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NCAA Basketball: 5 mid-major players who should be on your radar in 2021-22

By Caleb Hightower

Dec 29, 2018; Syracuse, NY, USA; St. Bonaventure Bonnies guard Kyle Lofton (0) drives to the basket against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2018; Syracuse, NY, USA; St. Bonaventure Bonnies guard Kyle Lofton (0) drives to the basket against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball St. Bonaventure Bonnies Kyle Lofton Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Basketball St. Bonaventure Bonnies Kyle Lofton Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports /

Kyle Lofton | Guard | 6’3″ | Senior

2020-21 stats: 14.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game

After capturing the Atlantic 10 Tournament crown last season, St. Bonaventure was able to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. Multiple players were able to contribute to the Bonnies’ success in 2020-21, but you can’t have a productive conversation about the Bonnies without mentioning Kyle Lofton.

Scoring-wise, Lofton didn’t make a huge jump from his sophomore year to his junior year, but he managed to keep his PPG average above 14 and net 15+ points on 10 different occasions. The 6’3″ senior guard can get the job done in a variety of ways, but he does the bulk of his damage in the pick-and-roll. If you are familiar with some of my work at Busting Brackets, you should know that I have broken down several guards who frequently execute a technique that helps them create scoring opportunities for themselves at the basket.

That technique includes stopping around the free throw line area, using your off-hand and body to keep your defenders behind you while you dribble in place, and then exploding to the rim in one fluid motion. Instead of dribbling in place around the free throw line area and exploding to the rim in one fluid motion, however, Lofton likes to slowly inch closer toward the bucket as his defenders are left hopeless on his back. Before Lofton knows it, he is in the perfect position to toss up 6-8 foot runners in the paint.

As it relates to Lofton’s passing ability in pick-and-roll situations, his remarkable chemistry with the Bonnies’ elite shot-blocker, Osun Osunniyi, allows him to find the 6’10” big man for easy layups and dunks around the rim. Lofton’s pick-and-roll partnership with Osunniyi reminds me a lot of the pick-and-roll partnership that Jalen Crutcher and Obi Toppin had at Dayton. Like Crutcher, Lofton understands the importance of placing the ball high for his big man in the paint, so that he (Osunniyi) simply has to turn, refrain from bringing the ball down, and rise up immediately.

I don’t think that it would be in my best interest to call Lofton a “speed demon” in transition, but because he can sense when a defender has eased up or directed their attention to an off-ball player, he is able to get to where he wants to go on the floor 9 times out of 10. His three-point percentage did drop to 24.0% in 2020-21, but I didn’t spot any glaring issues with his shooting mechanics during his junior season, which is why I’m optimistic that he’ll get back on track from beyond the arc this year. If St. Bonaventure wishes to take the next step as a program in 2021-22, Lofton will need to be spectacular for the Bonnies all season long.

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