By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
Jaren Holmes has been around the sport of baseball for much of his life, supporting brother William on his path to professional baseball. William pitches in the Los Angeles Angels organization, a fifth-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
William is typically a starter, making just one relief appearance in his 2019 rookie ball season. If he’s ever called upon in save situations, however, he can look to his big brother for an example of a closer’s short memory.
Jaren Holmes has been St. Bonaventure’s Billy Wagner, rarely compounding poor outings into a prolonged slump. The Bonnies hope Holmes can bounce back again, this time from a 1-for-12 game at Dayton.
Holmes has experienced 13 games in his career in which he shot under 30 percent from the field with a minimum of five field goal attempts. He has shot 50 percent (60-of-120) from the field in the following contests, with Bona winning all but three of those games.
“I’m very confident, just trust in the work,” Holmes remarked of his chances to get back in rhythm on Friday night, in another ESPN Friday Night Showcase contest at Duquesne. “It’s basketball at the end of the day; you’re gonna miss shots. It’s not gonna be your night sometimes. Sometimes the basket’s gonna be an ocean, then sometimes it’s gonna be tighter than a cup.
“Not gonna change my work process or how I prepare for each game, just gonna do what I always do each and every game and try to keep the same rhythm.”
The 6-9 Dukes suffered a similar fate against Dayton as St. Bonaventure did, albeit at home rather than UD Arena, when they lost 72-52 to the Flyers last Saturday. Head coach Keith Dambrot’s group is the Atlantic 10’s third-worst rated team on KenPom.com, stumbling to the worst 15-game start of his tenure despite a sub-200 (No. 204) strength of schedule.
Six of Duquesne’s top eight total scorers last season entered the transfer portal. Marcus Weathers went to SMU; Tavian Dunn-Martin to Florida-Gulf Coast; Chad Baker-Mazara to San Diego State; Sincere Carry to Kent State; Lamar Norman Jr. to Western Michigan; and Andre Harris, who has yet to enroll in a new institution.
Tyson Acuff and Toby Okani are the lone holdovers from last year’s Duquesne rotation. Dambrot utilized the portal himself to find double-figure scorers Leon Ayers III (Mercer), Kevin Easley Jr. (Chattanooga, TCU) and Tre Williams (Indiana State). Freshmen Primo Spears and Jackie Johnson III, who Bona offered while he was at Hargrave Military Academy, make up what Busting Brackets called Duquesne’s “Backcourt of the Future.”
The Dukes have amassed double-digit leads in 10 of their 15 games but, typical of a young team, lost five of those contests. They most recently led Fordham by as many as 13 points with 3:35 remaining in the first half but were outscored 39-31 in the second half and lost on a layup with four seconds left.
“They’re playing very similar to how they played last year, throwing the ball in the post,” Schmidt noted. “They’ve got really good guards, young guards that are really explosive and can really shoot it. You’ve got a four-man that can stretch the defense; Williams inside is a load. They’re a very good team. They’re all new, so they’re still learning the system and so forth, but they’re really, really talented.
“It’s gonna be a hard game for us on the road.”
Duquesne is not a prolific shooting team, hitting just 41.9 percent of its field goal attempts, but has earned extra chances on the offensive glass. The Dukes rank third in the A-10 with 12.2 offensive rebounds per game, highlighted by a 17-board performance in a 76-54 victory over UC-Irvine. Easley and Williams each have 39 offensive rebounds this season, tied with Osun Osunniyi and George Mason’s Davonte Gaines for fifth in the league.
One area both sides have excelled in is playing defense without fouling: Duquesne is 11th in the nation in fewest team personal fouls per possession, whistled on just 19.7 percent of its defensive trips. Bonaventure is tied for 25th in the same category, hit with a personal on just 20.3 percent of possessions.
Dambrot’s rotation took a hit on Thursday, as Busting Brackets writer Tristan Freeman reported that 6-foot-10 forward Austin Rotroff will miss 4-6 weeks with a foot injury. Rotroff averaged nearly 11 minutes, 2.9 points and 3.8 rebounds a night before being sidelined.
St. Bonaventure has won 11 of the last 12 against Duquesne and completed a 3-0 sweep of the Dukes last season, ending their campaign in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinal round. Despite the up-and-down nature of their last two games, a 20-point home win followed by an 18-point road loss, the Bonnies believe they are on the right track to continue that dominant run.
“I think we’re right where we need to be,” Holmes assessed. “We had a lapse last game where we couldn’t hit shots, and you’re gonna have times like that. I think we’re in a great spot. One loss on the A-10 record, it happens with any program in America. We’re one of those very good programs, and we have those types of guys, so we’re looking to bounce back. We’re not even thinking about that game anymore.
“It’s a 24-hour rule. All our focus is on Duquesne, and that’s what we’re focused on. We’re not really worried about last game, or VCU’s game. We’re worried about Duquesne and what we have to do to win that game tomorrow.”
Leave a Reply