He also writes about high school football recruiting, including The Register's annual FAB 15 teams that list the top high school football players in the Western U.S. before National Signing Day. He was picked to the SBU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988 and his No. ST. BONAVENTURE Bob Lanier, the greatest basketball player in St. Bonaventure University history, died early today surrounded by family in Arizona. The new Bona coach, 24-year-old Larry Weise, inherited the team later that year. $3.00 Tommasino described the crowd as incredible with an energy level absolutely through the roof., The Bonnies responded in kind, surging to a 25-8 lead and ahead, 34-27, at half. Sign Up Today! By the time that Stith joined the varsity squad in 1957, the streak of victories in the Olean (NY) Armory had gained national attention. Our confidence was soaring at that time.. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. We were kind of warriors in this trench together, and we had one focus: to win an NCAA title. One Bona fan, Pat (Tiger) Flynn, recalled going to Armory games from the age of six. The Buckeyes lost their only game of the season in the NCAA championship game to Cincinnati. Her directive to me was clear: In preparing to move, my childhood boxes collecting dust in the basement needed to be sorted out. By VINNY PEZZIMENTI Olean Times Herald Feb 19, 2023 ST. BONAVENTURE "Hope," St. Bonaventure basketball coach Mark Schmidt said, was all the Bonnies had left with 2.2 seconds left,. Nope, nope, he said without a second thought. Flynn, then nine years old, sat with his neighbor at midcourt in the Armory balcony. The Bonnies last loss had come to Niagara on February 11, 1948. Olean, NY REBECCA FIELD OBITUARY Rebecca A. Millis Field OLEAN - Rebecca A. He went on to play in the NBA and later, a long and successful professional career overseas. He specializes in football and all the aquatics but covers many different sports. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com His 10 three-pointers in February 2018 vs. Saint Louis stands as the program's all-time single-game record while his 14 assists in a game - twice - are tied for the program record. His success in the ensuing seasons propelled the program to new heights, which prompted kids like me to become ardent Bona fans and to keep special memories in all kinds of ways for decades to come. Then there was an unusual item, something related to a Bona defeat to Wake Forest Collegeits name at that timein March 1961. In Fall 1976, Jim Satalin knew his team was good. What he did was incredible down that stretch., One of the most famous baskets in Bona basketball history followed. The referees were no doubt busy in the 40 minutes of play, though the game must have been far longer. Santa Margarita (13-6): Eagles can clinch third in the Trinity League by defeating host Orange Lutheran on Wednesday. We tried to create a lot. On March 16, 1995, the top pop song in the US was Madonnas Take a Bow. The University's first consensus All-American, he ranks fifth in program history with 2,052 points including the '59-60 season when he averaged 31.5 ppg, the all-time program record. We played the best teams, which proved to me that I was right in saying that we were good enough to win this thing, he said. Saint Louis began Monday at No. Would you like to receive our breaking news? A bronze pair of his sneakers remains in the Basketball Hall of Fame. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called the Hall of Fame player among the most talented centers in the history of the NBA, but that his impact on the league went far beyond what he accomplished on the court. Theres no way in the world that someone would come into the Armory and beat us, Stith recalled. Tommasino, the voice of the Bonnies from 1988-1995, called 180 games over that span. His recognition included: Associated Press All-American (1959-60 and 1960-61); United Press International All-American (1959-60 and 1960-61); Look Magazine All-American (1960-61); Sporting News All-American (1959-60 and 1960-61); Catholic Digest All-American (1960-61) and ECAC All-East (1960-61) among others. From the days of Butler Gymnasium and the Olean Armory through to the past five decades in the Reilly Center, St. Bonaventure basketball has remained a constant in the University community for the last century. In the closing minutes and the Bonnies down 87-86, Sanders made a 22-foot jumper from directly in front of the Bona bench. Had he missed that shot, there was still time for us, he said. Each ballot cast counted as one vote - each panelist vote counted as one while the top 20 from the fan vote counted as a single ballot as well. If I went one more step, I would have run into him. Even with the strong offense, Crawford pointed to a solid defense as pivotal to the Bonnie success in forcing opponents to make passes and plays they didnt want to make., Both Crawford, a 6-4 sophomore forward, and 6-5 senior forward Tom Stith were the leading scorers for the 6-0 Bonnies entering the OSU game, as they had defeated teams that included Utah (#18), St. Joes, and Xavier. I thought there was enough time left, he recalled. "As an ambassador for both the Pistons organization and the NBA, he represented our league, our franchise and our fans with great passion and integrity.". Keep reading with unlimited digital access. In 2015, Dan received the Bud Dwyer Jr. media award from the Southern California High School Football Coaches Association. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, City mourns Buffalo firefighter Jason Arno as investigation into fatal fire launches, Buffalo firefighter makes 'ultimate sacrifice' in blaze that may have sparked backdraft, Paula's Donuts to move Clarence store that faced backlash for tax breaks to Amherst, Vandal damages 'brokenhearted' Russell Salvatore's tribute park in Lancaster, Chad Hall's departure from Buffalo Bills to Jaguars remains a bit of a mystery. That gave us an opportunity to call timeout and say, OK, we have plenty of time here. I'm a college/high school sports enterprise reporter at The Buffalo News. A consensus All-American twice (1969, '70), Lanier finished his career as the St. Bonaventure record holder in seven categories including points (2,067), rebounding (1,180), single-game scoring (51 points vs. Seton Hall), single-game rebounding (27 vs. Loyola MD), single-season rebounding (416), single-season shooting percentage (.586) and average rebounds in one season (16.0 rpg) in 1969-70. St. Bonaventure men's basketball completes home-and-home sweep of Saint His No. The standing room only crowd was an estimated 2300. That Niagara game jump-started my career at St. Bonas, he said. Crawford was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1970. 2022-23 Men's Basketball Schedule - St. Bonaventure A prolific scorer, Crawford established the SBU men's basketball scoring record for sophomores with 614 points in 1960-61. They made me so proud.". David Vanterpool Shannon Shepherd, '12, Buffalo Bills beat reporter for Sports Illustrated He would play for his hometown New York Knicks and was a member of the inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class. He didnt need to take any shots. Eastern 8 newspapers? The 76-77 Bonnies jumped out to an 11-3 record by the end of January, losing only at Georgetown and DePaul and to Princeton at the Rochester War Memorial in the championship of the Kodak College Basketball Classic. St. Bonaventure, NBA basketball legend Bob Lanier passes away The team lost 6-7 forward/center Bob Rozyczko and his 17 points per game average to graduation, but the foursome of Hollis, Baron, Hagan, and Sanders brought a 55 points-per-game average into the 76-77 season. Glenn Price Just how good was the story. He was named by Look Magazine to the All-District Team the same season. Lettuce, tomato, onionsa nd sour cream will be included. He scored 2,067 points in three seasons at Bona, and was the No. He helped the Bonnies reach the 1970 Final Four, but sustained a knee injury in a regional final against Villanova, and did not play in a loss to Jacksonville in a national semifinal. I knew the Bonnies had some good teams in the pre-Lanier era, but knew nothing about the 1960-1961 squad and wondered about this particular loss. Lanier's death was announced this morning by St. Bonaventure. He was an intern at The Buffalo News in the summer of 2006, and served as an intern in the Sports Department of the Olean Times Herald his junior and senior years. A private, giving nature is one of the many qualities that local basketball dignitaries remembered about Lanier, a Buffalo native and a Bennet, The Bonnies will wear commemorative patches that bear Bob Laniers No. Walk-ons and incoming freshmen are scheduled to start training Monday at UB, and athletes from other select teams will begin a similar phased plan to return to campus for workouts starting Monday. Get our expert short-term forecast, summary of the weather details and news of any severe weather. The key to SBU's 1970 Final Four team, his No. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? They lost their last regular season game at third-ranked Rutgers, 85-80, in a heartbreaking defeat. While Bonaventure fans were devastated they lost that game, Flynn remembered, they probably would have been more upset if it had been someone like Canisius. Last time I saw Pistons superstar BOB LANIER was several years ago when he spent the weekend at my house as he attended my Gala. The Class of 2023 is headlined by former men's . 201415 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team, 201415 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, 201415 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings, 201415 St. Bonaventure Bonnies women's basketball team, "201415 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team", Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=201415_St._Bonaventure_Bonnies_men%27s_basketball_team&oldid=1115582051. You have permission to edit this article. The front page had no story of the consecutive home wins. The Bonnies were badly outrebounded, 42-23, with Oregon star and second team USBWA All-American Greg Ballard nearly matching the Bona total with 15 rebounds. St. Bonaventure basketball players return to campus this month. In the lone game St. Bonaventure has ever played against Oregon, Sanders only missed five shots, going 11 of 16 from the field and a perfect eight-for-eight from the free throw line. A look at the front page of The Olean Times Herald (OTH) on Monday, February 27, 1961, revealed little about the tumultuous event that took place two days prior at the Olean Armory. He is also first in career field goals made (944) and shot a .538 percentage, also grabbing over 600 rebounds. Nonetheless, the defeat to Rutgers may have shown something to four of the Bona starters: Essie Hollis, Greg Sanders, Glenn Hagan, and Jim Baron. Bob Lanier was a standout at Bennett High School, a superstar at St. Bonaventure, and an excellent pro in the NBA. The Bonnies shot 36 percent from the floor, far lower than their 57 percent success rate per game to that point in the season. He more than handled it for us. We get to the tournament and we were just rolling through people. A Bonaventure athletic department spokesperson confirmed Thursday to The News that mens basketball players will return to campus July 18 and 19 for offseason workouts, and womens basketball players will return to campus July 25. Stith, a subsequent Hall of Fame inductee at St. Bonaventure, was chosen as the second overall pick of the 1961 draft by the New York Knicks, while Washington selected Wake Forest player Norm Snead as its quarterback in the second spot of the NFL draft the very same year. As a student at St. Bonaventure (SBU), I had the joy of interning in the Sports Information office and experiencing the excitement of Reilly Center games from a pressbox perspective. Lanier played for 14 seasons in the NBA, with the Pistons and Bucks, and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. Providence (#15) upended St. Bonaventure, 82-75, before a Dick Vitale-coached Detroit squad (#19) defeated the Bonnies, 78-62, in the Motor City. Thank you for reading! Hagan led all scorers, including the Herron brothers of Villanova, with 26 points, and Barron added 13 points in only 22 minutes of play. There was a problem saving your notification. Stith fouled a Niagara player, who made both free throws to put the Purple Eagles ahead by a point. For more information on the Centennial Season celebration, visit GoBonnies.com/100. He was named to the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992. The NBA confirmed Lanier's death in a statement by commissioner Adam Silver, which was posted to social media early Wednesday morning. He earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Year twice (1980, '81) and helped the Bonnies to a 70-41 record during his career before earning selection to the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991. Over his career, Winn guided the Brown and White to 66 wins, an NIT berth in 1998, an appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship Game and a berth in the 2000 NCAA Tournament. He is the top scoring guard in school history with 1,912 points (sixth overall among all SBU players) and also ranks second on the team's all-time list for three-pointers (270) and third in assists (590). Sign up today! St. Bonaventure basketball players return to campus this month We missed a lot of open shots and free throws, said Bonas Dominick Welch, who scored 19 points and had four steals. After the final buzzer in the Bradley Center, Tommasino signed off for the final time, taking along the fond memories of many Bona games courtside and a most inspiring NIT win over Southern Mississippi. Love u big guy . Against Davidson in the first round, he finished with 17 points before adding 13 vs. N.C. State and 15 vs. Villanova. By this point in the season, the Bonnies were 21-1, losing only to the top ranked team in the country, Ohio State, in late December. The men's basketball team's 2019-20 season ended March 12, before it played its first game in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament. A cause of death was not immediately given, but Lanier had been battling bladder cancer in the last few years, and had also undergone various surgeries on his neck and knees. The Bonnies reeled off another four straight victories to end the regular season at 20-5. Otis Birdsong, the Houston star who was #4 in scoring in the nation and a UPI first team All-American, led the Cougars with 30 points. Since that setback, Houston went 20-4 with the most recent loss to #7 Arkansas in the championship of Southwest Conference tournament. Thank goodness we had a strong first half.. St. Bonaventure guard Kyle Lofton scores two points over Richmond Spiders forward Nathan Cayo last February. St. Bonaventure | oleantimesherald.com At Bennett High School, Lanier dominated even after he was cut from Bennetts basketball team as a sophomore, but honed his basketball skills with Lorrie Alexander, the athletic director at the Masten Avenue Boys Club. St. Bonaventure, NBA basketball legend Bob Lanier passes away The later assistant coach of the program was inducted to the SBU Hall of Fame in 1989. In addition, only five baskets were scored from the field by both teams in the final nine minutes of regulation. Bill Butler He played professionally with the Virginia Squires of the ABA and the New York Nets of the NBA before earning SBU Athletics Hall of Fame honors in 1974. In March 2018, St. Bonaventure won its first NCAA Tournament game since the 1970 win against Villanova, a 65-58 victory against UCLA in a First Four game in Dayton, Ohio. In three years (1971-74), Price played his way into the program record book. He also helped Bona to the 1971 NIT with a 21-6 record and 62-17 during his career. 31 jersey that brought the University national fame hangs in the Reilly Center rafters and he was inducted into SBU's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975. He also was the interim head coach for the Golden State Warriors for 37 games in 1994-95, after Don Nelson stepped down. Sonora (17-6): Raiders return to the top 10 after beating Troy to seize control of the Freeway League. We werent in the right places at the right time. And over the last 50 years, its just been remarkable. Bona's Final Four team basks in Reilly Center glow on its 50th anniversary, What we said 50 years ago when St. Bonaventure made Final Four, Remembering Bob Lanier: His trademark soft touch made him an all-time great, Oklahoma RB Eric Gray at the NFL scouting combine, Ohio State C Luke Wypler speaks at the NFL scouting combine, UB players mom sings stirring rendition of national anthem on senior night, Serena Williams says her daughter doesn't like playing tennis. OLEAN - Frank S. Jester, 76, passed away Sunday (Feb. 26, 2023) at home, surrounded by his family, following a courageous battle with cancer. He also was a longtime spokesperson and chairman of the NBA's "Stay in School" program, later renamed "Read to Achieve," a reading-engagement initiative supported by NBA and WNBA teams. He didnt want Lanier to get hurt playing against older, more skilled players. The spirit of St. Bonaventure is bigger than any one man, but no singular soul in 164 years has ever brought more honor, dignity, glory and love to bear at Bonas than Bob Lanier, said Mike Vaccaro, St. Bonaventure class of 1989, New York Post columnist and the foremost historian on Bonnies basketball. I wanted it because I messed up by fouling [the Niagara player]. It was the next-to-last game of his radio tenure that was recalled with fondness. 1 seed in 2021, when the . 25 was retired in 2007. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. St. Bonaventure Basketball Centennial Season All-Time Team Announced Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. He. I think people realized, Well, hes not Don, but hes going to do all right.. He finished his career third in rebounds and still stands there with 922, an average of 12.1 per game over 76 contests. 1 overall NBA Draft pick by the Detroit Pistons in 1970, Lanier led the Bonnies to an undefeated regular season in 1968 (23-0) and the NCAA Final Four in 1970. Thosewho have donned the Brown and White over the past 100 years have created memories to last a lifetime with fans of the program. Maggio: What to expect (and what not to count on) this St. Bonaventure In the 1961 NCAA Tournament, he posted 34 points and 16 rebounds in a first round win over Rhode Island, then had 19 points and 10 boards in a second round setback vs. Wake Forest and scored in double figures in every postseason game he played.