ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — For students of St. Bonaventure men’s basketball lore, March 4, 2020 is a date of dubious distinction.
That was the night 3,973 fans gathered at the Reilly Center to watch the Bonnies thrash Saint Joseph’s, 89-73, in their Atlantic 10 home finale.
Eight days later, as Bona and George Mason were warming up for their second-round, A-10 Tournament matchup at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the whole rest of the college hoops season was canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
Oh, there was a 2020-21 campaign, but each of the Bonnies’ nine home games were played in an RC sans fans with team benches socially-distanced on the opposite side of the floor and the media in the aisle between the upper and lower red seats.
Thus, they missed a good part of what led to SBU earning only its second Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship over its 42 years in the conference and, even more important, the eighth NCAA Tournament berth in its 100-season hoops history.
Thus, after a 619-day wait, the Bonnie faithful finally streamed back into the Reilly Center on Tuesday night, 4,617 strong.
OH, COVID-19 still had its effect.
As a concession to the pandemic, every person in the building was required to wear a mask unless eating or drinking. But, sadly, many flouted the New York State mandate, starting with the student section which was decidedly indifferent to the rule as only about 10% were masked and barely half of the paying crowd, if that, was protected.
It will be interesting to see whether masked fans make an issue of the appalling number who weren’t.
THE UPDATED University Covid-19 protocols are self-explanatory: As a result of the HERO Act activated by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, all employees, students and visitors — regardless of vaccination status — will be required to wear masks inside all campus facilities. This includes basketball games in the RC.
Clearly, a lot of folks inside the RC last night didn’t get the memo.
Based on Tuesday’s staggering number of unmasked, it would be nearly impossible for Bona security to enforce the mandate with so many in violation.
There had been a concern in the University’s athletic administration that if vaccine cards had been required, no matter how excited the fan base might be, attendance would have taken a hit. Now it appears even masks are a point of major contention.
Too many fans saw the mandate as an inconvenience that affected their desire to see a team for which they have expectations through the Reilly Center’s banner-decorated roof.
THE BONNIES are already ranked in the Top 25 in a pair of preseason polls, 23rd in one and 24th in the other.
And, best of all, the opening night opponent was Franciscan rival, Siena, over which oddsmakers had made Bona an unexpectedly decisive 20-point favorite.
That’s what happens when five senior starters return from a conference champion and NCAA Tournament participant with a roster eight-deep in quality players.
Indeed, coach Mark Schmidt, despite the talent he’s assembled, will be hard-pressed to lead this team to the level so many of the faithful wishfully anticipate.
BUT, THE first step ended well, albeit not as comfortably as expected.
Siena led by 10 some 13 minutes into the first half and trailed by only four at intermission.
However, the final half belonged to the Bonnies, the 20-point cushion being reached with 5:56 to play en route to a 75-47 victory.
Afterward, Schmidt was asked about playing before a neatly full house after enduring a full season in an empty building.
“It was fabulous, I’ve said it over and over again, last year we had a great year and it was special, but there was something missing and what was missing was the fans,” he said. “ Kudos to the students and the community for coming out and supporting us like they did and hopefully that will continue.
“That’s the Reilly Center and there’s nothing better.”
To which senior guard Jaren Holmes, who tied for the game-high with 17 points, added, “Honestly, it was just an unreal experience. The fans were great, my family was here, Kyle (Lofton’s) family was here. It felt like the good ole Reilly Center again … live, rowdy, best fans in the nation, best gym in the nation and it showed (tonight).”
And Siena’s travel party would agree.
(Chuck Pollock, an Olean Times Herald senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
