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St. Bonaventure Basketball: Keys for the Bonnies against UCLA

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 15: The St. Bonaventure Bonnies cheerleaders perform in the game against the Saint Joseph's Hawks during the Semifinals of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 15, 2014 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 15: The St. Bonaventure Bonnies cheerleaders perform in the game against the Saint Joseph's Hawks during the Semifinals of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 15, 2014 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /
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SYRACUSE, NY – NOVEMBER 17: Head coach Mark Schmidt of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies reacts to game action against the Syracuse Orange during the first half on November 17, 2015 at The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY – NOVEMBER 17: Head coach Mark Schmidt of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies reacts to game action against the Syracuse Orange during the first half on November 17, 2015 at The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Will Stockard play and how effective can he be?

After Adams and Mobley, nobody has played a bigger role in St. Bonaventure’s success this season than Courtney Stockard. The third wheel to the backcourts outrageous scoring, Stockard does a little bit of everything for the Bonnies. Or should I use did? According to head coach Mark Schmidt, Stockard remains a game-time decision for the First Four game against UCLA.

As reported by J.P. Butler, Schmidt had this to say about the junior’s status: “Hopefully we can have him play. It will be a game-time decision, but hopefully he’ll be out there and he’ll be 100 percent and he can help us. We play much better when he’s out there and he’s playing healthy. Hopefully we’ll have him.”

Stockard was seen heading onto the practice court with his teammates prior to the First Four but his status clearly remains up in the air:

Over the last four games prior to his injury, Stockard was playing his best basketball of the season. Even if the sample size is small, his averages of 23.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game were remarkable. This is, of course, without mentioning his shooting percentages of 62.2% inside the arc and 55.6% from behind it.

All other factors equal, Stockard could be the difference maker in this game. If he is healthy and ready to go, I like the Bonnies to come out on top. If he is missing from the rotation or thrown completely off his game by the injury, then it may take a herculean effort from Mobley/Adams to take down UCLA.

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