By SPENCER BATES
ST. BONAVENTURE — Through three games, two of which were of rivalry caliber, there is not much that has surprised St. Bonaventure men’s basketball head coach Mark Schmidt.
What he has in terms of players, skill and talent, he knew he was getting before the season even started. What he has liked to see though is how much effort this collection of players is prepared to put forth night-in, night-out.
“We play hard, the guys get along with each other, they’re playing unselfishly, but nothing’s really surprising,” Schmidt said. “We knew, (having) 11 new guys, it was going to be a process. … We’re not going to be playing our best basketball early on in the season. There’s going to be some lulls, but I think we’re competing, and that’s what I like.”
The Bonnies scored their third consecutive Franciscan Cup win over Siena on Nov. 12, greatly thanks in part to gutsy second-half performances from Cayden Charles, Frank Mitchell and Darryl ‘Buddy’ Simmons II. But it was neither of those three that led the game’s scoring. In fact that title belonged to the Saints’ Gavin Doty, who dropped a career-high 25 points. But while that number may be high, Schmidt knew Doty might run up his numbers in the scoring column, but his team’s defense on Siena’s true biggest threat was why they were able to pull away.
“Against Siena (Justice) Shoats was the guy you needed to stop, and I thought we did a good job on him,” Schmidt said. “Doty is a good player, and those good players are going to score, we try to make it difficult for them. He went to the foul line 10 times, got eight points at the foul line. So, we got to be more disciplined there. But he’s a good player, and that’s what happens when you’re playing good players.”
Fortunately for Bona, it was able to get a big lift off the bench from Amar’e Marshall, who provided seven points, five assists and had just one turnover on the night. He added his name to the growing list of players that this year’s Bonnies can rely on to make an impact as a substitute. The depth in this year’s team is perhaps one of its biggest assets with Achille Lonati and Andrew Osasuyi making their presences known in their time on the floor as well.
“(The depth is) good and we’ve got to continue to have that,” Schmidt said. “Amar’e came in and gave us lift, Achille gave us a lift against Canisius and Andrew has played well in all three games. It’s important when we get in foul trouble, or when guys need rest, that the guys that come off the bench don’t take us a step back, and we haven’t done that so far.”
Schmidt will be hoping those players can have just as much of an impact if and when they are needed on Nov. 15, when the team is set to host Youngstown State.
The Penguins are 2-1 to start the season, with one of those wins coming on the road against Mountain West powerhouse Grand Canyon University — which previously had just one home loss over the last two seasons and only five in the last three years.
“They got really good players, their coach does a really good job with them, they run good stuff, they’re physical and they’re older,” Schmidt said. “They got seniors and fifth-year seniors and sixth-year seniors, so you’re talking about 23, 24-year-old men. They can rebound the ball, they have shooters, they have attackers and they got length. They’re a really good team and we’re going to have to play really well to be able to compete with them.”
Youngstown, like Siena, is led by three players who each returned from last year’s team. Cris Carroll, Imanuel Zorgvol and Jason Nelson are each entering their second year under head coach Ethan Faulkner and are averaging 14.7, 13.0 and 11.0 points per game, respectively.
Zorgvol will be the presence in the paint that Bona will need to keep an eye on. At an even seven-feet tall, he can be dangerous if forgotten. Last time out against Siena, Schmidt made the decision to pull Joe Grahovac, who had four blocks, in the second half, opting for a Mitchell-Osasuyi tandem in the paint instead. A decision that he said due to the fact they needed more strength down low.
This time around, don’t expect Grahovac — a figure that has flashed his defensive abilities in the early goings of the season — to miss much time on the floor at all as he is due for his biggest test yet.
“Siena (had) big physical guys, (Zorgvol’s) not a big physical guy, he’s more of a skilled guy,” Schmidt said. “Joe’s not the most physical guy, he’s more skilled, like (Zorgvol) is. They play differently than Siena. Siena’s a power team, they throw the ball inside. This team is more of a skill team, so it’s a little bit different.”
But as much as they have a big man under the basket, according to Schmidt, the Penguins are more of a danger from the perimeter. The Penguins will look to drive downhill to collapse the defense before kicking out for an open shot and if the Bonnies are unable to react defensively, it could spell doom.
“They’re a team that shoots a lot of 3s, they get up and down,” Schmidt said. “They’re more of a five-out where they try to drive and kick. They’re making 11 3s a game, so that’s got to be an emphasis that if they’re making those numbers we’re going to be in trouble.”
St. Bonaventure is set to tip-off against Youngstown State on Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. in the Reilly Center.
