Bonnies Baseline: One Percent Better

Benjamin Bill has a motto by which he lives his life. 

“One thing I believe in highly is Kaizen, which means one percent better every day.”

The 2025 National Association of Basketball Coaches All-American has adopted the Japanese philosophy into his own basketball journey, encouraging continuous improvement, both on and off the court, through small daily steps. 

A redshirt senior approaching his first season with St. Bonaventure men’s basketball, Bill now looks to utilize that mindset to find success at a higher level.

A former standout center at Division II Daemen University, the 2025 East Coast Conference (ECC) Player of the Year was one of three student-athletes to follow his head coach, Mike MacDonald, when he made the move to St. Bonaventure this past spring.

“I look at Coach MacDonald as a role model. He’s done a lot in my life,” he said. “I would describe his coaching style as calm, cool and collected. Whenever you need him to step up, he’s a great coach.”

Originally from Hamburg, N.Y., the two-time First Team All-ECC selection stayed close to home when he originally committed to play for Coach MacDonald in Amherst. There, he experienced winning basketball, helping post an 81-11 record over three seasons on the court. After a redshirt year during the 2023-24 season, Bill found his footing at the collegiate level.

Through the 2024-25 campaign, Bill averaged 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, compiling the third-highest field goal percentage among D-II competitors (70.8 percent) which was also good for the best mark in Daemen program history. He helped the Wildcats to an undefeated regular season and was named a D-II Conference Commissioner’s Association Third-Team All-American. 

Bill earned valuable postseason experience that year, posting an impressive 23-point performance in the ECC title game to help the Wildcats beat St. Thomas Aquinas. Just one week later, he flourished in a rematch against the Spartans, recording 22 points and 12 rebounds in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament, though Daemen’s season ended there.

After earning the institution’s 2025 Male Athlete of the Year Award, he returned to Daemen the next year in similar form, averaging 17 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He again led the conference in field goal percentage (68.8 percent) and contributed heavily to the team’s 28-1 regular season mark.

Bill was a major driver of the postseason success which followed for the Wildcats, being named the ECC Tournament Most Outstanding Player as he helped lead his program to its second-consecutive conference title. In the NCAA Division II Tournament, the team then advanced to the Elite Eight and faced fifth-seeded Lander, a memory which the big man looks back on fondly.

“My favorite moment from my basketball journey is probably last year when we won the Sweet Sixteen and we were going to the Elite Eight,” he said. “That was the best moment of my career.”

Bill scored 27 points and corralled eight rebounds in that quarterfinals matchup, though the team fell just short of the Final Four. He was named a 2026 East Region All-Tournament Team selection for his efforts.

Before his final collegiate season, Bill made the decision to follow MacDonald to the D-I ranks at St. Bonaventure.

“What made me want to follow Coach MacDonald to St. Bonaventure was his leadership and ability to develop players,” he said.

Now poised for his first season of D-I basketball under a familiar leader with the Bonnies, the two-time NABC Second-Team All-District nominee has seemingly found a home in the Enchanted Mountains. 

“Honestly, my favorite place basketball has taken me is probably here. Being on campus, being able to see this community, all these people that love the sport out here and all of the Bonnies fans, it’s a great experience and it’s amazing to be here,” he said.

After making a big impact in the D-II ranks, Bill now looks to prove his skills at a higher level.

Through the use of his favorite motto, the center has built confidence in himself and his ability to make noise in the Atlantic 10.

“Even though I transferred from a D-II school, I can play at this level. I can impact and change the game at this level.”