Matt Burke joined the Bearcats in June 2021 as director of basketball operations and begins his third season with the program in 2023-24.
He has been instrumental in building a Bearcats program that has reached the America East semifinals in back-to-back seasons. The 2022-23 squad enjoyed their highest conference win percentage in 13 years and its final America East place (T-4th) was the highest in 14 years. Senior guard Jacob Falko was named Second Team All-Conference, junior forward Armon Harried was selected to the All-Defensive team and senior guard Dan Petcash earned a spot on the All-Academic Team.
He hails from nearby Norwich and returns to the Southern Tier after serving as a graduate assistant at Hofstra from 2019-21. While at Hofstra, Burke was part of the 2020 CAA regular season and tournament championship team that won 26 games.
Before that, he was assistant director of basketball operations at Niagara in 2018-19.
Burke holds a bachelor's degree in sports management and operations from Niagara (2018) and his master's degree in higher education and leadership policy studies from Hofstra (2021).
Veteran coach Marlon Guild joined the Bearcats staff in June 2021 and begins his third season in 2023-24.
Guild has been instrumental in building a Bearcats program that has reached the America East semifinals in back-to-back seasons. The 2022-23 squad enjoyed their highest conference win percentage in 13 years and its final America East place (T-4th) was the highest in 14 years. Senior guard Jacob Falko was named Second Team All-Conference, junior forward Armon Harried was selected to the All-Defensive team and senior guard Dan Petcash earned a spot on the All-Academic Team.
The Brooklyn native has 15 years experience as a Division I assistant, having finished successful previous stints at Saint Peter's (7 years) and Rider (6). While at Saint Peter's Guild helped steer the Peacocks to the NCAA tournament in 2011. Guild has spent the last six years at Rider, where the Broncs averaged nearly 19 wins a season in a four-year stretch from 2016-20, featuring a MAAC regular season title and NIT berth in 2018.
"Marlon brings great basketball knowledge and coaching experience that has allowed him to excel in Division I Athletics for more than a decade," head coach Levell Sanders said of the hire. "He has the enthusiasm, love and patience required to develop student-athletes."
During his time at Rider, Guild helped steer the Broncs to three straight top-three finishes. The 2017-18 squad went 22-10, including a dominant 15-3 mark in the MAAC. After capturing the conference regular season crown, Rider advanced to the NIT tournament. His recruiting and development translated into seven all-conference selections in the MAAC.
At Saint Peter's, Guild focused on the development of the Peacock guards and under his tutelage, two of them (Wesley Jenkins and Nick Leon) surpassed the 1,000-point plateau and led the program to the 2011 MAAC tournament title.
He began his college coaching experience at Eastern Connecticut State in 2007. He also coached five years with the Connecticut Basketball Club AAU, now known as NE6 on the Under Armour Association circuit. During his time with the 17U club, 23 players moved on to Division I basketball.
Guild also served as a recruiting analyst with Rivals.com for two years and a college basketball consultant with ESPN for four years.
Guild earned his bachelor's degree in communication from University of Hartford in 2005. He received his master's degree in athletic leadership from Rider in 2018.
Johnson Mic'd up at Practice
A key to the program's sharp rise in recent years, Brian Johnson begins his fifth season with the program in 2023-24, third as associate head coach.
Last season, Johnson and the the Bearcats enjoyed their highest conference win percentage in 13 years and its final America East place (T-4th) was the highest in 14 years. The team has posted a tournament road upset in each of the last two seasons.
In the past two seasons as the team's defensive coordinator, Johnson has implemented and shaped a defense that has led the America East in 3-point field goal percentage, holding opponents to 30 percent in 2022-23. His 2022-23 unit also ranked first in field goal percentage defense (43%) in conference play. In back-to-back seasons, BU has put a player on the America East All-Defensive Team (Christian Hinckson in 2022 and Armon Harried in 2023).
Johnson also assisted in the recruitment and development of two-time all-conference guard Jacob Falko.
Named to the Silver Waves Media "75 Rising Stars: Impactful Men's Mid-Major Assistants" list in 2023, Johnson earned an invite to participate in the prestigious Collegiate Coaching Consortium, hosted by NABC and AthleticDirectorU at the 2023 Final Four in Houston. The event featured 25 coaches who were identified as likely to become Division I head coaches within the next 2-3 years.
A native of Annapolis, Johnson came to Binghamton in 2019 after serving as head coach at NCAA Division III Southern Vermont College in 2018-19. He led the Mountaineers to a 16-win season that was fueled by a pair of all-conference recruits. The two prior years, Johnson was head coach at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Md. There, he led the Owls to the 2017 Maryland Junior Conference Tournament crown. His teams were Regional XX Championship finalists in back-to-back years and he was named the Finnestmag.com Maryland Junior College Coach of the Year in 2017 after leading PGCC to a 21-9 mark.
Johnson was an assistant at fellow America East school UMBC between 2013-16, where he recruited and developed two elite UMBC guards in Rodney Elliott (2014 AE Rookie of Year) and Jarius Lyles (NBA G League).
Johnson scored 1,017 career points at University of Delaware before graduating with a degree in sociology in 2010. With the Hens, he earned CAA All-Rookie honors and graduated among the program's all-time top-10 in minutes played (2nd with 3,987), assists (3rd with 510) and 3-pointers (8th with 135).
Brian and his wife, Alison, have a 2-year-old daughter, Emery and newborn daughter, Giuliana.
Patrick Norris begins his sixth year at Binghamton in 2023-24, third as an assistant coach.
Since joining the Bearcats in 2018, Norris has quickly earned two promotions and has been instrumental in building a Bearcats program that has reached the America East semifinals in back-to-back seasons. The 2022-23 squad enjoyed their highest conference win percentage in 13 years and its final America East place (T-4th) was the highest in 14 years. Senior guard Jacob Falko was named Second Team All-Conference, junior forward Armon Harried was selected to the All-Defensive team and senior guard Dan Petcash earned a spot on the All-Academic Team.
Norris had served as the Director of Player Development for two seasons after beginning his tenure as the team's program assistant.
"I have witnessed Patrick do a wonderful job organizing everything for the program the last two years," head coach Levell Sanders said when announcing Patrick's promotion in 2021. "I also got the opportunity to know Patrick and realized he is a bright person with a lot of basketball knowledge who will help push our program in the right direction. Patrick being from Binghamton is just icing on the cake."
A native of Binghamton, N.Y., Norris completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame in 2017. He earned his master's degree in public administration from Binghamton in 2018.
While at Notre Dame, Norris was a student manager for the men’s basketball program from 2013-16. During those three seasons, the Irish posted a record of 61-35, won an ACC Championship, and made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. Norris was involved in every aspect of Mike Brey’s program, and worked closely with several players who would go on to have success in professional basketball, including: NBA Champion Pat Connaughton, 1st Team All-American Jerian Grant, Demetrius Jackson, Bonzie Colson, and Zach Auguste, among several others.
Norris’ family has strong ties to Binghamton Men’s Basketball. His Uncle Jim served as the Head Coach from 1996-2000 while the program transitioned to Division I. He then worked for several years as a senior member of the athletic department, before ultimately becoming the Director of Athletics in 2009. He happily retired in 2011, and is a Binghamton Athletics Hall of Fame member. Patrick credits his passion for basketball to his uncle.
Sanders Feature on WBNG-TV
Sanders Testimonials
Sanders leading mbb charge
Get to Know Levell Sanders
Listen to Sanders interview on "Left Coast Pirates Live" podcast (March 7, 2021) here (begin at 5:30 mark)
Coming off two seasons of accomplishments and program progress, Levell Sanders begins his third year as head coach in 2023-24.
His 2022-23 squad closed a building season with the program's second straight semifinal berth and third in the last four tournament appearances. Binghamton posted another tournament road upset, this time knocking out UMBC 67-65 in Baltimore. The Bearcats enjoyed their highest conference win percentage in 13 years and its final America East place (T-4th) was the highest in 14 years. Senior guard Jacob Falko was named Second Team All-Conference, junior forward Armon Harried was selected to the All-Defensive team and senior guard Dan Petcash earned a spot on the All-Academic Team.
In his first season at the helm after being promoted from assistant coach, Sanders led the Bearcats to a berth in the America East semifinals after the team was picked to finish last. Along the way, his team achieved the program’s highest conference win total in 12 years and had a winning conference road record for the first time in 13 years.
After the season, Sanders was one of 15 finalists for the 2022 Joe B. Hall Award, presented annually to the top first-year coach in Division I college basketball. The 2021-22 Bearcats (12-17, 8-10 America East) led the America East in rebounding and 3-point defense and ranked second in field goal percentage defense and blocked shots. Of the team’s losses, six were by five or fewer points or in overtime. Binghamton reached the semifinals with a riveting 72- 69 road win over third-seeded New Hampshire in the quarterfinals. The team’s uprising drew nearly 25,000 fans to the Events Center this winter. In home conference games, BU drew an average of 2,023 fans, thirdhighest in the America East.
Sanders, 47, was hired in June 2019 and worked two seasons as an assistant coach before being promoted to head coach on March 1, 2021.
A Brooklyn native, he returned to the states after a noteworthy coaching career in the Czech Republic. For five years, he coached BK JIP Pardubice, leading the team to the elimination rounds of the 2017 FIBA Europe Cup and being named All-Czech Republic League Coach of the Year. His teams won at an 84 percent clip and captured bronze medals in the KNBL Czech League three straight years between 2015-18. Sanders was selected to be a member of the coaching staff of the Czech Republic U18 National Team that competed at the 2017 European Championships.
As a player, Sanders scored 1,399 career points at Seton Hall before embarking on a successful 15-year professional career overseas. With the Pirates, Sanders averaged 12.4 points in 113 games and was named second team All-BIG EAST in 1998. A BIG EAST academic all-star, he graduated in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
His pro basketball accolades include being named the All-Czech Republic League Guard of the Year in 2007 as well as being a two-time first team all-star. He ranks 11th on the all-time leading scorer list in the Czech Republic.
Sanders holds a strong reputation for player development and is the author of a book, “A Guide to Playing Professional Basketball Overseas.” Levell and his wife, Pamela, live in Binghamton with their daughters Olivia (9) and Stella (2).