Anthony Roberts

photo: kentstatesports.com

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY — When Anthony Roberts received a transfer waiver from the NCAA in October, Mark Schmidt’s group of guards got even deeper than it already was.

Roberts transferred to the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team from Kent State after the 2019-20 season. And, even though his waiver allows Roberts to play this season instead of having to sit out a year to meet NCAA transfer rules, the junior’s Bona debut has been delayed.

“He was in quarantine, so he hasn’t had an opportunity to play,” said Schmidt, Bona’s head coach, on Thursday. “It will probably be another game or two for him to get back into playing shape.”

Roberts missed the team’s season opener against Akron on Tuesday as a result of his quarantine, and will not play on Saturday when the Bonnies host Hofstra. When he is ready, however, Schmidt said that Roberts could help the team “right away.”

“I think he’s going to be a really good player,” Schmidt said of Roberts before the season. “He’s somebody that played at Kent State and had a lot of success. He can really score the basketball, and he can play the two and the one (guard positions).”

In his sophomore season with the Golden Flashes, Roberts averaged 12.9 points per game and shot 44% from the field. He was a 37% three-point shooter and 79% free-throw shooter, and scored 19 or more points in six different games.

Roberts also showed progression from his freshman to sophomore year, as he was given more playing time in year two. He averaged 11.5 more minutes played per game in his sophomore year than in his freshman season, and more than doubled his points per game average while shooting 8% higher from beyond the arc.

Roberts’ career-high scoring game came against SBU’s “Big 4” rival Buffalo, against whom he scored 23 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the field in February. The Bonnies are scheduled to play the Bulls on Dec. 22 at the Reilly Center.

“We’re expecting him to come in and help us right away,” Schmidt said. “He’s good enough and he’s shown it. Now he just needs to show it in the A-10.”

photo courtesy of gobonnies.sbu.edu

By Jeff Uveino

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY — Get used to these names. You’re going to be seeing them for awhile.

The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team enters the 2020-21 season with seven new players to go with seven returners. The thing that stands out the most about this year’s Bona roster?

Zero seniors.

SBU only lost one player to graduation last year (Amadi Ikpeze), while three players transferred out of the program (Robert Carpenter, Matt Johnson and Bobby Planutis). And, except for potential transfers, they won’t lose any pieces of this team in the spring.

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

Kyle Lofton | G | Junior | Hillside, NJ
Perhaps the most familiar face on the roster, Lofton will find himself in a familiar position to begin his junior season: The catalyst of Bona’s offense. A two-year starter at point guard, Lofton virtually never left the floor last year for head coach Mark Schmidt. He averaged 14.1 points per game and 6.0 assists per game last year, after averaging 14.4 and 3.7 per game his freshman year.

Jaren Holmes | G | Junior | Romulus, MI
Holmes became a regular presence in SBU’s starting lineup a year ago after transferring in from junior college. He averaged 11.9 points per game a season ago, and is an underrated part of Bona’s core of juniors, alongside Lofton and forward Osun Osunniyi.

NEW PLAYERS

Anthony Roberts | G | Junior | Detroit, MI
Roberts joins the Bonnies after two years at Kent State, where he averaged 12.7 points per game last season. Roberts will be available to play immediately after being granted a transfer waiver by the NCAA. He provides more depth to an already deep group of Bona guards.

Quintin Metcalf | F | Freshman | Seoul, South Korea
Metcalf was raised on a United States military base in Seoul, where he played high school basketball. He spent a post-grad year at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, where he averaged 12.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. The 6’8, 200-pound newcomer is one of the highlights of a new group of Bona forwards behind Osunniyi.

Jalen Adaway | G | R-Junior | Logansport, IN
Adaway, a big guard at 6’5, sat out last season after transferring from Miami (Ohio). He averaged 7.5 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game with the RedHawks during his sophomore season.

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Check back on The Intrepid in the coming weeks for player features, preseason stories and more.

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