Photo: GoBonnies
BY JONNY WALKER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Less than two months from the start of its women’s basketball season, St. Bonaventure boasts the smallest roster among all 15 Atlantic 10 Conference teams.
“You need five to play. We have 10,” said Jim Crowley, Bonaventure’s head coach. “Other people are way more worried about that than we are.”
As of Thursday, no other A-10 team has fewer than 12 players on its roster. Two A-10 teams have as many as 16 players rostered. But Crowley, entering his first season as Bonaventure’s head coach after spending 16 years leading the program from 2000 to 2016 and seven years as Providence’s head coach, said he sees the small roster size as a positive.
“I really like the 10 we have,” said Crowley. “I’d rather have 10 I like than 15 I don’t. So, I think we’re in a good place there.”
Crowley cited the bond he witnessed his players develop during offseason trainings and practices. Crowley said he is protective of that bond — a sentiment shared by many of his players.
“I think we’re building a really good culture here,” said Claire Cody, a redshirt-senior forward entering her fifth season with Bonaventure. “We’re all coming together as one — coming together for the same concept of winning and everything. So, I think it’s going to be a really good year.”
While Crowley said he doesn’t foresee Bonaventure’s roster expanding ahead of this season, he stopped short of completely ruling out the possibility.
“You never say never,” said Crowley. “But there’s a really good camaraderie in the 10. They got through some pretty good stuff this summer, and they have a bond that I like — that I want to build off.”
Cody has played under three different head coaches at Bonaventure. She said that since Crowley assumed the head-coaching role in March, she has noticed a distinct attitude shift within the program.
“Definitely in practice and training, we’re cheering for each other more — there’s more touching going on, like high fives,” said Cody. “There’s more holding each other accountable, but also picking each other up and just a lot more communication within our group of players.”
Neither Crowley nor Cody expressed concern for how a small roster could limit the team’s practice options, such as their ability to run five-on-five drills while players deal with illness or injury. Both Crowley and Cody credited Bonaventure’s strength-and-conditioning staff for using the offseason to physically prepare the team for the rigor of a college-basketball season.
“I think we’re also in really good conditioning,” Cody said. “Coach Crowley had us do a lot of good workouts … over the summer and in the offseason — right now in the preseason. So, I don’t think it will really be too much of an issue.”
During his introductory press conference, Crowley focused heavily on the importance of recruiting. Since then, Bonaventure has added two transfers — senior guard Dani Haskell from Canisius and redshirt-junior guard Isabellah Middelton from Division II Slippery Rock — and one true freshman, guard Tamar voor de Poort from the Netherlands.
The remaining seven players on this season’s roster return from last season.
“The first thing we had to do was recruit folks who were here — and make sure the right ones stuck around,” said Crowley. “And I think that happened.”
Despite his optimism, Crowley declined to speculate how his team’s camaraderie might translate to on-court success in the win-loss column.
“I don’t know what the future will say,” said Crowley. “But I do know that we’ve got a group that believes in Bonaventure, believes in the program and are working towards believing in themselves and each other.”
walkerjc20@bonaventure.edu
