ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — It first stood in the limeout in 2016, after the first truly great regular season under Mark Schmidt.
That year, it had two major award winners (Coach of the Year, Co-Sixth Man of the Year) and two others named to the all-conference teams.
Since then, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team has been among the most heavily honored Atlantic 10 programs annually on postseason awards day. And so it was in 2020-21.
Only this year, it outdid itself entirely.
BONA brought home two of the league’s three most prestigious awards and, for the first time ever, had three players earn all-conference accolades, the league announced on Wednesday. Schmidt was named Coach of the Year, securing the honor for a second time, while Osun Osunniyi was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year. Kyle Lofton, meanwhile, was named First Team All-Conference for the second-straight season while Osunniyi and Jaren Holmes were picked to the Second Team and the latter was also chosen to the All-Academic Team.
It was a deserving haul for a team that won the league’s regular season title and has a chance Sunday to claim the A-10 Tournament crown and automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
“(I’m) honored,” Schmidt said, before, in typical fashion, sharing the praise for his personal achievement with those around him. “Believe me, it’s not my award, it’s our program’s award. I’m humbled to be selected by my peers (for) Coach of the Year, but there’s a lot of people that are involved, it’s just not a one-man show.”
“My assistants are just as important as I am, and without the players, I wouldn’t be in this situation. There’s not many coaches of the year from losing teams — I’m not sure if there’s any — so it’s about the players and my assistants and the administration. I accept it for everybody. (I’m) humbled and happy, but understanding that it’s our award.”
OSUNNIYI, universally viewed as the most dominant defensive presence in the league, led the A-10 and sits sixth nationally in blocks per game (2.84) while finishing second in total rejections (54, just six behind the conference leader) despite having played in only 19 games this season.
The junior center also finished second in rebounding (9.3) while anchoring a Bona defense that paced the league and ranks sixth in the country in scoring defense (60.1 points per game). He’s the Bonnies’ first Defensive Player of the Year and only the third player in program history to make three All-Defensive Teams, joining Caswell Cyrus (1998-’00) and Marques Green (2002-’04).
And while he, too, appreciated the honor, his thoughts were on what still lies ahead from a team standpoint.
“I’m not really big on personal accolades, never have been. But it’s a blessing and an honor,” said Osunniyi, now a two-time all-league selection after being cited to the third team last March. “That’s how I’ve been playing basketball, is playing defense. Offense has always been second; (the) main thing I’ve always had is defense.
“I appreciate it, but I’m approaching the team goal, and that’s winning the A-10 championship Sunday and hopefully going to the Tournament and the Big Dance in Indianapolis and winning a few games.”
LOFTON, arguably the best point guard in the conference, leads Bona in scoring (14.2 points) while finishing third in the A-10 in assists (5.4) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.08). He also sat in the top 10 in free throw percentage (8th, 80.8) and steals (10th, 1.5) while pacing the league in minutes played (38.3) for the second-consecutive season.
The junior guard is the fifth player in Bona annals to earn first team status in back-to-back seasons, joining Earl Belcher (1980-’81), Harry Moore (1993-’94), Andrew Nicholson (2011-’12) and Jaylen Adams (2016, ‘17, ‘18). Perhaps most impressively, Bona has now had at least one first team selection in six-straight seasons after logging 12 total from 1980-2015.
Lofton might well, and should, have been in the Player of the Year conversation, but ultimately finished behind Sunday’s foe, VCU’s Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland, for the conference’s top honor. He was also joined on the first team by Jalen Crutcher (Dayton), Jordan Goodwin (Saint Louis), Kellan Grady (Davidson) and Tre Mitchell (UMass).
Holmes, who this year established himself as one of the best complementary pieces in the A-10, ranks second on his team in scoring (13.8 points, good for 16th in the league), but first in conference play (14.4). The junior guard led the A-10 in 3-point percentage (.420), averaged over five rebounds and set the league’s single-game high with 38 points in a January win over Saint Joseph’s.
Holmes, a two-time Academic Team selection, has a 3.66 GPA as a sports media major. He’s one of five Bonnies to earn multiple Academic Team citations and the first since Maurice Young in 2003-’04.
2020-21 ATLANTIC 10 POSTSEASON AWARDS
Player of the Year
Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland, VCU
Coach of the Year
Mark Schmidt, St. Bonaventure
Defensive Player of the Year
Osun Osunniyi, St. Bonaventure
Rookie of the Year
Tyler Kolek, George Mason
Chris Daniels Most Improved Player
Tyler Burton, Richmond
Sixth Man of the Year
Sherif Kenney, La Salle
All-Conference First Team
Jalen Crutcher, Sr., G, Dayton
Jordan Goodwin, Sr., G, Saint Louis
Kellan Grady, Sr., G, Davidson
Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland, So., G, VCU
Kyle Lofton, Jr., G, St. Bonaventure
Tre Mitchell, So., F, Massachusetts
All-Conference Second Team
Blake Francis, Sr., G, Richmond
Jacob Gilyard, Sr., G, Richmond
Jaren Holmes, Jr., G, St. Bonaventure
Osun Osunniyi, Jr., C, St. Bonaventure
Javonte Perkins, Sr., G, Saint Louis
Marcus Weathers, Sr., F, Duquesne
All-Conference Third Team
Jamison Battle, So., F, George Washington
Grant Golden, Sr., F, Richmond
Jordan Miller, Sr., G, George Mason
Fatts Russell, Sr., G, Rhode Island
Ibi Watson, Sr., G, Dayton
Vince Williams, Jr., F, VCU
All-Defensive Team
Jacob Gilyard, Sr., G, Richmond
Jordan Goodwin, Sr., G, Saint Louis
Osun Osunniyi, Jr., C, St. Bonaventure
Hason Ward, So., F, VCU
A.J. Wilson, Jr., C, George Mason
All-Rookie Team
Adrian Baldwin, Fr., G, VCU
Jhamir Brickus, Fr., G, La Salle
Jordan Hall, Fr., F, Saint Joseph’s
Tyler Kolek, Fr., G, George Mason
Mustapha Amzil, Fr., F, Dayton
All-Academic Team
Jaren Holmes, Jr., G, St. Bonaventure
Gibson Jimerson, So., G, Saint Louis
Tre Mitchell, So., F, Massachusetts
Christian Ray, So., G, La Salle
Jordy Tshimanga, Sr., C, Dayton
