By Mike Hogan, Staff Writer
The hype and the tournament hopes of the Bonnies fans were at an all-time high after a overtime victory over the Syracuse Orange. It was the Bonnies first win against a Syracuse team since the 1981 season.
The Bonnies were the darlings of the NCAA in the eyes of many, as one of the smallest Division I schools located in Olean, New York was making noise on the national stage. and the team even received a few votes to be in the top twenty-five. All of the preseason hype was becoming reality. Then the Bonnies dropped four out of six games to start Atlantic 10 play, and suddenly a magical, fairytale start was overshadowed by a nightmarish and derailed beginning to conference play. Many fans threw in the towel on this team.
But then, the Bonnies went on a five-game winning streak. Is there life? Are the Bonnies making a run? First, there was the nail-biting win over St. Joseph’s thanks to a Courtney Stockard layup and a few defensive holds in the final seconds; then there was a twenty-four point performance from Matt Mobley in a convincing win over George Washington, which Mobley followed with a career day in a dismantling over George Mason with 35 points. Then, Jaylen Adams exploded and hit a three in the final seconds to secure an 84-81 win over Duquense with 40 points. Adams topped himself Wednesday night, scoring 44 points thanks to a school-record 10 three-pointers against Saint Louis. There is certainly life left for the Bonnies, and with four home games left in their final seven games, damage could be done.
The fans certainly believe that the Bonnies have a pulse, and oppotunities remain for the team to strengthen its tournament résumé.
Shawn Hogan, `74, has been a Bonaventure fan for years and currently owns season tickets. While he once thought there was little hope to reach the tournament, he said has quickly realized that the Bonnies are prospering.
“I believe the Bonnies are well positioned at this stage,” said Hogan. “They have a lot of home games coming up in the next several weeks. If they can run the table at home and pick up one or two road wins, we could be golden.”
As Hogan has been around Bonnies basketball for a very long time, he has learned to keep the faith.
“Never count this team out; they have great talent,” said Hogan. “Most importantly, they have the heart and will to win.”
While hearing from older fans and alumnus is great, seeing what students getting their first taste of Bonnies basketball adds a different perspective. Freshmen journalism Sean Mickey adds some insight on the season so far,and what needs to happen for the Bonnies to reach their ultimate goal of the NCAA tournament.
“This Bonnies season has had its ups and downs, but the one thing they lack is leadership,” said Mickey. “If they want to make a run down the stretch, they’ll need more of it. Aside from leadership, they are going to have to play stronger defense. The Bonnies aren’t going to win many games if they give up more than 80 points.”
While Mickey points out what he thinks the Bonnies need in order to be in the “big dance”, he also pointed to his favorite moment from this “up and down” season so far.
“If someone told me that Matt Mobley would score only three points against Vermont, and the Bonnies would walk away with the win, I would have called you crazy,” said Mickey. “Three points from Mobley at the buzzer was all it took to beat a very good Vermont team in Rochester.”
While Mickey sees the NCAA tournament as a distant possibility right now, he thinks a lot of work has to be done in order to get there. However, he does see the Bonnies playing in March either way.
“It’s very likely that the only way St. Bonaventure gets an at-large into the NCAA tournament is by finishing 7-1 or better in the rest of the regular season slate, and by winning a pair in the A10 tournament,” said Mickey. “As talented as this team is, the NIT is looking like the stronger possibility at this point.”
Another freshmen journalism major, Tommy Smith, jumped in on the conversation regarding the Bonnies tournament hopes. Much like Mickey, Smith also said that his tournament hopes for the Bonnies are still alive, but slim.
“I don’t see us making the tournament without making it to the A10 championship game,” said Smith. “We also need to win on the road in games like VCU and also defend our home court in our upcoming home game against Rhode Island. I don’t see us having any more room for error. The only loss that is affordable is Rhode Island.”
Smith stated that while the year has been a roller coaster, there certainly hasn’t been a shortage of great moments.
“My favorite moment of the season was the win over Syracuse,” said Smith. “It just meant so much to the program, and it was great coming from a family full of Syracuse fans.”
While the Bonnies have work to do to make it to the NCAA tournament, it is obvious that fans believe there is still time to make one last push in the final stretch of the season.
