Binghamton head women’s basketball coach Linda Cimino, who was hired in April, has announced her coaching staff for the upcoming season. Mike Leflar has been named the associate head coach and Torey Northup-Jones has been named as assistant coach. In addition, Leah Truncale, who has been an assistant coach for the Bearcats since 2009, will remain on the staff.
“I am very excited to announce the hiring of my first staff at Binghamton,” Cimino said. “This is an important hire and I am fortunate to bring in top-notch coaches and people.”
Leflar (pronounced LEF-ler) arrives from Boston University, where he was an assistant coach from 2004-12 and the associate head coach the past two seasons. During that span, the Terriers went 186-127 and captured a pair of America East regular-season titles. In addition, the Terriers advanced to five conference championship games and earned a pair of WNIT berths.
A 2002 graduate of Boston College, Leflar was an assistant coach at Penn during the 2003-04 campaign. The Quakers won the Ivy League title that season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
“Mike is the perfect hire,” Cimino said. “He knows the landscape of the America East and has a great reputation. He will head our recruiting efforts and can recruit in the Northeast better than anyone I know.”
Northup-Jones, meanwhile, comes from St. John’s, where she was the graduate assistant coach during the 2013-14 season. The Red Storm finished 23-11 and advanced to the BIG East championship game. It culminated the year with an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
A 2013 graduate of Caldwell College, Northup-Jones played under Cimino, who was the head coach of the Cougars from 2006-14. She finished her career with 1,850 points and was a three-time all-conference and All-Met selection.
“Torey was a tremendous player at Caldwell and understands my system,” Cimino said. “She had a great experience working at St. John’s for a program that went to the NCAA Tournament. She will work primarily with our guards and will head our scouting.”
Truncale, meanwhile, has been an assistant coach since the 2009-10 season. She is a 2002 graduate of Binghamton and a member of the BU Athletic Hall of Fame. Truncale remains the program’s all-time leader in rebounds (978) and blocked shots (236) and finished her career with 1,341 points.
“Leah’s passion and commitment to Binghamton is unmatched,” Cimino said. “She knows the America East very well and will work with our post players.”
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