By SPENCER BATES
ST. BONAVENTURE — For the first time in just shy of a month and a half, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team will have to find a way to respond from a loss ahead of its matchup with La Salle.
The Bonnies lost for just the second time this season in their most recent Atlantic 10 game at current league-leaders Saint Louis. At times they trailed by double figures behind a stand-out 28-point performance from the new Atlantic 10 all-time leader in made 3-pointers, Gibson Jimerson.
But when Bona coach Mark Schmidt considers the way his team was able to bounce back from their most previous loss, a 72-67 result on neutral ground against Utah State on Nov. 28, he is confident they will be able to show that same resolve in conference play.
“We lost to Utah State, we played 24 hours later, and we played pretty well against a good Northern Iowa team,” Schmidt said. “We knew we weren’t going to go undefeated. There’s going to be some adversity in every season. … Good teams, when they lose, they learn from it, and they and they bounce back. That’s the goal. The good thing about the Saint Louis (loss) is … we were down by 16 and our guys didn’t give up. They fought and they showed some character. That’s a good sign. … We were on a two-game road trip, we wanted to win both. But we went 1-1, and if we can get another three or four on the road, that’s a pretty positive thing.”
However, the loss to Saint Louis was not a complete capitulation for Bona. It was able to contain two of its biggest stars on the night and hold them to below their season averages in points. What really hurt the team, according to Schmidt, was the special performance from Jimerson and the occasional buckets from role players.
“I thought we did a decent job on (Robbie) Avila, he had five assists and five turnovers, I thought we did a decent job on (Isaiah Swope), he goes 5-for-13, but we did a horrible job on (Gibson Jimerson), he goes 6-for-11 from 3,” Schmidt said. I told our team, we could survive one of those guys having a good night, and we almost did. I thought we lost because (Kellen Thames), a role guy, had seven points. … It’s those role guys, (Kobe Johnson) hit a couple threes, and Thames came in and gave them a lift. Sometimes, that’s why you lose.”
The Bonnies will have to keep their eyes on another player who has come off the bench for the Explorers, although not necessarily a role player. Eric Acker, who has only played in the last five games, is averaging an even 13 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting just shy of 54% from the field. However, as recently as Acker has started seeing the court for La Salle, Schmidt knows all about him as he was recruited by the Bonnies ahead of this season.
“He plays both the 1 and the 2, he’s shooting the ball well, he’s taking guys off the bounce, he’s got some length, he’s young, but he has a bright future,” Schmidt said. “He’s playing really well.”
Also, just like against SLU, Schmidt will look to have his guys make the lives of the Explorers’ stars difficult. Corey McKeithan, Daeshon Shepherd and Jahlil White all average double figures with the former running the offense with 17.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
“McKeithan can shoot threes, he’s shooting 40% (from there), he has a middle game, he can take you off the bounce and get to the basket (and) he’s really aggressive,” Schmidt said. “Coach (Fran) Dunphy gives him a lot of freedom, he gives all those guys a lot of freedom and they space you out. McKeithan’s a really good one-on-one player, he’s had some big games, … we just got to try to make it as difficult as we can on good players. He’s going to score baskets. We just want to try to make it as hard for him as possible.”
The Bonnies are now just past the halfway point of the regular season and they have shown their true colors as a team that will defend relentlessly and make you pay for any sloppy possessions. But as Schmidt notes, they are still far from where they can be as a team.
“We got to work on everything,” Schmidt said. “You look at our defense, we’re not keeping the ball in front of us. Teams are shooting too high of a percentage from 2s and from 3s. We rebounded the ball much better against Saint Louis, but that’s another area that we have to get better at. Our half-court offense has to be better. … We haven’t got close to our ceiling, and I don’t know if we can get to our ceiling, but that’s defending better, rebounding better, and running half-court offense better.”
The Bonnies will look towards Chance Moore once again to be a spark on the offensive side of the floor after recording his first double-figure game in the A10 against SLU with a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Noel Brown, Melvin Council Jr. and Lajae Jones will also be looking to follow up a double-figure scoring night against the Billikens with one against La Salle.
But not only will Bona’s game against La Salle be a special one in terms of the team having the opportunity to show how it responds after an A10 loss, but also because during the game, they will be celebrating the 1968 St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team that produced an undefeated regular season. The ‘68 Bonnies are one of just 20 NCAA Div. I men’s basketball teams ever to achieve such a feat and the only one ever to do it at Bona. And the importance of celebrating that team is far from lost on Schmidt.
“It’s long overdue,” Schmidt said. “I think they get overlooked a little bit because they didn’t win an NIT championship or go to the Final Four, but only so many teams have gone undefeated in the regular season. They’re one of them, and the only one at Bonaventure.”
St. Bonaventure and La Salle will tip-off at the Reilly Center on Jan. 11 at 12 p.m.
