St. Bonaventure Bonnies: Can They Finish In The Top Half Of The A-10 In 2014-15?
St. Bonaventure lost its top two scorers from last year and was picked to finish 10th in the Atlantic-10 on Tuesday during the conference’s annual men’s basketball media day at the Barclays center.
St. Bonaventure (18-15 in 2013-14) reached the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament last year after finishing tied for ninth in the conference during the regular season with a 6-10 record. However, the Bonnies must replace three starters including leading scorer Matthew Wright (16.3 points and 3.2 assists per game). Charlon Kloof (11.8 PPG) and Marquise Simmons (8.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG) also graduated. Those three combined for nearly half of the 73.4 points per game the Bonnies averaged last year.
Despite the monumental losses, it was not all doom and gloom this summer in Olean, New York. The good news started when eighth-year head coach Mark Schmidt decided stay in Western New York rather than pursue an opportunity with his alma mater Boston College when the Eagles’ head coaching job opened up. Schmidt, who is 106-109 with the Bonnies, played at Boston College from 1981-85.
The good news didn’t stop there, as Schmidt brought in perhaps his most promising recruiting class to date. The Bonnies have brought in six new players, including five guards who should mesh well with Schmidt’s up-tempo style. The six newcomers are 6’2” junior guard Iakeem Alston, 6’4” freshman guard Idris Taqqee, 6’1” junior guard Marcus Polsey, 6’5” redshirt freshman guard Jalen Adams, 6’1” freshman Jaylen Adams and 6’10” forward Jordan Tyson.
The Bonnies also return 7’0” senior center Youssou Ndoye, who was named to the preseason all-conference third team. Ndoye is an intimidating presence in the low-block due to his 7’2” wingspan which he used to block 2.2 shots a game last year (third in the A-10). He also took a major step forward last season on the offensive end and looks to continue his development this year. Ndoye averaged a career-best 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 52 percent from the field.
Joining Ndoye up front will be 6’8” sophomore Xavier Smith, 6’8” senior forward/center Chris Dees and Tyson. 6’7” sophomore forward Denzel Gregg and 6’7” forward Dion Wright will also see time in the frontcourt.
Tyson has the biggest upside of the six newcomers. He is athletic, has great length, runs well and possesses a soft touch around the basket. The Columbus, Ohio, native averaged 12.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks a game while shooting 68 percent from the floor while spending a year of post-graduate at Fishbourne Academy in Virginia. Tyson was rated as a three-star prospect in the class of 2014 by ESPN.
Dees, a strong rebounder, was one of the first post players off the bench and appeared in all 32 games. The New Mexico JC transfer averaged 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.5 minutes a game. Smith only played in 10 games and averaged 3.5 minutes per appearance.
Wright thrived as the Bonnies’ sixth man and might very well serve in the same role this year. Wright is athletic and very versatile as he can play multiple positions. He does need to improve the range on his jumper as he was only 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Wright finished fourth on the team in both scoring (8.4) and in rebounding (4.8) while shooting 50 percent from the floor.
Gregg saw action in 26 games as a freshman, averaging 2.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.3 minutes of action. However, Schmidt told the Olean Times that he expects bigger things from the athletic wing this season. Gregg, who excels at taking the ball to the basket, blocked 16 shots a season ago and will likely see time at both forward spots.
"“My expectation is that he’ll get more than eight minute a game…” “He has to become a more consistent three-point shooter. If he can shoot , 35 to 38 percent that will make him that much better and us that much better. That is what Denzel has to do to take the next step and he’s talented enough to do it.”"
Newcomers Alston, Posley and Jalen Adams are expected to see the majority of time in the backcourt along with senior holdovers Andell Cumberbatch and Jordan Gathers. Taqqee and Jaylen Adams could also time though it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of them was redshirted.
Alston was brought in to run the Bonnies offense. The Sheridan CC transfer has a high-motor, is very quick and thrives in an off-tempo style. He likes to push the ball in transition and pressure the ball 94’ on defense. Alston averaged 8.5 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals in just 22 minutes at Sheridan.
Posley is the probably the newcomer who is most ready to contribute to the Bonnies immediately as he comes to Upstate New York from Indian Hills CC via Ball State. Posley is a scoring combo guard who has the ability to stretch the defense with his range and also possesses good ball-handling skills. The 2012-13 MAC all-freshman team selection averaged 13.5 points a game and shot 38 percent from beyond the arc while playing just 18 minutes a game last year at Indian Hills.
Jalen Adams is an explosive athlete whose vertical jump has been measured at 40 inches according to Schmidt. The Saginaw, Michigan, native has a year under his belt under Schmidt’s system after redshirting last year. He averaged 25 points and 13 rebounds as a senior at Arthur Hills High School.
Taqqee, a two-star recruit according to ESPN, is very defensive oriented with long arms and quick feet. He has the ability to guard all three perimeter positions and is a very good rebounder. The Snelling, Georgia, native averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game at Cushing Academy (Mass.).
Jaylen Adams was rated as a two-star prospect by 247 composite rankings and one-star prospect according to Scout.com. The Baltimore, Maryland, native is very quick and a good distributor. He averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game as a senior at St. Joseph’s High School.
Cumberbatch and Gathers will provide much needed experience and scoring punch to the Bonnies’ backcourt whether it’s off the bench or in a starting role. Cumberbatch started his first season for the Bonnies off strong, scoring in double figures eight times before the New Year, before fizzling during the second half of the year. He scored in double figures 11 times and averaged 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds to go along with 1.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Meanwhile, Gathers reached double figures 12 times and averaged 8. 2 points and 2.1 assists a contest. He finished second on the team with 36 three-pointers and second on the squad in three-point percentage (36 percent).
Strengths: Athleticism, Rebounding and Offensive Rebounding
Weaknesses: Three-point shooting, Scoring, Defense and Turnovers
Analysis: St. Bonaventure will not reach match their win total from last year. But if the Bonnies’ newcomers play to their potential, it is not out of realm of possibilities that they finish in the middle of the pack in the A-10 and win around 15 total games.
Schmidt loves to design offensive plays and will need to develop plays to get Ndoye more touches. Ndoye, who shot 52 percent from the floor, took five or fewer shots in 16 games last year. He does need to be more aggressive because when he was, he got to the foul line a ton — Ndoye attempted at least seven free throws in 10 games last year. Ndoye has the potential to take his game to the next level but in order for him to do so he must be in great shape, stay out of foul trouble and improve his free throw shooting. If Ndoye does that, he could draw interest from NBA scouts.
Cumberbatch and Gathers will also need to step up their offensive production. Cumberbatch is strong and athletic who can score in the interior or on the perimeter but needs to improve his marksmanship from long distance. He is also a good offensive rebounder and decent defender as he had 32 thefts. Gathers can play the off-guard position or run the point. He is very quick and strong defensively but not really a shooter. Gathers shot just 39.1 percent from the floor and takes too many three-pointers as nearly half of his shots were from beyond the arc.
While the newcomers have a ton of potential there are a lot of questions. One question is, can they handle the physicality and pace of the A-10? Posley should be able to step in immediately and Jalen Adams, who is coming off a broken foot, had the benefit of learning the style of play of the A-10 in practice while not losing a year of eligibility.
There are many other unknowns that surround the newcomers like can Alston or Jalen Adams shoot the ball well enough to allow Ndoye enough room to operate inside? Or take pressure off of Posley and Gathers by knocking down a few three-pointers a game? Alston shot 43 percent from the floor last season but 51 percent during his freshman campaign.
According to J.P. Butler of the Olean Times Herald, Taqqee has looked the most ready, from both a physical and skill-set standpoint, to contribute among the three true freshmen. However, it is unlikely that Taqqee will see much time with Cumberbatch and Gathers ahead of him on the depth chart.
Tyson has the best opportunity to contribute of the three freshmen due to the lack of depth in the frontcourt. But he broke his wrist this summer and is still a work in progress on the offensive end.
On a positive note, the Bonnies should be a lot better on the defensive end this year than they were last season due athleticism. Last year, St. Bonaventure surrendered 70.3 points a game, which ranked ninth in the conference and 177th in the nation. They also permitted their opponents to shoot 44.7 percent from the field.
St. Bonaventure opens their season with a home contest versus Dartmouth on Nov. 15. The Bonnies play six of their first seven games at home, where they went 10-4 a season ago. Their toughest non-conference contest should be Dec. 13, when they play at Pittsburgh.