Hang 2 jerseys this season

[jh]

Its been mentioned before...but since Bob lanier's jersey was hung up 35 years ago the Athletic dept has apparently not seen a player in the last 35 years worthy of having their jersey hung (not necessarily retired if anyone is worried about running out of numbers). Obviously this is incredibly ridiculous and should be corrected by the new AD and coaching staff as a way of reaching back to our hoops history.
What 2 players should be raised first
All time scorer Greg Sanders?? Essie Hollis?? Mark Jones? David Vanterpoole? Tim Winn? Jr Bremer? Glenn Price? Marques Green? Earl Belcher? Jimmy Baron or Jimmy Satalin for both coaching and play??

The old regime of Wickenheiser had a way of stiff arming away any popular alums....since ofcourse they could potentially be a threat to the dictator's power....well ding dong the wicked witch is gone. Lets welcome back many of these alums in a variety of ways

[GVG]

I couldn't agree more. Tradition is one thing that Bonnies basketball has going for it and the university should do everything it can to highlight that tradition. I would start with G.Sanders and Baron. I think that it is still too soon to put Bremer or Green up there, although I think that both deserve the honor a few years "down the road"

[FriendsofAN44]

Exactly right Jim ! And it's a no-brainer where to start - the top two leading scorers of all time - # 53 Greg Sanders and # 25 Earl Belcher.

Greg amassed 2,238 points over his four years (1975-81) without the benefit of a 3-point line. He shot 53 %, and added an average 5.7 rebounds per game (637 total). And what Bonnie fan could ever forget the excitement he generated with his famous "no-no-no-YESSS !!" 30-foot jumper in the 1977 NIT against Houston that sent the Bonnies to the title.

Earl Belcher is the 2nd. all-time leading scorer, with 2,077 points on 49 % shooting. He also pulled down 630 rebounds (6.3) and also did not have the advantage of the 3-point line.

Both players are at the top of the all-time scoring list, and have been for 27 years (Sanders) and 24 years (Belcher).

No one has hardly approached their accomplishments in that long span. The closest was JR Bremer, who got to 1,732 points in 2002, most of which were the result of the modern 3-point line. Still, he came up 300 points short - that's more than 100 more 3-pointers !

During Sander's 4-year stint, the Bonnies went 76-37, including the 1977 NIT Championship and an NCAA appearance in 1978.

During Belcher's stint, the Bonnies were 70-41, with a 1978 NCAA and a 1979 NIT bid.

Yes, it is time to invite these two men back and hang 2 more banners on Alumni Weekend this season, # 53 and # 25 !

[Chuck]

I agree with Fox "it's a no brainer, Greg Sanders and Earl Belcher." It would be nice to honor them at time they can enjoy the recognition. I believe Greg Sanders has health concerns.

[Wolfpackfan]

What can we do as friends and alumni of St. Bonaventure to encourage the university to hang those jerseys in the Reily Center? Do we need a letter writing campaign or take up a petition? We need to do something because there are many outstanding Bonnies that should be recognized in that manner.

[FriendsofAN44]

E-mails to Ron Zweirlein and/or Steve Mest are the way to go. Steve told me last year that they would be happy to retire another number, but no one ever brought it up.

You can find their e-mail addresses under "STAFF" at www.gobonnies.com

[CTBONNIE]

In my humble opinion, I totally agree that this is a no-brainer. And more than just Sanders and Belcher. Unfortunately, it may take a few years to "catch-up" since it has been so long since Bob's number was hung from the rafters.
I also caught the early comment about alum being shunned. Again, I totally agree. This may be just the forum to swing the pendulum back in the opposite direction. Go for it!

[FroMunga]

Start stringing up the banners. Several are deserving and long over due. I would recommend the university hire a PR firm for any ceremonies. The last thing they would want is for any sincere act of appreciation to come across looking like a cheap publicity stunt.

[Chaz]

I say retire "one" this coming year and then another the next. Let their accomplishments stand alone and be recognized. Sanders & Belcher would be great for starters. Maybe put up a banner retiring the name Brown Indian also ?

[ladderbuddy]

Greg Sanders #53!

[hnk373431]

Sander's performance against Houston in the NIT final was incredible. All time leading scorer. Couldn't argue with his number being retired. As good as Sanders was, I am not sure that he was the best player on that NIT championship team. Essie only averaged 2 points a game lower than Greg (over 1900 points career) and is the 2nd highest career rebounder.
Anyone know how many jerseys are currently retired? Know Lanier's and the Stith's. Figure that Fred Crawford's has to also be retired. Not sure who else though.

[LumsdnA10Academc98]

There are 7 retired jerseys: Lanier, Crawford, Tom & Sam Stith, Ken Murray, Whitey Martin, and Bill Butler.
I, too, like the idea of retiring the Brown Indian. Sanders' number 53 is long overdue as well.
Bremer is the only recent player for whom I would make a case. Not only was he terrific for the NCAA team in '00, he elevated his game after the best players on that team and its coach left. It's almost like Bremer defined two periods of Bona basketball. Not to say there's a dire need to rush his name into the RC rafters as opposed to Sanders, Hollis, or anyone else, but the question with J.R. is: No. 2 or No. 12?

[FriendsofAN44]

Retired Numbers

Ken Murray - # 13 - 1947-1951 - The first Bonnie to break the 1,000 point plateau, the West Orange, NJ product was an All-Little Three selection for three straight years, and was named to the Sporting News All-America team in 1950. Went on to play in the NBA for the Chicago Stags, and was named 1952 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Bill "Butts" Butler - # 14 - 1966-1968 - Known for his aggressive play and polish, Bill Butler was captain of the only St. Bonaventure team to go through a regular season undefeated. The 6'3" forward from Washington, DC was selected to the Look Magazine All-District team in 1968, averaging 22.8 PPG and 9.2 RPG. He was selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1968 NBA Draft.

Ronald "Whitey" Martin - # 34 - 1958-1961 - A true point guard, Whitey was a catalyst on St. Bonaventure's fine teams of the late 50's and early 60's. He was the set-up man for the Stith brothers, and also tallied 796 points over his career. Was an AP All-America Honorable Mention and Catholic Colleges All-American Honorable Mention. After graduation, he rejoined the Stith brothers when he was drafted by the NY Knicks in the 1961 NBA Draft.

Fred Crawford - # 54 - 1960-1964 - Standing just 6'4", Freddie averaged 22.6 PPG and 10.3 RPG over his career. Established the St. Bonaventure scoring record for sophomores, when he poured in 614 points in 1960-61, helping the Bonnies to their first-ever NCAA appearance. Also played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks, NY Knicks, LA Lakers, Buffalo Braves and Philadelphia 76'ers.

Sam Stith - # 22 - 1957-1960 -
Tom Stith - # 42 - 1958-1961 -

The Stith brothers are easily the most well-known duo in St. Bonaventure history. The New York City natives helped boost Bonaventure basketball into the national spotlight. Sam, the older of the two by a year, was a defensive catalyst, helping to initiate the team's zone defense. He also scored 1,112 career points and grabbed 620 rebounds.

Tom earned his place in Bonaventure lore with a smooth athleticism and a hook shot that few, if any, could copy, or stop. He was the Bonnies first consensus All-American. Still holds the record for scoring average in a season at 31.5 PPG.

In the 1959-60 season, the two brothers combined to average an incredible 52 PPG, and 17.8 RPG, and led the Bonnies to the post-season five straight years. Both later played for the NY Knicks in 1961-62.

Bob Lanier - # 31 - 1966-1970 - When one thinks of St. Bonaventure basketball, Bob Lanier is the prominent figure that comes to mind. The 6'11" center with the size 22 shoes led SBU to new heights.

His sophomore season, the Bonnies went undefeated in the regular season and Bob averaged 26.2 PPG and 15.6 RPG, His junior season, he averaged 27.2 PPG and 15.5 RPG. His senior season, despite being constantly double and triple-teamed, he went on to average 29 points and 16 rebounds a game, and led his team to its' first ever National # 1 ranking, and an NCAA Final Four appearance.

But for a cheap shot by Chris Ford of Villanova in the national Semi-final game, many contend to this day that the Bonnies would have easily handled UCLA in the final and won the National Championship in 1970.

Was an eight-time NBA All-Star and has been inducted into both the NBA and the St. Bonaventure Halls of Fame.

[DemBonnies]

Fox...you have all the old press guides...didn't Essie wear number 25?

I know that Belcher & Essie overlapped maybe one year.

Did Belcher take 25 after Essie graduated?

I bet Francis Tommasino would know!!!

[FriendsofAN44]

Yes, they both wore # 25, but never played together. Essie graduated in May of '77, and Earl came aboard in September of '77. Hollis was co-captain of the '77 NIT Championship team, along with Jim Baron.

And here is a very interesting bit of Bona trivia:

Who are the only 2 Bonnies to have 3 consecutive
600+ point seasons ??

Bob Lanier, (656, 654, & 757) and Earl Belcher (603, 646 & 637).

Earl only tallied 191 points his frosh year, probably because Sanders was a Senior and poured in a total of 642 points that season.

One would think that Tom Stith would be in this elite group also, but no, in his soph year he scored only 403 points, then followed that up with two monster years of 819 and 830 points (2 records that will never be broken !)

And if you think the game is fast now, look at what Tom Stith did in 1962, compared to what JR Bremer did in his modern, fast-break, shot-clock offense in 2002:

JR scored 738 points, with 560 shots from the field and 234 shots from the line

Tom scored 830 points, with 622 shots from the field and 265 shots from the line.

They must have really moved the ball up and down the court in 1961 for Tom to get off an incredible 622 shots from the field !! He is the only Bona player ever to attempt more than 600 shots from the field in a season, and he did it twice (614 shots in '60 and 622 in '61).


Maybe fjs'64 can chime in and tell us how he did it, as he was at most of those games !