ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure men's basketball team has landed top Division II transfers Zach Philipkoski and Benjamin Bill of Daemen University, head coach Mike MacDonald announced Sunday (April 19). Both players had spent their entire careers to this point under MacDonald at Daemen.
 
"I am extremely excited to bring in Zach and Ben to be a part of my first team at St. Bonaventure," said MacDonald. "Their work ethic and high character will be key during this upcoming season. They both have a commitment to doing the things that influence winning, which was a big part of our success at Daemen."
 
Philipkoski and Bill logged an 86-11 record as teammates at Daemen, winning back-to-back East Coast Conference titles and earning an Elite Eight bid in 2026. The duo's .887 winning percentage during that span ranked third among every team in all three NCAA levels.
 
Philipkoski, a senior, averaged a career-best 17.8 points per game last season with the Wildcats. An elite shooter from long range, the 6-4 guard shot 41.9 percent (91-for-217) from beyond the arc, which ranked 17^th in the nation. He averaged 7.8 rebounds with four double-doubles on the season, while recording 1.5 steals per game and 32 blocks. 
 
Philipkoski was named ECC Player of the Year and a NABC D-II All-American in 2026. The New Hartford, N.Y., native scored a career-best 40 points in Daemen's East Regional Final win over Saint Anselm (March 17), shooting 14-of-22 from the field and 11-of-17 from three-point range. He was named the East Region Most Valuable player for his efforts.
 
"Zach is more than a shooter or a scorer," said MacDonald. "Simply put he is a basketball player. His ability to pass and rebound as well as score should make him a fan favorite in the Reilly Center!"
 
Bill, a 6-10 redshirt senior, is a two-time All-ECC first team member. In 2025, he won the ECC Player of the Year and became Daemen's second consensus All-American in program history. The Hamburg, N.Y., native led the ECC in field goal percentage two seasons in a row, shooting 69.8 percent (377-for-540) in his junior and senior seasons combined.
 
As a redshirt junior, Bill averaged 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He ranked top 10 in the conference in points (408), rebounds (184), blocks (42) and made field goals. In the Wildcats' Elite Eight matchup against Lander (March 25), Bill posted a season-best 27 points and eight rebounds on 12-of-16 shooting. 
 
In his sophomore season, Bill averaged 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He set a program record by shooting 70.8 percent (209-for-295) from the field, which ranked third in all of Division II. He scored in double figures in 26 games while grabbing 10-or-more rebounds in eight games.
 
"Ben's size, strength and skill on both ends of the floor make him an exciting addition to the Bonnies' frontcourt," said MacDonald. "His development is what's right about college basketball. He has improved every year he has played and I am looking forward to watching his career take the next step."
 
In DraftExpress.com's Division II model, Philipkoski and Bill were ranked as the second and seventh best players in the nation, respectively.