BY TOM SEIPP, ADVISORY EDITOR
It’s no secret that the 2021-22 St. Bonaventure men’s basketball season was a rollercoaster.
Of course, it was a fun rollercoaster.
Beginning the season nationally ranked and winning the Charleston Classic were the highest of highs, but some crushing losses, including the Atlantic 10 quarterfinal game, created an abundance of emotions.
It felt like Tuesday’s National Invitational Tournament semifinal included each emotion Bonaventure fans felt over the last five months.
Anticipation. Excitement. Disappointment. Heartbreak. Gratitude. Fulfillment.
The anticipation of playing in the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, in front of hundreds of alumni and students, brought out the excitement that fans couldn’t compare to. The history of the arena, the location, the natural beauty and the distinct horn all played into the enthusiasm surrounding Tuesday night’s semifinal game.
The Bonnies went down 19 in the first half but came within five in the second half to make it interesting down the stretch. In the closing minutes, it appeared that the Bonnies were going to make a comeback for the ages in the Mecca of basketball, but they fell just short.
As time expired and the Xavier lead enlarged, a looming question reappeared in Bonaventure fans’ minds: Is that it?
Is that it for the three four-year players – Kyle Lofton, Osun Osunniyi and Dominick Welch – who took the Bonnies to back-to-back Atlantic 10 Championship games, the NCAA Tournament and helped bring relevancy back to Bonaventure basketball in the Atlantic 10?
Is that it for Jaren Holmes, the man that embraced Bonaventure fans like his family, exceeding expectations from the start of his Bona career and providing as an x-factor for the Bonnies for the last three years?
Is that it for Jalen Adaway, the final piece to the puzzle for the Bonnies, working his way to be a first-team Atlantic 10 player in his senior season?
It could be, but it may not be.
All five seniors have the ability to return for a fifth and final season together. But, of course, the question remains: will they take it?
“I’ve been here since my freshman year, and I started right away, captain right away. And it just means a lot,” Lofton said Tuesday night. “Being here for four years, these guys have turned into my family, and the fan base, they show love, and I appreciate them for that.”
Regardless if they do or not, what we do know is that Tuesday night ended a memorable season for the Bonnies, culminating in a game at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s satisfying. I think we started off great, and then we hit that 24-day COVID thing where we didn’t practice. But we talk about mental and physical toughness, those guys came back after 24 days, and there’s a lot of people that counted us out,” Schmidt said.
“But those guys didn’t read the newspaper, and they blocked out the noise, and they kept on playing. People criticized us for losing to St. Louis, and they kept on fighting. They dealt with adversity. They didn’t listen to all the noise and all the naysayers. They kept on fighting.. I’m proud of what we accomplished this year. It wasn’t easy, but our guys really fought and dealt with adversity and they overcame it.”
For the immediate future, all Bonaventure fans can do is look back at everything the team accomplished. It was an exciting season that featured more national television games than Bonaventure has ever had, a huge plus for the publicity for the school.
Among the five seniors returning for their senior season coming off a conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, being nationally ranked, Captain Beer and so many more reasons. The Bonnies were in the national spotlight more than ever this season – and that is simply because of the “Ironman Five.”
solomonj20@bonaventure.edu
