By Jonathan Sawyer
Sports Editor
The St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team is looking to enhance defense as the season goes forward.
Junior guard Idris Taqqee said the team needs to focus on being more efficient on both sides of the ball.
“I think personally, as a team, we have to focus on one thing and that’s the defensive end. Winning on the boards and playing defense as good as we can, that is what has got us the Ws in the past,” Taqqee said.
When coming into practice, Taqqee said his team needs to play as if practice is a game.
“I think we have to play game speed in practice; that’s one thing we have been talking to the young guys [about] is making sure we play every possession,” Taqqee said. “[There] was some times where we lacked on Saturday night against Saint Francis, but that’s one thing you have [to] keep pushing every possession because now we are up against guys who are bigger and stronger.”
Taqqee said this is one of the closest teams he’s been a part of.
“I feel like on the court, we are still getting there. It’s all progressive in one game at a time,” Taqqee said.
Head coach Mark Schmidt said the way the Bonnies play isn’t going to change, no matter who they are up against.
“We play our style; we aren’t going to change how we play,” Schmidt said. “We have to continue to get better. We are not nearly where we need to be, especially defensively, but we aren’t going to change how we play no matter who we have, and I think the guys that we have are very similar to the guys in the past.”
Schmidt said experience is vitally important to win big games.
“You learn how to win by winning. Three or four of these guys have been out on the floor in tight situations where they have to make plays,” Schmidt said. “Experience is critical; we don’t have a lot of guys. We have three guys with a lot of experience, and hopefully we can rely on those guys to pull the other guys through.”
Schmidt said that the team needs its leaders to show up night in and night out for them to have success.
“In order to win, your veteran guys have to play well, no matter who you play: Saint Francis, Florida or whoever we have after that,” Schmidt said. “Our veteran guys have to play well for us to have success. Jay, Denzel and Idris have to be good players for us to have any success against anybody.”
Looking at his team overall, Schmidt believes the team needs improving everywhere.
“We have to get better in all facets. No team in the country is where they need to be,” Schmidt said. “We need to get more efficient offensively, better defensively on the ball, better job rebounding the ball. Our roles are still being defined, kids still have to figure out what they are doing. There is a load of things that we need to do to get better in all phases.”
Schmidt explained each part of the game that the Bonnies need improving and what specific aspects they need to change.
“The offensive game we need to share the ball more, taking care of the ball better,” Schmidt said. “Defensively, getting back in transition, keep the ball in front of us. Rebounding the ball on both ends and guys understanding what role they have to do for them to be successful.”
The Bonnies will head to Austin, Texas, next week as they will play three games apart of the H-E-B Center Lone Star Showcase. On Monday the Bonnies will take on Arkansas-Little Rock, Tuesday they face Central Michigan and Wednesday they will take on Pepperdine.
sawyerjp15@bonaventure.edu
