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Post by gobonnies33 on Sept 26, 2014 17:03:37 GMT -5
My name is Matthew Fidurko and I started a blog called David Never Goliath. The blog covers college basketball, but from the perspective of Davids or non-major conference schools. I started a segment today called Final Four Friday, and I decided to feature the home town Bonnies. Let me know what I should add to the article and your own recollections of the Final Four team. Its wwww.davidnevergoliath.wordpress.com - I really value your input as I am just getting my feet wet in the blog world. You can also follow the blog on Twitter @ledbydavid if you like it. Let me know what you think please.
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Post by class70 on Sept 27, 2014 9:52:53 GMT -5
I like the way you covered the Bonnies, Matthew, and I think the "unfinished Dreams" documentary says it all. I think you erred in your narrative when you said the Bonnies were ranked #1 most of the year. My memory was that we were #3 or #4 in most of the polls, but quite a bit lower until stomping Purdue in the Holiday Festival, where much of the national media finally began to realize just how good Lanier was. The AP poll started the Bonnies at #17 preseason, dropped us to #20 on 12/9 and we hung around there for most of December. After the Holiday Festival, we zoomed up to #5, then #4, oscillating between #3 and #4 the rest of the season.
It is also worthwhile to spend a line or two on the height advantage the Bonnies gave up to Jacksonville and how the stunning leaping ability of Matt Gannt and Bubba Gary overcame that.
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Post by gobonnies33 on Sept 27, 2014 15:16:47 GMT -5
I appreciate it. I will fix and add those things!
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Post by deaconman on Sept 29, 2014 16:26:00 GMT -5
I appreciate it. I will fix and add those things! |
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Post by deaconman on Sept 29, 2014 16:28:02 GMT -5
Class of 70 is absolutely correct. I believe the highest Bonas was ranked was #3. Fond and somewhat sad memories of what could have been!
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Post by fjs64 on Sept 29, 2014 20:30:07 GMT -5
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Post by fjs64 on Sept 29, 2014 20:35:13 GMT -5
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Post by fjs64 on Sept 29, 2014 20:44:37 GMT -5
The highest ranking we ever attained was 2nd during my freshman year (1960/61).......I guess I got spoiled....never achieved it again, but that team was so great to watch......a team that could have won it all, but hard luck hit that team just as hard luck hurt our chances in 1970. Tuberculosis was the enemy in 1961 with both Tom Stith and Fred Crawford getting hit and unbeknownst to us it ate at the energy and capability of our 2 highest scorers.
My sophomore year (61/62) we started out at 6-0 and jumped into the polls, a lot based on the residuals of the previous year, but a loss to Duquesne started the downward spiral and we did not reach the polls again......we finished 14-7 losing to Niagara twice and splitting with Canisius. I guess the unpredictability of college basketball hit me, and of course I did not realize that when a new coach comes in, things are not normally positive for the first year.......Eddie Donovan had moved on to the MY Knicks and Larry Weise (out of JV basketball) became the new coach.
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Post by class70 on Sept 30, 2014 5:24:16 GMT -5
Others can augment or correct my memory, but the breakout win in 1967-68 came in an early season victory over Toledo, which had a good team built around Steve Mix. I did not attend the game, which was away, but heard the story from friends who did that Bona fans lived up to their normal raucous behavior by chanting "Who's Steve Mix?" The Toledo fans responded with "Who's Bill Butler?" After one of Butts' lightening quick moves to the hoop they got the response "That's Bill Butler."
The Bonnies were down by 5 with a minute to go but pulled off an amazing one-point victory in overtime. Everybody knew the glory days were back.
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