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And one of the key contacts during this recent signing period was former Bona player, Tyler Relph who runs a basketball camp in Dallas, TX. Relph played two years at St. Bonaventure, experiencing his best season in Schmidt’s first year as coach, scoring 11.9 points per game.

It was Relph who spoke to Smith, a 6-foot-7 forward with four years of eligibility, about St. Bonaventure and discussed with him the possibility of getting into contact with the coaching staff.

“He told me about his experience at St. Bonaventure and that he didn’t regret a single second of it,” Smith said. “He also talked about the basketball program and the support it received. What he said influenced me a lot on my decision.”

And the decision-making process for Smith became hectic in the latter stages as the East Plano, TX native received offers from schools in the Big 12, but an official visit to campus sealed the deal.

“When I first arrived on campus, the coaches said they would love to have me at St. Bonaventure,” Smith said. “I immediately felt comfortable and welcomed at the school.”

However, while Bona immediately makes a list of players they are interested in because of their talent ability, positional needs always take first priority. With Bona graduating four players — a point guard, small forward, power forward and shooting guard — the staff aimed to get athletic.

Not only did they look for guys who can make an immediate impact, but dug deeper to find players who fit the program and can develop into an even greater force over four years.

“You’re definitely looking at need and the fit into the program,” Curran explained. “We’re looking for a kid who is going to fit into what we are trying to do. We run a lot of specific sets so we need someone with a high basketball IQ.”

With numerous set plays and a lot of four-out offensive sets, Bona needs players who can not only play in the paint, but go off-the-bounce with an outside touch. Curran recognized that Gregg could be that type of player and kept an eye on his possible de-commitment from Fordham based on a tip.

Once Gregg decommitted, Schmidt put on his own version of the full-court press, showing Gregg how vital a piece he could be to the program. It was the coaching staff’s commitment which made it an easy choice for Gregg.

“I already had a great relationship with Coach Curran and Coach Schmidt before my visit,” Gregg said. “Going to campus was really the last step for me in the process. I loved the program, heard good things about it, and I loved the school a lot.”

It’s a refreshing change of pace for a coaching staff that has dealt with criticisms, some warranted, for the inability to seal the deal with recruits during their tenure. That’s not to mention the famed de-commitments that shook the program and hurt the product on the court.

But the tide is quickly turning. Recruits are now discussing the staff’s accomplishments in developing players, their style of play and the level of interest shown to each one of them.

How else to explain Schmidt and his staff nabbing the 6-foot-7 Gregg and Smith, who averaged 12 points, six rebounds and 6.9 points and 7.6 rebounds respectively, and received numerous other offers?

How else to explain that after losing 59 percent of their scoring output from last season, Schmidt landed JUCO guard Cumberbatch to help stretch defenses with his 38 percent 3-point shooting and 50 percent shooting overall?

“Player development with this coaching staff has been really good,” Gregg said. “Look at Nicholson. He didn’t have a lot of D-I offers and they turned him into an NBA star. So I just feel that their development as a whole is great.”

And while no one is announcing there to be another NBA star among the ranks of incoming players, the coaching staff’s track record is unquestioned.

After numerous seasons of not filling positional needs, nor signing players during the regular signing period, Schmidt and his staff came up aces during Finals week. The signings of five talented and athletic players, each of which have the ability to make an immediate impact, displays hope for the near future.

“I want Bonnie fans to know that I won’t let y’all down,” Smith said.

“I want to win and become a better player by working as hard as I can,” Gregg added.

The Bonnies are currently sitting in 12th place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings with a 13-20 overall record, surely a far cry from the circumstances surrounding the program when Sudbrook nabbed his 500th career win.

St. Bonaventure was in the midst of making the A-10 postseason Tournament six out of nine years with one conference title and a second-place finish in the mix.

“The last four or five years, we’ve been mediocre,” Sudbrook said. “That takes away a little bit of the overall enjoyment of winning the 600.”

The honesty in which Sudbrook discussed the state of the baseball program does not surprise his team’s starting third baseman since his freshman season. In fact, Urban who has compiled 220 hits in his career — good enough for a career average of .333, said it would not have happened without his coach.

“I could tell you countless stories about him being brutally honest and it may not always be what you want to hear, but it's what you need to hear,” Urban said of Sudbrook. “You always know exactly where you stand and that honesty goes a long way. He also relates to all of his players really well.”

Relating to players is something that has set Sudbrook apart and has helped him complete 12 winning seasons at St. Bonaventure, including being named the 2004 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Award.

Baseball is a sport that is littered with failure no matter how one tries to decipher the small army of numbers available in the stats. The greatest players are considered hitters who compile a batting average of .300, meaning they actually are failing at their job 70 percent of the time.

But starting first baseman Austin Ingraham says Sudbrook understands that some situations call for a humorous environment.

“Baseball is a long season of ups and downs, and coach having the sense of humor that he does helps us all get through it with our sanity,” Ingraham said. “Guys may take it the wrong way sometimes if they're having a bad day, but you'll never be successful in this game if you can't learn to laugh at yourself. Coach definitely encourages that. And for others to laugh at you as well.”

And it’s the old-school approach to the game, always focusing on the task at hand and helping keep the mood light that has led to Sudbrook developing 30 Atlantic 10 All-Conference Selections, 10 Major League Baseball draft picks and 14 Professional Players.

He’s accomplished all this at a school where his program is not fully funded and deals with constant game cancellations due to weather even with McGraw-Jennings Field being completely turf.

“How many programs do you see going through a new coach every four years? That's a real testament to what coach is and what he's been for this program and school,” Urban said. “It's an incredible feat to be coaching for that long.”

“For him to be able to stick with this program and bring it to the top tier of A-10 baseball for as long as he has says a lot about his attitude and work ethic,” Ingraham added.

Right.

Because even with the miniscule budget and a coaching staff not even half the size of the institutions St. Bonaventure faces, Sudbrook keeps the Bonnies afloat in the A-10 using smoke and mirrors.

“Sr. Margaret always likes to talk about the David versus Goliath aspect, so there is that satisfaction when you get wins against schools that have twice the scholarships that we do, bigger coaching staffs and facilities,” Sudbrook said. “But when you’re David, you don’t take a whole lot of time to enjoy beating Goliath because he’s going to get back up.”

But Popsie never once thought it was a dream that could be reached. The lyrics he would write during his time in high school — he only shared with friends, never to be shown to the world. However, the world would get their first listen of Popsie’s music just prior to him leaving for Oxford in June of 2012.

The Concord, New Hampshire native decided to put together a mixtape, done entirely on his own and recorded in a friend’s basement. He put the mixtape online for download thinking he would get at a best-case scenario, just 200 or 300 downloads.

He was wrong.

“I got back from Oxford and it had over 3,500 downloads. I was like, ‘what?” Popsie said. “I knew the music was good, but I knew it was a bit different. My stuff is lyrically-driven, not about cars and money, but it hit me that I can do this.”

But it has not come as a surprise to those who know Popsie best.

“He’s really passionate about everything he does, so it’s no surprise he dedicates a lot of his time to his music,” Sean Perhacs, Popsie’s teammate said. “I know he writes a lot of songs whether to pass the time or to just improve. So matter what, he’s always working on it, just like his game.

Right.

Because Popsie is taking on the challenge of being a recording artist while also being a student who is aiming to graduate with his master’s degree in Intergrated Marketing Communcations. And the challenge is more than many can imagine.

While many students only have to wake up for class, Popsie finds himself having to wake up at 6 a.m. in order to work on collaborations for his music.

“I produced two songs with a guy over in England, so with the time difference, I’m up at 6 a.m.,” Popsie said. “I’m trying to go back and forth with this guy, which way you want to take this song, early in the morning. I have work, class and music has literally taken over my life.”

But the way Popsie has handled himself by both continuing to work hard and focus on the task at hand is not surprising. It’s the same mentality he took to the ice with him during his time on St. Bonaventure’s Club Hockey team.

“Popsie was always a leader. He knew how to combine fun, but also keep a winning mentality, something that not many players can do,” D.J. Hromowyk said of his teammate. “Popsie would be all smiles but if things needed to turn around, he was never afraid to say something.”

And that’s the reason Popsie has engulfed himself into the world of music.

Music is a way for a person to express themselves and the feelings they have on certain subjects. Popsie is no exception.

Take a listen to his single, “Emilie,” a song he made in memory of his friend and the pain, fun and memories are immediately apparent in the lyrics that come out of your headphones.

But Popsie said he would not have been prepared to do any of this without the experience of putting his pads on and standing in the crease, facing down a team intent to put one into the back of the net he was protecting.

“It’s the most scrutinized position in any sport. It’s the one of the only positions where if you make one mistake, you lost your team the game,” Popsie said. “Having that kind of pressure has helped me with performing because you still get nervous, but I can deal with it better.”

While Popsie’s focus is no longer on making the critical saves in net, he is still dealing with the constant pressure of producing new music, slowly proving himself with every song he releases much like he did in net, one save at a time.

After all, experiencing success because of her determination and her unwavering pursuit of being the best is all that Gionet has done throughout her time at St. Bonaventure.

Gionet currently holds many different leadership positions on-campus, including being a Peer Leader in the First-Year Experience program, account executive of the American Advertising Federation, coordinator for Mountain Community Leaders at Mt. Irenaus and a co-director of the Teaching and Learning Center.

And it’s her ability to hold these many leadership positions and give 100 percent to each that impresses those who Gionet works with.

“As a news editor who worked under her, I can say she is intelligent and dedicated,” Mark Belcher, a former news editor at The Intrepid said. “Maddie always showed she was willing to go the extra mile to make things perfect.”

Right.

Because Gionet never settled on just being average nor did she settle on taking the easy way out. When those need help, Gionet will take the time and sit down with them, survey their every question and help them find the right words for the story.

“I was most impressed with how even though she is so busy and so involved, she still put all her energy into everything she did,” Joe Pinter, a sophomore Journalism and Mass Communication major said. “And in addition to that, she still had the time to sit down with me and help me with my news stories.”

And that’s the constant theme.

Gionet was never too busy to help others, never too busy to give it 100 percent and never too busy to stop striving to be the best she could be. But perhaps even more impressive is the way she presents herself humbly, barely acknowledging all she has accomplished in her four years.

“I was humbled and still am by this honor,” Gionet said during her speech. “I cannot tell you how many times I walked by those Woman of Promise plaques without truly understanding the prestigious stories connected to those tiny, shiny pieces of metal.”

But now those shiny, tiny pieces of metal will have another name placed beside them. A name that has stood out in the School of Journalism and a name that Belcher is sure will bring with it future success as well.

“I know she will succeed in life,” Belcher said. “She has this level-headed demeanor and a desire to accomplish her goals.”

And while winning the Woman of Promise Award may not have been part of her immediate goals, Gionet can place that among her many accomplishments while she continues to achieve more in a future that grows brighter by the day.

A complete and stunning turnaround from last season in which the Bonnies won four out of their last five games in the regular season before winning three straight to capture the program’s first A-10 Title.

But that is a distant memory today as the facts are almost too hard to conceive.

Not only did Bona get handed a cupcake by playing Fordham (7-24, 3-13), they hosted them on their home court on Senior Day, giving themselves more momentum. The hapless Rams had not won a road game since Dec. 10, 2011 against Monmouth and their first A-10 road win since Jan. 28, 2009 when they defeated the Bonnies.

“I just think we didn’t rise to the occasion. We just came in thinking that we were going to beat the team without showing up,” Bona center Youssou Ndoye said. “Like coach said, we need to show up every night.”

Damning words about a team that graduated four seniors, three of which starters, and all important pieces to last year’s title run.

But it’s also been the story of a season filled with missed opportunities.

One shot here, one defensive stop there and the story could have been written different about this Bona squad. While many predicted this type of gloom for the Bonnies’ program following the departure of First-Round NBA Draft Pick Andrew Nicholson, it was not Nicholson whom Bona seemed to miss.

Far too often this season, Bona was outplayed in the paint or dominated on the glass. Lack of not only height in the paint, but toughness spoke loudly. While Nicholson supplied much of the scoring last year, it was Da’Quan Cook who did the dirty work.

It was Cook who would effectively shut-down another team’s big man. It was Cook who would sky for rebounds, both offensive and defensive, to keep Bona in the game. And it was Cook who refused to let the Bonnies be bullied in the paint.

Except that’s what happened all season, including last night.

“The bottom line is that we didn’t play hard enough and we didn’t rebound as a team,” Ndoye said of his teammates. “The bigs didn’t rebound and that’s what hurt as more.”

Against Fordham, Bona was out-rebounded by a 35 to 24 margin, including an absurd 19 to 6 margin in the second half.

But it didn’t stop there.

The Bonnies were out-scored in the paint by a 42 to 28 gap and lost the second-chance point battle, 21-9.

“We didn’t deserve to win,” Schmidt said emphatically. “Fordham played better. We didn’t defend them and we didn’t rebound with them. When you don’t do those two things, you are going to lose.”

Heart-breaking. Demoralizing.

Two words that Bona fans have used a lot this season and used again last night. But take those two words and the season into perspective.

St. Bonaventure’s Matthew Wright had a 3-point attempt at the end of regulation go off the side of the iron against Canisius. Chris Johnson had the same happen to him at Arkansas State. Demitrius Conger had it happen against La Salle.

The point?

Just a few inches the other way in each game and Bona could be looking at their season a lot differently. The loss of Nicholson, supposed to hinder the offense, did not happen. The Bonnies ranked fifth in the conference in scoring and second in 3-point field goal percentage.

And while Bona graduated four seniors, there is still talent left on this roster, something many did not predict once Nicholson graduated.

Photo by Daulton Sherwin

Ndoye’s development this season was a major story-line and he saved his best for last, scoring a career-high 17 points against Fordham. The Senegal native, already a menacing force for opposing guards driving the lane, has plenty of untapped potential.

Jordan Gathers, a key player last season for his defense, saw his offensive production increase when he attempted his shot. Gather set a career-high against Richmond with 18 points, going a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, becoming the first Bona player in 16 years to attempt seven shots without missing.

Even Dion Wright put together a career-high performance himself with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting against Charlotte. The freshman always was active on both the offensive and defensive ends and once he grasps Schmidt’s playbook, he can be Conger-like in his production.

While Bona’s season ends in disappointing fashion, one must look at where this program came from. Expectations are heightened and talent is abundant because of the impact seniors like Conger and Davenport had on the program.

“It’s disappointing. I feel bad for our seniors,” Schmidt said after the game. “You never want to go out that way, losing at home in your last game.”

Because after starting the Atlantic 10 Conference season off with three consecutive losses and facing a daunting road trip to Philadelphia, a place of horrors for the Bona program, things looked bleak.

But those three losses, part of a six-game losing streak, were a turning point for a team that stunned everyone last season by capturing the A-10 Conference Tournament title with a late-season run.

Bona has seemingly captured their footing, winning three out of their last four games. Even more impressive: during their three-game winning streak, Bona averaged 93 points per game, getting hot at the right time once again.

“It’s a different team,” Johnson said. “We’re definitely turning it on in the stretch, but we’re running different plays, different guys are stepping up.”

Perhaps no one has stepped their game up more than the Bonnies’ senior point guard. While Mosley, at 5-foot-10, is the smallest Bona player on the roster, he has played bigger than any of his teammates.

With Bona needing every win they can get, Mosley entered Wednesday night’s game against Dayton averaging 27 points per game over the past four games. What makes that even more scary — it’s nearly identical to Andrew Nicholson’s 27.6 points per game average during last year’s Bonnies’ run.

“I’ve been telling Andrew that he wasn’t better than me,” Mosley said with an ear-to-ear grin. “I don’t know if he believes me or not, but we’re just trying to win games, stats don’t matter. I just want to get another ring.”

Another ring?

This coming from the same program that won just 32 games during a five-year span from the 2003-04 season to the 2007-08 season.

Why the sudden change?

Because players such as Davenport committed to a program that they believed was only going to get better, but even the Cincinnati native did not know the challenge that awaited him.

“I didn’t realize that they went 8-22 until after I had signed,” Davenport said. “My dad said, ‘you know they went 8-22’ and I was like, ‘what?’ To me, that was exciting. To start from scratch and be one of many to leave an imprint on rebuilding a program. That’s the biggest thing that will stick with me.”

But Davenport has also left Bona fans with memories that will stick with them for a lifetime. There was Davenport’s last-second 3-pointer against in Duquesne in 2010, handing the Dukes their first A-10 loss of the season.

Then, there were the numerous highlight dunks, none more so than when on a break, he received a bounce pass from Conger and skied over Lamont Samuel of Fordham. It’s a picture that is enshrined on the walls inside the Reilly Center.

With each highlight play, each signature win like the one over St. John’s, the near misses versus perennial powers such as N.C. State and Virginia Tech, the Bona program rose. And one player who rose each step of the way with it was No. 11.

Conger is truly in a class of his own.

The Brooklyn native has etched out a career so steeped in Bona history that only two other St. Bonaventure players have matched him. Conger has amassed over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists in his career, the only other two were David Vanterpool and Ahmad Smith.

Additionally, this season may be Conger’s best.

The senior forward is the only player in the A-10 to lead his team in points (14.2), rebounds (7.1) and assists (3.1).

But more importantly, the quiet and humble Conger has become more of a leader on the court, talking to his teammates and quieting them down when they become heated with the opposition or referee.

“It’s just something that going into your senior year, you need to do,” Conger said. “You look back on the people before you like Ogo, (Andrew), Quan. You look back on the leadership they showed and what they had done and you try to take that and use your own personality.”

And the personality of the team has changed.

For years, Bona sat in the basement of the A-10 as a perennial joke, but with the additions of players who aimed to make a difference, they have become a tough-minded team capable of anything.

“Once we get our foot in the door, we can play with anyone,” Davenport said. “Last year, while it wasn’t a surprise we got the No. 4 seed, we earned it. And we’re doing the same this year.”

While this year’s Bona squad has not reached the heights of last year’s team, the confidence of being defending A-10 Champions is still there.

“We could have had a better record, but we just dropped a couple of games,” Mosley said. “Making it to the tournament, anyone can win it.”

And his trip to the become the youngest SID has been a long, strange journey, starting with studying Journalism and Mass Communication at St. Bonaventure University.

“If I could not be a baseball player which was a long-shot anyway,” MacBain explained. “I had to be a part of it in someway.”

MacBain took all the required courses, soaking in everything professors had to offer him, but even that was not enough for the man who longed to be on the baseball diamond.

The pop of mitt and the thunderous crack of the aluminum bats brought MacBain to the office of St. Bonaventure’s baseball coach Larry Sudbrook. No, MacBain was not entering the manager’s office for a try-out, but for a way to stick around the game longer.

Sudbrook made him a student manager, a position MacBain held for all four of his years at St. Bonaventure. Sudbrook, impressed by Macbain’s work ethic, said he was a different type of worker.

“You would tell MacBain to do something one time and you would never have to tell him to do it ever again,” Sudbrook said. “And even better is he’d have it done beforehand every time after that. Not only did he make my job easier, but he got along with the team so well.”

The dedication MacBain brought to the student manager position was only equaled by his dedication to be the best journalist he could. He quickly rose through the ranks at The Bona Venture, St. Bonaventure University’s student newspaper since 1926, to become Editor-in-chief.

However, even with the success MacBain had in writing for the sports section and holding the Editor-in-chief role, he sensed that it was not the profession for him.

“I realized that so many people long to be in sports journalism,” MacBain said. “I knew that the only way to make it was to stand out and I didn’t. I needed to find a different way.”

And, while MacBain sat in his first MBA graduate program class, he realized that he was in the wrong graduate program. MacBain’s thought process brought him to the Integrated Marketing Communications program.

“It was an up and coming field. Only about five universities were using it at the time,” MacBain said as he remembered his research. “I saw that this may be another way to get into the field.”

It wasn’t a guarantee, but his thesis on a way to improve marketing of St. Bonaventure University’s Athletic Department, almost exclusively on the basketball programs, earned him high-marks.

But it wasn’t until he received a phone call as he did some landscaping that he knew he would be around the sports field that he loved.

“Steve Watson called me and said he wanted me to interview for the position of Assistant Sports Information Director,” MacBain said. 

But Sports Information Director Dallas Miller was skeptical. 

MacBain had never once interned in the Sports Information offices and did not have the background experiences necessary for the field. But Sudbrook went to bat for his former dedicated student manager. 

“When the job became available, I spoke to Steve Campbell who was on the search committee,” he explained. “Listen, we can search all we want for someone who has a degree in this, but you’re not going to get anyone better than MacBain.”

And while MacBain did not have experience, his dedication allowed him to impress not only Miller, but himself. 

Spending long nights in a cramped office inside the Reilly Center, the stubborn MacBain never once asked for help as he taught himself the responsibilities needed to be a great Assistant Sports Information Director.

MacBain would watch how other universities would use social media to help elevate the status of their programs and discuss how they can do the same at St. Bonaventure. The never-ending work ethic impressed Miller.

“I would say that Jason is a grinder and I mean that in a positive way," Miller said. "No matter how big the task, no matter how late at night it might take to complete, Jason was the type to really drill down and do the work to get it done."

And when Miller became hired by the Buffalo Bills as a Social Media Director, there was no one else Bona turned to than MacBain. 

“He see things in way that none of us see,” Assistant SID Matt Moretti said. “While others just see what’s in front of them, he sees how to use the social networking to market a brand. His work ethic never stops.”

It’s that work ethic that has Sudbrook believing that this is just one stop on the way to a more appealing position in just a few years.

“I think his skill set won’t keep him here long,” Sudbrook said. “I think he’ll move onto a bigger school, one with a football program. He’s going to be extremely successful in this line of work.”

While MacBain did not experience the success of hearing his name being chanted in Yankee Stadium, his work ethic has helped him become the youngest Division I SID in the country, success no one else has found.