OTH articles

[Chuck]

Attached is JP's article "Planutis eager to be next piece in Bona hoops puzzle" Following are a couple highlights from article.

-- TO THIS point, there have only been glimpses into the kind of player the Bonnies are getting in Planutis. But those have been encouraging.
The Hazleton, Pa., native shot an impressive 49 percent from 3-point range (33-of-67) as a freshman at Mount St. Mary’s in 2017-18. Though it’s largely been in half-speed pickup games, he’s demonstrated not only a sound stroke, but the ability to pass, put the ball on the floor and take defenders off the dribble. He’s excited fans with the occasional head-turning acrobatic dunk on Twitter.
-- “I think I can be a mix of things,” he said, “because I do think I can handle the ball pretty well, and I think fans and people watching the game will be surprised how I can actually handle it and move. I think (my game) will be more of everything than just one specific thing, or just standing in the corner shooting 3s.”
-- It hasn’t had a guy quite like Planutis, however … at least on paper. Here’s a 6-foot-8 face up player who can shoot, create for others and could wind up being one of this team’s better ball-handlers. Making the jump from the low-major Northeast Conference, Planutis still has prove himself at the A-10 level, but the potential seems to be there.

And if his skill translates, he could bring a component even some of the strong Bona teams of the last five years haven’t had.

“I think I can be a mix of things,” he said, “because I do think I can handle the ball pretty well, and I think fans and people watching the game will be surprised how I can actually handle it and move. I think (my game) will be more of everything than just one specific thing, or just standing in the corner shooting 3s.”

www.oleantimesherald.com/olean/planutis-eager-to-be-next-piece-in-bona-hoops-puzzle/article_195d5af9-f4e8-5f00-bb97-921430175a71.html

[kcSBU03]

I hope Ikpeze can be an impact player. If he is, we are that much tougher.

[ewenke13]

Aug 1, 2019 14:50:06 GMT -5 kcSBU03 said:

I hope Ikpeze can be an impact player. If he is, we are that much tougher.

When Ikpeze was forced into the A10 Championship game from Osun's foul trouble, he seemed poised and had several positive contributions.  I'm really hoping this off-season training let's him build off of that.

[sbu79]

Aug 2, 2019 7:53:46 GMT -5 ewenke13 said:

Aug 1, 2019 14:50:06 GMT -5 kcSBU03 said:

I hope Ikpeze can be an impact player. If he is, we are that much tougher.

When Ikpeze was forced into the A10 Championship game from Osun's foul trouble, he seemed poised and had several positive contributions.  I'm really hoping this off-season training let's him build off of that.

My observation over the past 2 years is that when he knows he has to play carefully and stay on the floor, he does quite well. When he is put in and feels like he has to make a splash, he more often does those stupid things that get him pulled quickly.

[Chuck]

Attached is JP's article "Unheralded Johnson eager to prove himself at D-I level." Following is a small part from the article.

"The Baltimore native was barely on the Division I radar coming out of New Town High School in 2017. Even after a successful two-year stint at Howard College (Texas), he held just one other D-I offer when he signed with Bona in March, according to verbalcommits.com, and that was from Prairie View A&M.

So, yes, perhaps more than anybody on this roster, Johnson will enter the 2019-20 season armed with the added motivation that he has something to prove. And he’s eager for the opportunity to do just that.

“Of course,” he said at Bona’s in-house Media Day Wednesday. “I definitely have a chip on my shoulder."

www.oleantimesherald.com/olean/unheralded-johnson-eager-to-prove-himself-at-d-i-level/article_d48881c8-867d-5847-b675-a4e588e70188.html

[Chuck]

Attached is JP's article "Motivated by strong finish, Welch hoping for even better second year." Following is a very impressive statement from Schmidt.

The Cheektowaga native came on offensively, reaching double figures in nine conference games, culminating with his 20-point, six-3-pointer outing against George Mason in the A-10 quarterfinals. More than that, though, he became better overall — a capable defender and good rebounder (he averaged 4.4 boards for the year) — a much more visceral player than when he arrived over the summer.

That’s what stood out to Schmidt about Welch’s Year 1, and that’s the baseline from where the 6-foot-5 guard will begin his second campaign.

“He’s smart,” Schmidt said. “In my 30 years of coaching, he’s probably in the top five of guys that I underestimated. I thought he was a guy that could just score the ball — he didn’t want to do anything else.

“But he has a really good feel both offensively and defensively. He has to get better in those areas, but he has a lot of pride. When he doesn’t do well, it really affects him, and he works at it. We’re expecting him to take that next step and become a really good player.”

www.oleantimesherald.com/olean/motivated-by-strong-finish-welch-hoping-for-even-better-second/article_447baed2-ce9a-596c-aa37-a5e1564a1701.html

[Chuck]

In JP's article "Motivated by strong finish, Welch hoping for even better second year" JP mentions following:

"Just four games in, however, he broke his toe on Day 1 in the Cayman Islands, forcing him to miss the next nine contests. That’s when his transformation from scholastic standout to Atlantic 10 player truly began.

“He sat out those nine games, and he learned,” coach Mark Schmidt said. “That’s what he needed. He needed to go through, look at what was going on, and he did. He came back and had a great year. If he didn’t get hurt, he maybe would have made (the All-Freshman team, as well.)”

www.oleantimesherald.com/olean/motivated-by-strong-finish-welch-hoping-for-even-better-second/article_447baed2-ce9a-596c-aa37-a5e1564a1701.html

How is this for an impressive "transformation?" Bonnies were 6-11, before what Schmidt called Dom's transformation. Returning to the starting lineup Bonnies lost a double overtime game to Dayton. After this loss Bonnies would finish 12-4 with Dom as a starter. Technically Dom didn't start senior night allowing Courtney, LaDarien and Nelson to start. Dom still played 33 minutes in the game.

Looking at the schedule, Dom's transformation might very well have been the key to the Bonnies strong finish.

www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/st-bonaventure/2019-gamelogs.html
www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/dominick-welch-1/gamelog/2019

[bona98]

Below is an article from the OTH today about the Brown and White:

www.oleantimesherald.com/olean/new-look-bonnies-get-another-opportunity-to-gel/article_06371d14-b3ce-504a-ac55-e529c171b505.html

[Chuck]

Attached is JP's article "Bona future seems bright after loss" Following are a few highlights from article.

Only four games into their career, their youngsters could still look like stars one day and freshmen again the next, and, right now, that’s simply an unavoidable aspect of the maturation process.

But here’s what that triumph — the program’s first in as many tries in Canada — also was, and might have been:

• An earlier-than-expected breakout performance for freshmen Justin Winston and AJ Vasquez, the latter of whom was named the Player of the Game, who combined for an impressive 39 points on 14-of-23 shooting.

• An indication that maybe these Bonnies won’t need quite as long to turn a corner as last year’s team, which endured that forgettable 4-10 start before finally beginning to put it all together.

• An early snapshot of what this team, with a little bit of seasoning and a return to full health, might look like come March.

And if there’s anything we learned from last year’s struggles, that last bullet point is really what it’s all about.

In the meantime, however, it’s become fascinating (again) to watch these young players begin to grow up … and wonder just how high the ceiling is collectively. And that’s particularly true of Winston.

The West Orange, N.J., native has gotten better with each passing game, going from an unused bench player against Ohio to, at times, the best player on the floor against the Scarlet Knights. You can see the natural ability that made him a four-star recruit out of prep school beginning to cascade.

www.oleantimesherald.com/sports/bona-future-seems-bright-after-win-over-rutgers/article_86870832-724c-5356-a921-81d011847530.html

[Chuck]

Attached is JP's article "Bona hoops fans divided on ‘more with less’ mantra." The source of this discourse? An oft-used five-word tweet from CBS analyst Jon Rothstein. “Mark Schmidt. MORE with LESS.” Following is from article.

-- FOR MOST, the sentiment behind the tweet is well-intentioned. To these fans, the message is complimentary, a commentary on the the high level of success that Schmidt continues to have in the A-10 despite the challenges he and the program face from a budget, facilities and location standpoint.
-- Division I men’s program (using the most recent public data, from 2016), Bona ranked No. 11 of 14 A-10 teams in basketball budget at $3,449,008, nearly $2.7 million less than No. 1 VCU and about $2.2 million behind fellow conference big boys Dayton and Saint Louis.
-- They’re the only team to have reached double-digit A-10 wins in each of the last five campaigns. Only Dayton and VCU have more total victories in that stretch.
-- That means Bona has been one of the best and most consistent teams in the conference despite a budget that, historically, has sat in the bottom third.

-- THERE ARE some, though, with whom Rothstein’s frequent tweet doesn’t sit well. This is a faction that can’t help but feel his view is condescending in tone and his message too closely associated with the “little engine that could” mentality that Bona has been attempting to shake.
-- The portrayal has always been that Schmidt “somehow” continues to be successful despite having unheralded, or lesser, players than his counterparts, so much so that in January of 2016, after the Bonnies knocked off a highly regarded Rhode Island team in the Reilly Center, URI coach Dan Hurley stated, “our highly touted guys didn’t give us enough against their hard-working, self-made guys.”
-- This mentality shrouds the fact that Schmidt has undeniably been able to recruit at a higher level of late — with a current roster that consists of a pair of prep school national champions (Kyle Lofton and Osun Osunniyi), Western New York’s all-time leading scorer (Dominick Welch) and a four-star recruit (Justin Winston) — and that Bona has, indeed, become an attractive destination for high-caliber talent.

-- And while Bona will always be a small school with limited resources, it’s a narrative that needs to go.
-- With an annual salary reportedly north of $900,000, Schmidt is now among the higher-compensated coaches in the conference.
-- Bona has one of the best fan followings in the league, currently ranking No. 6 in home attendance (4,178), with a road backing topped only by VCU and Dayton.
-- Then too, Bona is among the most watched teams in the A-10 from a national television standpoint.

www.oleantimesherald.com/olean/bona-hoops-fans-divided-on-more-with-less-mantra/article_7958bfb8-a910-5533-8818-109ae96a21cd.html

[Cassian]

Don't forget putting two players into the NBA - and maybe two or more in the near future. That is remarkable to me.

[Chuck]

Article from OTH "Stillman finishes season as national batting average leader." I did not see article on OTH website.

Brendyn Stillman
-- His .519 batting average leads the nation.
-- 1st year at Bona.
-- JUCO transfer from Herkimer CC.
-- Sophomore year was 2nd team All-American.
-- He is an outfielder from Waverly NY.

www.ncaa.com/stats/baseball/d1
gobonnies.sbu.edu/sports/m-basebl/2019-20/bios/stillman_brendyn_o11w
www.oleantimesherald.com/sports/st_bonaventure/

[wgt]

CONGRATS TO BRENDYN STILLMAN on his remarkable achievement.

We have so many fine Bona athletes that don't receive the attention received by the men's basketball players. They work hard and represent Bona well in their sport.

Here is a message from AD Tim Kenny

gobonnies.sbu.edu/general/2019-20/releases/20200401ho4qdd

[Chuck]

Attached is OTH article "A shot, a win, then What if?" Coronavirus has ended a very successful season for the Olean boys high school team. Olean defeated Allegany to win the section 6B title. It is the 2nd year in a row Olean and Allegany met for section 6B championship game. Season ended with Olean to face Geneva with winner going to NYS final 4.

The most impressive part is this was completely unexpected. Western New York's all-time wins leader, Coach Jeff Anastasia stepped down after leading Huskies to final 4. 13 year assistant Tim Kolasinski took over a team that graduated its top 8 players. Huskies started out 6-5 then won 13 of their last 14 games.

When it came time for the playoffs, a person who covers high school basketball told me no one wanted to play the Huskies. Huskies were a low seed and barely made the playoffs. In attached article "It was amazing, we had those first four playoffs games, I think we won by an average of 28 points a game, which was incredible,” Kolasinski said.

It was a very special season for the Huskies, because it was not expected.

www.oleantimesherald.com/olean/wilson-a-shot-a-win-then-what-if/article_1adcabc7-3743-59b7-a4d4-ec44a4c0f4ee.html

[ohs73]

Very proud of Coach Kolasinski and the Huskies. A remarkable late season surge capped by that ice-blue 3 by Covi James that beat a good A-L quintet.