(Photo Credit: GoBonnies.com)
By Chuckie Maggio @chuckiemaggio
With a red-hot St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team, there were plenty of questions sent in for this week’s Bonnies Mailbag. Here are my answers:
Q: Are Adams and Mobley in the discussion for the country’s best backcourt? -Tim G.
A: I got some variation of this question from multiple people- Tim just happened to be first. Statistically, Adams and Mobley are definitely in the discussion. Here’s how their combined numbers stack up against three other great college backcourts:
Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley, SBU: 44.4 pts, 9.1 ast, 11.2 reb, 3.5 steals.
De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, Kentucky: 35.4 pts, 9.6 ast, 8.2 reb, 3.1 steals.
Frank Mason and Devonte’ Graham, Kansas: 34.5 pts, 10.4 ast, 7.8 reb, 3.0 steals
Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson, Villanova: 30.8 pts, 7.2 ast, 8.9 reb, 2.2 steals
There’s no way to tell which guard duo is the best, but those stats match up favorably.
Q: Do you think Jay and Mobley will still have their hot shooting performances in conference play, especially against powerhouses like Dayton, VCU and Rhode Island? -Trystan R.
A: There’s no reason they couldn’t. Adams has already proven he can score against the league’s best, averaging 29 in two games against Dayton last year. He averaged 19.3 in league play compared to 16.2 in non-conference last year. If he elevates his stats in the A-10 portion of the schedule this season, the conference is going to have nightmares. As for Mobley, he’s been very consistent thus far. The only way his numbers seriously dip is if opponents focus hard on stopping him, like they did in the Buffalo game. If they do, Denzel Gregg and Idris Taqqee (among others) become even more dangerous.
Q: Will finals week affect student attendance for the UNC-Wilmington game? -Jim D.
A: There’s always the possibility that some students will choose studying for an upcoming exam over the game. With how difficult some of the programs at Bonaventure are, that’s perfectly acceptable. But a 6 p.m. Saturday tip should lead to a sizeable crowd, especially with how good UNC-Wilmington is (7-1, tied for 21st in RPI with USC). What better study break than a big game in the Reilly Center? I think there will be a better attendance than games near finals week in the past due to how good the teams are and the time of the game.
Q: Is there any update on (Chinonso) Obokoh’s injury? -Sean P.
A: Coach Mark Schmidt hasn’t given one yet, but he’s likely still out a couple weeks, depending on how his sprained MCL is progressing. The good thing for Bonnies fans is that forwards Josh Ayeni and David Andoh are playing very well in his absence.
Q: Is anyone in the A-10 playing better than the Bonnies right now? -Terri M.
A: The only team with a longer win streak is George Mason, which is looking very capable after a 19-point road win at Penn St. Dayton’s only losses this year were to Saint Mary’s and Nebraska; no shame there. So there is some competition, but SBU’s offense is clicking on all cylinders. The Bonnies have so many weapons, and while they may not be the best team in the league overall, they’re probably playing the best ball right now.
intrepidsbu.com 