By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team experienced a fortunate bill of health last season. The “Ironman Five” started all but one game, when Jalen Adaway came off the bench at Duquesne due to illness and recorded a double-double regardless. Jaren Holmes left the Rhode Island loss after just one minute with a back issue but returned for the next game three days later.
Bona has already dealt with more absences this season, Kyle Lofton’s ankle injury being the latest. Osun Osunniyi could not complete either of the first two regular season games with a nagging back ailment, while Quadry Adams and Linton Brown have each missed a game due to illness.
Lofton has been Iron Man even among the “Ironman 5,” the only senior starter who hasn’t missed a game (minus this year’s exhibition) at Bona. Should that 93-game streak end on Saturday, how will the Bonnies adapt? A few predictions:
Jaren Holmes assumes point guard duties. Holmes has recorded 27 assists to just 13 turnovers this season, the second-best assist percentage on the team behind Lofton. As the team’s leading rebounder, averaging eight boards a game, he can also impact the game in transition against fast-paced Buffalo; the Bulls average over 75 possessions per game.
“Jaren was really active, especially in the second half,” SBU head coach Mark Schmidt said after Bona’s win over Coppin State, “and that’s what we need.”
Holmes is playing heavier minutes, taking more shots and scoring more points than he did in the last two seasons. He also has the defensive chops to chase around Ronaldo Segu, Buffalo’s small but speedy floor general.
Linton Brown starts, if healthy. Brown has yet to break out offensively in his 61-minute sample size, but he’s averaged the most minutes of any reserve. He has taken open, smart 3-pointers, however, and made three of the six he took in the Alfred exhibition.
Brown has also made strides on the glass; three of his eight rebounds have come on the offensive boards, something Bona had identified as a weakness over the last week.
“We need him to put the basket,” Schmidt acknowledged after the exhibition. “And you look at it… he has eight rebounds, two offensive rebounds, and that’s much better than he did in the Kent State scrimmage. So he’s made some improvements and we need him to continue to make those improvements.”
Quadry Adams plays 30-plus minutes. Adams may start over Brown, but even if he doesn’t, he has earned a rotational role with his defense. The 6-foot-3 Adams has earned a “pit bull” reputation and saw 20 minutes on Wednesday as Dom Welch sat with foul trouble.
“A great defender,” Schmidt commented after the season opener against Siena, when Adams played a season-high 25 minutes. “He did a great job defensively, keeping them out of the paint, and that’s what we need from the young guys. We don’t need them to come in and score 50 points. They need to play their role, and I thought Quadry did an excellent job filling his role.”
Role definition would change for several players if Lofton is sidelined for any period of time.
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