NCAA Basketball: Top 25 team backcourts for 2021-22 season
By Ian Mumm
No. 23 – St. Bonaventure Bonnies
The Bonnies smoothly traversed the 2020 season, despite a reduced season schedule, on their way to capturing the Atlantic-10 regular-season and conference tournament titles. Despite a first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament to LSU, St. Bonaventure proved themselves to be one of the best non-power 5 teams in the nation.
They were incredibly top-heavy in the scoring department and don’t have a vastly different roster this season, but the good news is their top-4 guards all return for another year. The quartet of Kyle Lofton, Jaren Holmes, Jalen Adaway, and Dominick Welch is a very solid group, and the seniors have the experience to run it back next season for a shot at repeating their titles. Led by Lofton in the scoring department at 14.4 points per game, each returning guard averaged North of 11.4 PPG last season and were efficient shooters from the floor.
While these four guards will be leading the way again for St. Bonaventure, the backcourt did get a little deeper with the addition of Wake Forest transfer Quadry Adams. Last season was not a very fruitful experience for Adams, but he has many mentors on the Bonnies roster to grow his game and step up should the opportunity call for it.
Outside of their double-digit loss to the Tigers in the Field of 68, St. Bonaventure was a very tough out as a direct result of this group. The same will be expected this season and the Bonnies could very well play even more of a spoiler with the existing chemistry formed by the senior-laden backcourt.