By Anthony Gannon
Sports Editor
The annual release of the men’s basketball schedule typically brings the excitement of a new season and the anticipation of seeing the Bonnies hit Bob Lanier court against notable non-conference opponents. This year, the sheer velocity of the approaching season is enough to drive Bonaventure fans crazy waiting for the opportunity to cheer on the defending Atlantic 10 Champions.
Outside of the regular fixtures in the Bonnies’ non-conference schedule in Buffalo, Canisius, Niagara and Siena, the Bonnies enter the arena this season against recent opponents Arkansas State, Cleveland State, Cornell, Ohio and last year’s final shot loss to victor North Carolina State. The Bonnies face a cornucopia of opponents picked to prepare the team for success this year and in the future.
“Last year was a great team, obviously,” said Jason MacBain, sports information director. “A lot of the teams on this year’s schedule were games we had already had in place. This year, the teams we’ve got lined up are not the Syracuses and the Connecticuts, but they are quality competition.”
Four of the Bonnies’ non-conference opponents reached the NCAA Tournament along with St. Bonaventure last season.
“Part of the reason behind the scheduling is that a lot of the more known names on our schedule are RPI boosters,” MacBain said. “A lot of these teams have top-100 RPIs. Every victory is important and this year there are a lot of chances to increase our tournament chances with some big wins.”
The Bonnies’ non-conference schedule is certain to entice pandemonium inside the Reilly Center, but when the weather turns, the Bonnies will play five conference games on Regional CBS stations against Temple, Saint Louis, Butler, Massachusetts and Dayton.
“VCU, Xavier, Temple and Butler are four teams we’re really looking forward to playing this year,” MacBain said. “There’s no reason those four teams couldn’t make the NCAA Tournament. There are a lot of rivalry games lined up and we’re traveling to Arkansas State, so it would be nice to take one from them on their home court after what happened last year.”
The Red Wolves overcame a 13-point halftime hole to top the Bonnies in the Reilly Center 58-52.
“We’re really looking forward to the competition on the schedule and what we can do against those teams,” Redshirt senior guard Michael Davenport said. “We’ve got an opportunity this year and the schedule is set up well for us to succeed.”
The quality competition is drawing the interest of fans already.
“VCU and Xavier in the Reilly Center?” said senior journalism major Waheed Ameen. “Those games are going to be crazy.”
Trying to repeat as conference champion is usually difficult enough as it is. With the addition of VCU and Butler to the A-10, repeating is now an even larger challenge.
“VCU and Butler were teams that we knew right away we’re going to have games with,” Davenport said. “They’re teams that have seen great success the last few seasons so it will be interesting to see what we bring to the table against them and also what they bring against us.”
The Bonnies’ early season setup looks favorable for Bonaventure.
“Teams lose players every year, and several of the teams we’re playing don’t look as if they’ll be as good as they were last year,” Davenport said. “Seasons are tough so part of it will be seeing how we respond throughout. If we lose some games, how do we respond if we’re hearing about how the team would have won or done things differently if Andrew was here? We’ll hear that even if we win games. It will be good to see how we respond.”
The game against Colorado State provides the Bonnies with a chance to recruit in a distant market and spread the word of Bonnies basketball farther west.
“Colorado State is the farthest, I think, we’ve traveled,” Davenport said. “That’s another game with a lot of factors like travel and playing in Colorado. We’ll be up for it. It’s exciting for the whole team.”
