Lots of DeFluer coverage this morning:

• Inside Higher Ed: “Lois B. DeFleur will retire this summer as president of the State University of New York at Binghamton. During her 19 years leading the campus, its competitiveness in admissions has skyrocketed and its academic reputation has grown. DeFleur also encouraged the growth of international initiatives. But during the last year, Binghamton has been shaken by scandals in its men’s basketball program, whose push for national prominence DeFleur had championed.”
• Ithaca Journal: “Spanning two decades, DeFleur’s vision helped accelerate BU’s transition from the small liberal arts college that it was in a former life into a university center in the SUNY system, prized for its graduate studies, research programs and range of professional degrees offered by its six schools and colleges. It is a process that continues today as the university continues to expand its facilities.With an estimated 15,000 students and successful Division I athletics programs – despite last year’s men’s basketball scandal, BU has become a major influence on the Southern Tier as well as a major employer with DeFleur as the CEO. With that much responsibility right on campus, DeFleur could easily occupy herself with all things BU, to the exclusion of the wider community. But to the contrary, she has connected with leaders all over the area and throughout the education world, becoming a ubiquitous presence in the Southern Tier.”
• Press & Sun Bulletin: “‘BU would benefit from hiring a leader who has vision both for the university and for the community,’ said Libous, a Binghamton Republican who graduated from what is now the SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica. ‘She was able to accomplish pretty much everything she set out to accomplish.’  Asked what qualities she would like to see in her successor, DeFleur stressed growth, and said BU is well-positioned for that.  ‘My successor needs to continue the work … to be a tireless advocate to continue the growth and development at Binghamton,’ she said. The fact that the school is relatively young — it opened in 1946 as Triple Cities College and became part of SUNY in 1950 — will make it attractive for presidential applicants who see its potential for continued growth, she said.”

In other news:

• Press & Sun Bulletin: “Two local men are going to prison, while the alleged leader in a near-fatal beating remains free in Serbia.  Broome County Judge Martin E. Smith on Wednesday sentenced Sanel Softic and Edin Dzubar to two years in state prison for their role in the May 4, 2008, beating of Bryan Steinhauer.  Meanwhile, Miladin Kovacevic, 22, the primary culprit in the beating that nearly killed Steinhauer, jumped his $100,000 bail and fled to his native Serbia using an emergency passport authorities say was supplied by Serbian diplomats.”

Oh yeah we also are playing (overpriced) BU tonight for second place in the America East!

On to the news:

• Julius Allen, who doesn’t have the cleanest past, is no longer an assistant coach for the team: “The Binghamton University men’s basketball program is down another coach.  Julius Allen, an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team since 2007, will no longer serve in that capacity.BU interim athletic director Jim Norris announced in a statement Wednesday that Allen will be given an alternative assignment within the men’s basketball program. That role is currently being discussed and could be finalized by next week, according to BU spokeswoman Gail Glover….Macon, however, refused comment on Allen’s departure from the staff and grew agitated when pressed further about the situation.”

• Brian Steinhauer testified in Serbian court yesterday: “Belgrade’s Municipal Court said a judge questioned Bryan Steinhauer, 22, of Brooklyn, for approximately two hours about the bar brawl in May 2008 at the Rathskeller bar in Binghamton during which he was severely beaten, allegedly by fellow BU student Miladin Kovacevic. Steinhauer awoke from his coma in August, three months after the beating that left him with skull fractures and a severe brain injury.”
• PipeDream has a good recap of the games over Thanksgiving break: “During a stretch of five games in nine days, which included three games on three straight days, the Binghamton University men’s basketball team went 1-4 but showed marked improvement by the end of the road swing.  This past Saturday the Bearcats traveled to Rider University in a non-conference matchup, and despite holding the lead for most of the game, fell to the Broncs 58-50.”

Based on Zimpher’s memo, Kaye’s investigation will include, but will not be limited to: the examination of BU’s compliance with NCAA and America East policies and procedures, impact of intercollegiate athletics on campus culture and the institutional mission, budget procedures and reports, fundraising practices of the athletic department, recruiting of athletes, alcohol or drug use by athletes – including drug testing, counseling, prevention and treatment – SUNY system administration oversight by Binghamton and any and all aspects of the men’s basketball program.

On to the headlines:

• Edin Dzubar pleaded guilty on Friday for his part in the attack on Bryan Steinhauer. Sanel Softic had also plead guilty to felony assault.  No update on Minja’s “trial” in Serbia.
• University officials have concluded that there is no evidence of sexual harassment in the athlethics department.  Interesting that they push this out before today’s initial report by Judge Kaye.  I don’t really believe anything that the university is putting out right now.  Hopefully, Zimpher and Kaye can restore my faith.
• Jacob E. Osterhout of Storming the Floor: “Much like a toilet, Binghamton’s basketball program has spiraled out of control this off-season. Actually, a spiral implies a slight time lag while the refuse circles, and Binghamton’s decent from America East champs to college basketball laughing stock has been nothing if not speedy. So maybe the Bearcats are like one of those airplane toilets where the bottom drops out in a split second.”