Tommy Dempsey out at Binghamton; Levell Sanders to coach team in 2021-22

Binghamton made a change of leadership with its men’s basketball program on Monday, announcing that the contract of Tommy Dempsey, who has been the Bearcats’ head coach since 2012, will not be renewed.

“I want to thank Tommy for his many contributions towards Binghamton University athletics and our basketball program,” AD Patrick Elliott said in a release. “Tommy guided our program and our student-athletes through challenging times, and always demonstrated a commitment towards integrity, academic success and citizenship.”

The Bearcats were eliminated from the America East Tournament over the weekend, ending their 2020-21 season at 4-14 overall. It was the program’s ninth losing record in nine seasons under Dempsey and the fifth in which win totals were in the single digits, giving the coach a 71-194 total record.

Dempsey posted a statement to her personal Twitter account on Monday morning, thanking the community for their support over the years. “I wish the players and coaches all the best moving forward,” Dempsey wrote. “Keep grinding. It’s not supposed to be easy. Thanks again to all of the people who have positively impacted our family during our time here. There are too many to mention. We have enjoyed being here.”

In the same announcement, the school named assistant Levell Sanders as interim head coach for the 2021-22 season and noted that it would not begin looking for a full-time replacement until next spring.

“Levell possesses wide-ranging and successful experience as a player and coach, on both the intercollegiate and professional levels,” Elliott said. “We are appreciative of Levell’s willingness to lead the program at this time, and are confident he will continue to develop BU basketball and our student-athletes to on-court success.”

This is the first collegiate head coaching opportunity for Sanders, a Seton Hall grad who played and coached in the Czech Republic before arriving at Binghamton in 2019. The Binghamton job is a tough one, as the program has been to just one NCAA Tournament and has only two winning seasons since moving up to the Division I ranks in 2001.

credit to Binghamton Athletics for the image