By Anthony Sambrotto @asambrotto95
The St. Bonaventure University community got their first chance to see the men’s and women’s basketball teams at the Bona Fan Jam on Saturday.
Festivities began outside at 5 p.m. with plenty of activities such as a bounce houses, food vendors, and an autograph session with the basketball teams.
The Reilly Center began to fill around 6:45 and events inside began around 7 p.m. It began with an entertaining student dunk contest, with senior Turner Ashby taking home the victory with the highest score from the three judges. Women’s basketball player Nyla Rueter, who also won the three-point shooting contest, had several impressive dunks.
What followed was a video showcasing highlights from previous Bona teams and players followed by a three-point contest and speeches by coaches Mark Schmidt and Jim Crowley.
The most rowdy part of the night was the player’s introductions, with loud cheers given to promising players like Jalen Adams and Marcus Posley as well as returning standout Youssou Ndoye.
The scrimmages for each team featured plenty of big plays, from alley-oops and half-court threes from the men’s side to fancy passes and footwork from the women. Both coaches were mic’d up for the scrimmage, and senior guard Andell Cumberbatch wore a GoPro camera. His unique perspective from the scrimmage can be seen at GoBonnies.com.
Both coaches stressed the importance of the fans, noting that when the Reilly Center is full it can be the hardest place to play in the country. The first home game for the St. Bonaventure men is November 15 against Dartmouth and the women kick off their home slate November 14 against Canisius.
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