Courtesy of GoBonnies.com
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Dec. 3 at the Reilly Center, St. Bonaventure University will honor one of its greatest men’s basketball teams – and the program’s all-time leading scorer.
Prior to the game, Greg Sanders‘ number 53 will be retired. Sanders was not only one of the catalysts of the NIT title season, he is also the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,238 points.
The number retirement will be part of a celebration of the 40th anniversary of St. Bonaventure’s 1977 NIT Championship. That team will be recognized during the Bonnies’ game against Buffalo, which tips off at 4 p.m.
The entire coaching staff of the 1976-77 Bonnies will be on hand — head coach Jim Satalin and assistant coaches Bob Sassone and Bill Kalbaugh. In addition to Sanders, his former teammates Hollis, Jim Baron, Delmar Harrod, Glenn Hagan, Dan Viglianco, Tim Waterman, Nick Urzetta, Jim Elenz and Bruno DeGiglio are expected to attend.
St. Bonaventure captured the NIT title in March of 1977 at Madison Square Garden, topping Houston, 94-91. Sanders scored 40 points and was named the Most Valuable Player of the NIT. The Bonnies defeated Villanova in the semifinals, 86-82, after getting by Rutgers and Oregon before that. Hagan made a last-second shot that gave St. Bonaventure a 79-77 win over Rutgers.
Hollis and Sanders led the offense that averaged a remarkable 82 points per game. Hollis finished the year averaging 21.7 points per game and Sanders 21.2. Baron led the team in assists and was a lockdown defender; Hagan was the point guard with a dramatic flair and Waterman helped Hollis man the interior.
The 1976-77 team is already a highly-acclaimed group. Sanders, Hollis, Baron, Hagan, Satalin, Sassone and Kalbaugh are all members of the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame.
Sanders’ scoring prowess at St. Bonaventure belies the fact he was a lightly-regarded player coming out of St. Anthony’s High School in Washington, D.C. The 6-6 forward known as “Mr. G” averaged 17.5 points per game his freshman season. Known for his uncanny ability to make difficult shots, Sanders continued to improve, benefitting from the presence of talented teammates. He averaged 18.8 points per game as a sophomore, then increased that to 21.2 in 1976-77. His senior season, Sanders topped the 600-point plateau for the second year in a row, averaging 22.1 points per game and leading St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Tournament.
Sanders broke Bob Lanier‘s school record of 2,067 points (a total set over three seasons). Today, Sanders’ 2,238 points remain 135 points ahead of Andrew Nicholson, the program’s second all-time leading scorer now in his fifth NBA season.
St. Bonaventure has previously retired nine numbers worn by 10 players. The others are Ken Murray (13), Bill Butler (14), Sam Stith (22), Earl Belcher/Hollis (25), Bob Lanier (31), Whitey Martin (34), Tom Stith (42), Andrew Nicholson (44) and Fred Crawford (54).
Tickets for the Dec. 3 game will go on sale this Wednesday, Oct. 19. For more information on St. Bonaventure season tickets, Flex Packs or general ticket information, contact Liz Skeels or Nicole Boyett at (716) 375-2500 or tickets@sbu.edu.
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