Posts Tagged ‘Mark Macon’
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012
(Vestal, NY) – Binghamton University head coach Mark Macon has confirmed that the contracts of assistant coaches Rob Brown and Julius Smith have not been renewed for next season.
“I have just chosen to go in a different direction with the staff. I wish them both well,” Macon wrote in an e-mail to the Press and Sun Bulletin on Tuesday.
One-Bid Wonders originally learned of the shakeup 26 days ago, hinting at the move via Twitter, but waited to break the story until receiving official confirmation, which came today from the school’s athletic department.
While Macon has stated that the decision was his to make, the word from several sources close to the situation has remained that the decision to turnover the coaching staff came from significantly higher up in the athletic department and was not the head coach’s to make.
The Bearcats are fresh off a 2-29 season which included a 26 game losing streak; made national news; and was not only the worst record in program history, but also the worst season in the history of the America East Conference.
Several sources close to the situation have also indicated that originally, Macon’s entire staff including retained assistant Don Anderson were to be let go, but that Anderson was retained in an attempt to appease the current roster, among whom Anderson is highly popular (several former players have credited Anderson with running the team and holding the program together).
If the decision was not made by Macon, it is an interesting indication of where the head coach stands with new Athletic Director Patrick Elliott. Elliott, who was hired in October, has publicly thrown his support behind Macon — who, along with Anderson, are the last remnants from the Kevin Broadus era scandal. Macon’s contract was extended in February of 2011 through 2014, however, removing a coaches ability to stock his own staff is hardly a vote of confidence.
Word is that the Athletic Department has already reached out to — and received and application from — at least one former Bearcat.
Tags: Bearcats, Binghamton, fired, Firings, Mark Macon
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Saturday, March 10th, 2012
Photo Courtesy of America East Athletic Communications
(West Hartford, CT) — Third-year Binghamton head coach Mark Macon’s press conferences are already the stuff of legend: The outspoken coach has been known to offer thoughts, insights, jokes, commentary, and stream-of-conscious detours about any and all topics related to the game played, the sport of basketball, and life in general.
Needless to say, when Macon talks, you fasten your seat-belt and enjoy the ride.
Following the two-win Bearcats all-heart, near-herculean effort in a narrow loss to top-seeded Stony Brook in the quarterfinals of the America East Tournament, Macon was effusive in his praise of his team’s effort and guts. He also spent time praising the tremendous talents of freshman forward Ben Dickinson – a potential star in the making — who followed up a 21 point performance in Binghamton’s win over UMBC on the opening night of the America East tournament with 20 points in the near-upset.
But it was the smallest – and perhaps the least known — player on the Bearcats roster who drew the biggest praise, and most airtime, from Macon: walk-on Mike Horn. Macon spent more time talking about the scrappy and diminutive guard than any other topic in the entire press conference.
After praising the Bearcats’ collective group of walk-ons — Javon Ralling, Jabrille Williams, Jimmy Gray (who earned a partial scholarship this year) and Horn — for their impressive contributions during the season.
“They just give you everyting, said Macon. “They fight for this family, and I can’t be more proud of those guys They do yeoman’s work.
Macon singled out Horn specifically for his contributions.
“Let me tell you a story about Mike,” said Macon. “He is THE hardest worker on that floor every night and every practice – he gives you everything he’s got.”
That Mike Horn ever set foot on the floor at the division I level is perhaps equal parts fate and luck; cosmic karma and random chance; persistence and perseverance; and one kid’s immense love for the game of basketball. (more…)
Tags: Bearcats, Binghamton, Bryan Dougher, Jabrille Williams, Javon Ralling, Jimmy Gray, Mark Macon, Mike Horn, Preston Pena, Ryan Cook, Stony Brook, UMBC, Walk-On, Walking Wall
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Friday, March 2nd, 2012
On Thursday night, two teams boasting a combined record of five wins and 53 loses met in an empty, echo-filled arena in West Hartford. In the shadows on the outskirts of the State capital, the two lowest ranked teams in one of the lowest ranked conferences in the country faced off in front of the deserted chair backs and barren bleachers in the play-in game of the America East tournament.
The game featured air-balls and missed free-throws, blown dunks, blown leads and flagrant fouls.
The match-up between eight-seeded UMBC and ninth-seeded Binghamton was some of the ugliest basketball imaginable.
It was beautiful.
UMBC forward Jake Wasco battles Ben Dickinson and Jabrille Williams for a rebound (courtesy of America East Athletic Communications)
Thursday night’s game was all that remains good in the America East Conference – one of the last bastions of true amateurism in the increasingly dark and seedy world of college basketball. Two teams with seemingly nothing left to play for, refusing to let their seasons end. Powered by guts and heart, the Retrievers and Bearcats left everything they had on the floor, for just one more day toiling in basketball obscurity.
When the dust cleared, the Bearcats, who had crawled through a 1-28 record in the regular season, celebrated their 73 to 67 overtime win as if they had just won the league title.
Jake Wasco, a senior forward for UMBC who lost 94 games in his career, and tasted victory just 13 times during his final three-seasons, left the floor with tears in his eyes. He didn’t want it to end.
None of them did.
“It’s about winning one game and buying another,” remarked Binghamton head coach Mark Macon after the game. “To come in there where they could have put their heads down and walked away… it’s about the team and not myself.” (more…)
Tags: Ben Dickinson, Brian Neller, Chase Plummer, Jabrille Williams, Jarrel Lane, Javon Ralling, Joey Getz, Mark Macon, Mike Horn, Omar Richards, Randy Monroe, Rob Mansell, Ryan Cook
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Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
On Sunday afternoon, the Binghamton Bearcats were soundly beaten on their home floor by the previously one-win Hartford Hawks. The loss dropped the Bearcats to 0-17, leaving Binghamton as one of only two Division-I teams that remain winless (the other is Towson). Yet the loss itself, and the Bearcats continual entrenchment as the worst basketball team in America East history, was a distant second to the heinous aspect of Sunday’s game.
With Hartford leading 58-44 and 5:22 left on the game clock, Hartford point guard Andres Torres made a bounce pass to Genesis Maciel and headed to screen Binghamton freshman forward Ben Dickinson, who was standing at the left side of the free-throw line. As Torres, who stands shorter than his listed 5’10″, slowed, clearly bluffing a screen on the 6’8” Dickinson, Dickinson turned and cold-cocked an unsuspecting Torres in the face with a forearm/elbow punch that lifted Torres completely off the ground and left him sprawled on the hardwood.
Following an immediate ejection, a seemingly defiant Dickinson ripped off his jersey before leaving the floor. (more…)
Tags: America East, Ben Dickinson, Binghamton, cheap shot, defenseless, embarrasing, Flagrant 2, Flagrant Foul, Flagrant II, Intent to Injure, Intentional, Mark Macon, sucker punch
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Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
Kyrie Sutton, the lone senior on the Bearcats roster, and the last remaining recruit from the Kevin Broadus era, has been dismissed from the men’s basketball team.
“Kyrie has been dismissed from the Binghamton University men’s basketball team,” said head coach Mark Macon. “It was a coach’s decision. We were just heading in different directions, and we have to move forward with our team and where we’re going to be in this upcoming season.” (more…)
Tags: Binghamton, dismissed, Kyrie Sutton, Mark Macon
Posted in News and Notes, One-Bid Wonders | Comments Off
Sunday, March 6th, 2011
For 33 minutes, the No. 9 Binghamton Bearcats gave the class of the conference, the No. 1 Vermont Catamounts, everything it could handle and then some. Less than seven minutes remained, the Bearcats had the ball, a chance to pull within 1 or even tie, and a noticeably pro-Vermont crowd on edge.
And then, in a flash, the game (and the season) were over.
The Catamounts reeled off a decisive 8-0 run to extend their slim one-possession lead to an 11-point margin. From there, Vermont simply maintained their lead and ran off the final few minutes of the clock to secure a 57-46 victory and advance to the America East semifinals. The win was Vermont’s fourth consecutive in the America East Tournament. (more…)
Tags: Binghamton, Brendan Bald, Evan Fjeld, Greer Wright, Mahamoud Jabbi, Mark Macon, Marqus Blakely, Mike Lonergan, Vermont
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Friday, March 4th, 2011
“We just ran into a buzz saw,” remarked UMBC head coach Randy Monroe following the Retrievers 91-65 loss to Binghamton in the play-in game of the America East conference tournament.
“The first two inches of the banana have all the sugar. The rest is just good food,” remarked Binghamton head coach Mark Macon. “We got the sugar going early, and just played good the rest of the night.”
Binghamton’s offensive performance was beyond words like “buzz saw,” “bombardment” and “beat down – phrases like that don’t do justice the shooting display the Bearcats unleashed before a mostly empty arena Thursday night. The final score was lopsided. Reality? That was more lopsided. (more…)
Tags: America East Tournament, Binghamton, Greer Wright, Justin Fry, Laurence Jolicoeur, Mahamoud Jabbi, Mark Macon, Moussa Camara, Randy Monroe, Travis King, UMBC
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Thursday, January 27th, 2011
It was a glass half-full, glass half-empty kind of game for both Boston University and Binghamton Wednesday night at the Agganis Arena.
Darryl Partin scored 20 points and John Holland added 16, including six key free throws during the Terriers comeback, to lead Boston University to a 71-66 win. Mahamoud Jabbi was brilliant in defeat, scoring 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, four blocks, two assists and a steal.
The game had a “Twilight Zone” feel, tipping off at 9:30, as the second part of a men’s/women’s double-header, inside a nearly empty state-of-the art arena as a snowstorm raged outside. (more…)
Tags: Binghamton, Boston University, Darryl Partin, Dominic Morris, Don Anderson, Javon Ralling, Jimmy Gray, John Holland, Kyrie Sutton, Mahamoud Jabbi, Mark Macon, Mike Gordon, Moussa Camara, Pat Chambers
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Saturday, January 8th, 2011
One-Bid Wonders writer Sam Perkins takes 5 minutes off from the back roads of the America East to check with some early thoughts on each team from around the conference.
The America East has already been one hell of a roller coaster ride,
Sam Perkins: Always watching over the "AE"
and we’re only a few games into the conference slate. We’ve already seen one lowly-regarded team in Hartford knock off a “contender” on its home court in Maine; another devastating injury to an explosive talent in New Hampshire forward Ferg Myrick; and an early-season battle between two of the top-teams in the conference in Vermont and Albany – a battle from which Vermont emerged as the clear “team to beat.” Here are my thoughts on each AE squad. (more…)
Tags: Alasdair Fraser, Albany, Alvin Abreu, Binghamton, Boston University, Brendan Bald, Brian Voelkel, Chandler Rhoads, Chretien Lukusa, Chris De La Rosa, Chris Martin, D.J. Irving, Dane DiLiegro, Evan Fjeld, Ferg Myrick, Gerald McLemore, Greer Wright, Hartford, Jay Greene, Jeff Pelage, Joe Zeglinski, Joey Accaoui, John Gallagher, John Holland, Kevin Fitzgerald, Logan Aronhalt, Luke Devlin, Maine, Mark Macon, Mike Allison, Mike Black, Morgan Sabia, Muhammad El-Amin, Murphy Burnatowski, New Hampshire, Preye Preboye, Randy Monroe, Scott Morris, Sean McNally, Stony Brook, Terrance Mitchell, Tim Ambrose, Tommy Brenton, Troy Barnies, UMBC, Vermont, Will Brown, Will Harris
Posted in Feature | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Thanksgiving week has come and gone. For some AE teams, the past week was quite generous indeed. Other teams were caught asleep at the dinner table, and the results were uninspiring. Don’t blame the tryptophan.
Let’s get to it.
Albany Great Danes (3-5)
Last week: Lost vs. Iona, 86-65, on Tuesday; Lost at Detroit, 84-82 (2OT), on Friday (Legends Classic); Won vs. Niagara, 75-65, on Saturday (Legends Classic, Detroit); Won vs. Bowling Green, 56-55, on Sunday (Legends Classic, Detroit)
This week: Saturday at Siena
There’s something to be said for a deep bench. Nine Great Danes are averaging at least 12 minutes per contest, and that functional depth paid dividends at the Legends Classic. Albany played three games in as many days. The first was a heartbreaking double-OT loss to host Detroit, but the Danes recovered immediately with a victory over Niagara and then managed to survive a nail-biter against Bowling Green. Logan Aronhalt has fueled the Scoobies’ O – he scored 91 points in total last week and has at least 18 in each of his last five games after starting the season with three relatively inefficient performances. (more…)
Tags: Al Rapier, Albany, Anthony Mayo, Binghamton, BU, Dane DiLiegro, Dominic Morris, Evan Fjeld, Gerald McLemore, Greer Wright, Hartford, Jake O'Brien, John Holland, Logan Aronhalt, Maine, Mark Macon, Morgan Sabia, New Hampshire, Niagara, Stony Brook, UMBC, Vermont
Posted in Week in review | 5 Comments »
