TEAM ROSTERS
ST. BONAVENTURE BONNIES
00 Frank Mitchell F, Sr., 6-8/270, Toronto, ONT
1 Ilia Ermakov G, Fr., 6-6, Kursk, RUS
2 Amar'e Marshall G, R-Sr., 6-4/210, Montclair, NJ
3 Daniel Egbuniwe F, Sr., 6-7/210, Memphis, TN
4 John Ikpotokin F, Fr., 6-7, Dublin, IRE
5 Dasonte Bowen G, R-Jr., 6-2/190, Boston, MA
7 Brayden Jackson G, So., 6-8/200, Milton, ONT
8 Darryl Simmons II G, Jr., 5-11/175, Detroit, MI
15 Jack DeRose G, Jr., 6-0/175, Olean, NY
20 Achille Lonati G, Fr., 6-5, Pavia, ITA
21 Xander Wedlow PF/C, So., 6-10/245, Detroit, MI
24 Cayden Charles G, Sr., 6-3/185, Kennesaw, GA
30 Broek Ostrom G, Sr., 6-2/180, Holley, NY
32 Joe Grahovac F, So., 6-10/215, Santa Ana, CA
33 Andrew Osasuyi C, Fr., 6-9, Magenta, ITA
ASSOCIATE
RHODE ISLAND RAMS
0 Jahmere Tripp G/F, Jr., 6-6/234, Brooklyn, NY
2 Miftah Ibiyemi G, Jr., 6-3/175, Providence, RI
5 Jonah Hinton G, R-Jr., 6-3/185, Chicago, IL
7 Jalen Harper G, Fr., 6-3/190, Philadelphia, PA
8 Alex Crawford F, R-Sr., 6-8/215, Chula Vista, CA
10 Barrett Loer G, Fr., 6-6/190, Millis, MA
11 Javon Perry F, Fr., 6-8/207, Springfield, MA
13 Jaymien Aponte G, So., 6-3/183, Cranston, RI
17 Moek Icke C, R-Fr., 7-1/223, Purmerend, NLD
20 Myles Corey G, Gr., 6-1/180, Ontario, CA
21 Damone King G, R-Fr., 6-2/180, Louisville, KY
22 RJ Johnson G, Gr., 6-1/177, Matthews, NC
23 Tyler Cochran G, Gr., 6-4/222, Boilingbrook, IL
30 Jimmy Ball G, Sr., 6-2/183, Medford, MA
35 Mouhamed Sow F, R-Sr., 6-9/217, Dakar, SEN
40 Keeyan Itejere F, Gr., 6-9/220, Knightsdale, NC
55 Drissa Traore F, R-Sr., 6-8/220, New York, NY
COACH: ARCHIE MILLER
2025-26 ST. BONAVENTURE BONNIES
TEAM STATISTICS
2025-26 RHODE ISLAND RAMS
TEAM STATISTICS
GAME NOTES
SWAT TEAM
Freshman Andrew Osasuyi leads the nation with an incredibly efficient 5.8 blocks per 40 minutes. His 2.15 blocks per game in conference play are tied for third in the Atlantic 10.
Osasuyi has 23 blocks in his last eight games, which comes out to an average of 2.9 blocks per game.
He posted eight points for the second straight game on Saturday at Richmond (Feb. 21) with a career-best-tying eight rebounds.
The Magenta, Italy native had a remarkable defensive performance last Wednesday night against Saint Joseph’s (Feb. 18), recording eight points, four rebounds and a career-best eight blocks.
His block total was the highest for any player in the Atlantic 10 this season, and the most by any St. Bonaventure player since 2012. His performance tied the second-highest block total in school history, and he became just the third Bonnie ever to tally at least eight blocks in a game.
In addition, Osasuyi became just the sixth Division I player in the last 25 years to have at least eight points and eight blocks in under 20 minutes of playing time.
Eleven days prior, Osasuyi had a career day against Fordham (Feb. 7). He posted career-bests in minutes (29), points (12), and steals (4) while tallying five blocks.
He became the first Atlantic 10 player in nearly 17 years to record at least 10 points, five blocks and four steals in a conference game. He was just the fourth player to do so in the last 30 years, joining UMass’ Tony Gaffney (Feb. 18, 2009) as well as David West (Jan. 9, 2002) and James Posey (Feb. 14, 1999) of Xavier. Coach Mark Schmidt was on staff at Xavier as an assistant coach during both Posey and West’s careers.
Osasuyi and Joe Grahovac, each with 43 blocks on the season, are the only pair of St. Bonaventure teammates to post 30-or-more blocks in the same season during Mark Schmidt’s tenure (2007-present).
BUDDY BUCKETS
Buddy Simmons II has emerged as an elite scoring option in Atlantic 10 play, averaging 18.7 points through 14 conference games while shooting 47.3 percent (96-for-203) from the floor and 46.4 percent (45for-97) from beyond the arc.
Simmons II has scored at least 14 points in 10-of-14 of his A-10 matchups, with 20-or-more points in six of those games and two 30-plus point performances.
The Detroit native ranks second in the conference with 75 three-pointers made on the season. He has made multiple three-pointers in each of his last nine games, and in 22 of the Bonnies’ 27 total games.
Continued on page 9
OCTOBER
29 vs. Alfred (Exhibition) W, 101-40
NOVEMBER
3 at Bradley ........................ W, 69-63
8 vs. Canisius ............... W, 89-70
12 vs. Siena ................... W, 75-66
15 vs. Youngstown State . W, 84-80
20 vs. Robert Morris ....... W, 75-61
ESPN FORT MYERS TIP-OFF
25 vs. North Carolina L, 85-70
27 vs. East Carolina W, 67-58
30 at Florida Atlantic W, 70-65
All game start times are listed in Eastern Time and are subject to change.
Home games in bold
# = Legends Classic
% = Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
GAME SCHEDULE
DECEMBER
3 vs. Bloomsburg ......... W, 83-43
6 at Buffalo ......................... W, 77-69
10 vs. Colgate ................ W, 85-77
CLEVELAND HOOPS SHOWDOWN
13 vs. Ohio L, 88-83
20 vs. Le Moyne ............. W, 92-81
31 at VCU .................................L, 89-82
JANUARY
7 vs. Richmond ...............L, 89-80
10 vs. Fordham .................L, 81-77
14 at Saint Joseph's .................L, 68-64
17 at La Salle L, 78-74
20 vs. Loyola Chicago ..... W, 84-70
23 vs. Saint Louis ..............L, 97-62
28 at Duquesne W, 87-79
31 vs. George Mason ........ L , 77-73
FEBRUARY
3 at Dayton L, 72-70
7 at Fordham W, 70-67
14 vs. Duquesne ...............L, 78-73
18 vs. Saint Joseph's .........L, 71-65
21 at Richmond ........................L, 99-94
26 vs. Rhode Island ........ 7:00 pm
28 at George Mason 2:00 pm
MARCH
4 at George Washington ............... TBA
7 vs. Davidson ............12:00 pm
11 Atlantic 10 Tournament TBD
GAME NOTES
Continued from page 6
In conference play, Simmons II has made 45 triples, the most in the A-10. His 38.0 minutes per game lead the league, and he has played a full 40 minutes in eight of SBU’s 14 conference games so far.
Simmons II surpassed 1,000 career points in the Bonnies’ win at Fordham (Feb. 7). He reached the millennium mark with five points in the first half before surging for 18 in the second half to lead the Bonnies to the win.
Simmons II scored 628 points over two years at Gardner-Webb before posting a team-best 449 through 27 games this season. He tallied 539 of his 628 points with the Runnin’ Bulldogs during his sophomore season (2024-25).
TO BE FRANK
St. Bonaventure forward Frank Mitchell has been one of the most productive players on the boards in the country this season.
Mitchell is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game, which leads all players in the Atlantic 10 conference. As of Monday (Feb. 23), he is tied for 14th in Division I with 267 total rebounds. He is one of just two St. Bonaventure players in the last four years to surpass 200 total rebounds in a season (Chance Moore, 207; 2024-25).
A remarkable number of Mitchell’s rebounds have come on the offensive end. His 4.30 offensive rebounds per game (116 total) leads the nation.
Mitchell has tallied double-digit offensive rebounds two games this season, with a season-best 11 against Colgate (Dec. 10) and 10 vs. Ohio (Dec. 13).
Mitchell is no stranger to the top of the national rebounding leaderboards. In 2023-24 with Canisius, he averaged 11.6 rebounds per game, the fourth-most in Division I.
In the scoring column, Mitchell has scored in double figures in 23 of 27 games this season, with 20-or-more points in eight of those games. Mitchell has posted three straight double-doubles entering Thursday’s game. He posted 20 points and 13 rebounds against Duquesne (Feb. 14) as well as 12 points and 12 rebounds vs. Saint Joseph’s (Feb. 18). Against Richmond (Feb. 21), Mitchell had 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Toronto native now has more than twice as many double-doubles (15) as the next leading players in the Atlantic 10 (Rafael Castro, GW & Rikus Schulte, Fordham; 7).
COUNT ON CAYDEN
Cayden Charles has been pivotal to the Bonnies’ offense in conference play. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in St. Bonaventure’s 14 Atlantic 10 games.
The senior has scored at least nine points in 18 straight games, grabbing at least five rebounds in 15 games during that span.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Mendoza joins SBU Hall of Famer Barbara Vassallo who earned the distinction in 1993 and Maureen Theis in 2004 as the only Bonnies to earn A-10 Women’s Most Outstanding Diver honors. Her award will be nicely paired with coach Alejandra Fuentes who was named the Women's Diving Coach of the Year, becoming the first for the Bonnies since Allison Manion in 2004. THE GOBONNIES.COM STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK PRESENTED BY CPL FOR THE WEEK ENDING FEB. 22 ARE WOMEN’S
Bojana Forjan posted one of the top individual performances in Bonnies women’s swimming program history as she registered three medals – two gold and one silver – and now owns four program records following Atlantic 10 Championship Weekend.
The native of Hungary was crowned Atlantic 10 Champion in both the 100-backstroke and 200-freestyle. In the 200-free, she registered a program-best time of 1:48.75 to win gold and then took a second gold medal with another Bonnies record mark of 53.92 in the 100-back.
Bojana Forjan broke her own school record in the 100-back which had stood for two years. She becomes the first A-10 women's 100-back champion since Paige Crimmin in 2003.
In the 200-free, she surpassed the existing Bonnies school record of 1:49.63 posted in 2016 by Tanja Kirmse. Taryn Ahern was Bona's last women's 200-free A-10 champion in 2006.
Bojana Forjan set a new program record in the 200-back (1:55.67) as well.
Mendoza also re-wrote the program record books as she captured two gold medals to join elite Bonnies history.
The native of Venezuela became just the third women’s diver in St. Bonaventure history to be crowned the Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Diver.
She earned gold in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives – in the 3-meter competition on Thursday, her score of 315.60 placed her above the competition with Bona’s first 3-meter medal since 2022. In the 1-meter on Saturday, she captured the conference title with a score of 303.10.
ANNA BOJANA FORJAN
MENDOZA
BONNIES BASELINE
Through the ups and downs of a memorable career, she's proud to have stayed true to her roots.
716 PRIDE
By Scott Eddy, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications
If there were a crown for being the Big 4 Queen, it would currently reside with St. Bonaventure graduate student Aaliyah Parker.
A star for three seasons at Niagara, she officially became a winner against every Western New York Division I program when her new Bonnies squad recorded a commanding 74-56 win over her former Purple Eagles mates on Nov. 7 followed by a triumph vs. Buffalo Nov. 19, capping Bona's season sweep of Big 4 rivals.
The Cheektowaga native has certainly represented the 716 well over her college career.
She's approaching 1,500 career points and 700 rebounds, making her one of just 27 active players nationally to achieve those numbers. Her 327 career steals stand fifth among all active players while her 2.84 steals per game are behind only Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, Ny'Ceara Pryor of Texas A&M and Taylee Chirrick from Montana State.
"I have so much pride in being from Western New York. We get overlooked a lot," she said. "Being able to represent where I'm from and having all the support locally, I just have so much pride." Staying close to home was never in doubt for the Cardinal O'Hara product who followed her older sister Angel's footsteps to play together at Niagara.
Basketball has always been a uniting force in Parker's family; she has two other older sisters who played collegiately at Niagara County Community College as well.
While at Niagara, the pair each posted 1,000-point careers while helping the program to runs in the WNIT in 2023 and 2024.
"We had a really big backyard. My dad put a hoop in and we would always go in the backyard and play," she said. "Not many people get the opportunity to play with their sibling at the Division I level. It was a really cool experience I'm grateful for."
In addition to being one of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's top scorers, Parker earned a reputation as a tenacious defender. She racked up 106 steals in her sophomore season alone, including a career-high of 11 swipes in a single game vs. Rider that season.
Continued on page 16
2025-26 ST. BONAVENTURE ATHLETIC CORPORATE SPONSORS
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• MJ Mechanical • Niagara Scenic • Olean General Hospital • Olean Medical Group • Olean Union Sales • Park
n Shop • Paul Brown Motors • Pepsi • Randy's Up the River • Rohrbach Brewing • Seneca Resorts • Shults/
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East • Three Sixty Graphics • Tim Hortons • Toshina • Universal Primary Care • Valley View Dental • Vivenu • Worth W Smith • Wright Beverage
BONNIES BASELINE
Continued from page 13
"I love playing defense. I played pressing defense in AAU, high school and then at Niagara. Defense has always been my first thought," she said.
Parker scored nearly 17 points per game that year, adding almost eight rebounds per contest as she stuffed the stat sheet on the regular.
But it was also that year when she suffered her first concussion, taking a hit to the temple during a practice.
Then, during her junior year, she suffered another concussion which was worse. Her blue-collar playing style helped make her one of the region's best players, but it came at a price.
"I would take charges and I'd hit my head on the floor; it just kept happening," she said. "After the season I was having a lot of head pain. Medicine wouldn't help."
She put together a strong 2023-24 season, finishing with 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while nearly hitting 100 steals again, but concussion symptoms began to take their toll.
"It got to where it was hard to walk, or I would slur my words. I had involuntary movement in my arm. I was extremely scared," she remembers. "I honestly thought I wouldn't play basketball again. I would try to do workouts and I couldn't get through a 15-minute workout. I realized I had to take time off and heal."
Concussions forced her to take a full year away from competitive basketball as she redshirted the 2024-25 season.
Slowly, she began to improve. After the year, she was cleared to give basketball another try.
With one year of eligibility remaining, she opted for a change but remained close to home as she moved from one WNY program to another.
"I came on a visit and that's when I knew I wanted to be here," she said.
She made an immediate impact against those WNY rivals: 10 points in a victory at Niagara; 22 points and 12 boards vs. Canisius; 16 points and seven rebounds vs. Buffalo.
"I was so happy (to cap off a career Big 4 sweep)," she exclaimed. "Finally got all of them this year."
As the regular season nears its conclusion, she's averaging 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game.
Her concussion history has not cost her any playing time this season as she's started all but one game thus far. Recently, she has started wearing a new 'Q-collar' to protect against concussions during practices and games.
She says she isn't quite as aggressive as she previously was but has had less hesitation on the court as the season goes along. She previously had aspirations of playing professionally overseas, but now has eyes set on going into coaching instead following graduation.
Her return to the court has allowed Parker to be part of Bona's rebuilding process and gives her the unique perspective of seeing that project both as a current player and from the outside as an opponent.
"I definitely see the program being on the way up," she said. "The coaches did a really good job of recruiting; especially keeping kids in New York. Our chemistry is really good. I thought it was going to be a big adjustment (transferring for her final season), but it felt like another family from the time I got here."
