As I said a few days ago, we would have to wait to see whether the arrest of Emanuel Mayben would be just the first Binghamton player to lose his spot on the team. Looks like we didn't have to wait long, as Binghamton completely cleaned house on Friday. Five players were released, including most of the starting lineup. D.J. Rivera, the best player from last year's team, was one of those released. In other words, you can now officially forget about Binghamton having any chance at repeating as conference champion.
This whole situation leaves two questions. The first is, where does Binghamton go from here? Will Kevin Broadus continue to go after trouble-makers, or will he try to rebuild his team with kids with greater character? And will he even be able to win when he's not just taking the players that other teams don't want around. The second question is, was this experiment worth it? Deadspin has a decent rundown on some of the legal troubles that Binghamton has been in since they've become "UNLV East", as Deadspin puts it.
I think that the answer to the second question will depend on the answer to the first question. If Broadus can parlay that Tournament appearance into program legitimacy and popularity, and is able to continue to recruit well and contend for America East titles every year, then I think most Binghamton fans will view this experience as worth it. But if Binghamton returns to the cellar of the America East, with only one tarnished title to their name... well, even hardcore basketball fans at the school might have second thoughts about the Kevin Broadus era.
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