By SPENCER BATES
FORT MYERS, FL — Daniel Egbuniwe had been battling knocks and injuries throughout the early part of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team’s season.
He managed to get healthy enough to feature in the team’s season-opener against Bradley in Rock Hill, South Carolina, but he struggled at times and unfortunately picked up an ankle injury in that fixture that kept him out until the team’s recent game against Robert Morris. He made one basket from the field in that game.
So, as the Bonnies entered the Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament, Egbuniwe would not have been the most obvious choice to walk away their best player. Against North Carolina, he scored eight points and put the clamps on projected NBA lottery pick Caleb Wilson, holding him to just 4-for-12 from the field. But he took things a step further in the team’s second and final game of the MTE, scoring a joint-team-high 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting, going 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
It was his impact on the game that helped lift Bona to a 67-58 victory over the Pirates in a game that threatened to slip away.
“He was banged up all preseason, not just his ankle, he’s had other issues, but he’s a smart player,” Bona head coach Mark Schmidt said of Egbuniwe. “He’s been well coached and he has a high IQ for the game. Not always, but most of the time he’s in the right spots. He’s been working hard, he hasn’t had a lot of reps. He’s still unsure of what he’s doing offensively at times. But he can shoot it and he can guard, as you saw against Carolina when he was guarding (Caleb) Wilson one-on-one. He’s a strong kid and he brings a lot to our team, not just shooting the basketball.”
Egbuniwe admitted the time he spent battling injury was difficult. But still, he stayed locked in with the team, not taking any moment in practices for granted, because ultimately, he just wants to do right by his team and help his peers however he can.
“I’ve been dealing with a lot with my ankle and I’ve just been trying to stay with it, with the team, being as engaged as possible in practice, do what I can, and I just trust my work,” Egbuniwe said. “I just try to play the right way each and every night. In the first half I tried to get in the paint, get downhill and kick out for some open shots for my teammates. I just try to make the right play every possession.”
St. Bonaventure’s Frank Mitchell (00) rocks the rim against East Carolina. Mitchell recorded a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double in the Bonnies’ win over East Carolina. (Hunter O. Lyle)
Even East Carolina head coach Michael Schwartz had to give Egbuniwe his flowers. He noted that coming into the game, Frank Mitchell, Cayden Charles and Darryl ‘Buddy’ Simmons II were the three Bonnies at the top of his team’s scouting report. And in all fairness, they mostly accomplished their goal of keeping them quiet.
While Frank Mitchell netted a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, the Pirates held Charles and Simmons to just a combined nine points.
“St. Bonaventure is a very good team,” Schwartz said. “They were undefeated coming into this tournament, they played North Carolina for 35 minutes at the highest level … so we know how good St. Bonaventure is as a program. (We wanted to take away) Mitchell, Charles and Simmons. I thought we did a good job on Charles and Simmons. Mitchell does what he does. Someone was (going to step up) and Daniel Egbuniwe was the guy, without a doubt for St. Bonaventure.
(He) was the difference in the game. The way he shot the basketball, including that dagger late, was fantastic. He stepped up and made some huge shots for them, and credit to him.”
The Bonnies also got significant contributions from the likes of Ilia Ermakov, Achille Lonati and Amar’e Marshall. That trio, slowly growing into their roles with the team, provided a spark off the bench against UNC and had just as much of an impact against East Carolina.
“Ilia, Achille and Amar’e, when they came in, they changed the game a little bit,” Schmidt said. “We had a bunch of young guys in there, and they responded. So, even though they didn’t play a ton when they were in there, they were productive, and not just from an offensive standpoint, but they did a good job on the defensive end. … This game gave them more experience. (Ilia and Achille) haven’t played American basketball, they weren’t here for the summertime. So, they’re still trying to learn what is expected. But today, and against Carolina, those games help those kids.”
St. Bonaventure’s Andrew Osasuyi (33) lays down a block on East Carolina’s Giovanni Emejuru (7). (Hunter O. Lyle)
Frankly, the Bonnies needed its bench.
Against ECU, it was stop-and-go for the full 40 minutes of action. On numerous occasions, Bona found themselves draining consecutive, momentum-building buckets or getting high-quality defensive stops that brought the crowd into the game. But just when things were getting good for Schmidt’s crew, a foul or a bucket from the Pirates would kill the energy.
The leads Bona had constructed, as soon as it got of a decent size, were immediately wiped away due to countless tempo-breaking calls. Prior to the final minute of the affair, the free throw margin between the teams was 25-8 in favor of the Pirates. In fact, over the course of their entire Fort Myers experience, the Bonnies took 30 less free throws than their opponents combined.
Fortunately, the team did not crumble, no matter how frustrated they got.
“I thought the guys dealt with adversity,” Schmidt said. “There’s ebbs and flows to every game and I thought that we did a decent job of sustaining our consistency. It was just a tough game. You play North Carolina two days ago in a packed house, and then you come in (and the arena is) a quarter full, it’s an adjustment. … We didn’t play perfect and we have so much more room to improve.”
St. Bonaventure wrapped up its Fort Myers tournament 1-1 but will remain in the Sunshine State for a non-conference matchup with Florida Atlantic on Nov. 30 at 3:30 p.m.
