50th Anniversary of Women's Athletics at Binghamton University
Profile: Bess Greenberg, Basketball, 1997-01
Brief: A native of Vestal, N.Y., Bess Greenberg played basketball at Binghamton from 1997-01. A local recruit from a well-known Binghamton basketball family, she was a vastly talented player whose skill and leadership spearheaded the program's remarkably successful transition from NCAA Division III to Division I. A two-time Division II All-American, Greenberg is the school's all-time scoring leader with 2,024 career points (18.2 per game). With Greenberg in the starting lineup, Binghamton teams averaged more than 24 wins a season and enjoyed a lofty win percentage of 86% (97-16).
She earned her bachelor's degree in English in 2001 and received a master's degree in documentary and fine art photography from the International Center of Photography in 2008. She was inducted into BU's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
Since graduating from Binghamton, Greenberg has embarked on an enriching personal journey that has featured among other interests, being a professional basketball player, photographer, art curator, musician and teacher.
Accomplishments on Greenberg's Hall of Fame plaque
In her freshman season, Greenberg led the Division III Colonials to a 22-3 record and a spot in the NCAA second round. She was the ECAC Rookie of the Year for a BU team that was ranked No. 5 in the country. As a sophomore, Greenberg averaged 19.2 points and led her now-Division II team to a 26-4 record, a New England Collegiate Conference title and an NCAA berth in the program's very first year up a divisional level. She was named both NECC and ECAC Player of the Year and earned honorable mention All-America honors. Greenberg's junior season was near perfect, as the first team All-American guided the Bearcats to a 27-2 record (16-0 in conference) and a commanding ECAC Division II crown. She averaged 21.3 points and shot 53% from the field, including a deadly 49% from three-point range. As a senior, Greenberg captained BU to a 22-7 mark and a second straight runaway ECAC championship. She was named the tournament's MVP for the second straight year.
Off the court, Greenberg was a three-time Academic All-American, and also was the recipient of the 2001 NCAA Woman of the Year for the State of New York. She was the University's "Athlete of the Year" in 1998-99 and 1999-00.
