By SPENCER BATES
ST. BONAVENTURE — Prior to its game against Duquesne on Feb. 22, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team took the time to honor Noel Brown, Melvin Council Jr. and Chance Moore for senior night.
Two first-year transfers, one second-year graduate student, each pivotal to the identity and understanding of what it takes to be a Bonnie.
Council and Moore, both of whom are coming to the end of their first year with the program after transferring in from Wagner College and Missouri State respectively, have made incredible impacts on this year’s Bona team. They own the two of the three highest point tallies of anyone on the team, with Council leading the pack with 404 points so far this season and Moore holding the third-most tally with 344 points on the campaign.
Council, originally slated to be the shooting guard for the team, had his responsibilities shifted to that of the point guard after Dasonte Bowen, Bona coach Mark Schmidt’s first-choice PG at the start of the season, went down with an injury that he has yet to make a return from. Still, in this role, with even more responsibility piled onto his plate, he hasn’t missed a step.
Moore has repeatedly been touted by Schmidt as the most athletic player he has on the team. A testament that holds a good deal of merit when considering his team-leading 176 rebounds. His ability to attack the basket and get up for numerous poster-worthy slams that have rocked the Reilly Center have put him towards the top of just about every opposition scouting report.
Now, depending on rulings from the NCAA, Council and Moore will have an extra year of eligibility, if they choose to use it. Noel Brown, who entered the season as the only Bona player to have played any meaningful minutes last year, does not, making the sentiment of his senior day all the more emotional.
Brown played three years at George Washington before making the switch to Bona ahead of last season, in which he was mainly the backup for then-starting center Chad Venning. But from the start of this season, it was clear that Brown was made for a leadership position. The other co-captain of the team, alongside Council, he has been a crucial piece of the team’s foundation all while handling the emotions that came with the passing of his mother just after his first season with the team.
He has achieved all this while being a dominant presence on the court as well.
Brown has the second-highest point tally for the Bonnies this season with 347 along with the second-most rebounds with 154.
“It’s an emotional game because it’s senior day,” Schmidt said. “For Noel, that’s the last senior day that he’ll have. Melvin and Chance, who knows with the NCAA and what they decide with redshirting and all that stuff, but it’s emotional. It’s hard what Noel went through with his mom passing. It was a tough day for him, before the game, and he did a good job of keeping those emotions inside when he was playing. But, the game was for the seniors, and I thought our guys showed some character and played in an inspiring game.”
The Bonnies ended up beating the Dukes on the day 70-63, retribution for the loss they suffered at Duquesne earlier this year. The metaphorical cherry on top of a day that Schmidt knows his players will remember forever.
But specifically, he pointed towards Brown, the only Bona senior that will not have the chance to make a return to the court next year. Schmidt showered his experienced, veteran leader in praise and noted how he was happy they won for all the seniors’ sake, but for Brown more than anyone or anything.
“When you’re a senior, you always remember your senior day, and when it’s over, Noel will come (to know that) when that happens … it’s almost like an empty feeling,” Schmidt said. “On senior day, once all the emotion gets off, it’s exhausting, because you put so much effort into this thing. He’s been playing since he was a little kid, and it’s hard … but everybody goes through it, and once it’s over, it’s over. That’s why I tell the guys all the time, when you have it, you got to appreciate it, and I know Noel does. … He deserves this, the other two seniors as well, but hopefully they have another senior day. But with Noel, it’s over and I’m glad we won for him.”
Of course, the ever-changing landscape of college basketball has brought different meaning to senior days across the country. But while the feeling may be a little different, Schmidt noted that they are still celebrating family and that’s what is the most important.
“It’s unusual, you know, usually when you have seniors, you have them for four years and you build relationships, and it’s just different,” Schmidt said. “If you talk about Chance and Melvin and Noel, it’s a little bit different but they’re still a part of your family.”
However, the journey this family is on is not yet over. With three games left in the regular season and the Atlantic 10 tournament on the horizon, the Bonnies, led by their trio of seniors, are still in the hunt for the goal they set forth earlier this season: win the A10.
