By SPENCER BATES
(This article is the first of a four part series of 2025-26 St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team player features)
ST. BONAVENTURE — Just shy of 10 months ago, Dasonte Bowen had recorded his sixth consecutive game in which he led the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team in assists, winning those games by an average of 11 points.
He had helped the Bonnies get off to a 9-1 start before tragically picking up an injury that wound up being season-ending. Slated to be the Bonnies’ true point guard for the season, Bowen’s absence exposed the lack of guard depth in the roster. And while Melvin Council Jr. did an exemplary job pulling the strings the rest of the season, Bowen was truly missed.
So, amidst an offseason that was far from kind to the Bona roster in terms of player retention, one of the biggest positives that fans were able to take away was the fact that Bowen decided to stay. And not only is he a returner, he is the team’s sole captain heading into the 2025-26 campaign — a role that he has taken in stride. But according to him, the most meaningful part of his captaincy has been how much his leadership has been embraced by his new teammates.
“Honestly, they embraced me,” Bowen said. “I missed a good amount of this summer. I was only able to lead with my voice, not so much by example, being off the court. And they still welcomed me to lead them. So, I’m grateful for that, and it’s my job to give back all the trust they put in me. … Whether that’s on the court with my experience being here last year, knowing the system, or whether it’s just mentorship. I’m an older guy on this team, I’ve seen a good amount in college. A lot of these guys, this will be their first year playing high-level college basketball. So, I’m just trying to pour into them any way I can, and just be an open book for them.”
Of course, the most critical information that Bowen has to spread amongst the new guys on the team is his understanding of head coach Mark Schmidt’s system. But unlike the players in past years that have stuck around after the portal season, Bowen’s knowledge of the playbook comes from a slightly different perspective: from the bench.
“You’re able to see so much that you can’t see while you’re on the court,” Bowen said. “Whether it’s something you’re watching on film, or that the coaches are telling you, it’s a little harder to pick up or even believe sometimes when you’re out there playing. When you’re watching from the side, it’s a lot more honest. Your eyes aren’t lying to you. … So, being sidelined for however many months, allowed me to just learn … to see things from the sidelines, see our sets, where guys should be, where we were messing up and then be able to apply that to this new team this year.”
This is no small undertaking. Schmidt was recently named one of the top 15 tactical head coaches in all of college basketball. His deep understanding of the game and experience has led to him having one of the deepest playbooks in all of the sport, meaning there is a big gap of information for which Bowen will have to act as the bridge.
“Sitting out for so long, observing it for so long, I’m just next to him, learning,” Bowen said. “He’s a mastermind at what he does, and being able to just sit back and just observe that allowed me to understand it more. Understanding the emphasis on certain things that he wants to do, and being able to see it from that view allowed me to grow into it even more on the court. And obviously, if I understand it, I can help other guys understand it as well.”
(St. Bonaventure Athletics)
Bringing the team together is certainly a substantial piece of the puzzle, but it is far from Bowen’s entire job description, because once the train is on the tracks, someone has to keep it on the rails. The way he has been able to do that thus far, with significant effect nonetheless, is by holding firm that this is a team, not a collective of individuals.
“Anybody can have a night on any given night, and I think that’s one of our strong suits,” Bowen said. “When guys have personal agendas, it’s hard to stay together when things don’t go our way. So, having such a team-minded orientation, it’s hard for us to break up. What people don’t understand is, the better you are as a team, the more those personal accolades come. I think you can ask anybody in there, our main goal is to win the A10, the A10 Championship and get to that tournament. I think we’re all on the same page.”
The responsibilities Bowen has as team captain are significant. However, the time he has taken to assure those are, and have been, taken care of has not hindered his ability to level up his personal game. The nature of his injury condemned him to a scooter and boot for a long period of time, so there was little work he could do that was not shooting related. So, as the season approaches rapidly, he wants the Bona fans to know that they can expect him to be a more complete scorer this year.
“They don’t have to expect it, it’s what they’re going to see,” Bowen said. “Obviously, I couldn’t walk, so all I could do was shoot the ball. I think that’s helped me tremendously. We’re seeing it in practice, and I plan on carrying it over to the game. I just got to stay consistent.”
That being said, Bowen noted that this season he is not planning on going out on the floor with the intention of trying to prove or disprove any thoughts or opinions from the outside noise.
All he wants to do in his bounce-back season is prove himself right.
“I think I just want to prove myself right,” Bowen said. “I know I could be a great player in this league. I want to go out there and show that. Obviously, I got cut short of doing that last year. But God doesn’t make mistakes. I feel like everything happened for a reason. So, I’m excited to get into A10 play, but also to just start the season off with Bradley.”
Bowen will officially lead the Bonnies into battle for the first time on Nov. 3 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where they will play the second game of the entire men’s college basketball season against Missouri Valley Conference powerhouse Bradley at 11 a.m.
