Pine-Richland grad focuses on defense to earn starting role at Binghamton

Dan Petcash saw an opportunity and he took it.

Going into his sophomore season at Binghamton, there were several openings in the lineup, so he spent the summer working on becoming a lockdown defender.

That training has paid off and has led to Petcash, a Pine-Richland grad, getting starter’s minutes as someone counted upon to be an anchor defensively whether the Bearcats are in zone or man-to-man.

“I knew we needed someone that could be a great on-ball defender, so I really worked hard at that,” Petcash said. “I think the coaches saw that in the preseason and they really liked that, so I earned a starting spot.

“In college, especially, I believe defense is the most important aspect. Everyone at the Division I level can score, so where you can start to separate yourself is with defense.”

Petcash had started 11 games of Binghamton’s 13 games entering a weekend series with New Hampshire on Jan. 30-31. He averaged six points and five rebounds in the Bearcats’ first 13 games.

Binghamton was the lone Division I team to offer Petcash after a stellar career at Pine-Richland. He’s was grateful for that opportunity at the time and that hasn’t waned. Now he’s working to prove their belief in him.

The process started with an offseason unlike any other due to the covid-19 pandemic.

On-campus summer workouts were canceled because every player on the team was at home.

“We got workouts, but it was up to us whether we did them or not,” Petcash said. “Once we got here in the fall, we had pods where the team was split in two for covid protocols. It was a lot more individual workouts than team workouts, and we had to wear a mask, which was a big difference too.

“I think the biggest thing was that we had a lot less time together as a team going into the season, which is a huge thing for the chemistry of the team. We also had to quarantine a couple of times, which set us back, but everyone has had to deal with that.”

Playing during the pandemic has brought empty gymnasiums for game day. Not having a crowd to play in front of has provided its own set of adjustments. The schedule is much different this year as well with teams in the America East Conference playing doubleheaders on weekends.

“It’s definitely a little harder to get yourself hyped up for the games when it’s just you and the other team in the building,” Petcash said. “That’s something we talk about all the time. When we meet before the game, we do our best to get ourselves wound up before we take the court. Our community support is so good in Binghamton. We always have great crowds, and the games are so much fun. Even at away games, it’s always fun to go into a loud building and try to quiet the crowd when we’re playing well.

“I’d say everything is different, except when we’re actually playing. We’re still playing the game we’ve played our entire lives. Once the ball gets tipped, you are just thinking about what you need to do. That’s probably the most normal thing is the game itself. Everything outside of that is different though.”

One bright spot of the pandemic for Petcash has been the watching Pine-Richland play on livestreams where his brother, Joe, is a standout guard and his dad, Bob, is the coach.

“I don’t think I saw Joe play once last year,” Petcash said. “With them being streamed this year, it’s been nice to see the games.”

Binghamton had a 1-12 record entering the weekend series with New Hampshire, but seven of their losses have been by 10 points or less and two have been in overtime.

Petcash feels like the Bearcats are close to turning it around.

“It comes down to defense,” Petcash said. “Offensively, we are a really good team. We have a lot of guys that can score and a lot of guys that can play. We need to have more pride in our defense. Sometimes we do all the right things, but then give up an offensive rebound and the other team gets an extra possession. If we can do all the right things, like winning a 50-50 loose ball, and get five more possessions a game than the other team, I think that can turn some of those close losses into wins.

“College basketball is really hard and every team is really good, so you have to bring it every single night. We would like to be winning more obviously, and that’s something we’re building towards.”