality,” Krysztof said. “She wants to win and she has communicated that to us. She is really energetic and very positive.”
“She is a great coach with a win-first mentality,” Pucci said. “She has won everywhere she has been and I’m really looking forward to playing for her.”
Grimes is joined by new assistant coaches Ali Bouman and Zakiya Saunders. Back during the 2022-23 season, Saunders was the Bearcats’ Director of Operations before heading to St. Francis (Pa.) as an assistant coach this past year. Maggie Moore, meanwhile, returns for her fifth year on the Binghamton staff.
In addition, Lytoya Baker is the Bearcats’ new Coordinator of Player Development/Video Coordinator while Emma MacDonough begins her first year as Binghamton’s Director of Operations.
Source link : https://binghamtonbearcats.com/news/2024/8/16/womens-basketball-womens-basketball-concludes-successful-summer-session.aspx
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Publish date : 2024-08-17 04:33:04
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