2011 St. Bonaventure Basketball Preview
Written by James Zerfoss - Google +
2010-11 Results:
Overall: 16-15 (Home 10-5 Road 6-9 Neutral 0-1 Postseason 1-2)
Atlantic 10: 8-8
Conference Tournament: Lost in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament to La Salle.
Postseason: Lost in the first round of the CBI to the University of Central Florida.
Mark Schmidt has the Bonnies primed to take another step forward this season with four returning starters. Last year St. Bonaventure finished 16-15 which was their first winning record since 2001-2002. They were eight in the Atlantic 10 and are looking to finish in the top four this season. The team was outstanding at home last year with a record of 10-5 but had a losing record on the road.
St. Bonaventure will have to replace 24 percent of their minutes from last year which will be done with incoming freshman. The biggest loss for the team is Ogo Adegboye who was their best three point shooter. Overall they lost 36 percent of their three-point shooting from last year. They will also miss Adegeboye’s playmaking ability.
The Bonnies were one of the Atlantic 10s best scoring teams having averaged 69.5 points per game a year ago. However they need to work on their defense after allowing 70 points a game which was tenth in the conference.
Roster
Returning Starters
Michael Davenport
Demetrius Conger
Da’Quan Cook
Andrew Nicholson
Other Returning Players
Matthew Wright
Marquise Simmons
Newcomers
Eric Mosley
Charlon Kloof
Jordan Gathers
Youssou Ndoye
Head Coach
Mark Schmidt
Key Losses
The Bonnies only major loss was guard Ogo Adegboye who averaged 11.5 points a game last year and was the team’s leader in assist with 4 per game.
Schedule
| DATE | Opponent |
| Fri, Nov 11 | vs Cornell |
| Fri, Nov 18 | @ Cleveland State |
| Mon, Nov 21 | @ Siena |
| Sun, Nov 27 | @ Virginia Tech |
| Thu, Dec 1 | vs Arkansas State |
| Sat, Dec 3 | @ Buffalo |
| Wed, Dec 7 | @ Illinois |
| Sat, Dec 10 | vs Canisius |
| Sun, Dec 18 | vs Loyola (MD) |
| Tue, Dec 20 | vs North Carolina State* |
| Fri, Dec 23 | vs St. Francis (PA) |
| Fri, Dec 30 | @ Niagara |
| Wed, Jan 4 | vs George Washington |
| Sat, Jan 7 | @ Duquesne |
| Wed, Jan 11 | vs Dayton |
| Sat, Jan 14 | @ #14 Xavier |
| Sat, Jan 21 | vs Fordham |
| Wed, Jan 25 | @ Rhode Island |
| Sat, Jan 28 | vs Richmond |
| Wed, Feb 1 | @ Saint Louis |
| Wed, Feb 8 | @ Massachusetts |
| Sat, Feb 11 | vs Duquesne |
| Wed, Feb 15 | vs Temple |
| Sat, Feb 18 | vs Rhode Island |
| Wed, Feb 22 | @ Fordham |
| Sat, Feb 25 | @ Charlotte |
| Wed, Feb 29 | vs Saint Joseph’s |
| Sat, Mar 3 | @ La Salle |
2011-12 Preview
This year’s team will compete for a spot in the Atlantic 10 top four. They will also have the chance to show their skills against major conference powers Virginia Tech, Illinois, and North Carolina State.
Despite Andrew Nicholson’s brilliance and possible candidacy for Atlantic 10 player of the year this year, the Bonnies have a lot of talent surrounding him. Three other players will return from last year’s 16-15 squad.
The Bonnies’ third leading scorer (11.1) Michael Davenport returns. Demetrius Conger also averaged in double figures with 10 points a game and shot 40.4 percent from the three-point range. Senior Da’Quan Cook is the other returning starter. Matthew Wright will step in to fill the other remaining starting spot due to Adegboye’s graduation.
Backcourt
Wright and Davenport will lead the backcourt. Wright is an excellent jump shooter and is an above average offensive player. He should also contribute five to six assist per game this year helping to fill the void left by Adegboye. In limited minutes he averaged 4.7 points per game a year ago and 1.6 assist.
Davenport averaged 11 points and 4.9 rebounds a year ago. He plays well when he is moving. Look for Wright to try to get him the ball in motion. Additionally, he is excellent in transition. Last season he shot 37 percent from beyond the arch and is one of the Bonnies top three point shooters.
Eric Mosley and Charlon Kloof will provide minutes off the bench. Last season Mosley averaged 23.8 points per game at Cincinnati State and Technical Community College. Kloof is from Surinam and worked on his game last year at Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain’s Canary Islands.
Frontcourt
Nicholson, Cook, and swingman Conger round out the starting five. Nicholson is the teams go to player and candidate for conference player of the year. He is one of the most efficient scorers in the nation. Last season he scored over 20 points a game along with seven rebounds while shooting 57 percent from the field. Nicholson will best help the team by not trying to improve on these numbers rather finding teammates open when he is double covered.
Cook is the teams other starting forward and moves well. He is above average in transition and shoots the ball well from the field. His field goal average from a year ago was 50 percent. He may not be the top scoring option on the team but with teams focusing on defending Nicholson he should find plenty of scoring opportunities this year.
Conger a 6-foot-6 swingman shot 40 percent from the perimeter last season. He is not really good at making things happen for himself with his game being built around his shooting prowess. He shot 42% on all field goal attempts. His only weakness is that he turned the ball over near 25 percent of the time that he had the ball.
More Atlantic 10 Basketball Predictions
Got something to say?
- Kyle Hunter
- Jordan Haimowitz
- Rocky Atkinson
- Jim Feist
- Dennis Macklin
- Tom Freese
- Info Plays
- Black Widow
- Steve Merril
- Tom Stryker
- Michael Alexander