Game Notes: St. Bonaventure | Charlotte | A-10
The Matchup
St. Bonaventure hosts Charlotte in the Bonnies' first Atlantic 10 Conference game of the season. The game will be carried on television by Mid Atlantic Sports Network (contact your cable/satellite provider for information)
SBU Last Time Out
Demitrius Conger booked a double-double with game highs of 21 points and 10 boards, Ogo Adegboye had 17 to go with nine assists, and St. Bonaventure (8-5) ended its non-conference season with a 68-55 win over Arkansas-Little Rock (8-9) Wednesday night at the Jack Stephens Center.
Next Game
The Bonnies hit the road for the first time in conference play, as Rhode Island hosts St. Bonaventure Jan. 16 in a game televised by CBS College Sports Network. SBU then returns home to host Xavier Jan. 19 in another televised contest.
Scouting the 49ers
Charlotte enters Saturday's game having won four of its last five and looking to rally from a loss to Richmond (12-4, 1-0) in the A-10 opener for both squads Wednesday night. Despite the dismissal of A-10 Second Teamer Shamari Spears and 3-5 start that included losses to Gardner Webb, Davidson, and Coastal Carolina, the 49ers have rallied to defeat #7/7 Tennessee and Georgia Tech (2OT) in its current four-of-five streak. Charlotte G Derrio Green leads his team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and assists (64), while fellow G Jamar Briscoe is second in both categories (12.3; 50). Forward An'Juan Wilderness (6.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and C Chris Braswell (10.2, 7.1) have anchored the front court with F Javarris Barnett (7.0, 5.1).
Last Meeting
A combined 27 points and 23 rebounds from the frontcourt duo of Shamari Spears and Chris Braswell helped Charlotte survive a gutsy road effort from St. Bonaventure for a 57-54 win in front of a vocal 5,683 fans Jan. 9, 2010 at Halton Arena. The loss was the third straight for the Bonnies (7-8). Spears scored nine points in each half en route to a game-high 18 for the night to go along with nine rebounds. Braswell finished with a game-high 14 rebounds and nine points. St. Bonaventure was led by senior Chris Matthews' 17 points that came on the strength of five three-pointers. Making his third straight start at point guard, junior Ogo Adegboye drilled a season-high three trifectas to help the Brown and White sink a season-high 9-of-20 from long range.
Head Coach: Alan Major
Major is in his first season as head coach after spending six seasons as an assistant under Thad Matta at Ohio State, helping the Buckeyes to a 156-54 record, four NCAA Tournament appearances, a school-record 35 wins in 2006-07, three outright Big Ten regular-season titles and two league tournament titles. Prior to his time at Ohio State, Major coached NBA first round choice David West at Xavier (three seasons) and NBA No. 1 draft choice Michael Olowokandi at Pacific (five seasons). He coached for one season at Southern Illinois under current Illinois head coach Bruce Weber after beginning his career at Cal Lutheran, where he helped the Kingsmen to a 61-22 record in three seasons.
Series Snapshot
Charlotte owns a 7-3 lead in the all-time series, including 4-1 since joining the Atlantic 10 in 2005. The Bonnies are 1-2 as the home team in the series, posting their only home win over Charlotte March 7, 2009, 74-68.
Leaders of the Pack
As league play begins, several Bonnies rank at or near the top of the A-10's statistical heap: scoring (Nicholson 21.5 ppg, 1st); minutes played (Adegboye 40.5/gm, 1st); FG% (Nicholson .563, 2nd); 3FG made (Adegboye 2.5/gm, 3rd); minutes played (Conger 38.2/gm, 3rd) rebounding (Nicholson 8.7, 4th); assists (Adegboye 4.1/gm, 4th). As a team, SBU ranks second in rebounding margin (+5.6).
Out of Our League
St. Bonaventure ended the non-conference season with an 8-5 record that included: a comeback win over Cornell in Ithaca, back-to-back game-winning jumpers from Andrew Nicholson to defeat Buffalo and St. John's, the longest game in school history (4OT) against Ohio, and a near-upset of Virginia Tech (OT).
Demitrius Goes Double
Demitrius Conger booked his fourth career double-double with a 21-point 10-rebound effort against the Trojans of Arkansas-Little Rock. A rising sophomore who showed flashes of talent last season, Conger has been one of the more consistent performers this season, recording at least eight points and five boards in every game since Nov. 19 at Cornell - where he notched his first career double-double (22 pts, 14 reb).
Aren't You Guys Tired?
Coach Schmidt has deployed the same starting five all season long, and those five players have had the opportunity to play…a lot. Through 13 games, four of the five starters average more than 38 minutes per game and Da'Quan Cook – who leads the team in fouls (45) – averages 27.5. Ogo Adegboye leads the nation in minutes per game (40.5) and has played at least 36 minutes in each outing, including complete-game efforts against Buffalo, St. John's, Niagara and Ark.-Little Rock. Demitrius Conger has played 164 of the last 165 minutes, and Andrew Nicholson was in for all 60 minutes and four overtimes against Ohio.
Helping Hand
Senior G Ogo Adegboye dished out nine assists and had only one turnover as the primary ball handler in 40 minutes against UALR. It marked the fourth time this season the London native has recorded an A:TO ratio of 2:1 or better. Over his last three games, he has 18 assists and just four turnovers.
Scoring the Rock
Andrew Nicholson ranks 13th nationally in scoring at 21.5 points per game and recorded the NCAA's highest scoring output this season with 44 points (on 14-of-19 FGs and 16-19 FTs) in the 4OT win versus Ohio. The junior has raised his scoring average every season in the Brown and White (12.5--16.4--21.5) and his current scoring clip would be the highest for a season since J.R. Bremer averaged 24.6 in 2001-02.
18 and Counting
Junior Andrew Nicholson has scored in double figures in 18 straight contests – the most by a current A-10 player - dating back to Feb. 27, 2010 against Rhode Island. He accomplished the feat most recently against Ark.-Little Rock despite playing just 20 minutes due to foul trouble. Over the 18-game span, which includes seven double-doubles, Nicholson is averaging 20.4 points and 7.6 caroms per game.
Simmons Sighting
After missing the first nine games of the season with a hand injury sophomore F Marquise Simmons saw his first action of the year against VT at Blue Cross Arena. He replaced Jake Houseknecht at the 7:38 mark of the first half. In three minutes of action, Simmons picked up one foul but otherwise did not figure statistically. Although he did not score against UALR, Schmidt lauded Simmons for his hustle and activeness during nine minutes of work.
Going the Distance
St. Bonaventure played the longest game in its 91-year history Dec. 18 versus Ohio, as the Bonnies and Bearcats went to four overtimes (a full 1.5 games). The Bonnies had four players log more than 53 minutes (Adegboye, Conger, Davenport, Nicholson) and redshirt F/C Jake Houseknecht booked 36 minutes for a new career-high. Nicholson played the full 60 minutes – the second game in a row he was not subbed for – and Adegboye (59 mins) played all but one.
House and Home
Redshirt sophomore F/C Jake Houseknecht saw the most action of his career in the 4OT win against Ohio. The Olean native played 36 minutes (previous career high: 11), grabbed nine boards (previous high: 4) and blocked three shots (had 5 total in his career) to give SBU a lift off the bench. After not playing in three previous games earlier in the year, Houseknecht earned more minutes and was the first Bonnies' 'Big' off the bench against the Bobcats.
Return to Sender
Nicholson's rejection at the 6:31 mark of the second period against Ohio made him just the third player in school history to block 150 or more shots in a career. He owns the single-game record (9 vs. Bucknell) for the Bonnies and currently sits third on the SBU career blocks list (153).
#100 for Schmidt
Now in his fourth season at St. Bonaventure, head coach Mark Schmidt coached his 100th game at SBU against Ohio Dec. 18, 2010. Schmidt's .430 (43-56) win percentage entering the game was the highest by a Bonnies' mentor since Jim Baron's .502 (132-131) mark compiled from 1992-01. Schmidt and Baron are the only two coaches to post a win-loss percentage over .400 since the start of the 1987 season.
Seeing Double-Double
The Ohio game marked the fourth time this season that two players have recorded a double-double in the same contest (Cornell, Cleveland State, Niagara). In a counterintuitive twist, the Bonnies are 2-2 in those games. When just one player accomplishes the feat (both Ark.-Little Rock games, Binghamton, Buffalo, St. John's, VT), the team is 5-1.
1,000 for #44
St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson became the 38th player in school history to score 1,000 career points in the loss to Niagara. After missing his first attempt and being held scoreless over the first 11:56, the junior Mississauga native drained a foul-line jumper to move past the barrier in just his 66th game. Nicholson was a shoe size away from recording his 1,000th career point in comeback fashion in his previous outing against St. John's, as his stepback game-winning jumper was originally thought to be a 3-pointer.
Double Down
RS-Junior Da'Quan Cook – who wore #21 last season – posted his second double-double of the year against Niagara. Cook hauled in 10 boards and scored 11 points in that game after a 21-point, 13-rebound effort helped the Bonnies cruise past Binghamton Nov. 21. So far this season, the Bonnies have 15 double doubles from four different players: Nicholson (7), Conger (4), Cook (2), Adegboye (1) and Davenport (1). Nicholson's streak of five straight double doubles tied for the second-longest in the country earlier this season.
Climbing the Charts
Nicholson is climbing the St. Bonaventure career records list in his third season. The Mississauga, Ont. native is the school's career leader in FG% (.576 – tied with Bob Lanier), ranks third in blocks (153), and now sits in 27th on the all-time scoring list with 1,147 points. He is the 22nd player in school annals to post 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career.
Deja 'Drew
Nicholson hit game-winning jumpers from nearly the same spot on the floor in the Bonnies' wins against UB and St. John's. The Buffalo game winner came with 6.8 seconds left to lift SBU to a 76-74 win, while the jab-step, stepback shot against the Red Storm gave a 67-66 edge with 5.2 left.
Home Sweet Home
The loss to Marshall was the Bonnies final non-conference home game of the season. With a 4-2 mark in the venerable Reilly Center so far in 2010-11, SBU improves to 394-182 (.686) in 44 seasons with the RC as the home floor.
Stepping Up
Entering the season, coach Mark Schmidt commented that players other than Nicholson would have to step up for the Bonnies to find success. True to form, each of the other four starters have netted career highs including: Michael Davenport (22 pts vs. St. John's), Ogo Adegboye (17 vs. Ark.-Little Rock, 24 vs. Buffalo), Demitrius Conger (22 pts. 14 rebs. vs. Cornell) and Da'Quan Cook (21 pts. 13 rebs. vs. Binghamton).
And Boom Goes the Dynamite
Adegboye made seven 3-pointers – one shy of the school record – in a Dec. 4 effort to hold off Buffalo, 76-74. He tied his previous career high 17 points and set personal high-water marks for 3-point makes and attempts in the first half alone in helping SBU to an 11-point lead at the break. Adegboye ended the game with new career-highs of 24 points and 10 assists for his first career double-double. The outburst also raised his then-season 3FG% from 31.6 to a blistering 46.4.
Count Your FOUR-tunes
Jim Baron, the last coach to lead the Bonnies to a postseason tournament (NIT, 2001), posted 48 wins in his first four campaigns. Beginning his fourth season on the Bona sidelines, Schmidt and his staff (all of whom worked under Schmidt at Robert Morris) have collected 46 wins…and counting. By number of victories in their first four seasons, here's how it breaks down:
75 Ed Melvin (1948-52)
72 Jim Satalin (1973-77)
67 Jim O'Brien (1982-86)
58 Larry Weise (1961-65)
53 Eddie Donovan (1953-57)
48 Jim Baron (1992-96)
Mike Reilly (1928-32)
46+ Mark Schmidt (2007-Pres.)
24 Anthony Solomon (2003-07)
Riding the Pine
The Bonnies are on the short side of the bench scoring matchup by a wide margin despite their favorable record. Through 13 games SBU has yet to post a deficit of better than three points in bench scoring: Canisius (-17); Ark.-Little Rock (-10); Cornell (-10); Binghamton (-17); Cleveland State (-3); Buffalo (-9); St. John's (-31); Niagara (-15); Ohio (-18); Va. Tech (-10); Siena (-11); Marshall (-24); Ark.-Little Rock (-15).
Nostradamus on Nicholson
Should he record two more seasons similar to those already in the books, Nicholson will notch: 1,849 points (would rank sixth at SBU), 819 rebounds (fifth) and 272 blocks (second). It is also likely that he will become the 22nd player in school history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds (needs one point and 52 rebounds).
NLI Signees
SBU added a pair of guards in the early signing period. Schenectady native Derrick Millinghaus, who currently attends Queen City Prep in Marshville, N.C., is a 1-2 combo guard with an open-court style. Millinghaus will have four years of eligibility, while fellow signee Eric Mosely will have two years remaining. Mosely currently attends Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and spent his freshman season at Austin Peay in 2008-09.
Franciscan Cup
As schools with shared Franciscan heritage, St. Bonaventure president sister Margaret Carney and Siena president father Kevin Mullen agreed that the schools should play for a traveling trophy when the teams meet on the hardwood. The Bonnies claimed the inaugural Cup with an 82-79 win over the Saints Dec. 28 in the first game of a four-year pairing that will bring the Bonnies to the Times Union Center next season.
APR Improvement
Mark Schmidt ranks 13th in the nation in NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) improvement, as calculated by Fox Sports. Schmidt is among the top coaches nationally in cumulative improvement of his team APR, a metric used by NCAA officials to track the academic achievement of Division I teams during each academic term. Each student-athlete earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible. A team's total points are divided by points possible and multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team's APR score.
Ahead of Schedule?
Now in his fourth season at the helm of the Bonnies, head coach Mark Schmidt is ahead of schedule with respect to his previous head coaching stint at Robert Morris. During his third and fourth season at RMU, Schmidt posted back-to-back seasons with the same number of wins (14) before guiding the team to a record over .500 (15-14). At St. Bonaventure, Schmidt has guided the team to 15 wins in each of the last two campaigns in his second and third seasons with the program. St. Bonaventure has not finished a season over .500 since 2001-02 (17-13).
Free Basketball
The Bonnies played a combined five overtimes in back-to-back games – the longest game in school history (4OT) versus Ohio, and an overtime contest against Virginia Tech at Blue Cross Arena.
Entertaining the Masses
The pro-Bonnies crowd of 5,285 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. was the largest to watch a St. Bonaventure game this season.
Chasing .500
After recording a 15-15 mark in 2008-09, SBU fell one game short of .500 last season by booking a 15-16 record. St. Bonaventure enjoyed a streak of 28 consecutive seasons of .500-or-better basketball from 1956-57 to 1983-84, but has just eight such seasons in the last 25. SBU has 63 seasons at or above .500 in 89 years.
A Look Back: 2009-10
The St. Bonaventure University men's basketball team ended the 2009-10 season with a 15-16 overall mark that included a 7-9 record in Atlantic 10 conference play. Third-year head coach Mark Schmidt guided the Bonnies to a No. 8 seed in the A-10 Championship. The Bonnies earned its first postseason win since 2002 by eliminating No. 9 Duquesne, 83-71, in an opening-round game on Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center. The Bonnies have now won 15 games in consecutive seasons after an 8-22 (2-14) showing in Schmidt's first season.
