Post by bva on Apr 20, 2006 21:30:58 GMT -5
PEZZIMENTI: Are Fereti and Calvin Bona’s Dynamic Duo?
04/20/2006
That they both ended up together in the first place at the College of Southern Idaho is quite a story of blueprints gone out of whack altogether.
Calvin signed on to play for coach Rick Majerus at Utah two years ago, his destiny seemingly set in place. Fereti, an Australian, didn’t even start playing basketball until age 15.
Indeed, the two newest Bonnies, inking National Letters of Intent last week, are very different and aren’t even best of friends. They’re just teammates who led Southern Idaho to 25-10 record, a regional championship and a berth in the national junior college tournament this past winter.
Now they’re planning to carry that success to a place more than 2,000 miles away.
“We get along really well and we play well together,” said Fereti, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard. “He knows my game and I know his game. I know he wanted to go (to Bona) and he knew it was a good decision for him. It’s just an advantage that we ended up at the same school.
“He has his own mindset ... he knows what he wants.”
Calvin said he was offered scholarships by BYU, South Florida, TCU and Fresno State, among several others. The decision came down to BYU and St. Bonaventure.
“My plan was to find the best situation for me and it was the same thing for my teammate,” the 5-foot-11 point guard said. “It just happened to be the same school. That made it even better.
“He knows the way I play and I know exactly how he plays. Now that we know we’re going to the same school together, we continue to work out with each other and be around each other because we’re going to have more years together.”
And who knows, the starting backcourt at Southern Idaho could become the same at Bona.
The Bonnies are, after all, in need of a playmaking point guard (Calvin) and a better-than-average outside shooter (Fereti).
Calvin averaged eight points, six assists (150 total) and three steals per game last year, his only at Southern Idaho, after a modest season at Utah. His strength is as a leader, but admits he must become a better shooter.
Fereti, meanwhile, collected 14 points, four rebounds and three assists per game. He made 128 3-pointers in two seasons and connected on 34 percent from long range this past year.
On an official trip to campus this spring, Fereti was made well aware of the Bonnies’ perimeter woes by coach Anthony Solomon. The team’s 26 percent 3-point shooting was one of the worst in the country.
If you count Fereti, the Bonnies boast just a pair of career plus-30 percent 3-point shooters.
And Fereti believes his percentage can rise.
“I think everyone likes to be consistent,” he said. “That’s a major key with any shooter or any big guy who makes hook shots or anything like that. For me its 3s and pull-up jumpers. I think consistency is a big key for me to be successful.”
Fereti is, of course, youthful when it comes to basketball. Growing up, rugby was his sport and he admits to not being totally up on the intricacies of American hoops.
“I don’t think you can ever be too good at anything,” he said. “I’m always about learning and getting better.”
Fereti was first discovered by the coach of an American traveling all-star team playing games in Australia. The Americans needed another player, and Fereti filled in with 38 points.
“The coach asked, ‘Why don’t you come to America,’” Fereti recalled.
He ended up in junior college instead of Division I because of his basketball greenness.
After a season at Southern Idaho, Fereti was joined by Calvin, who had asked for his release from Utah.
Calvin averaged less than a point and just over an assist in 28 games for the Utes, who featured another Aussie in future All-American Andrew Bogut.
“I didn’t really play that much, maybe 12 minutes a game,” said Calvin, who was born in the Bronx but now resides in Phoenix. “I didn’t expose myself to where I could go to another program as good as Utah.”
After receiving offers from Northern Arizona and Southern Utah, Calvin made a call to St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies position was they were set at guard. Calvin wanted better and was advised the juco ranks was the best route.
Bona was recruiting Fereti hard all season and Calvin in the spring after sophomore guard Isiah Carson said he was transferring.
Next up for the duo is to help revive a program that has managed a mere 17 wins over the last three seasons.
“I think they’re on the verge of rebuilding,” Fereti said of the Bonnies. “I think Jermaine and myself made great decisions to go there at this point in time while the program is rising.
“They didn’t have a good year last year but they didn’t get blown out a lot. The majority of their games were close and, from what I’ve seen on game film, it was down to little things like making shots and clutch plays at the end. I want to come in and help them with that.”
Calvin, who will be attending his third school in as many years, is focused on the future and not on the Bonnies’ woeful recent history.
“That doesn’t bother me, it’s all in the past,” he said. “I’m a big believer that in life things are subject to change ... it’s not always going to be the same. You can be up one year and down the next and down one year and up the next. I look at it from that angle.
“I’m not worried about what happened in the previous years. Today is a new day. I look at it that way because I’m confident in myself. I’m a winner. Wherever I go I want to win.”
04/20/2006
That they both ended up together in the first place at the College of Southern Idaho is quite a story of blueprints gone out of whack altogether.
Calvin signed on to play for coach Rick Majerus at Utah two years ago, his destiny seemingly set in place. Fereti, an Australian, didn’t even start playing basketball until age 15.
Indeed, the two newest Bonnies, inking National Letters of Intent last week, are very different and aren’t even best of friends. They’re just teammates who led Southern Idaho to 25-10 record, a regional championship and a berth in the national junior college tournament this past winter.
Now they’re planning to carry that success to a place more than 2,000 miles away.
“We get along really well and we play well together,” said Fereti, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard. “He knows my game and I know his game. I know he wanted to go (to Bona) and he knew it was a good decision for him. It’s just an advantage that we ended up at the same school.
“He has his own mindset ... he knows what he wants.”
Calvin said he was offered scholarships by BYU, South Florida, TCU and Fresno State, among several others. The decision came down to BYU and St. Bonaventure.
“My plan was to find the best situation for me and it was the same thing for my teammate,” the 5-foot-11 point guard said. “It just happened to be the same school. That made it even better.
“He knows the way I play and I know exactly how he plays. Now that we know we’re going to the same school together, we continue to work out with each other and be around each other because we’re going to have more years together.”
And who knows, the starting backcourt at Southern Idaho could become the same at Bona.
The Bonnies are, after all, in need of a playmaking point guard (Calvin) and a better-than-average outside shooter (Fereti).
Calvin averaged eight points, six assists (150 total) and three steals per game last year, his only at Southern Idaho, after a modest season at Utah. His strength is as a leader, but admits he must become a better shooter.
Fereti, meanwhile, collected 14 points, four rebounds and three assists per game. He made 128 3-pointers in two seasons and connected on 34 percent from long range this past year.
On an official trip to campus this spring, Fereti was made well aware of the Bonnies’ perimeter woes by coach Anthony Solomon. The team’s 26 percent 3-point shooting was one of the worst in the country.
If you count Fereti, the Bonnies boast just a pair of career plus-30 percent 3-point shooters.
And Fereti believes his percentage can rise.
“I think everyone likes to be consistent,” he said. “That’s a major key with any shooter or any big guy who makes hook shots or anything like that. For me its 3s and pull-up jumpers. I think consistency is a big key for me to be successful.”
Fereti is, of course, youthful when it comes to basketball. Growing up, rugby was his sport and he admits to not being totally up on the intricacies of American hoops.
“I don’t think you can ever be too good at anything,” he said. “I’m always about learning and getting better.”
Fereti was first discovered by the coach of an American traveling all-star team playing games in Australia. The Americans needed another player, and Fereti filled in with 38 points.
“The coach asked, ‘Why don’t you come to America,’” Fereti recalled.
He ended up in junior college instead of Division I because of his basketball greenness.
After a season at Southern Idaho, Fereti was joined by Calvin, who had asked for his release from Utah.
Calvin averaged less than a point and just over an assist in 28 games for the Utes, who featured another Aussie in future All-American Andrew Bogut.
“I didn’t really play that much, maybe 12 minutes a game,” said Calvin, who was born in the Bronx but now resides in Phoenix. “I didn’t expose myself to where I could go to another program as good as Utah.”
After receiving offers from Northern Arizona and Southern Utah, Calvin made a call to St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies position was they were set at guard. Calvin wanted better and was advised the juco ranks was the best route.
Bona was recruiting Fereti hard all season and Calvin in the spring after sophomore guard Isiah Carson said he was transferring.
Next up for the duo is to help revive a program that has managed a mere 17 wins over the last three seasons.
“I think they’re on the verge of rebuilding,” Fereti said of the Bonnies. “I think Jermaine and myself made great decisions to go there at this point in time while the program is rising.
“They didn’t have a good year last year but they didn’t get blown out a lot. The majority of their games were close and, from what I’ve seen on game film, it was down to little things like making shots and clutch plays at the end. I want to come in and help them with that.”
Calvin, who will be attending his third school in as many years, is focused on the future and not on the Bonnies’ woeful recent history.
“That doesn’t bother me, it’s all in the past,” he said. “I’m a big believer that in life things are subject to change ... it’s not always going to be the same. You can be up one year and down the next and down one year and up the next. I look at it from that angle.
“I’m not worried about what happened in the previous years. Today is a new day. I look at it that way because I’m confident in myself. I’m a winner. Wherever I go I want to win.”
