photo courtesy of gobonnies.sbu.edu
By Tom Doyle
ST. BONAVENTURE, NY — The St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team is looking to bounce back from a down year.
Head coach Jesse Fleming enters his fifth season as head coach for the Bonnies, coming off of a 7-23 record (including 4-12 in the Atlantic 10) last year.
The Bonnies have four new players this year and eight returning players, including two seniors. They lost three seniors last year.
SBU added a graduate transfer, Star Fitzgerald-Greer, a 6-3 forward from Howard University.
The Bonnies, like every other NCAA program, were allowed to begin practicing on Wednesday, with the possibility of games beginning no earlier than Nov. 25. As the Bonnies take the court for the first time together this season, here’s a brief overview of what their roster will look like.
RETURNING PLAYERS
Asianae Johnson | G | Junior | Brooklyn, NY
Johnson emerged as the leading scorer for the Bonnies last year averaging 12.7 points per game. She was also second in rebounding at 5.5 per game showing she can do it all. She scored in double figures 21 times for the Bonnies last year. Look for her to continue to score at will and help on the glass again this season.
Deja Francis| G | Junior | Queens, NY
Francis led the team in assists with 74, and was second in scoring last year. She averaged 9.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Her freshman year, she totaled 104 assists, which is the most in 20 seasons for SBU and was fourth among A-10 players. Look for her to continue to get teammates involved this year and keep improving her game as a junior.
Tori Harris| F | R-Junior | Dix Hills, NY
Harris had to sit last year out after transferring from James Madison. During her first two collegiate seasons, Harris played in 47 games for the Dukes and had a career-high 15 points against Delaware State her sophomore season. In high school, she was named the 2017 Long Island Player of the Year. Her brother, Tobias, plays forward for the Philadelphia 76ers.
I’yanna Lops | F | Soph. | Stamford, CT
Olivia Brown| G | Soph. | East Grand Rapids, MI
Carrie Jornlin| F | R-Sophomore | Hagerstown, MD
Emily Calabrese| F/C | Senior | Wyckoff, NJ
Kaitlyn Parker| G | Sophomore | Suitland, MD
Jurnee President| G | Senior | Fort Worth, TX
Claire Cody| F | R-Freshman | Carmel, NY
New Players
Star Fitzgerald-Greer| F | Senior | Bronk, NY
Fitzgerald- Greer, Goddaughter of Bonnies men’s basketball legend Fred Crawford, is looking to help the Bonnies this year. She is a 6-3 transfer from Howard, where she averaged 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds as a junior. She can stretch the floor with her shooting after sinking 21 threes her junior season.
Maddie Dziezgowski| G/F | Freshman | Bethel Park, PA
Dziezgowski averaged 14.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game as a junior in high school. She was selected to the All-WPIAL First Team and lead her team to a 22-4 record in 2018-2019.
Morgan Gentile| G | Freshman | Elmira, NY
Gentile averaged 15 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists per game at Elmira High School.
Mia Kulenovic| F | Freshman | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
intrepidsbu.com 