Mark Schmidt has done a fabulous job making the St. Bonaventure Bonnies men’s basketball team relevant. The Bonnies, perennial Atlantic-10 doormats for 20 years (1986-2007), have become a top-3 program in the conference. And Schmidt potentially has his best team since coming to the small town of Olean/Allegheny (NY).
St. Bonaventure is off to a 6-0 start to the season, the program’s best since 1973-74. Each of the six victories has been by nine or more points, and the team’s average margin of victory is 15 points. They have won the past three games by at least 15 points.
Granted, St. Bonaventure has played the most challenging schedule. The Bonnies’ first six opponents have a combined record of 13-26, with only CSU Northridge and Bryant possessing at least a .500 record. They also have played D-II Mansfield and four of their first six contests at the comfy confines of The Reilly Center.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies Off To Best Start In 51 Years, Is This Mark Schmidt’s Best Team?
Things are going to heat up for St. Bonaventure. Bona will face Utah State in the ESPN Preseason NIT Tournament in Kissimmee (FL) on Thursday. Utah State, picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West, though the Aggies did receive a first-place vote, is 5-0 and coming off a 77-69 victory over Iowa.
SBU will then face either North Texas or Northern Iowa in Kissimmee on Friday. North Texas (5-1) was picked to finish seventh in the American Athletic, while Northern Iowa (3-2) was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference. They will then square off against Providence (5-0) in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase before hitting the A-10 slate.
“It’s a great mid-major tournament. Utah State just beat Iowa,” Schmidt said when speaking about the Bonnies’ upcoming season. They average well into the 90s. They can really score, and Northern Iowa, we’ve played them twice already in the last three years and know what a good program they are. North Texas is another high mid-major program. It’s a high mid-major tournament. We’re worried about the first game, and we’ll work tonight to get ready for the first game, but this will be a great opportunity for our team to play some high-quality opponents.”
While it is very early, and an argument can be made that the schedule has helped Bona get off to a strong start, it is not necessarily the results that give the Bonnies hope. It is how they have won the games as the Bonnies have picked up wins against the “Big Boys” in the recent past.
Last year, SBU defeated Oklahoma State in The Legends Classic. The Bonnies picked up wins over Norte Dame in the Gotham Classic in 2022-23 and Rutgers during the 2019-20 campaign.
Is This Schmidt’s Best Team
Mark Schmidt has had many good teams since moving from Robert Morris to Bonaventure in 2007. The 61-year-old Schmidt has produced a 308-226 record while claiming two Atlantic-10 regular season titles and two conference tourney crowns. The Bonnies have won at least 20 games six times.
Schmidt has directed the Bonnies to six postseason bids, where he is 4-6, including three NCAA Tournaments (1-3). He is 3-2 in the NIT and 0-1 in the CBI. The Bonnies rejected an NIT bid last season after going 20-13.
Schmidt is known as a defensive minded coach who emphasizes teamwork and versatily. His best Bonnies team is arguably the 2017-18 squad that went 26-8. While that club didn’t win either the A-10 regular season crown or conference tournament, they did pick up an NCAA tournament victory over UCLA.
The 2017-18 squad was extremely talented, and the Bonnies got better as the year continued. Jaylen Adams and Izaiah Brockington, currently with the New Orleans Pelicans G-League squad, have reached the NBA. They were also fairly deep.
Matt Mobley spent two seasons on an NBA summer league squad and spent several years playing overseas. Tough-nosed wing Courtney Stockard, who played a few seasons internationally, could score and do a little bit of everything, with his shooting range being his biggest weakness. LaDarrien Griffin, who currently plays overseas, was strong defensively and uber-athletic. Meanwhile, Idris Taqqee and Amadi Ikpeze, currently playing in Spain, were strong defensively but limited offensively.
This 2017-18 squad was an impressive offensive squad that ranked 76th in the nation in offensive rating and 80th in scoring. They went nine deep, shot the ball extremely well, and were strong defensively (100.9 Defensive rating).
2024-25 Squad
It is early, but one can’t deny the talent of this year’s Bonnies squad. While not as talented or experienced as the 2017-18 team, this Bona’s team has the making of a team that can make noise in the A-10 and possibly come March. The Bonnies were picked to finish 11th in the conference preseason rankings
Loaded with transfers, the 2024-25 roster is littered with versatile, long, and athletic players. The Bonnies are good-sized, with no player in Schmidt’s rotation smaller than 6-2 and three 6-10 or taller. Offensively, the Bonnies are well-balanced and can score inside and out.
St. Bonaventure shares the ball well and can knock down open 3-pointers, but what they do best is attack the hoop, whether in the open court or halfcourt. The Bonnies are an excellent offensive-rebounding squad, grabbing over 34% of all available boards on that end. They also get to the line a lot, averaging 21.0 free throws a game.
St. Bonaventure averages 77.2 points a game and ranks 105th in the country in offensive efficiency. Bona is shooting the ball well at 47.5%, which is 105th in the nation, as they are making 56.9% of their two-pointers. However, they have struggled in the early going from beyond the arc and at the charity stripe.
Bonnies Offense
The Bonnies have some talent offensively. Former consensus top-100 recruit Chance Moore, an extremely talented two-way guard, leads five players in double figures at 16.2 points a game. He is shooting 52.4% from the field and averaging nearly six free throws a game. While Moore has scored 12 or more points five times already, he does have to improve his ball-handling and shooting from the perimeter.
Six-11 center Noel Brown has made huge strides on the offensive end this year. Brown, who averages 12.5 points while shooting 70% from the field, is a physical presence and thrives around the rim.
Melvin Council Jr. is a big, fast guard who likes to get into the teeth of the defense where he can create for himself and others. Council, who played 36 minutes a game last season for Wagner, can occasionally knock down an open triple.
Dasonte Brown, who spent his first two seasons as a spot rotational player at Iowa, is very skilled at orchestrating an offense and is a solid facilitator. He does an excellent job getting to the rim but needs to finish better—making just 55% of those attempts early.
Lajae Jones joins Noel, Dasonte Brown, Council Jr., and Moore in double figures. Jones played at Tarleton State and spent one season at Juco Barton College. He is extremely athletic, can shoot from deep, and can score, though he has struggled to finish at the rim thus far.
Final Word
As good as the Bonnies’ offense has been, it is their defense that will set them apart. St. Bonaventure has at least five players who can guard multiple positions. The Bonnies, who rank 49th in defensive rating at 91.6, are holding opponents to 40.1% shooting from the field. They are an exceptional defensive rebounding squad, have shown the ability to force turnovers, protect the rim, and, perhaps most importantly, don’t foul.
While the Bonnies’ length on the wing helps their versatility, more significantly, they have guys who “get after it” on that end. Not only do the Bonnies have strong individual defenders, but they are strong as a team, helping in the low post and switching while also doing a superb job recovering from shooters.
Moore is a lockdown defender. Dasonte Brown, Council, and sixth-man Jonah Hinton—one of the Bonnies’ best shooters—can guard all 94 feet. Jones has shown the ability to play the passing lanes.
Given the team’s makeup, it is their defense that will carry St. Bonaventure this season, and Schmidt has made the excellent decision to parlay the Bonnies’ best asset into playing fast on both ends. Schmidt has Dasonte Brown, Council, and Hinton hound their opponents’ best ball-handlers in both the full and half courts.
Bonnies Continued
Saying that the Bonnies shooting may be what determines whether they are A-10 contenders or not. The Bonnies have four players making at least one triple a game, though they only shoot 23 and connect on just 32.1% of their attempts. Also concerning is that the Bonnies have converted just 69.8% of their 21 free throw attempts a game, meaning they are giving up between three and four points, which could eventually cost them a game or two.
Regardless of how the Bonnies’ season plays out, the good news is that Schmidt should have multiple years to develop the team. Noel Brown is the only senior, and Dasonte Brown, Hinton, Jones, and Duane Thompson have at least three more years of eligibility.
