BY TOM SEIPP, MANAGING EDITOR.
Mark Schmidt isn’t known for his fast starts as head coach of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. For the first time in seven years, his group is 2-0 to kick off their 2020-21 campaign.
But, after the usual 12 non-conference games, Schmidt’s team is normally set to kick things into high gear as they enter Atlantic 10 Conference play. This year, he doesn’t have nearly as much time.
With six games being canceled due to COVID-19 already, the Bonnies were left with just two non-conference games: the MAC’s Akron Zips and the Colonial’s Hofstra Pride. The two are ranked 124 and 140 respectively in KenPom.
“It’s great to be 2-0, we beat two very good teams, but I wish we had seven, eight more games under our belt so we can have a better feel for what we have,” Schmidt said on Tuesday.
Under Schmidt’s leadership, it takes his staff multiple games to find a set rotation he prefers to use. What he uses at the beginning of the season is typically not what he keeps as time goes on.
For example, Bobby Planutis started the Bonnies first three games in the 2019-20 season. He quickly fell out of the rotation, his minutes suffered drastically and transferred.
This time, Schmidt will have to expedite his rotation fixture as the Bonnies open up conference play in Rhode Island just three games into the season.
“You want the non-conference to be a time where you can work out the kinks, find out rotations, and what works and doesn’t work. We haven’t had an opportunity to do that,” Schmidt said. “It’s a little tough going into conference [play] only playing two games, but that’s how it is. It’s a crazy year, we just have to adapt to it and do the best job we can.”
Schmidt continues to express the hope that he will be able to even out playing time to not pressure his starting group to play the majority of the game. Kyle Lofton, who averaged the most minutes-per-game in all of college basketball a season ago, is already at 36.5 MPG between his first two games.
A piece that will help bolster the guard play for St. Bonaventure will be the addition of Anthony Roberts, the Kent State transfer who missed the first two games due to recovery from COVID-19.
Roberts averaged 12.7 points-per-game on 44% shooting a year ago. His assists numbers are incredibly low for a point guard, but the hope is he can provide depth to allow Lofton more time to recover on the bench during games.
The depth is important, especially for a team that has nine juniors. This group has been here before.
“Hopefully the minutes won’t be as many as they usually play, who knows, but we’re lucky to have those veteran guys that have been there and understand how difficult the Atlantic 10 is,” Schmidt said.
Even with the Bonnies schedule opening up with Rhode Island (sixth in A-10 preseason ranking) and Richmond (first in A-10 preseason ranking), Schmidt vows to not be fixated on the opening weekend when assessing the team long term.
“No. It’s way too early,” Schmidt said when asked if the first two conference games would ‘tell them a lot on where the team stands.’ “Usually, you’re able to tell how you’re going to do in the non-conference after your seventh or eighth game… I really don’t know what we have.”
The Bonnies will open their Atlantic-10 Conference slate Wednesday at the University of Rhode Island at 4 p.m. on ESPN+. In January, Rhode Island beat an Osun Osunniyi-less Bonnie team at the Reilly Center, 81-75.
