Welcome to the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Tipoff for the 2019-20 Season. This morning, we feature the St. Bonaventure Bonnies.
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Expectations are high at St. Bonaventure, where the Bonnies return four of five starters and will benefit from the addition of a pair of junior college transfers with big-game experience.
These Bonnies will rebound and defend better, said coach Jesse Fleming, who is excited about the offseason improvement his team has made.
Dajah Logan returns in better shape, he said, noting, “I expect a lot out of her. She’s shooting the ball really well, taken a step up defensively and really developed into a playmaker. She’s a big senior piece for us.”
Last year Asianae Johnson and Deja Francis were two of the top freshmen in the league, and Fleming has challenged both to take another step. He expects Francis to be a more reliable ballhandler and to stretch her offensive game to the 3-point line. Johnson needs to extend her offense, too, and both will be called on to be consistent on defense.
“For both, the highs were really high,” he said. The lows – largely blown defensive assignments – have been points of emphasis.
Incoming transfers Kayla Wilson and Jurnee President both played significant roles at their respective junior colleges. President scored 16 in the championship game to lead her team to the upset victory last year, while Wilson is the reigning NJCAA Division III National Player of the Year.
“She brings a physicality that will help us on defense,” Fleming said.
A look at the Bonnies:
Coach: Jesse Fleming, 4th season at St. Bonaventure and overall, 25-64
Last year: 8-22, 5-11 (lost to Davidson 74-49 in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championship)
They’ll miss: Leading scorer and rebounder McKenna Maycock started 24 games last season.
Impact returners: Junior Emily Calabrese started 19 games last year, averaging 6.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 44.5 percent from the floor. Johnson ranked third among all Atlantic 10 freshmen at 9.7 points per game, starting all 30 contests and averaging 27.0 minutes per game. Right behind her, Francis ranked fourth among all A-10 freshmen in scoring and second in assists, averaging 9.4 points and 3.5 assists per game to earn a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie Team. Francis’ 104 assists were the most by any Bonnie freshman in more than 20 years.
Newbies of notes: Wilson, a 5-11 guard, who led Hostos Community College to its first NJCAA Division III National Championship. The NJCAA Division III National Player of the Year, Wilson averaged 18.2 points and 13.1 rebounds while leading Hostos to a 28-2 overall record. President helped her New Mexico junior college to a 59-10 record over a two-year span and started in 68 contests and played in all 69 games in two years.
Reasons to be optimistic: The Bonnies are quicker and longer than a year ago and the pieces they’ve added should allow them to be more versatile offensively. The significant playing time Johnson and Francis earned as freshmen will continue to pay off for the next three seasons.
Circle the date: The St. Bonaventure women meet perennial Big East power St. John’s in a Nov. 5 doubleheader with the men. “Talk about an early barometer,” Fleming said. “That’ll tell us where we’re at.”
Bottom line: If the Bonnies can defend as Fleming predicts, there’s no reason they can’t move into the top half of the Atlantic 10.