(Editor’s note: This is the last in a seven-part weekly series in which the Times Herald will unveil its “Mount Rushmore” of St. Bonaventure men’s basketball — that is, the most notable four players — with the caveat of going decade by decade. Today: The 2010s.)
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — It was one of the most pressing questions at the time:
“What do we do with Marcus Posley and Matt Mobley?”
Both, it could be argued, deserved a place on St. Bonaventure’s 20-player All-Time Team. They accomplished nearly as much — from both a statistical and team standpoint — in just two years that a number of Bona greats did in four.
When the 100th anniversary squad was announced in November, however, their names were not among those listed.
It wasn’t meant to be a slight toward the two ultra-talented transfers; there isn’t a single Bona fan who doesn’t appreciate their contributions to the program. Rather, it was the product of a loaded ballot and the fact that Posley and Mobley, through no fault of their own, had two fewer years to leave their mark.
This, then, is a small way to give them their due.
Posley and Mobley represent two of our selections for the Times Herald’s Mount Rushmore of Bona basketball for the most recent decade. They join two other easy choices: Jaylen Adams and Andrew Nicholson, each of whom have a case for Bona’s all-time top four — not just for the 2010s.
Together, they’re about as accomplished a quartet as any era in program history. With that, here’s the seventh, and final, entry in our Bona Mount Rushmore series:
JAYLEN ADAMS (2014-18)
The case: Very much in the conversation for greatest guard in program annals, Adams left an indelible mark in the Bona record book.
The Baltimore native ranks sixth all-time (and first among guards) in scoring with 1,912 points, second in 3-pointers (270) and third in assists (590). He also holds the single-game program record for 3s (10) and is tied for the top spot in assists (14, which he accomplished twice).
Adams is the only Bona player to earn three First Team all-conference selections and one of just three to be named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. He helped the Bonnies to 87 victories, the most by a single class, including a school-record 26 in 2017-18. As a senior, he was the top player on a team that earned Bona’s first NCAA Tournament in 48 years (with a victory over UCLA) and was named an Associated Press All-American honorable mention.
MATT MOBLEY (2016-18)
The case: The other half of the Bonnies’ dynamic duo from 2017-18, Mobley matched — and even exceeded — what Posley did before him.
The Central Connecticut State transfer averaged 18.1 points (sixth-best in the A-10), 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists while earning First Team all-conference honors and helping Bona to a 26-8 record and an NCAA at-large berth as a senior. That year, he also set the single-season program mark for 3-pointers (105) and the single-game A-10 Tournament record for treys (9 in a quarterfinal triumph over Richmond) while solidifying himself as the best rebounding guard under Mark Schmidt.
Mobley was also Second Team all-conference choice as a junior and an All-District honoree by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association as a senior. He finished with an impressive 1,209 points in just two seasons, good for 28th in program history.
MARCUS POSLEY (2014-16)
The case: One of the most clutch players in program history, Posley was a killer in his brief stint in a Bona uniform.
The 6-foot guard racked up 1,126 points, including 158 3-pointers, in only two seasons, numbers that rank 32nd and ninth in program history, earning Third Team all-conference honors as a junior and a Second Team citation as a senior. In 2014-15, Posley was named National Player of the Week after making consecutive buzzer-beaters to beat Davidson and VCU. In 2015-16, he helped Bona to a share of the A-10’s regular season title and a No. 1 seed in the NIT and set the program mark for points in an A-10 contest with his magnificent 47-point performance against Saint Joe’s, a figure that ranks just four points shy of Bob Lanier’s all-time single-game record. That year, Posley was also an All-District honoree by the NABC.
ANDREW NICHOLSON (2008-12)
The case: A program-saving recruit, Nicholson was, quite simply, the Bob Lanier of his era.
The 6-foot-9 forward is the most decorated Bonnie of the A-10 generation, earning three all-conference citations, including two First Team nods, two All-Defensive Team selections, Rookie of the Year in 2009 and Player of the Year in 2012 — the program’s first since Earl Belcher in 1981. He’s one of just eight players in league history to have been named both ROY and POY.
Nicholson finished a glittering four-year career second all-time in points (2,103), fourth in rebounds (887), second in blocks (244) and second in field goal percentage (.575). As a senior in 2012, he helped complete the restoration of the program by leading Bona to its first (and only) A-10 title and an NCAA Tournament appearance, earning Most Outstanding Player honors at the A-10 Tournament and Associated Press All-American honorable mention in the process.
