College Crosse 2017 Scouting Report: Binghamton Bearcats

Our next 2017 Scouting Report is on 2016's 52nd ranked RPI team, the Binghamton Bearcats!

(Check out all our 2017 Scouting Reports and my 'The Good, The Bad, & the Future' posts here .)

Binghamton Bearcats

Profile: It’s tough to go worse than 4-9. Unless you’re Binghamton, because in 2016, they went 4-10 and caused the school to part ways with former BOSS Scott Nelson. They were one of the earliest coaching vacancies and the last one to fill their vacancy when they hired Kevin McKeown in mid-July. McKeown comes over after stops at Bellarmine and Siena, as well as a previous stop at his alma mater, where he served as the defensive coordinator and goalie coach for four years, including a stint as interim head coach.

2016 Record: 4-10 overall and 2-4 in America East play. The season started and ended with four game losing streaks. They did play Marist and Delaware to close affairs early in the season, and also hung in with Albany and Stony Brook later during conference play. But the talent that Binghamton had was not enough for them to get into the America East Tournament.

Roster: The Bearcats lose eight seniors to graduation, including All-Conference second team selections Zach Scaduto and George Deignan. Scaduto led the team in goals (25) and points (37) in 2016 at midfield, while Deignan had 27 ground balls and six caused turnovers at the LSM position. The Bearcats also lose Johnny Maher, who led the team with 14 assists and was second on the team with 30 points.

Returning to Binghamton include midfielders Joe Licata, who was named to the All-Conferece rookie team, Ben Kocis, and Matthew Kaser, along with attackman Thomas McAndrew. On defense, Garrett Waldron becomes a rising senior after leading the team with 10 caused turnovers last year. Dan Mazurek led the team with 42 ground balls and took the majority of the faceoffs last season, while rising junior Austin Macchi will give him some competition for the starting spot at the X. And in goal, Tanner Cosens will be back for his final season after starting 11 games last season with a .440 save percentage and a 12.52 goals against average. He could receive competition from fellow teammates Sam Sanko and Eric Fischer.

Conference: Albany and Stony Brook are the big boys in the conference, but it didn’t seem like that in the conference tournament. Hartford and Vermont pulled off huge upsets, and Hartford eventually earned an NCAA Tournament birth. The Bearcats lost to both of those teams by exact 17-9 scores. Along at the bottom of the AE include UMass Lowell and UMBC, whom Binghamton defeated this season. UMBC also hired a new BOSS in former Loyola offensive coordinator Ryan Moran, so they could be on the rise shortly. UMass Lowell is developing after finishing their second season in Division I.

What They’re Doing This Summer: Outside of getting a new head coach, they did have three Bearcat alums participate in the Euro Lacrosse Championships!

2017 Outlook: I see Binghamton staying at the bottom for the time being, but with so many coaching changes throughout the AE, who knows. I don’t think Stony Brook or Albany drop, and Hartford could stay at the 3rd or 4th spot. I don’t think Binghamton can make it to the AE Tournament with the talent that they currently have. It’ll take some time.

Non-Sequitor: Besides Ingrid Michaelson (who?), Tony Kornheiser, known for being on Pardon the Interruption, graduated from Binghamton back in 1970!