By Taylor Nigrelli
Sports Assignment Editor
Fordham’s freshman guard Mandell Thomas wore a relieved smile throughout the post-game press conference after defeating the Bonnies Saturday.
One couldn’t blame him for being pleased; he had just scored 22 points, including a three-pointer to seal the Rams’ first win in six weeks in front of roughly 50 family members and friends. His smile faded a bit when he was asked if he was ever recruited by St. Bonaventure.
“Not really,” Thomas said. “I came up here for a game a couple years ago, and they told me it wasn’t going to work out. That was definitely a good motivator today.”
Schmidt shouldn’t be blamed for overlooking one prospect, as it’s not clear they could have landed him even if they tried. But Saturday, Thomas was a living, breathing, scoring embodiment of the Brown and White faithful’s collective fear: that recruiting blunders have doomed the Bonnies’ future.
It’s no secret that Demitrius Conger, Eric Mosley, Chris Johnson and Michael Davenport walked off the court Saturday for the last time and took a large chunk — 59 percent — of the team’s scoring total this season with them.
Of course, it’s not uncommon for college basketball teams to lose most of their contributors and roll along unharmed. But a look to the rest of the roster inspires little hope for making up for the scoring prowess of this quartet.
Junior Charlon Kloof has always been a solid defender, but has failed to be much of a scoring threat in his first three seasons. Sophomore Jordan Gathers and junior Matt Wright displayed offensive potential in a few games but were also maddeningly inconsistent. Sophomore Youssou Ndoye didn’t make the strides he was expected to this season. One moment he’d powerfully block a shot or throw down a ferocious dunk, the next he’d unnecessarily foul someone or get bullied under the rim, allowing an offensive put-back.
None of this would be so worrisome if it weren’t for the great unknowns that encompass the freshman and recruiting classes. To this point, the Bonnies have not yet signed a recruit. This can be a problem for a Division I program hoping to compete in a tough conference.
Meanwhile, the 2012-13 season taught us very little about the potential of last year’s recruiting class. Dion Wright appeared in 13 games but averaged less than seven minutes per contest, and aside from a 15-point outburst against Charlotte, he was held to 21 total points on the season.
Jean Yves Toupane saw even less action. He played only 30 minutes spread across seven games in 2012-13. Seven-footer Matthias Runs was forced to sit out this year due to transfer rules. While his frame may be imposing, it’s tough to see him making an impact after missing an entire year of game action.
So where does all this leave the Bonnies? It’s hard to say with all the unknowns among Atlantic 10 teams. Sure, Temple is gone for certain and Xavier and Butler may too be gone, but the conference will still be plenty competitive next year.
It’s well-known in college basketball that anyone can beat anyone in a conference game. This is especially true if your team lacks scoring ability and is prone to being dominated in the paint. There’s no reason to think each player won’t improve before next season tips off. But it’d be hard to blame a Bonnies fan for being cynical about the future.
If the Bonnies weren’t even able to remain relevant in the A-10 this year, how will they be able to do so with all they’ve lost? Nothing is for certain, but dark times appear to be ahead for the Bonnies.
Taylor Nigrelli is the sports assignment editor for The Bona Venture. His email is nigreltn11@bonaventure.edu
