Bonnies’ valiant last stand embodies what Schmidt’s senior class personified

Even though St. Bonaventure lost in NIT semifinals, reaching Madison Square Garden was cause to celebrate Osun Osunniyi and his fellow seniors. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

NEW YORK — The clock at the final media timeout read 2:22. They were down nine points. It didn’t matter. 

There was a feeling that once again, they could somehow summon up a way to pull this off. St. Bonaventure had been staging comebacks all season long. The NIT run itself was one big comeback.

A win on the road at Colorado. Another narrow victory at Oklahoma. Finally, the one that got them to New York. The rally from five down with two minutes to go (KenPom gave them just a 5.5 percent chance at that juncture) to defeat Virginia. All on the road. 

In this scenario, the Bona faithful inundating Madison Square Garden, transforming it into Reilly Square Garden for the evening, had hope. It was not to be. Dominick Welch drained a three with 88 seconds left to make it a two-possession game. Xavier answered, breaking a full-court trap and finding Zach Freemantle for an easy two. Mark Schmidt’s group ran out of miracles, and time. Xavier defeated the Bonnies, 84-77.

Before exiting the court, as their 23-10 season closed, the Bonaventure players stopped, faced their adoring fans and acknowledged them, a thank-you for a campaign of unmatched support and devotion. There were a few among the crowd getting misty-eyed, emotional over the NIT run and the season’s conclusion, emotional over saying goodbye to an outstanding group of seniors who gave the fans and school so much in these four years. 

A few words about the exploits and careers of each are warranted: 

Kyle Lofton: The lead guard who played at Union Catholic in New Jersey and then Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut. Lofton was underrecruited, but when Schmidt and assistant Steve Curran saw him, they knew he could evolve into a special player. A four-year captain who was elected in that role his freshman year before playing a single minute, Lofton was a mainstay at the lead guard position. Lofton missed two free throws with under two seconds remaining in the Atlantic 10 tournament semifinal against Saint Louis a few weeks back. Given another chance in the NIT, Lofton nailed two from the charity stripe with seconds left to allow the Bonnies to win at Virginia. Those examples speak volumes of Lofton’s competitiveness and character.

Osun Osunniyi: “Double O,” or “Shoon,” was originally recruited by La Salle. When coach John Giabnnini was let go, Osunniyi reopened up his recruitment and decided to join his Putnam Science teammate Lofton at Bonaventure. In four years, Osunniyi emerged from a raw big man to a polished threat in the middle. He has been Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year the past two seasons, and was the most outstanding player of the 2021 A-10 tournament. The Bonnies’ all-time leading shot blocker’s signature rejection was the one in the final seconds that sealed the Bonnies’ 52-51 win at Virginia.

Jaren Holmes: Recruited after he led Ranger Community College to the NJCAA championship game, Holmes was a product of powerful Romulus (Michigan) High School prior to Ranger. The 6-foot-4 Holmes was a solid swingman with the ability to penetrate and breakdown defenses. He played three years for the Bonnies, averaging double-figure scoring in each. Holmes was a second team all-A-10 selection in 2021, as well as a 2021 Charleston Classic all-tournament honoree. Holmes excelled in the classroom, earning A-10 all-academic honors each year, as well as being selected academic all-district in 2021 and 2022.

Jalen Adaway: After he missed a last second shot and lost a tough home game to Dayton last season, Adaway went back on the Reilly Center court and shot for over an hour. That tells you a lot about the Logansport, Indiana native. Adaway transferred to St. Bonaventure from Miami University. He sat out in 2019-20 after transferring, then playing his last two seasons with the Bonnies. Adaway was chosen to the A-10 all-tournament team in 2021, and was first team all-conference this season. The 6-foot-5 guard paced the Bonnies with a 15.7 point-per-game scoring average, hitting 39 percent of his attempts from long range. Adaway surpassed Schmidt’s expectations due to hard work over these two seasons.

Dominick Welch came to Olean as the all-time leading scorer in Western New York boys’ basketball history, but struggled early in his freshman year. The 6-foot-5 guard suffered an injury, and after sitting out and observing a few weeks, returned a different player. A threat beyond the arc, Welch connected on 37 percent of his 3-point attempts for his career. Welch was a model of consistency, hitting 36, 37, 39 and 36 percent from long range over his four years. Welch’s late-game three was the proverbial dagger in the Bonnies’ A-10 championship game triumph over VCU in 2021. In the NIT, Welch hit a crucial three late to spark a rally in the win at Virginia. He followed up with a game-high 25 points, on seven triples, in the semifinal loss to Xavier.

The five seniors comprised what came to be dubbed the iron five this past season. The quintet averaged over 32 minutes per game and contributed 89 percent of the Bonnies’ scoring. Their four years included an appearance in the 2019 A-10 championship game, the A-10 regular and postseason championships in 2021, and an NIT appearance that took them to Madison Square Garden and the other Final Four.

After discussing his team’s rough first half on the offensive end in his postgame press conference, where he credited Xavier for making the big second half shots when the Bonnies made their run, Schmidt took time to discuss his seniors.

“They’ve been terrific,” Schmidt praised. “It didn’t start off that well when they were freshmen. We started off 1-5 and had some injuries. Even then, they showed mental toughness. We had the last shot to win to go to the NCAA Tournament their freshman year.”

The Bona mentor also commented on how they epitomized the attributes of a student-athlete.

“Great leadership and great character on and off the court,” he said. “They represent Bonaventure the right way. They go to class and are all going to graduate, they keep their nose clean socially and can really, really play basketball. Those kids are special. I wouldn’t be here sitting here and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to coach in Madison Square Garden without their efforts. They have given me a lot, and more than I’ve given them.”