ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure Basketball will pay tribute to perhaps the most famous family in program history at the Saturday, Nov. 15 game when the Bonnies celebrate the Stith brothers as part of a full day of activities surrounding that afternoon's matchup vs. Youngstown State.

Bona Athletics Hall of Fame member Sam Stith is set to return to the Enchanted Mountains to honor his late brother Tom as part of a celebration of Tom's induction into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame, announced last December.

At halftime of the Nov. 15 game, Sam Stith will receive his younger brother's Hall of Fame induction award during an on-court ceremony. He will also be available for autographs with fans at the inaugural Bonnies Basketball Tailgate Series event presented by Colton RV & Marine from 2 – 3:30 p.m. in the Richter Center.

The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a limited edition Tom Stith figurine depicting the Hall of Famer in his famous letterman's jacket.

Tip time inside the Reilly Center is set for 4 p.m. as the Bonnies battle the Penguins, who finished 21-13 last season and came one step away from the NCAA Tournament by reaching the finals of the Horizon League Tournament.

Tom Stith earned a selection as part of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024, recognizing one of the greatest St. Bonaventure careers ever.

A co-captain of the 1960-61 team, Stith had an almost unstoppable hook shot and won more national attention for the program than any other player up to that time. At the time of his graduation, Tom set the all-time scoring record at St. Bonaventure with 2,052 points over his three years. That total has been surpassed four times, but three times it was by men who played four seasons.

Tom still holds the St. Bonaventure record for field goals in a season with 327 and scoring average in a season at 31.5 ppg set during the 1959-60 campaign. He surpassed 40 points in a game on eight separate occasions during his Bonaventure career and his 27.0 ppg average ranks second only to Bob Lanier in the Bona record books. He owns the top two scoring seasons in program history also, totaling 830 points in 1960-61 after pouring in 819 the previous year.

His 691 career rebounds still stand 14^th in school history as well.

The honors he received included: Associated Press All-American (1959-60 and 1960-61); United Press International All-American (1959-60 and 1960-61); Look Magazine All-American (1960-61); Sporting News All-American (1959-60 and 1960-61); Coach and Athlete All-American (1960-61); Coach and Athlete Player of the Year (1960-61); Converse All-American (1959-60 and 1960-61); Helms Foundation All-American (1960-61); Catholic Digest All-American (1960-61); and ECAC All-East (1960-61).

Tom Stith was key to leading the Bonnies to a final AP poll ranking of No. 3 following his senior season and No. 9 after his junior year.

After graduation, Tom went on to play for his hometown New York Knicks in the NBA during 1961-62.

Sam started the Stith legacy at St. Bonaventure, posting 1,112 career points, 620 rebounds and, along with his brother, helped the program to three NIT berths and one NCAA Tournament over a four-year span.  Sam served as captain of the 1959-60 squad which finished fourth in the NIT and saw the Stith brothers average a combined 52 points per game – Sam totaled 20.5 points on average while Tom recorded 31.5 ppg. Sam also played a season for his hometown team, the New York Knicks.

Today, both Sam's No. 22 and Tom's No. 42 adorn the Reilly Center rafters as retired numbers. The brothers are both members of the program's Centennial Season All-Time Team as well.