SUNY Binghamton University Men's Basketball

Coming off back-to-back 15-win campaigns, Levell Sanders begins his fifth year as head coach in 2025-26. During his four years at the helm, only Binghamton and Vermont have won 7+ conference games every year.  Sanders' 2024-25 team produced two all-conference selections and won six of eight down the stretch. The team had a home playoff game in sight before a buzzer-beater ended the run and slotted the Bearcats into fifth place.     Sanders’ 2023-24 team earned its highest win total (15) in 15 years and finished conference play by winning seven of its last 11 games. Binghamton averaged more than 2,200 fans, good for second in the America East. That average home attendance was higher than 15 other NCAA Division I conferences across the country.   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.  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. Sanders, 49, 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 and Stella.

Johnson Mic'd up at Practice A key to the program’s sharp rise in recent years, Brian Johnson begins his sixth season with the program in 2024-25, fourth as associate head coach. Last season, Johnson and the Bearcats produced the highest win total (15) in 15 years and finished conference play by winning seven of their last 11 games. In 2022-23, BU enjoyed its highest conference win percentage in 13 years and its final America East place (T-4th) was the highest in 14 years. The team posted a tournament road upset for the second straight season.   As the team’s defensive coordinator, Johnson has implemented and shaped a defense that has been among the league leaders in rebounding and 3-point field goal percentage. In three straight seasons, BU has put a player on the America East All-Defensive Team.  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 daughters Emery and Giuliana. 

Joshua Lehman rejoined the Binghamton Men’s Basketball program in June 2025 after serving as an assistant coach/video coordinator at St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) for the 2024–25 season. At STAC, Lehman played a key role in all facets of the program, including scouting, player development, recruiting, and day-to-day operations, helping lead the Spartans to a 25–10 record. Prior to his time at STAC, he was a student manager for the Bearcats during the 2023–24 season, contributing to team travel, practice setup, scouting, and the daily operations of the program. Lehman earned both his bachelor’s degree in economics and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Binghamton University.

Veteran coach Marlon Guild joined the Bearcats staff in June 2021 and begins his fifth season in 2024-25.  Guild has been instrumental in building a Bearcats program that has reached the America East semifinals in two of the last three seasons.  Last season, Guild and the Bearcats produced the highest win total (15) in 15 years and finished conference play by winning seven of their last 11 games. 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.   The Brooklyn native has 16 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. 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.