Post by FriendsofAN44 on Jun 22, 2005 15:39:51 GMT -5
Maybe Zwierlein was right about Bonnies being back
06/22/2005
Column: PEZZIMENTI
A little more than three months ago the St. Bonaventure basketball program offered little to be encouraged about and plenty to be desired.
The date was March 9 and Dayton had just finished waxing the Bonnies in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Afterward, Athletic director Ron Zwierlein shook hand after hand of fellow high ranking athletic department officials from around the conference.
Zwierlein’s remark and scowl was all the same. “We’ll be back,” he said after each handshake.
It would have been easy to dismiss him. As a matter of fact, I did. Were we both watching the same bad basketball (28 games worth)? Or was I missing the fact that Bona won all of two times and was rarely competitive in the loses?
We’ll be back. Yeah, in the same time it took to construct The Great Wall of China.
The cupboard was bare and the one recruit coach Anthony Solomon had inked for the following season didn’t even start for his high school team.
Three months later there is reason to be encouraged but still plenty to be desired. Then again, the desire will be around for awhile ... or at least until the eight new pieces of Bona’s puzzle fit in with the established talent already on the roster.
The season opener may be five months away, but it never hurts to look ahead ... especially on the heels of the program’s worst on-court mark ever.
Seven of the eight new additions to the roster (five of which came in the spring signing period) are unknowns. Even though the known, Tyler Relph, may face game suspensions due to pending drunken driving charges, the highly-prized transfer from West Virginia is a sure-fire starter.
The only other starting lineup shoo-in is A-10 Third Team selection Ahmad Smith. In the midst of last season, Solomon said he would like to utilize the 6-5 Smith — who can and has played four positions on the floor — at the off-guard spot.
That would leave Relph, who can play either guard position, to the run the point. Or Solomon could institute an interchangeable backcourt being that Smith, a point guard in high school, has proven to be a capable lead guard.
While Smith and Relph will command many minutes, Isiah Carson and Terron Diggs should provide solid, yet unexceptional depth. Carson earned 18 starts as a freshman last season and Diggs was a proven floor leader at the junior college level.
Who will fill the small forward role is anybody’s guess. Based on the conclusion of last season, the front runner is sophomore Michael Lee. The lanky Lee, who mostly played power forward as a freshman but was often overmatched physically, averaged 17 points over the final three contests.
The potential of Patrick Lottin lurks in the background, however. At 6-7, Lottin is easily the most athletic Bonnie. The senior is accurate from the perimeter, can effortlessly get to the rim and can provide admirable rebounding and defense if motivated.
All this and Lottin has only been healthy one year, his freshman season (2001-02). Lottin, who was selected preseason all-conference last year despite being just five months removed from major knee surgery, has bounced back from a pair of career threatening injuries (torn Achilles, torn ACL) over the past two seasons to average 13 and 11 points, respectively. A clean bill of health and finally a full summer and preseason of workouts could mean three wins for the Bonnies.
Others in the running include Wade Dunston, who was second on the team in scoring last season at 12 points a game, and raw but athletic freshman A.J. Hawkins.
Four players will be in the mix for the two starting post positions.
Based on his reputation as an aggressive and natural rebounder and the Bonnies’ rebounding struggles, junior college transfer Andre Smith will most likely play big minutes. The other spot will come down to a pair of 6-11s, Siena transfer Paul Williams and juco transfer Ivan Kovacevic.
David Fox, deemed a project after two seasons at Mercyhurst North East, will battle for playing time and Lottin and Lee may be used to institute a small, quick lineup. Either way, the Bonnies have clearly upgraded from the Saulius Dumbliauskas-Yankuba Camara combination of the last two seasons.
Solomon has said he hasn’t ruled utilizing a red shirt, however. It may go to freshman swingman Tyler Benson or Fox. The 6-7 Benson improved his stock by spending a year at military school but the Bonnies are loaded at the swing position.
After two seasons of depleted rosters due in most part to the Jamil Terrell eligibility scandal of 2003, Bona finally has depth, even though the depth is based on nothing more than potential.
But at least there’s potential for that “We’ll be back” comment to ring true.
(Vinny Pezzimenti is a sports writer for The Times Herald)
06/22/2005
Column: PEZZIMENTI
A little more than three months ago the St. Bonaventure basketball program offered little to be encouraged about and plenty to be desired.
The date was March 9 and Dayton had just finished waxing the Bonnies in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Afterward, Athletic director Ron Zwierlein shook hand after hand of fellow high ranking athletic department officials from around the conference.
Zwierlein’s remark and scowl was all the same. “We’ll be back,” he said after each handshake.
It would have been easy to dismiss him. As a matter of fact, I did. Were we both watching the same bad basketball (28 games worth)? Or was I missing the fact that Bona won all of two times and was rarely competitive in the loses?
We’ll be back. Yeah, in the same time it took to construct The Great Wall of China.
The cupboard was bare and the one recruit coach Anthony Solomon had inked for the following season didn’t even start for his high school team.
Three months later there is reason to be encouraged but still plenty to be desired. Then again, the desire will be around for awhile ... or at least until the eight new pieces of Bona’s puzzle fit in with the established talent already on the roster.
The season opener may be five months away, but it never hurts to look ahead ... especially on the heels of the program’s worst on-court mark ever.
Seven of the eight new additions to the roster (five of which came in the spring signing period) are unknowns. Even though the known, Tyler Relph, may face game suspensions due to pending drunken driving charges, the highly-prized transfer from West Virginia is a sure-fire starter.
The only other starting lineup shoo-in is A-10 Third Team selection Ahmad Smith. In the midst of last season, Solomon said he would like to utilize the 6-5 Smith — who can and has played four positions on the floor — at the off-guard spot.
That would leave Relph, who can play either guard position, to the run the point. Or Solomon could institute an interchangeable backcourt being that Smith, a point guard in high school, has proven to be a capable lead guard.
While Smith and Relph will command many minutes, Isiah Carson and Terron Diggs should provide solid, yet unexceptional depth. Carson earned 18 starts as a freshman last season and Diggs was a proven floor leader at the junior college level.
Who will fill the small forward role is anybody’s guess. Based on the conclusion of last season, the front runner is sophomore Michael Lee. The lanky Lee, who mostly played power forward as a freshman but was often overmatched physically, averaged 17 points over the final three contests.
The potential of Patrick Lottin lurks in the background, however. At 6-7, Lottin is easily the most athletic Bonnie. The senior is accurate from the perimeter, can effortlessly get to the rim and can provide admirable rebounding and defense if motivated.
All this and Lottin has only been healthy one year, his freshman season (2001-02). Lottin, who was selected preseason all-conference last year despite being just five months removed from major knee surgery, has bounced back from a pair of career threatening injuries (torn Achilles, torn ACL) over the past two seasons to average 13 and 11 points, respectively. A clean bill of health and finally a full summer and preseason of workouts could mean three wins for the Bonnies.
Others in the running include Wade Dunston, who was second on the team in scoring last season at 12 points a game, and raw but athletic freshman A.J. Hawkins.
Four players will be in the mix for the two starting post positions.
Based on his reputation as an aggressive and natural rebounder and the Bonnies’ rebounding struggles, junior college transfer Andre Smith will most likely play big minutes. The other spot will come down to a pair of 6-11s, Siena transfer Paul Williams and juco transfer Ivan Kovacevic.
David Fox, deemed a project after two seasons at Mercyhurst North East, will battle for playing time and Lottin and Lee may be used to institute a small, quick lineup. Either way, the Bonnies have clearly upgraded from the Saulius Dumbliauskas-Yankuba Camara combination of the last two seasons.
Solomon has said he hasn’t ruled utilizing a red shirt, however. It may go to freshman swingman Tyler Benson or Fox. The 6-7 Benson improved his stock by spending a year at military school but the Bonnies are loaded at the swing position.
After two seasons of depleted rosters due in most part to the Jamil Terrell eligibility scandal of 2003, Bona finally has depth, even though the depth is based on nothing more than potential.
But at least there’s potential for that “We’ll be back” comment to ring true.
(Vinny Pezzimenti is a sports writer for The Times Herald)
