By SPENCER BATES
ALBANY — Despite pulling off, arguably, its biggest win of the season at the expense of Providence over the weekend, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team has no intention of easing up ahead of its clash with Siena on Dec. 17.
The Bonnies toppled one of the Big East’s titans, who sported one of the top defenses in the country, by a score of 74-70 in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Now, with just two day’s rest in them, they must turn around and square off with Siena College, where they will look to retain the storied Franciscan Cup.
And the matchup with the Saints at the MVP Arena in Albany is exactly where coach Mark Schmidt wants his players focused.
Win over Providence and votes in the AP Poll aside, the 18th-year coach is insistent that his players take every chance in front of them in a Bona jersey and stray away from getting ahead of themselves in any regard.
“If there’s any looking ahead, it’s looking ahead for Christmas,” Schmidt said during his pregame media availability. “We tell the guys all the time there’s only 31, 32 opportunities to put on the uniform. You work hard for 330 days for those opportunities. So, every game is special. And we know that if we don’t play well against Siena, we’re not going to win. I don’t care who we’re playing, we got to play very well. We got a small margin for error. We got to play really hard, like we did against Providence. Skill-wise, we didn’t do a great job, but I thought our effort was tremendous, and that’s how it has to be in every game. So, we’re not overlooking anybody. … We’re doing everything that we can to prepare to beat a good Siena team tomorrow.”
What this means for the Bonnies is that they are set on continuing to play with the speed and determination that saw them down the Friars.
“I think anytime you play, especially a team that’s favored, especially a team supposedly in a better conference or with better players, you need to gain their respect immediately,” Schmidt said. “It’s like the bully. You can’t back up against the bully. You got to try to land the first punch. If you don’t, then the bully becomes more aggressive and knocks you back. So, I thought we needed to gain some confidence (and) respect. I thought the way we came out, that’s how we need to come out every night. It was good to see.”
The speed and efficiency was not all that Schmidt appreciated from his team. So too was its ability to clean the glass and dominate under the rim. Bona out-scored Providence 38-18 in points in the paint and out-rebounded one of the top teams in the country in the category by a 41-34 margin.
“I’m an old school coach, I believe physicality is how you win the game,” Schmidt said. “You win the game in the paint. … You got to play downhill, you got to get the ball inside. Basketball is a game of skill, but it’s still (about) toughness. The team that’s tougher, the team that gets to the foul line, the team that gets those second chance opportunities, that’s usually the team that wins when you’re playing a team of equal talent. And that’s what we did.”
The Bonnies defense was spared from having to defend against perhaps Providence’s best player in Bryce Hopkins as he sat out the game due to injury. But they won’t be saved from Siena’s two top scorers, the dynamic backcourt of Major Freeman and Justice Shoats. Both average over 14 points per game and each brings with them a different bag of tricks that they will look to unload.
According to Schmidt, the road to another Franciscan Cup win will be made easier if his team is able to lessen the impact the Saints duo has on the game.
“Shoats is more of a 17-foot-and-in player, but he’s really quick, he’s aggressive,” Schmidt said. “Freeman can play at all three levels. They’re good guards, and that’s why they’re having some success. … When you have good guards, you have a chance in every game. And those guys are playing exceptionally well.”
Bona will look to Melvin Council Jr. once again, considering the success he found against the Friars, leading the team with 24 points, a season-high for him. Chance Moore, Lajae Jones and Noel Brown will all look to pick up right where they left off against Providence as well. Jonah Hinton is slated to get another start for the Bonnies as Dasonte Bowen will most likely be sidelined for a second-straight game after picking up a lower-leg injury.
As for the tradition of the the Franciscan Cup, Schmidt admitted that while it may not have been a tradition when he first took the Bona job, it will be around long after he departs which speaks to the quality of the teams playing for it and the rich history that will be built upon come game time on Tuesday.
“There’s only two Division One Franciscan schools in the country and when I first got the job, we didn’t play Siena and I’m not sure how long the rivalry has been going on, but it’s a great game … two good programs, two schools who do it the right way,” Schmidt said. “This rivalry, this Franciscan Cup is going to go a lot longer than I’m the coach, so it’s great to be a part of it.”
St. Bonaventure and Siena will tip-off in the MVP arena at 7 p.m. on Dec. 17.
