BY JONNY WALKER, STAFF WRITER
Claire Cody, a redshirt sophomore on the women’s basketball team, is St. Bonaventure University’s latest scholarship athlete.
Bonaventure head coach Jesse Fleming surprised Cody with the news Saturday after practice in front of the team.
“It was honestly so unexpected,” said Cody. “It was crazy … The team went crazy. No one knew, and they just surrounded me and started pushing me. It was like when you win—like a game-winning shot—is kind of how it felt. Everybody was just so happy for me.”
The announcement affirmed Cody’s decision to pursue basketball at the Division I level. In high school, the 5-foot-11 forward received Division I interest, but an injury during her sophomore year set her back in the recruiting process. Before the fall of her freshman year of college, Cody committed to Southern New Hampshire University, a Division II school.
“It wasn’t the right fit,” said Cody. “So, July of going into my freshman year of college—I didn’t even go to the school yet—I decided, ‘I want to come to Bonaventure.’”
Cody made the last-minute decision to switch schools for non-basketball reasons. She did not reach out to the Bonaventure coaching staff until—at the behest of her older brother, a Bonaventure alumnus—later that summer.
“I decided to come here for academics,” said Cody. “I got accepted. It was probably like August, I think. I emailed Coach Jesse [Fleming], and was like, ‘Hey, do you think I can walk onto the team?’”
Bonaventure’s head coach Fleming said he remembers that email.
“Claire was on a recruiting list,” said Fleming. “Claire was evaluated as probably a Division II level player. So, we knew about Claire. We knew her AAU coach.”
Fleming gave Cody an opportunity, allowing her to try out. She impressed in an individual session with the assistant coaches and in a pickup game with the team. Fleming offered Cody a spot on the roster.
“We were thrilled,” said Fleming. “We knew Claire was a college basketball player, and to have a college basketball player as your walk-on was just a really big deal for us.”
Making the team “was probably, besides being on scholarship, the best moment of my life,” said Cody.
Just a couple months later, Cody suffered a knee injury in practice that would soon require season-ending surgery. The COVID-19 pandemic hit before Cody could return, complicating her rehab.
“I feel like I’ve always had a very good work ethic,” said Cody. “I came back during COVID, so I didn’t even get the full rehab here. I had to go home. I had to rehab by myself … So, that was a lot—put a lot of effort in, kept my leg back, my knee back, so I wouldn’t tear it again.”
Cody has seen her role on the team expand over her three seasons as a Bonnie. After logging a combined 10 minutes of playing time between her first two seasons, Cody has already logged 12 minutes through eight games this season.
“My role, I knew coming in freshman year, was just to go out and practice—give people a good look, go 100% every single time,” said Cody. “I knew I was just there as a practice player to get
everybody better … I played a little bit more this year, which is awesome … I’m very happy with my role on the team right now. I’ve never played this much.”
Fleming hopes Cody continues to leave her mark on his team.
“Claire has just given us everything over the last three years,” said Fleming. “She works really hard—super positive. She’s a great representative of the program. That’s just a high-level character and a high level of an internally motivated individual, and just somebody with a lot of grit that has faced so much adversity and just keeps coming back.”
That resilience translates to the classroom, where Cody has earned a 3.9 cumulative GPA while double majoring in accounting and finance.
“I like to succeed,” said Cody. “I definitely push myself to be top level in everything.”
Despite her individual success, Cody was quick to credit her family’s support for making her achievements possible.
“I’ve never seen them that happy, when I told them that I was on scholarship, because my mom, dad and brother, Jack, they’ve been through it all with me,” said Cody. “They’ve been through all the ups, downs, tears—oh, just everything.”
Not only does Cody have the support of her family, but of her program, too.
“I got a little choked up telling her that [she was on scholarship], because she’s just earned it,” said Fleming. “We’ve just never had an opportunity, scholarship wise, to give her one. I’ve always wanted to.”
walkerjc20@bonaventure.edu
