Commentary
Sullivan: Bona needs Nicholson to stay in game
Published: December 23, 2009, 12:32 am
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LEWISTON — I've been covering college basketball around these parts for 20 years, and it is rare, indeed, when a player from one of our Division I schools is unquestionably the best player every moment that he's on the floor.
Andrew Nicholson, the 6-foot-9 sophomore for St. Bonaventure, is such a player. Nicholson is the kind of big man who usually waves politely to our modest hoop community on his way to one of the country's elite programs. He is the best player to grace the Big Four in two decades, and he is still getting better.
Nicholson, a Mississauga, Ont., native, is remarkably polished for a 20-year-old. He has a deadly jump hook. He is adept at getting position down low. He has terrific hands and quick feet. He's a good defender and shot-blocker. He's shooting 65 percent from the floor and 84 percent from the foul line.
The problem for Bona coach Mark Schmidt is keeping him on the floor. Nicholson fouled out in 15 minutes at Illinois State. He was tossed out against Syracuse for hitting Andy Rautins in the groin. On Tuesday night, fouls limited Nicholson to 16 minutes in the Bonnies' crushing 77-71 loss to Niagara.
Oh, Nicholson was the game's leading scorer in those 16 minutes. He scored 24 points, 14 on dunks. The only men capable of stopping him were the ones in the striped shirts. It's hard to say what he might have done, given a full game.
"There were some tough fouls on him," Schmidt said. "But he's got to be smart, and he knows sometimes the refs will miss one or two. But he can't get those dumb ones. And when he's not in there, we need to do a better job."
That's for sure. Bona survived nicely without its star in the first half, extending an 11-point lead to 16 after Nicholson went to the bench with two fouls just six minutes in. But they didn't react quite so well after Nicholson picked up No. 4 on a reach-in with 16:59 left in the contest.
To put it kindly, the Bonnies unraveled. They rushed shots and missed them badly. Without Nicholson in the post, they allowed Niagara to attack the basket. They let Eric Williams, a seldom-used 6-8 freshman from British Columbia, have his best game of the season.
Four minutes after Nicholson sat down in the second half, Niagara had the lead. The Bonnies battled. Nicholson came back and resumed his personal dunk-a-thon. But once the Eagles got control, they wouldn't relent.
Niagara has a bunch of gamers, guys who led the country in wins away from home last season and are accustomed to tough situations — like Tyrone Lewis, Demetrius Williamson and Anthony Nelson. They were without Bilal Benn, their All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference performer, but they found a way.
"We really believe in ourselves," said Niagara coach Joe Mihalich. "Whatever the challenge, we're up for it. I think all those experiences make our team tougher, more confident. Winning teams find a way to win, and we've got a lot of winners on our team."
The Bonnies are still trying to develop that collective will. Schmidt can certainly recruit. He has a nice group of freshmen and sophomores around Nicholson. But if they expect to be a factor in the Atlantic 10, a high mid-major, they must keep their poise when circumstances turn against them in foreign gyms.
And if Bona is ready to be a solid, mid-level team in the A-10, it has to take care of business against good teams from lesser conferences. Earlier this season, there was talk of the Bonnies being the best team in the Big 4. To prove it, they needed to beat Niagara, which had won the last six games in the rivalry. They weren't up to it.
Bona will get better, though. Schmidt has them on the right track. They should continue to be a team on the rise in the coming years. As long as they keep Nicholson on the floor, that is.
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