The Bonnies (1-0) and Cleveland State (2-0) meet for the second straight season at the Wolstein Center on Friday. CSU recently defeated No. 7 Vanderbilt on the road and hung a 69-51 loss on SBU last season.
Leading From the Front
Senior All-America candidate Andrew Nicholson enters his final season in the Brown and White. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward from Mississauga, Ont. has racked up some impressive accolades thus far – A-10 Rookie of the Year, First and Second Team All-Conference selections, Wooden & Naismith Award nominations – and looks to continue that trend for one last run.
Last Year Against Cleveland State
St. Bonaventure dropped a 69-51 decision to the Vikings at the Wolstein Center. CSU used a 23-4 run to start the second half, led by 18 points from Jeremy Montgomery and 16 from NBA first-round draft pick Norris Cole (Miami Heat). Andrew Nicholson recorded a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) as did Demitrius Conger (10 points, 10 boards).
CSU Head Coach Gary Waters
In his fifth season as Vikings head coach, former Kent State and Rutgers coach Gary Waters has turned the once-floundering program into an Horizon-League power. Cleveland State went 27-9 (13-5) last season, setting a school record for wins. The Vikings also won the Horizon League regular-season title for the first time, eventually landing in the NIT. Waters has turned the Vikings into a tough team to beat at home, going 54-12 in the Wolstein Center during his tenure.
House of Toupane
St. Bonaventure announced the signing of Jean Yves Toupane (Jawn two-PAIN) to a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. The 6-foot-7 small forward from Senegal is in his second season at Lee Acadamy in Maine. Toupane will join his fellow Lee teammate, freshman Youssou Ndoye. With long arms and good size, Toupane has the ability to shoot long range and drive towards the basket.
He’s All Wright
Sophomore guard Matthew Wright was a key factor in the Bonnies’ 79-58 win over Cornell. After the Big Red held him to two points in the first half, Wright went off in the second stanza, scoring 11 points to complement a career-best seven rebounds. The Toronto product also dished out five assists to just one turnover.
Up Up and Away
Andrew Nicholson continued a career-long assault on the Bonaventure record books during his 24-point, five-rebound performance against Cornell Nov. 11. Nicholson (623 rebounds) moved past Sam Stith (618 rebounds) for 21st on the career rebounds list. The next targets include David Vanterpool (630 rebounds) and Greg Sanders (637 rebounds).
Simmons Sees Early End
Redshirt junior Marquise Simmons suffered a torn Achilles tendon in just his second minute of action last Friday against Cornell, effectively ending his 2011-12 season. Simmons suffered the injury while driving to the hoop and being fouled, but stayed in the game to hit both of his free throws before leaving.
Moving Up in the World
St. Bonaventure is picked to finish fourth in the league preseason poll, the highest since SBU was slotted second in the East division prior to the 2002-03 campaign. Last year, the Bonnies were picked second-to-last among 14 A-10 schools, but far exceeded expectations by finishing seventh, the biggest disparity between preseason prediction and postseason finish in the league.
Three-Headed Monster
Three seniors return for their final campaign in F Da’Quan Cook, G Mike Davenport and F Andrew Nicholson. Cook is in his fifth year at SBU and is the only remaining holdover from previous coach Anthony Solomon. Over their three years together, the duo have forged a 47-46 record and are already guaranteed to be the school’s winningest class in 10 years.
Out With the Old
Four players from last year’s roster have moved on: G Ogo Adegboye (graduation, now playing professionally in Cyprus); F Brett Roseboro (transferred to UMBC); G Sam de Haas (signed professional contract in Holland); and non-scholarship walk-on Jamil Goodwin (transferred to Independence CC in Kansas).
In With the New
Five new players joined the fold in the offseason: freshman G Jordan Gathers; freshman F/C Youssou Ndoye (YOU-sue EN-doy); sophomore G Charlon Kloof (SHAR-lon); junior F Chris Johnson; and junior G Eric Mosley. The quintuplet are expected to contribute immediately and provide great depth to the Bonnies’ roster.
Can He Do It?
Nicholson ranks 13th on the Bona all-time scoring ledger (1,536 points) and could become the school’s all-time leading scorer if he averages 26.0 points over 27 scheduled games. He led the A-10 and ranked as the nation’s No. 3 returning scorer after averaging 20.8 in 2010-11.
Dangerous From Deep
Junior swingman Demitrius Conger made 40.4 percent of his 3-pointers last season (36-89), the eighth highest single-season percentage in school history. If sophomore sharpshooter Matthew Wright can maintain the pace he set to close out the year (25 for his final 61, 40.9 percent) the Bonnies could have a deadly duo from deep.
Davenport Nearing 1,000
Senior G Michael Davenport is just 288 points away from reaching the 1,000-point milestone for his career. He would become the 39th player in school history to reach the barrier if he averages 10.6 points over 27 scheduled games.
International Flavor
The Bonnies have five players who hail from places other than the United States. Senior F Andrew Nicholson and sophomore G Matthew Wright come from Mississauga and Toronto, Ontario, respectively. Sophomore G Charlon Kloof is a Paramaribo, Suriname native who relocated to the Netherlands at age four, while freshman F Youssou Ndoye hails from Dakar, Senegal. Junior F Chris Johnson – another Canadian – is from North Preston, Nova Scotia.
A Legend “Lives On”
Freshman G Jordan Gathers is the nephew of Loyola Marymount great Hank Gathers, one of only two players in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in both scoring and rebounding. Hank Gathers collapsed on the court during a West Coast Conference quarterfinal game on March 4, 1990 and subsequently died due to a heart condition. Jordan Gathers, whose Twitter handle is @44LivesOn, will wear No. 5 for the Brown and White.
Home Cooking
Ten of the Bonnies’ 16 wins last season occurred in the Reilly Center, the most since the team won 11 games at home during the 2000-01 campaign. That team also reached the postseason, earning a berth in the NIT.
Rolling in the Deep
After spending last year with just 10 scholarship players on the roster, the Bonnies are markedly deeper this season with five new additions and increased experience across the board. SBU used the same starting five in all 31 games last season, with four of those five players averaging at least 32 minutes per game.
Globe-Hopping
Sophomore transfer Charlon Kloof has had an interesting path to St. Bonaventure. The Paramaribo, Suriname native was born in South America, moved to Holland at age four and attended JUCO in North Carolina, all before a prep year at Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain’s Canary Islands.
“Defining Our Legacy”
St. Bonaventure’s slogan for the 2011-12 basketball season is “Defining Our Legacy.” The slogan, created by SBU senior Spencer Timkey, captures the high hopes of both the senior-laden men’s and women’s basketball teams.
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