On Nov. 5, every single seat in the Reilly Center should have someone sitting (or standing) in it.
On Nov. 5, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team takes to the floor, marking the 100th season of St. Bonaventure basketball and second season of the greatest trio of players in program history.
No, you did not read that last line incorrectly; the 2019-20 Bonnies are a dynasty in the making.
The dynasty rising begins with team’s big three, leader and distributor Kyle Lofton, sharpshooter Dominick Welch and defensive menace Osun Osunniyi.
The point guard, Lofton, is coming off of a freshman season in which he was named to the Atlantic 10 all-rookie and all-tournament teams and ranked No. 14 in the Atlantic 10 in scoring. But what stands out most amongst all the statistics and awards is his ability to win, and the fact that he will do whatever it takes.
In the 2018-19 season Lofton averaged 37 minutes per game, including 12 games in which he played a full 40 minutes and two separate occasions in which he played 50 minutes.
In one of his 40 minute performances last season, against La Salle, Lofton hit the game winner to propel the team to a 62-60 victory.
“I play within the flow of the game,” said Lofton. “and when the big shots come, I have to make them.”
Lofton is a special player with the heart and drive to do whatever it takes, and also the skill to excel even when he plays 40 minutes a game.
The shooter of the trio is Welch. A dominant scorer in high school, Welch is only scratching the surface of his potential.
Welch played 29 minutes a game for the Bonnies and led the team with 43 three pointers on 36% shooting. A 30-point-per-game scorer in high school, Welch began to show what his potential holds in the Atlantic 10 tournament. Over the three A10 Tournament games he averaged 12 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 10-25 from three-point range.
In the Atlantic 10 tournament, Welch displayed his scoring prowess and his all around talent, which could make him a potential top-five scorer in the Atlantic 10.
Like the 2007 Boston Celtics big three, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen needed a defensive stopper in Kevin Garnett. In the 2019-20 Bonnies case, Lofton and Welch have Osunniyi.
In 2018-19, Osunniyi established himself as not only a premier defender among freshman but one of the five best defenders in the Atlantic 10, being named to the Atlantic 10’s all-defensive team and ranking first in the NCAA in blocks among freshman and sixth overall, with 2.6 per game.
Osunniyi also dictates control on the boards averaging 7.6 rebounds per game, including one game in which he grabbed 22 rebounds in win at Duquesne, 11 offensive and 11 defensive. The most rebounds by any A-10 player in the 2018-19 season, the most by a St. Bonaventure player since Andrew Nicholson grabbed 23 against Duquesne in 2012.
With a wingspan of 7’8” and only being a sophomore top ten in the country in blocks, Osunniyi brings to the table talent and potential that is rare.
Lofton, Welch and Osunniyi are a part of a long line of talent St. Bonaventure basketball has seen throughout the years, from Bob Lanier to the Stith brothers to Jaylen Adams. But never has St. Bonaventure seen a collection of talent with as much potential as the big three of 2019-20 men’s basketball Bonnies.
By John Pullano, Sports Editor
pullanjj18@bonaventure.edu
