BY WILL POLADIAN, SPORTS EDITOR
After placing 14th in the Atlantic-10 with a 12-16 record last season, St. Bonaventure and head coach Jesse Fleming look to right the ship this season.
Fleming is coming into his seventh season as the Bonnies head coach.
In the A-10 preseason poll, the Bonnies are predicted to finish dead last in the conference.
“We felt like we competed last year and gave ourselves an opportunity in a lot of games,” said Fleming. “We’re a very different team and I’m not surprised with getting picked 15th.
While losing the likes of Asianae Johnson and Tori Harris to the transfer portal and graduation respectively, the Bonnies hit recruiting hard in the offseason.
“Tori Harris and Asianae Johnson gave us great years before they graduated,” said Fleming. “I wish them all the best again, getting the opportunities that they’ve gotten.”
St. Bonaventure brings in six new faces to the squad, half of which were from the transfer portal.
The first newcomer is junior Nadechka Laccen, who will be wearing Johnson’s number two.
Laccen, a 5’6” guard, averaged 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 44.3% from the floor in two seasons at Tyler Junior College. She led the Apaches to a NJCAA National Championship last season while averaging 15.5 points per game.
“Nadechka is going to be a major contributor for us,” said Fleming. “She can shoot it. She’s a great passer. She’s a competitor and won a national title at the junior college level. She’s really fit seamlessly into what we want to do. She competes. She’s tough. So I’m excited about her.”
Another guard grab for Fleming’s squad is junior Payton Fields.
She stands at 6’0” and averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 32.5% from the floor under now Bonnies assistant coach Chad Gibney at Western Nebraska Community College. She helped lead the Cougars to a NJCAA Final Four appearance to where they fell to Laccen’s squad on their championship run.
“Peyton is a glue player for us,” said Fleming. “She made huge shots in the national tournament at the junior-college level, very versatile. We really made a dedication to bring in as much shooting as possible, and she’s a great shooter and has a quick release. She can also play a couple positions, the three and the four.”
Final pickup from the transfer portal is junior Flo Vinerte.
She is a 6’2” forward who appeared in 35 games in her two seasons at San Diego State while only making one start for the Aztecs.
“Flo Vinerte is a really skilled forward that’s allowing us to stretch the floor and she’s a good passer,” said Fleming.
On the other half, three new freshman faces hit the scene.
The first is freshman Breauna Ware.
She is a 5’8” guard from Queens, N.Y. As a senior, she averaged 22.1 points a game. She also scored over 600 points in 30 games at Mary Louis Academy.
The next is Kirah Dandridge.
She is a 5’10” guard from Richmond, Virginia. Competed at New Hope Academy in Maryland but competed at Riverdale Baptist her first two seasons, playing in 34 games and averaging 40% from the floor.
Final pickup for Coach Fleming is Aaniya Webb.
She is a 5’11” guard from Omaha, NE. As a senior for Omaha Central, she averaged 18.1 points per game. She helped lead her squad to a 24-4 record and a state-tournament berth. She also earned All-Nebraska First Team honors.
“She’s got great length,” said Fleming. “She can shoot it. She’s still learning a lot out there, but I’ve been excited about her.”
Rounding out the rest of the squad, forward Taylor Napper comes into her sophomore season. She appeared in 27 games, starting in 12 of them last season. She averaged 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. She had four games of five or more rebounds.
Coming into her junior year, guard Tianna Johnson started 26 of 27 games last season, her first with the Bonnies. She averaged 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. She finished second in assists on the team with 67.
Next in the junior class, guard Maddie Dziezgowski appeared in 26 games last season, making eight starts. She averaged 6.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. She ranked second on the team in made three pointers with 39. She was selected to the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
“There’s nobody that you know that shoots it as well as Maddie,” said Fleming. “When she gets it going, she’s really streaky at times. I hope she gets more consistent. She should be a 35, 36, 37% type of player. And hopefully we create enough space for her to do that. And I think she will be this year.”
For the redshirt juniors, guard Kaitlyn Parker played in 14 games last season, averaging 8.7 minutes per game. She tallied a career-high eight rebounds against La Salle last season.
The last redshirt junior, forward Claire Cody appeared in 14 games and scored a career-high seven points against Clarion last season. She was selected to the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
The only senior on the squad this season is I’yanna Lops. Last season, she started all 28 games and averaged 8.2 points and 6 rebounds per game. She led the team in blocks with 44.
Finally, the last player on the squad this season is graduate guard Nikki Oppenheimer. Last season, her first with the Bonnies, she appeared in 27 games while making two starts. She averaged 15.2 minutes per game and finished third on the team in made three pointers with 25. She was selected to the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
New to the Bonnies coaching staff this season are assistant coaches Chad Gibney and Erica Morrow. Morrow was an assistant coach with the Syracuse University women’s team.
Gibney was the head coach of the Western Nebraska Community College where he eclipsed a 161-24 record and had six NJCAA tournament appearances in six seasons.
“We’re really excited to have Chad join us,” said Fleming. “He brought his team to the junior college Final Four. He’s a guy I’ve known for a long time and I’m excited for him to make the jump. He’s a heck of a recruiter and has done a great job already for us and he brought Peyton along with him.”
The Bonnies start their season at home on Nov. 7 at 4:30 p.m. against Bowling Green.
“I like the team a lot,” said Fleming. “We really move the basketball better than we have in the past. We’re taking some better shots. We can pressure the ball a little bit, and we’ve got some length. We’ve got some really good options to start to limit some of these great offensive players in the A-10.”
poladiwj20@bonaventure.edu
