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Binghamton continues to struggle, loses three players

Missouri, Kim English, Binghamton, Mark Macon

Binghamton head coach, Mark Macon, shares words with Missouri guard Kim English after an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won 88-59. (AP Photo/Grant Hindsley)

AP

Seems like today is our day to talk about attrition at 2009 16-seeds. We talked about Radford earlier today, and now we get similar news from Binghamton, the 2009 America East tourney champs.

The Binghamton scandal is pretty well known. It even has its own Wiki page. So, suffice to say, there’s a very good reason the program is struggling right now. Nonetheless, the hiring of former Temple star Mark Macon as the program’s first post-scandal head man gave many hope for a turnaround.

Macon took a huge step forward when he recruited the trio of Chris Longoria, Omar Richards and Ben Dickinson, who were expected to be cornerstones of the rebuilding process. Now, Aaron Gottleib of the Binghamton student newspaper Pipe Dream breaks the news that Macon and the Bearcats are more than likely starting from scratch again, as all three have signaled their intent to transfer. The three players combined scored nearly 50% of the team’s points in a gut-churning 2-29 season that began with an 0-26 streak.

Macon currently has just one commitment for his Class of 2012, from DeMatha shooting guard Marcellous Bell. With three spots opening up at once, he’ll at least be able to hit the recruiting trail promising plenty of playing time. If he finds a player who values PT more than wins, he might just be in business.

Assuming, of course, that Macon still has a job. The Pipe Dream article included quotes from an ominous email message from Binghamton’s AD:

“If and when a student-athlete formally transfers to another institution we would make an announcement at the appropriate time.”

“In that case I could then address your second question [about Macon’s status].”

Eric Angevine is the editor of Storming the Floor. He likes to crack wise and talk college hoops @stfhoops on Twitter.