By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
It only took 14 minutes of game action for Mark Schmidt to bestow one of his most weighty platitudes on Eddie Creal.
“Eddie’s a glue guy; he’s a garbage man in a good sense,” Schmidt said after Tuesday’s win over Akron. “He gets offensive rebounds, he gets putbacks. When Eddie plays to his strengths, he’s going to be a really good player for us.
“He’s a guy that you don’t have to run plays for him. He’s very similar to Idris Taqqee; you don’t run plays for him, he makes his own plays. He’s a blue-collar guy, he gets loose balls. Those are the plays he can make. He’s a tough kid, he likes to compete and he’s going to be a positive for us this year.”
Being compared to Taqqee, a three-year Bona captain and starter who was an indispensable piece of the 2015-16 Atlantic 10 co-champions and 2017-18 NCAA Tournament team, is high praise after just 14 minutes played. Not only does it already show trust in the junior college transfer, it portends good things for his place in this season’s rotation.
Earning minutes in a loaded guard group won’t be easy, especially since Kyle Lofton tied for the nationwide minutes per game title last year and Dominick Welch rarely sits the bench either. Anthony Roberts’s debut will only create a bigger logjam. But the way you ensure your spot in the rotation is to be a “Schmidt guy”: crashing the glass (Creal was the first Bona guard to grab four or more offensive boards in a season opener since Taqqee in 2016), chipping in baskets when you can (he scored four points on 2-of-5 shooting) and taking care of the ball (he didn’t turn it over once in 14 minutes).
Creal was a part of one of the most prominent lineups on Tuesday, alongside Lofton, Jaren Holmes, Welch and Osunniyi. He played the same amount as sophomore Alejandro Vasquez, who will be one of his closest counterparts in SBU’s rotation.
The Illinoisan’s shot is a work in progress; he shot 25 percent from 3-point range his freshman year and 35 percent as a sophomore. But with so many players capable of shooting from deep on this team, attacking the basket and spreading the defense will be Creal’s tendency offensively.
It’s very early, but the descriptions Creal made of himself and Moberly College head coach Pat Smith made of his former star in April were displayed against Akron: “high-motor guard with a lot of toughness”; “gets it done with his toughness, skill level and basketball IQ.”
Sounds like Taqqee, and Schmidt has already made that connection.
Anthony Roberts‘s COVID-19 quarantine delayed his Bonnies debut, as he was not available for the Akron game. Schmidt said Thursday that it will “probably be another game or two” before the Kent State transfer is in playing shape.
Jalen Shaw was the last Bonnie out of quarantine, only practicing one day before his brief team debut. Justin Winston was tabbed as the backup “five-man” to Osun Osunniyi but picked up two quick fouls, leading to Shaw playing for a minute until Osunniyi was ready to re-enter the game. Winston was charged with three fouls in five minutes of action.
“And the practice before the game is not that difficult, so in essence (Shaw) had no practices,” Schmidt remarked. “We needed a backup five, and Justin was that at that time.”
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse was Bona’s first experience playing a game with no fans, and Schmidt had some thoughts on how different the 2020-21 atmosphere will be. St. Bonaventure was among the schools that announced in the preseason that no fans will be allowed in accordance with local and state COVID-19 guidelines.
“It was like a glorified scrimmage that really counts,” Schmidt commented. “There’s not much excitement, not much enthusiasm. No one’s clapping. You can hear everything; you hear every squeak of the sneaker and bounce of the ball. It’s gonna be different this year.
“I think the more we do it, the more comfortable it will become and the more normal it will become, but it is what it is. I’m just thankful that we can play, fans or no fans.”
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