ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The last time there was quite this much buzz over a recruit, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team won those sweepstakes, landing current star big man Osun Osunniyi.
Much like that day in May of 2018, a coveted prospect set a specific time for making his collegiate decision, leaving fans teeming with anticipation. He also live-streamed his announcement, allowing the tension to build and for everyone to learn his choice in real time.
And much like that day three years ago, Bona was the beneficiary.
Linton Brown, a 6-foot-5 sharpshooting junior college guard, will continue his career at St. Bonaventure, he announced during an at-home broadcast with a local ESPN affiliate on Sunday night. Brown, who’d narrowed his list to three schools by the time he revealed his destination, chose the Bonnies over New Mexico and Southern Mississippi and will have three years of eligibility, beginning next season.
He was the second player to commit to Bona over the weekend, joining prep standout Joryam Saizonou (more on the latter in Wednesday’s TH).
“This fall, I’ll be taking my talents to St. Bonaventure University,” Brown said, donning a Bona cap and unzipping his sweatshirt to reveal a “Here For The Bonnies” T-shirt while sitting poolside with family. “Go Bonnies.”
FROM THE beginning of the current recruiting period, the Bona coaching staff has added one intriguing piece after another, supplementing an already-talented lineup for 2021-22 while beginning to build for the future. In doing so, it’s revamped its depth entirely with a head-turning mix of high-major transfers, prep stars and decorated jucos.
Brown might be as interesting, and as touted, as any of them.
The 6-5 guard averaged a team-best 18.4 points and shot an impressive 48 percent from 3-point range (73-of-151) while helping Indian River State College (Florida) to a 20-4 record and the Southern Conference championship and its first appearance in the NJCAA Tournament as a sophomore last winter. He also averaged five rebounds and shot 51 percent from the field overall while being named the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) Region 8 Player of the Year.
Along the way, Brown became a commodity, attracting at least 13 Division I offers, per Verbal Commits (including nods from fellow Atlantic 10 program Fordham and Iona’s Rick Pitino), before trimming his list to three and ultimately choosing Bona on Sunday. And it’s clear, based on a myriad of reports and available video, what kind of player the Bonnies are getting in the Wellington, Fla., native:
A knock-down shooter.
“Linton Brown, one of the best shooters in the junior college ranks, has committed to St. Bonaventure,” ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony chimed in, via Twitter, on Sunday night. “The 6-5 Brown made 48% of his 3-pointers at Indian River on over six attempts per game. (He was) named (his) conference’s player of the year.”
Brown assessed himself in similar terms during a brief interview with a local ESPN reporter at his Florida home.
“(I’m a) hard worker, a scorer, a 3-point maker,” he said, “and just flat out a great person, a great character.” Of what sold him on Bona, he added, “I just like the atmosphere they gave me, and they’re a winning program already.”
BROWN, WHO starred at West Oaks Academy (Florida) before moving on to Indian River SC, made a significant jump in his second season with the Pioneers, doubling his scoring average (from 9.4 points) while improving his 3-point shooting by 14 percentage points (from 34.3 as a freshman).
Now, he’s ready to show what he can do at the A-10 level.
“Got a lot to prove wit dis one,” he tweeted Monday afternoon.
Brown is the sixth member of the Bonnies’ 2021 recruiting class — perhaps the best on paper in 15 summers under Schmidt — joining ACC transfers Karim Coulibaly (Pittsburgh) and Quadry Adams (Wake Forest), juco big man Oluwasegun Durosinmi and prep prospects Justin Ndjock-Tajore and the 6-foot-3 Saizonou.
In Brown, Bona believes it has met another need, adding a consistent 3-point shooter and another piece in the backcourt to a team that returns all five starters, including two all-conference guards (Kyle Lofton, Jaren Holmes), next winter. And with two weekend recruits on board, it now has 11 total scholarship players, leaving two available rides for the 2021-22 campaign.
Due to COVID-related regulations, the spring signing period runs all the way through Aug. 1.
