St. Bonaventure Bonnies Basketball Season Preview
The college hoops season is right around the corner, and Busting Brackets is here to whet your basketball-starved appetite. Over the next five weeks, we are publishing season previews team by team, conference by conference, to offer a glimpse into the upcoming season. Busting Brackets is giving you the lowdown on the biggest storylines, offseason changes and x-factors for each team and each league as we roll into the 2012-13 season. Our complete season preview archive can be accessed here. Buckle up, peeps.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
| Last Season | 20-12 (10-6 A-10) Won A-10 tournament Lost to Florida State in second round of NCAA tournament |
| Key Returning Players: | Demetrius Conger, G/F Eric Mosley, G Matthew Wright, G Charlon Kloof, G Chris Johnson, G/F Michael Davenport, G |
| Key Additions: | Jean Yves Toupane, F (Lee Academy) Dion Wright, F (Mayfair HS) |
| Key Losses: | Andrew Nicholson, F Da’Quan Cook, F |
| Top Non-Conference Games: | Nov. 28 @ Ohio Dec. 15 vs. Cleveland State Dec. 22 @ NC State Dec. 31 vs. Iona Jan. 5 @ Colorado State |
| Top Conference Games: | Jan. 12 vs. VCU Jan. 16 vs. Xavier Jan. 23 @ Saint Joseph’s Jan. 26 vs. Saint Louis Feb. 6 @ Butler Feb. 13 vs. La Salle Feb. 20 vs. UMass |
| Breakout Player: | Demetrius Conger. Reigning A-10 player of the year Andrew Nicholson stole the show last season, but his running mate Demetrius Conger was no slouch. With Nicholson gone, Robin will now have to play the role of Batman as the Bonnies search for a reliable No. 1 option heading into a formidable A-10 season. Conger won’t be Nicholson good, and the team isn’t expecting as much. But the senior does have the opportunity to be a top-flight player in a league rife with talent. Bonaventure’s frontcourt is barren next season, so Conger, a swingman, will see a lot of time at the 3 and 4. If you’re scouting for talent on the Bonnies postmortem the Nicholson era, don’t lose sight of #11. You’ll be impressed by the breadth of his game. He’s an efficient scorer who can spot the open man, rebounds well for his position and gets after it on defense. |
| X-Factor: | Frontcourt play minus Andrew Nicholson. The A-10 player of the year is not the only key frontcourt asset St. Bonaventure will be without. Fellow frontcourt starter Da’Quan Cook leaves the Bonnies fishing for interim solutions down low. Mark Schmidt’s team will be backcourt heavy next season, returning all key guards including Michael Davenport, who missed the final 24 games of last season due to a shoulder injury. Inside, the Bonnies will turn to Conger and Chris Johnson, natural swingmen who will be asked to play the 3 and 4 in what figures to be a very small starting lineup for coach Schmidt. Rising sophomore center Yousoo Ndoye should see a greater workload in his second season out of necessity, especially during league play, where size is critical. The 6-foot-11 project from Senegal has upside, but his game remains very raw. Ndoye will likely have a baptism by fire given the frontcourt attrition facing St. Bonaventure this year. Freshman forward Jean Yves Toupane, the more touted of the two offseason additions, could see significant action at the 3 and 4 as well. |
| Best Case: | Depth in the backcourt proves big for the Bonnies, who pull out several late games thanks to strong play from their experienced guards. Conger has a breakout senior season that puts his name in the discussion for second team all-conference honors. Davenport returns from injury and stabilizes a backcourt that is poised to have five viable options as part of its rotation next season. Ndoye is ready much earlier than expected and he begins to scratch the surface on his potential. At worst, he’s a stalwart on the defensive end who alters shots and commands the glass. The Bonnies capitalize on a relatively light non-conference schedule and storm into league play with momentum. Since most of the team’s toughest intra-league games are at home, St. Bonaventure is able to pull off a few marquee upset wins that look far-fetched on paper. The Bonnies, without Nicholson, give their fans something to be proud of, capped off by a win on senior night vs. Fordham. St. Bonaventure falls short of any postseason opportunities—it took a memorable run in the conference tournament just to qualify last year, and that was with Nicholson—but several notable wins at home render the season a success. |
| Worst Case: | The backcourt depth is all St. Bonaventure has on its side in 2012-13. The frontcourt is a mess, and Conger flounders in his new leadership role. Ndoye is still not ready, and after a disappointing sophomore campaign in which he spends most of his time on the bench, the coaching staff begins to wonder if he’ll ever put it together. The impact of Nicholson’s absence is obvious, but the loss of Cook proves to be bigger than expected. An undersized Bonnies squad is bullied on the boards and dominated inside during league competition. With tons of top-notch A-10 opponents traveling to the Reilly Center, Bonnies fans witness a whole lot of losing in person. Following the jubilation of making the NCAA tournament last season, St. Bonaventure has a nasty hangover in its A-10 title defense. The Bonnies are mired at the bottom of the barrel, jostling with Rhode Island, Duquesne and Fordham to avoid last place. |
| Projected Finish: | 13-16 (6-10 Atlantic-10) Lose in first round of A-10 tournament |