The Bonnies Baseline feature series focuses on Bona players in each home game program during the season. Game programs are free for fans to pick up at Reilly Center entrances. To read previous installments in the series click here.

For many Division I college basketball players, the recruiting process comes naturally. Prospective student-athletes begin to withdraw from competing in other sports as programs show interest and coaches battle to position themselves as front runners for commits.

For St. Bonaventure men's basketball senior Broek Ostrom, this was not the case.

A native of Holley, N.Y., the four-year Bonnie followed an unusual path to D-I hoops, unconventionally finding himself wearing the Brown and White for the first time as a freshman walk-on during the 2022-23 season.

"I didn't market myself very much for basketball, so I had no offers from junior colleges, D-III schools, or anything like that," Ostrom said. "Coming from a small school, it's hard to get attention anyway unless you play AAU or you're in the local circuit."

Though Ostrom was Holley High School's clear-cut best player, a 10-10 regular season record in his senior year combined with a graduating class size of roughly 60 kept his name out of recruiting contention.

Despite a lack of collegiate attention, Ostrom racked up numbers at the high school level.

Playing in Section 5, Class C1 he averaged 27 points and eight rebounds per game in his senior year, reaching 575 total points in one year. He also posted a 51-point single-game performance to set the school record. Since this success did not stimulate recruitment in the basketball world, Ostrom decided to move on and continue his involvement in other athletics and activities.

A pitcher on the baseball diamond, he struck out 55 batters in 41 innings during his senior season. He also compiled a .565 batting average, going 26-for-46 with 20 runs scored and 20 RBIs. "In baseball, we weren't very good, but I still had a great time because I loved pitching and fielding," Ostrom said. He played football for the first time as a junior, giving him insight into learning a new sport. "I played safety, wide receiver, and punter. I had a great time doing it. It was definitely a different feel and look at practices, so it gave me a better view of how football works," Ostrom said.

Soccer was arguably Ostrom's top sport behind basketball as he played varsity for three years as a goalkeeper. He was ranked in Section 5 with some of the most saves in the league, also helping lead Holley to the sectional finals.

When he started his Bonaventure career, he first planned on attempting to make Bonnies soccer his priority.

"I was planning on coming to Bonaventure to try out for the men's soccer team originally," he said. "When I got to school and moved in, I realized I had missed those tryouts. So I just planned on being a regular student, and I joined club baseball and club lacrosse as other activities to do outside of school. Then I saw that basketball tryouts were open, and I would've kicked myself if I didn't end up trying. So, I tried out and ended up making the team, and I've been here ever since."

Though the gameday role for a walk-on may look different from that of a player on scholarship, Ostrom still puts in the same amount of work behind the scenes. Participating in lifts and practice and traveling to games are universal responsibilities for all players on the team, and though he may not run as many plays in practice, Ostrom still uses that time to soak up everything going on around him.

"The most difficult part is realizing that you're not going to play in the majority of games, and when you do, it's only for a couple of minutes," Ostrom said. "But I've learned to look past that and enjoy practices much more as my game time. The most rewarding part is learning under Coach Schmidt because I'm trying to be a coach, and learning under such a high-level coach has impacted my game knowledge in many ways."

Ostrom sees the opportunity to learn under the Bonnies coaching staff as a key reason why he has stayed with the team for four years.

"I'm always thinking for the future. I know I'm not going to get consistent minutes here, but I'm just thinking about trying to be the best version of myself that I can be on and off the court," he said. "Sometimes I'll forget that, and that's when I go through lows, but when I realize that everything I'm doing right now is going to pay off in the future, that's what keeps me going."

With intentions of moving into the college basketball coaching world post-graduation, Ostrom sees his time with the Bonnies as a precursor to a fulfilling career.

"I'm trying to go into college basketball coaching," he said. "In that sense, I'm just trying to better my understanding of the game and how the inner operations work. That's my main focal point."

Despite a myriad of other athletic and academic hobbies and an unlikely route to Division I hoops, Ostrom said he has found his home on the Bonnies men's basketball team.

"I feel like this is the most rewarding thing I could've done. I wouldn't change a thing."