Frank Mitchell has quickly emerged as one of the most productive players in the country in his first season wearing Bona Brown. The Toronto native is in the top five in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (16.0 points per game) while leading the league in rebounding with 9.9 rebounds per game. He has tallied double figures in 21 of St. Bonaventure's 25 games, with 20-plus points in eight games. He has grabbed 10-or-more rebounds in 13 games, the most by any player in the Atlantic 10 this season.
Mitchell leads the conference with 14 double-doubles, twice as many as the next leading players in the Atlantic 10. He already has more double-doubles this season than St. Bonaventure legends Osun Osunniyi ('22), Andrew Nicholson ('12) and Caswell Cyrus ('00) had in a single season throughout their illustrious careers. Earlier this season, the senior forward posted six double-doubles in a row, breaking a record held by Nicholson as the most by a Bonnie in the Mark Schmidt era (2007-present).
The senior forward is among the nation's top offensive rebounders. His 112 offensive rebounds (as of Feb. 19) ranks third in country. It is already the highest offensive rebounding total for any player under Mark Schmidt. He has tallied double-digit offensive rebounds two games this season, with a season-best 11 against Colgate (Dec. 10) and 10 vs. Ohio (Dec. 13).
"(Mitchell) wins (Bonaventure) games... he had 11 offensive rebounds in a Division I basketball game and then followed it up with 10 in the next game. We didn’t even get 10 tonight. That’s crazy.”
- Phil Martelli Jr., VCU Head Coach
A-10 Player of the Week (Dec. 15) | State Farm Slam Dunk Championship Watch List
Despite being a post-centric big man, Mitchell has the ability to take over the game offensively. He had a career day on Dec. 13 against Ohio, tallying a career-best 27 points while shooting 12-for-20 from the floor. Just over a month later at La Salle (Jan. 17), Mitchell tied his career best in made field goals again with 12, this time on only 17 attempts (71 percent). He finished the game with 26 points and seven rebounds. On Jan. 14 at Saint Joseph's, Mitchell reached the 20-point mark in the first half, scoring 20 of the Bonnies' 28 points to open the game.
"He’s a heck of an offensive player”
- Steve Donahue, Saint Joseph's Head Coach
| An Unlikely Path to St. Bonaventure |
Growing up a youth hockey player in Toronto, Frank Mitchell found himself working construction after high school prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, playing basketball only recreationally. Mitchell was working to earn his Red Seal, a certification for skilled trade workers in Canada, when the pandemic opened up a window for him to pursue basketball.
“I did flooring. I switched from flooring to cement, did labor. I was in school for that trying to get my Red Seal,” Mitchell said on The Canadian Basketball Show podcast. “And boom, COVID happened. They said ‘we’ll let you know when (construction work) is going to get back,’ and stuff never came back.”
Mitchell attended high-level recreational runs in the Toronto area and was soon discovered by several Junior College coaches. When he finally found the right fit at Toronto’s Humber College, he had a record-breaking season and got on the radar of Division I staffs across the United States.
After stops at Canisius and Minnesota, Mitchell is now next-in-line on a long list of key Bonnies from Ontario, including Andrew Nicholson (‘12), Barry Mungar (‘86), Rob Samuels (‘85) and many others.
| Mitchell's Career At A Glance |
As a Senior (2025-26)
Averaging 16.0 points (T-5th Atlantic 10) and 9.7 rebounds (1st A-10), 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals (T-7th A10) per game in 33.1 minutes per game (T-6th Atlantic 10) and 24 appearances... shooting a team-best 53.8% (162-for-301) from the field... posted 20 or more points in seven games, a double-double in 12 games and double-figure scoring in 20 games ... scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against Ohio (12/13)... notched 26 points and seven rebounds against La Salle (1/17).... recorded a 19-point, season-high 18 rebound double-double in a win against Colgate (12/10).
At Minnesota (2024-25)
Played in 29 games, including nine starts, averaging 4.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per contest … recorded three double-doubles … logged seven rebounds in a win vs. Yale (11/16) … scored 10 points and four rebounds vs. Wichita State (11/28) … collected six offensive rebounds, a steal and an assist in a victory over Michigan (1/16) … had eight points, six rebounds and hit two crucial free throws in a win at Iowa (1/21) … added a team-best seven rebounds and six points off the bench vs. Washington (2/1) … earned his first Gopher double-double when he had 15 points, 12 rebounds at USC (2/15) … earned a double-double 11 points and 11 rebounds vs. Wisconsin (3/5) … added his third double-double of the season with 12 points, 11 rebounds at Rutgers (3/9).
At Canisius (2022-24)
Earned All-MAAC Second Team honors after finishing the season as the only player in the MAAC to average a double-double … finished the 2023-24 season ranked fourth in the nation with his 11.6 rebounds per game … averaged 12.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game … led the MAAC and ranked 21st in the country with 15 double-double performances … scored in double-figures 23 times and had a career-high 21 points in a home win over Manhattan … shot 56.1 percent (161-for-287) from the field, which led the MAAC and ranked 42nd in the nation … had 15-or more points in eight different games … ranked 13th in the MAAC in points per game … one of three players in the country in 2023-24 to have 20-or more rebounds in multiple games … grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds in an overtime win at Manhattan … his 11.6 rebounds per game average ranks fifth-best for a single-season in Golden Griffin program history, and it is the best rebounding average for a Canisius player since 1973-74 … led the MAAC in both offensive rebounds per game (4.1) and defensive rebounds per game (7.6) … ranked ninth in the nation with those 361 total rebounds … played 35 or more minutes six times … sat out 2022-23 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
At Humber College (2021-22)
Played the 2021-22 basketball season at Humber College in Toronto and helped lead the Hawks to the 2022 CCAA National Championships and the 2022 OCAA Provincial Championship … averaged 14.5 points and 18.0 rebounds per game … earned five major CCAA and OCAA Provincial awards after his freshman year, as he was named to the 2022 CCAA and OCAA Championship All-Tournament Teams, while also being named the OCAA Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and an OCAA First-Team All-Star … posted 13 double-double efforts and grabbed a school-record 31 rebounds against Redeemer … recorded a program-record 14.5 rebounds per contest during OCAA postseason play.
Personal
Son of Maryse and Trevor Mitchell … played hockey much of his childhood and switched solely to basketball at age 18.
