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
SAINT JOSEPH'S HAWKS
0 Derek Simpson G, Sr., 6-3/175, Mount Laurel, NJ
1 Kevin Kearney F, R-Fr., 6-7/195, Brooklyn, NY
3 Khaafiq Myers G, R-Fr., 5-10/165, Philadelphia, PA
5 Anthony Finkley F, Jr., 6-7/235, Philadelphia, PA
6 Owen Verna G, Fr., 6-3/200, Dana Point, CA
7 Dasear Haskins G, R-So., 6-8/200, Willingboro, NJ
10 Jaden Smith C, So., 6-11/225, Chicago, IL
11 Jaiden Glover-Toscano G, So., 6-6/205, Brooklyn, NY
13 Austin Williford G, Fr., 6-4/195, Charlottesville, VA
15 Steven Solano C, R-Fr., 7-0/260, Bronx, NY
20 Billy Rayer G, So., 5-11/180, Ardmore, PA
21 Al Amadou F, R-So., 6-9/205, Philadelphia, PA
22 Justice Ajogbor C, Gr., 6-10/260, Benin City, NGA
23 Mekai Johnson G, So., 6-5/210, Upper Marlboro, MD
24 Will Lange G/F, Jr., 6-4/215, Newtown Square, PA
2025-26 ST. BONAVENTURE BONNIES
TEAM STATISTICS
2025-26 SAINT JOSEPH'S HAWKS
TEAM STATISTICS
GAME NOTES
BUDDY BUCKETS
Buddy Simmons II has emerged as an elite scoring option in conference play, averaging 17.7 points through 12 conference games while shooting 47.9 percent (78-for-163) from the floor and 46.8 percent (36-for-77) from beyond the arc.
Simmons II has scored at least 14 points in two thirds (8-of-12) of his A-10 matchups, with 20-or-more points in five of those games.
The Detroit native ranks second in the conference with 66 three-pointers made on the season. He has made multiple three-pointers in each of his last seven games, and in 20 of the Bonnies’ 25 total games.
In conference play, Simmons II has made 36 triples, tied for third most in the A-10. His 37.8 minutes per game lead the league, and he has played a full 40 minutes in seven of SBU’s 12 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 390 through 24 games this season. He tallied 539 of his 628 points with the Runnin’ Bulldogs during his sophomore season (202425).
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 9.8 rebounds per game, which leads all players in the Atlantic 10 conference. As of Monday (Feb. 16), he is tied for 16th in the nation in rebounds per game. 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 106 total offensive rebounds (4.24 per game) rank in the top five in Division I.
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 21 of 25 games this season. He has scored 20-or-more points in eight of those games.
On Saturday against Duquesne (Feb. 14), Mitchell tallied his Atlantic10-leading 13th double-double of the season with 20 points and 13
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 ...... 7:00 pm
21 at Richmond ....................... 6:00 pm
25 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
rebounds. He has nearly twice as many double-doubles as the next leading players in the conference (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 14.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in St. Bonaventure’s 12 Atlantic 10 games.
Charles had a remarkable game in St. Bonaventure’s last win at Fordham (Feb. 7), scoring a season-best 21 points in the win. He tallied six rebounds while shooting 8-for-13 from the floor. The senior made a career-best-tying three triples.
The senior has scored at least nine points in 16 straight games, grabbing at least five rebounds in 14 games during that span.
BLOCK PARTY
Freshman Andrew Osasuyi had a career day against Fordham. He posted career-bests in minutes (29), points (12) and steals (4) while tying his career high of 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 the staff at Xavier as an assistant coach during both Posey and West’s careers.
Osasuyi is averaging an incredibly efficient 5.2 blocks per 40 minutes. His 1.7 blocks per game in conference play rank fifth in the Atlantic 10. Osasuyi has 14 blocks in his last six games (2.3 per game).
Osasuyi (34 blocks) and Grahovac (43 blocks) 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).
BOWEN IS BACK
After missing the Bonnies’ last game against Fordham due to injury, redshirt junior point guard Dasonte Bowen returned to action against Duquesne with 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting. He went 8-for-8 from the free throw line, the most free throws in a game without a miss by any SBU player this season.
Bowen has now reached double figures in each of his last five games, averaging 16.4 points per game during that span. He has been incredibly efficient, shooting 62.5 percent (30-for-48) from the floor.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
THE GOBONNIES.COM STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK PRESENTED BY CPL FOR THE WEEK ENDING FEB. 15 ARE MEN’S LACROSSE SOPHOMORE COLE KUCINSKI AND WOMEN’S LACROSSE SOPHOMORE JUDY MAHONEY.
Kucinski put together an amazing day Saturday at Binghamton, helping the Bonnies to a thrilling 10-9 victory over the Bearcats for the squad’s first victory of the season.
The Crofton, MD native netted five goals, including a hat trick in just the first 16 minutes of action, surpassing his freshman year total of three points in the opening half of play.
Mahoney was key to the Bonnies women’s lacrosse squad earning their first win of the year as well as she was integral to Bona’s producing its best defensive effort in over a decade.
Making her first career start in net, the Randolph, N.J. native turned away nine shots including all four free position efforts she faced. Her performance helped the Bonnies to a 12-2 win this past Friday over defending NEC champion LIU as the team allowed two or fewer goals in a game for the first time since 2013.
Entering this week, Mahoney leads the nation in goals against average (3.87) after appearing in two games while also ranking second nationally in save percentage (.706%).
COLE KUCINSKI
JUDY MAHONEY
BONNIES BASELINE
A STAR IN WAITING
By Scott Eddy, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications
For fans of the St. Bonaventure women's basketball team, the early portion of the season has presented a learning process for a roster highlighted by a host of new faces.
Among those newcomers, guard Laycee Drake made an immediate splash as a key reason for the program's best non-conference record in a decade.
Drake has served as a constant presence in Bona's revival, ranking eighth among all Atlantic 10 players in scoring at over 15 points per contest. She's poured in 20 or more points seven times, giving SBU a dynamic scoring threat rarely seen in recent seasons.
While the Hancock, N.Y. native has impressed from the start once donning the Brown and White, she's anything but an overnight success.
She has found a home in her fifth collegiate season after spending three years at UMBC in Baltimore and a lone year last season at Albany.
After lighting up the scoreboard at Hancock Central School during her high school career, her Division I aspirations were held back a bit by the pandemic limiting her recruiting process. She boasted gaudy high school stats but was not part of an AAU club team.
Those factors left just two Division I schools offering her a scholarship – UMBC and Fairleigh Dickinson.
The jump from playing in New York's smallest high school classification to Division I proved a daunting one.
"There were moments of 'what am I doing here.' We didn't play a lot of man-to-man defense in high school. I didn't even know how to ice a ball screen. It was a lot," she says now, looking back with a smile. "Playing Class D in New York, the game plan was I was shooting the ball like 25, 30 times a game. The learning curve was difficult."
Drake averaged 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds over 20 games during her freshman season, but things started to click as a sophomore when she started all 29 games for UMBC while posting nearly eight points and four boards per contest in 2022-23.
With a breakout season seemingly on tap for Drake in the America East, the rug was pulled immediately at the outset of her junior campaign. In the season-opener vs. Towson that year, she knocked down her first two jumpers and added an assist, a steal and two blocks in just seven minutes of game action.
But, while going up for a block, she landed awkwardly and suffered a torn ACL, changing the trajectory of her basketball career.
"Rehab became basketball practice," she said. "There was a lot of internal competition, just learning how to stand up out of a chair without using your hands again. Things like that became the goals."
Looking for a better stylistic basketball fit to resume her career following injury, she entered the transfer portal and moved back to the Empire State with a spot at Albany.
Her Great Danes squad enjoyed a tremendous season, finishing 26-7 before falling in the America East title game.
Still slowed by the rehab process, though, the season saw a stat line of 3.3 points and 8.4 minutes per game in a reserve role for Drake.
With one more season of eligibility remaining, she hit the transfer portal again, looking to return to her small-town roots with something to prove.
Continued on page 16
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BONNIES BASELINE
Continued from page 13
"The portal is kind of like a dating app," she said. "You have people reaching out to you left and right and you have to prioritize what you're looking for. I knew Bonaventure was the right fit pretty quickly."
The pieces all seemed to line up: St. Bonaventure head coach Jim Crowley previously reached out to Drake when she entered the portal the year before and she had attended one of his summer camps during his seasons at Providence. The two Central New York natives also hail from hometowns less than a half hour apart.
"She's someone we've been aware of for a long time. She fits what we do and who she is fits us. We needed a veteran and our place thrives with people who are way better than others realize," Bonnies head coach Jim Crowley said. "She has great character. That's part of what we wanted; someone who had that resiliency and someone with something to prove. We knew we could give her that opportunity to prove it."
The Bonnies reached out again and Drake was on campus the next day. After that visit, she knew Bonaventure was for her on the ride back home following a meeting with the Bona coaching staff.
Once enrolled at Bona's, Drake immediately felt comfortable in the Bonnies system. Most importantly, as the season neared, she finally began to feel back to full health.
"I didn't feel truly like myself until (this) September. It was a year and a half to get back to full strength," she said. "When you do all the work to come back from an injury, you just want to get out there. I got to contribute in some games (last year), but it was a tough situation."
With a 15-12 record as the end of the regular season nears, the Bonnies have risen in the Atlantic 10 this season with Drake serving as one of the key components, along with fellow grad
transfer Aaliyah Parker.
"Both her and Aaliyah have allowed themselves to fit in with their teammates. That's not always easy as a grad transfer," Crowley said. "They're a big part of why it's meshed so well."
"There's a 'get to' mentality rather than a 'have to' mentality with this team," Drake added. "We feel like we get to spend all this time working together and we're benefiting from that on the court."
With three games left in the regular season, she is shooting nearly 46 percent from the floor, easily her best career total, while her 33 threes are a career high. Her career average of just under three rebounds per game has soared to 6.2 boards per contest while she also appears primed to easily set new career bests in assists and steals as well.
Away from the court, Drake is forging a connection with the community through her student teaching. An aspiring high school English teacher, she started student teaching at CubaRushford High School during the first semester and will squeeze in 70 days of student teaching around a busy basketball schedule in the second semester. Her Cuba-Rushford students could be heard cheering her on at multiple Bonnies home games already this year.
"Some of the most impactful people in my life were my high school teachers. I want to have that same impact on other people," she said.
While a career at the head of the classroom is ahead, for now, she's enjoying the starring role on the court that has been a long time in coming.
"The experiences the past four years shaped me. They made me confident to go out and play the way I am now," she said. "It feels a lot better waiting four years to be that person than stepping in freshman year and being like, 'I've got it.'"
