By SPENCER BATES
ST. BONAVENTURE — When St. Bonaventure men’s basketball general manager Adrian Wojnarowski initially reached out to him, Achille Lonati said it didn’t feel real.
He knew of Woj, much like everyone in the world of basketball, from his time as ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider. He would follow along as he broke the news of blockbuster trades and impactful roster moves, all the way until his last ‘Woj Bomb.’
“He’s an amazing figure,” Lonati said. “He is connected with everybody in the NBA, but not only that, he knows everyone in the world of basketball. When he first called me, it was like living a dream. I always saw him on Instagram or X, talking about the movement of the players in the NBA, and then he was calling me. So it was a little bit strange at first.”
Now, all of a sudden, Woj was helping him find a home at St. Bonaventure. Which, Lonati admitted, was a bit challenging at the beginning. But after creating a strong bond with the three other foreign freshmen on the team that arrived on campus early, and being taken under the wing of some of the team veterans, he has adjusted well.
“At the start, it was a little bit confusing, because it’s a big change, but everybody helped me,” Lonati said. “First I was here with only Andrew (Osasuyi), Ilia (Ermakov) and John (Ikpotokin), as we were the only four freshmen. We created a little bit of a group of ourselves, and it was really good. Then, all the team came, and they were super nice with us, with me especially. So it was really a smooth adjustment. I’m really happy here right now.”
Prior to joining the Bonnies, Lonati, at just 18 years old, played for Olimpia Milano in Italy. He averaged 15.8 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds for the team in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia. And even more recently, he helped lead Italy’s U-18 team to a bronze medal at the U-18 Eurobasket Tournament in Serbia, where he averaged 13.8 points per game on 38.4% shooting from the field. In the bronze medal game against Latvia, Lonati led Italy with a game-high 27 points on 45% shooting to go along with three assists and four steals.
St. Bonaventure’s Achille Lonati (20) gets a block in practice. (St. Bonaventure Athletics via IG)
Of course, success overseas is one thing. The biggest question going into the season for Lonati will be whether that translates onto the Div. I collegiate basketball scene.
According to him, that should be no problem considering how many similarities he has found between pro ball in Europe and college basketball.
“The first thing comes to mind is the attention in the practice, you cannot be distracted, not even for a second,” Lonati said. “Coach is really tough, the practices are hard, especially mentally, so you can be distracted. Then obviously the understanding of the game. I feel like college basketball is more similar to European basketball than American high school basketball. You’re running a lot of set plays, so I can read the game well.
“The game style is more about IQ and not physicality. All the players here are more physical and stronger, so I need to adapt a little bit.”
And while he has had to adapt a bit to find a groove, Lonati acknowledged that off the court, his teammates have done just about everything as to not ostracize him. Whether they’ve spent time watching movies or just chatting, the team has become a united front with no intention of abandoning one another entering the campaign.
“Everybody is super nice, we make a very good group,” Lonati said. “We hang out together. Sometimes we spend time together at one of the houses, watching TV, films, or even just speaking to one another. And as Coach said when we first got here, the difference from a winning team and a losing team is the group. If the group is compact and everybody’s together and it’s not selfish, we can win.”
St. Bonaventure’s Achille Lonati celebrates during practice. (St. Bonaventure Athletics via IG)
But for as much as Lonati has adjusted well to Bona, there is one thing he has yet to see that he is incredibly excited for and that is a packed Reilly Center. Having never truly played in front of a big crowd, he is antsy to hear and see what the Bona faithful bring this season.
“I’ve never played in front of a big crowd, so I really can’t wait to see everybody here, it will be amazing,” Lonati said.
