The Starting Five (notes)
1. St. Bonaventure hosts St. Francis in the 2016-17 season opener for both teams. The Bonnies bring a fairly new-look team to the floor with six new players. However, three of the mainstays from last year are back led by All-Conference junior point guard Jaylen Adams. He is joined by senior forward Denzel Gregg, the co-Sixth Man of the Year in the A-10 a year ago, and junior swingman Idris Taqqee. Those three players are the team captains.
2. St. Bonaventure is led by 2015-16 A-10 Coach of the Year Mark Schmidt, who begins his 10th season at the helm of the program. Schmidt has the task of replacing graduated seniors Marcus Posley and Dion Wright and integrating the team's six new players.
3. Adams was a first team All-Conference selection last year, and he enters his junior season hoping to continue to build on a breakout sophomore campaign. Adams' list of preseason accolades includes honorable mention All-America from Sports Illustrated. He will be joined in the backcourt by classmate Matt Mobley, who practiced with the team last year as a transfer.
4. Last year, a record-breaking regular season culminated with the Bonnies (22-9/14-4) as co-champions of the Atlantic 10 for the first time. It also was the first year since 1976-77 that St. Bonaventure won 20 games in the regular season; it was the 14th season of 20 wins or more in school history. The Bonnies also set a program record for Atlantic 10 victories.
5. Home openers have been kind to the Bonnies. They have won 11 straight home openers dating back to 2004. Since 1966, when the Reilly Center opened, St. Bonaventure is 47-2 in home openers. Under head coach Mark Schmidt, St. Bonaventure is 9-0 in home openers.
Working In The New Guys
St. Bonaventure has six new players on the roster – three freshmen, one junior, one senior and one graduate student. That is not counting Courtney Stockard, who is out for the season due to a foot injury. The newcomers are led by upperclasmen Chinonso Obokoh, David Andoh and Matt Mobley. Obokoh is a graduate transfer who played at Syracuse the past three seasons who the Bonnies hope will bring an interior presence with his rebounding and shot-blocking abilities. Andoh and Mobley both practiced with the Bonnies last season after transferring from Liberty and Central Connecticut, respectively. Mobley, who averaged 17 points per game as a sophomore at CCS, is expected to start alongisde Jay Adams in the backcourt and also be the backup point guard. Andoh averaged 10 points and 7.0 rebounds at Liberty and should make an impact coming off the bench; he battled a stress fracture in his foot over the summer but is almost fully back. Freshmen forwards Josh Ayeni, Amadi Ikpeze and guard Tareq Coburn make up a promising class. All three should have a chance to play immediately.
Adams Earns Preseason Accolades
Without the 2016-17 season even starting yet, St. Bonaventure junior Jaylen Adams continues to earn numerous accolades from college basketball media. Entering his third season as the Bonnies' point guard, Adams has received recognition from the coaches and media within the Atlantic 10 Conference as well as national media and websites. These include:
• Preseason honorable mention All-American by SI.com.
• Listed "Also Considered" by Sports Illustrated in its list of preseason national player of the year candidates
• Fifth-ranked point guard by Lindy's college basketball magazine
• Atlantic 10 Conference preseason All-Conference first team
• No. 2 on A10Talk.com's list of the top players in the conference
• No. 13 on American Sports Network's list of the top 100 players the network covers
• Big 4 preseason Player of the Year
The Baltimore, Md., native, is the leading returning scorer for St. Bonaventure. Last season, Adams was named to the All-Atlantic 10 first team and to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 4 second team. He tied for eighth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring at 17.9 points per game, led the A-10 in three-point field goal percentage (.438) and finished fourth in free throw percentage (.874). Adams also averaged 5.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. His .438 three-point percentage is the second-best mark in school history. After last season, Sports Illustrated named Adams one of its most surprising players of the 2015-16 season. In July, Adams attended the adidas Nations camp in Los Angeles, a prestigious event for a select group of top players.
Taqqee The Bonnies' Glue Guy
Junior Idris Taqqee brings a hard-nosed, selfless approach to the court -- often described by Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt as a "glue guy" who does all the little things necessary for success. One of the team's co-captains for the second year in a row, Taqqee blossomed last year, starting every game this season and averaging 5.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He had some of his best games when they counted the most. He opened many eyes in the Feb. 27 win over UMass as he went 5-7 from three-point range and scored a career high 19 points. He also became a very reliable defender, often assigned to the opponent's top wing. His freshman year, Taqqee played just 8.3 minutes and averaged 1.2 points per game.
Gregg Primed To Cap Career In Style
Like many St. Bonaventure players before, Denzel Gregg's career has been marked by yearly development. The team's only four-year senior, the 6-7 forward certainly seems ready for the most productive season of his career. While he has become a fan favorite for his highlight-reel dunks and blocks, Gregg has rounded out his offensive game, adding a three-point shot and mid-range jumper last year. Last season, he was the team's instant spark off the bench and the A-10's coaches noticed, naming him the co-Sixth Man of the Year in the conference. Fifteen of his 16 career games in double figures were last year.
Scouting Saint Francis
• St. Francis returns two starters from last year's 13-17 team. Sophomore forward Josh Nebo averaged 4.9 points last year, but his 56 blocked shots made him a defensive force. Senior guard Malik Harmon averaged 8.0 points per game. All three of the Red Flash players who averaged in double figures last year graduated.
• The Red Flash lost senior point guard Malik Harmon to a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Harmon averaged 8.0 points and 3.0 assists last season.
• St. Francis did not play an exhibition game; the team instead had two closed scrimmages.
• St. Francis was selected ninth in the NEC preseason poll.
The Last Meeting
Dec. 23, 2011 at the Reilly Center: St. Bonaventure 82, Saint Francis 55
Chris Johnson matched a career high with 19 points, Demitrius Conger poured in 17 and Matthew Wright 15 as St. Bonaventure cruised to an 82-55 victory. Senior Andrew Nicholson was saddled with early foul trouble and finished with seven points.
Up Next
The Bonnies travel to the Sunshine State to take on Florida next Thursday, Nov. 17, in Lakeland at Lakeland Center.
