Travel Call Episode 2: Bing Bong

 

Albany Great Danes vs. Binghamton Bearcats

Site: Binghamton Events Center

Location: Vestal, NY

Date: February 11, 2023

The Historic Binghamton Railroad Terminal. (Flickr)

Rolling Green Hill Zone: The City of Binghamton has seen a number of costume changes over the years. In the early days it was considered a transportation Mecca, sitting at the convergence of the Lackawanna, Delaware, and Western railroads, with the Chenango Canal connecting the southern tier with the Erie Canal to the north. 

As a result of all this traffic, the city became a major manufacturing hub, especially for cigars. In its heyday, Binghamton was considered the second-largest manufacturer of cigars in the country. Later, the city would be known as a hub for high-tech and defense firms. IBM was one such notable company founded here, and the flight simulator can also claim Binghamton as its birthplace.

Hard times struck following the conclusion of the Cold War, as the tech and arms wars ebbed. In recent years, Binghamton has re-emerged as a city grounded in healthcare and education, thanks to Binghamton University. The city has earned the moniker of "Valley of Opportunity;" an idol to capitalism, entrepreneurial spirit, and reinvention.

Today, Binghamton is a "city" that almost feels like a quintessential upstate New York town. Nestled in the region's renowned emerald valleys, the city has found a way to unite industry with nature. There's a little bit of something for everybody. Historic estates such as the Phelps Mansion Museum inform us of the city's history and growth, while outdoor escapes like the Chenango Valley Park draw us in to the southern tier's natural beauty.

Me? I went to an arcade. In the outskirts of Binghamton is Robot City Games and Arcade, which operates as both a new and classic video game seller and a classic video arcade. With over 100 machines, including pinball machines dating back to 1974 and favorites such as Defender and Robotron 2084, Robot City Games is a great way to step back in time and have a little fun while doing so. 

The Stevens Square Building. (Flickr)

The Power In-Vestaled in Them: Binghamton has also earned its reputation as a hub for sports fans, in large part to the university bearing the city's name. Originally called the Colonials, Binghamton University competed in Division III athletics until 1998, when it moved up to Division II. One year later, the University would vote to move up again, this time to Division I. They would also adopt the Bearcat as their new mascot. 

Binghamton officially moved into Division I in 2001, joining the America East conference. Since then, the Bearcats have seen a mixed bag of success across many athletic disciplines. The baseball team has made five NCAA tournament appearances, including last year, and won six regular season titles. The rugby team is the class of the America East, having won several conference championships over the years.

Then, we have the men's basketball team. Their sole NCAA tournament appearance in 2009 is unfortunately marred by scandal. After defeating the UMBC Terriers in the tournament championship that year 61-51, the Bearcats would earn a 15 seed and challenge number 2-seeded Duke. They hung tough with the Blue Devils and their legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, but would ultimately go down 86-62. 

Despite an early-round loss, there was optimism that Binghamton basketball was only getting started. That was, until October 2009, when it was discovered that the university had compromised admissions and academic standards in order to strengthen its men's basketball team. The scandal would force head coach Kevin Broadus to step down, and put the Bearcats in a slump they have never truly recovered from. Binghamton has failed to accrue a winning record in overall and conference play since 2009, in one of college basketball's most depressing droughts.

Their 2022-2023 campaign, however, has shown some promise. Though they are 11-13 overall, the Bearcats have amassed a 7-4 conference record, and as of this writing are sitting in the second position in the America East standings. 

Dr. Bai Lee Court at Binghamton Events Center.

Falko Punch: What makes this Binghamton team so special is its veteran presence. There are only two underclassmen on the team (sophomore Matt Solomon and freshman Masud Stewart), with the rest of the team being anchored by juniors, seniors, and fifth-year grad students who have played at the highest level for years. It is this synergy that has led the Bearcats to their best season in over a decade, and close wins over power teams in the conference like Bryant, UMass Lowell, and NJIT. 

On Saturday, February 11, the Bearcats challenged the Great Danes from Albany.  Once upon a time, the phrase "why not us?" was closely associated with the Albany program. The Great Danes nearly became the first 16 seed to knock off a 1 seed, when they nearly defeated the UConn Huskies in the first round of the 2006 tournament. Despite a fair amount of tournament appearances in the 2010's, the Great Danes have fallen off in recent years.

2022-23 has been an especially rough go for the Great Danes from the state capital. As of this writing, they sit at a miserable 6-21 overall record, and 1-11 in the conference, last place. A team hungry for a win is a dangerous one, however, and the Bearcats would witness that almost right off the bat against their in-state rival. 

The Bearcats would be kept off the scoreboard for the first 3:30 of action. By the first media break with 15:16 on the clock, Albany had soared to an early 10-2 lead, largely on the back of Rochester-native Gerald Drumgoole Jr. Aggressive in the paint as he is on defense, Drumgoole Jr. was the first to score for the Great Danes, kicking off a 6 point scoring run while buoying a tough defense that kept the white-hot Bearcats far away from the basket.

Binghamton quickly adjusted, however, and with 6:20 showing on the clock, Bing's Armon Harried would steal-and-score to tie the game at 20. Albany and Bing would trade scores from there, but the home team wouldn't get their first lead until a little over one minute left, when Dan Petcash calmly drained a three to put the Bearcats up 32-31. Despite a slow start, the Bearcats would survive the first half up 35-33.

The back-and-forth continued deep into the second half, with Binghamton and Albany both finding pockets of scoring and trading the lead. With 1:30 left, however, it looked like Albany had dealt the decisive blow when Drumgoole Jr. hit a crucial three to put the Great Danes up 63-59. The pressure was on for the Bearcats, but we all know what pressure makes.

That diamond turned out to be Jacob Falko. A clumsy foul from the Great Danes put Falko to the line, where he drained both free throws to bring the Bearcats within two. With the seconds counting down, and the Great Danes attempting to drain the clock, he made a bold steal and made a break for the basket, where he was fouled a second time. Once again, Falko drained both. 

63-63, with 16 seconds to go. Albany would fail to make a basket, and the game went into overtime. Perhaps inspired by their clutch comeback, the Bearcats would dominate the overtime period. They limited the Great Danes to only three points, while scoring on every possession to down the Great Danes 80-66. 

Binghamton shot up into second place in the standings with the win, while Albany's difficult season continued. 

Travel Call Episode 1: What Does the Fox Say?

Canisius Golden Griffins vs. Marist Red Foxes

Site: McCann Gymnasium

Location: Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY

The Historic Hudson Valley: You don't need me to tell you how beautiful the Hudson River Valley is. There is an entire art movement dedicated to this slice of New York geography; let that sink in.

    Marist is one of two (technically three) division one basketball schools located in the Hudson Valley, and the only one that can really claim to be on the Hudson River. From the parking lot of the McCann Gymnasium, you can look out over the Hudson Valley. Honestly, it's so breathtaking you'll almost feel guilty for having to go inside.

    Both the Mid-Hudson Bridge and the Walkway Over the Hudson stretch over the horizon, and across the river the twinkling lights and stately homes and churches of the town of Highland are visible. After the game, a merchant vessel came chugging through, carrying an untold amount of goods to New York City. For a moment, I felt like I stepped back to a simpler time (until I pulled out my smartphone and took a picture of it, realizing how many emails I hadn't opened).

    A number of historical landmarks are less than half an hour away from campus, including the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Vanderbilt Mansion, and Historic Huguenot Street. 

    

I only had time for a short visit to FDR's crib, which offers perhaps the best view of the Hudson Valley. In addition, there is a museum detailing FDR's life and presidential achievements. It puts into perspective just how much one man can handle. FDR took the reins of a nation reeling from the Great Depression, and carried the nation on his back through the entirety of the most devastating war in world history. He did all that, while battling the debilitating effects of polio. Regardless of your opinions on his policies, I think most Americans can agree that FDR is an indelible part of our nation's history and legacy.

Marist-ed Development: McCann Arena is just one part of the James J. McCann Center, a 140,000 square foot facility home to many of the Red Foxes' indoor sports, athletic department offices, and fitness centers. The Arena itself is a throwback to when it was built, as the wooden paneling along the wall would indicate.

    The title banners along the wall tell the story of the Marist basketball program, and it is pretty clear that the women have seen far more success than the men. The women have won 13 MAAC Regular Season Championships and 11 MAAC Conference Tournaments. Ten of those tournament championships came between the years of 2004 and 2015, demonstrating their stranglehold over the MAAC. In their eleven NCAA Tournament appearances, they notched five wins and one Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2007. 

    The men have picked up four regular season titles, two with the MAAC (2002, 2007) and two when they were in the Northeast Conference (1986, 1987). Their two NCAA tournament appearances (1986, 1987) came when they were still in the Northeast; they have never won a MAAC tournament championship. They saw the most postseason success in the 2007 NIT, when they defeated Oklahoma State by a slim 67-64 margin before losing to NC State in the second round by the same amount, 69-66. 

    So far, their 2022-23 campaign doesn't suggest they'll break out of this 15-year slump. The Red Foxes are 8-14 overall, and 4-9 in the conference. Coming into this game, they were struggling through a five game losing streak. 

Better Home and Gardner: The good news: Canisius has also been struggling. At 5-18 overall and 3-10 in the conference, the Golden Griffins' hopes have gone the same way as Buckbeak almost did in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: to the chopping block. Coming in, the Golden Griffins were in the midst of a four game losing streak. The only bright spot for the Golden Griffins was their last win before the losing streak: a shocking 66-62 mid-January win over conference-favorite Siena. In their previous bout, the Red Foxes had marched into Buffalo and clipped the Griffins by a score of 76-58. 

Even if you aren't familiar with the Red Foxes or the MAAC at all, it doesn't take long to figure out who the star is for Marist. At 6'11, with flowing, Fabio-esque brown hair, redshirt senior Patrick Gardner captures the attention of the room. And defenses.

It was pretty apparent from the word go that Canisius was focusing on Gardner. Whenever he got the ball, the Golden Griffins would swarm him like flies to an elephant. This never really seemed to bother him, however, and even as the Griffins hampered him in the paint during the first half, he kept his cool and found the hoop more than anyone else on the court. By the time the final buzzer sounded, he would rack up an impressive 29 points, and probably would've scored more had the Griffins not focused so much on him. He scored the final five points in the first half for Marist, who entered halftime with a respectable, but not insurmountable, 33-26 lead.

What was also noticeable was the difference in coaching styles. Third-year Marist head coach John Dunne could be heard all the way across the gym, as could his assistant coach Dalip Bhatia when the Red Foxes were on defense. By contrast, Reggie Witherspoon quietly observed his team from the Canisius bench. During timeouts, he let his players talk it out before he would break the circle with his own observations and game plan. 

By the waning minutes of the second half, it was clear that the focus on Gardner was beginning to get to him, even as he sank nearly every free throw from the fouls committed on him. Canisius' Jacco Fritz, in particular, was proving to be the most annoying. The former MAAC All-Rookie, now in his senior year with the Golden Griffins, had been standing across from Gardner for four years, and wasn't about to back down. Even when he didn't have the ball, Fritz clung to Gardner, and their hand-fighting was becoming noticeable. 

In the meantime, Canisius' Jamir Moultrie stepped up big time for the Golden Griffins, with 14 points and a pair of three pointers, leading a spirited comeback effort. In total, the Golden Griffins would outscore the Red Foxes 26-13 in the final 11 minutes of play. 

With 3:37 left in the game, and with Canisius beginning to rally, Gardner's frustration seemed to boil over. He elbowed Fritz a bit too hard in his push to the hoop, which was all the official needed to turn the ball over. Moultrie would capitalize on the offensive foul with a three point swish. With 3:00 on the clock, the score was now only 64-59 in Marist's favor. 

It seemed like Marist had driven the nail in the coffin when freshman Isaiah Brickner hit a clutch three-pointer. Moultrie would quickly and calmly respond with a three of his own to keep the score within five, now with 1:36 remaining. A foul was committed on Marist's Kam Ferris, giving him a chance to bury the Golden Griffins at the free throw line. Instead, he missed both shots.

Jordan Henderson, the Golden Griffins' leading scorer that afternoon with 17 points to his name, would then drain an impressive three with two Red Foxes applying pressure. This would bring Canisius within two points of Marist's lead, 67-65, with 1:06 left. This would be the closest Canisius would get.

Any good team knows to put the ball in the hands of their playmakers After the timeout, and without a moment's hesitation, Gardner boldly charged down the court and up to the hoop with a quick layup, as if taking a walk in the park. Canisius would come up short in their next possession, and in the final minute both Gardner and Brickner would be fouled, sinking both of their respective free throws to effectively put the game on ice.

With their 75-67 win, Marist swept Canisius and ended their painful losing streak. As the sun set over the Hudson Valley below, I left Marist College happy to have seen a great game between two teams that deserve to be much higher up in the standings.