By SPENCER BATES
ST. BONAVENTURE — In this modern era of college basketball, retaining players is gold.
The transfer portal absorbs more talent each and every year, making itself perhaps the biggest thorn in the side of most mid-major teams seeking long-term success.
Siena was one team this past offseason that managed to navigate the storm.
The Saints held onto a significant amount of experience from last season, and with added pieces that compliment the returners they have, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team is set for a stern test in the 15th annual Br. Ed Coughlin Franciscan Cup.
Siena will look towards the veteran leadership of reigning All-MAAC Second-Teamer Justice Shoats, MAAC All-Rookie Team member Gavin Doty and 3-point sharpshooter Brendan Coyle whose 283 total field goal attempts last season consisted of 239 3-pointers.
“That’s how you’re successful, that second year, if you can retain a nucleus of your guys, you have a better feel for what you want,” Bona head coach Mark Schmidt said. “They understand the system better. They’re more comfortable with each other, and it shows. Coyle is a really good jump shooter, and Doty and Shoats are playing well off each other. But that’s the key in today’s environment, if you can keep your guys for another year, then you have a better chance.”
The Bonnies, behind a stellar 23-point, 10-rebound outing from Chance Moore — now with the West Virginia Mountaineers — cruised to a comfortable 65-48 victory over the Saints on the road last season. But the biggest difference between last season’s cup affair and this year’s is that just one Bona player that aided in the winning effort is on the roster this year (Xander Wedlow). Even team captain Dasonte Bowen did not feature in the contest after having picked up his season-ending injury.
But the change in personnel does not mean that much of anything changes for Schmidt’s bunch. While this year’s Bona team has shown it has the ability to hit shots from the outside with efficiency, and that adds another layer to the complexity of the roster, the core concepts of the offensive system remain the same no matter the opponent. The main goal is simple: attack the paint, clean the glass and get to the charity stripe.
“We have a team that can shoot the ball, but jump shooting is fickle, you just never know,” Schmidt said. “They’re not always going to go in, and that’s why you’ve got to really make sure that you’re attacking the paint, you’re going to the offensive glass, you’re getting to the foul line. You can’t rely on just 3-point shooting, that may win a couple games, but that’s not going to win a majority of the games. You got to be a blue collar type of team.”
In terms of what the Saints may do offensively, Schmidt alluded they may look to run a similar style to Canisius in that they will look to take Bona off the bounce and hit the occasional big shot from outside, stretching the defense.
The Bonnies dominated the paint last time out against Siena, winning the category by a 42-24 margin. But around its big three, Siena added California Baptist University transfer Tasman Goodrick who will look to make up that difference. So far this season, he is averaging a double-double with 15 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest.
“We can’t allow a team to shoot 49% (from the field) and 42% from 3s and expect to win,” Schmidt said. “Canisius made two or three or four tough shots, a couple bank shots, but at the same time they got to the paint too easily on us. Siena is going to do the same type of things. They’re going to run a lot of ball-screen stuff. Shoats and Doty are guys that can go off the bounce, so where we are going to be challenged is in terms of trying to keep the ball in front of us, trying to play solid ball-screen defense. They’ve done a really good job (on the backboard), they have over 30 offensive rebounds as well in their two games. So that’s a huge emphasis too. We got to keep them off the backboard.”
The Bonnies have retained the Franciscan Cup for two consecutive years now and will look to make it a third. The last time Bona managed that feat was from 2016-2018.
“It’s a special thing,” Schmidt said of the Franciscan Cup tradition. “You only have two Franciscan, Division One basketball programs in the country, and both programs have been successful. Both programs’ staffs get along really well. … It’s just a neat thing, all the friars get together and it’s been really good for the last 15 years. Hopefully we can continue it.”
St. Bonaventure and Siena are set to tip-off in the Reilly Center at 7 p.m. on Nov. 12.
