TEAM ROSTERS
ST. BONAVENTURE BONNIES
3 Daniel Egbuniwe F, Sr., 6-7/210, Memphis, TN
4 John Ikpotokin F, Fr., 6-7, Dublin, IRE
5 Dasonte Bowen G, R-Jr., 6-2/190, Boston, MA
7 Brayden Jackson G, So., 6-8/200, Milton, ONT
8 Darryl Simmons II G, Jr., 5-11/175, Detroit, MI
15 Jack DeRose G, Jr., 6-0/175, Olean, NY
20 Achille Lonati G, Fr., 6-5, Pavia, ITA
21 Xander Wedlow PF/C, So., 6-10/245, Detroit, MI
24 Cayden Charles G, Sr., 6-3/185, Kennesaw, GA
30 Broek Ostrom G, Sr., 6-2/180, Holley, NY
32 Joe Grahovac F, So., 6-10/215, Santa Ana, CA
33 Andrew Osasuyi C, Fr., 6-9, Magenta, ITA
COLGATE RAIDERS
0 Ethan Brown F, So., 6-10/225, Peterborough, ONT
1 Brady Cummins G, Sr., 6-6/195, York, ME
2 Blake Forrest G, So., 5-11/175, North Bend, WA
3 Jalen Cox G, Jr., 6-3/180, Los Angeles, CA
4 Josh Ahayere G, So., 6-3/215, Morinville, Alberta
5 Charlie Pugh G, Fy, 6-4/190, Greenwood Village, CO
6 Ben Tweedy G, So., 6-4/185, Rockhampton, Queensland, AUS
7 Stevie Clark G, So., 6-6/200,Omro, WI
8 Jonathan Niv G, Fy, 6-5/190, Fairfield, CT
9 Cameron Brennan F, So, 7-0/250, Burlington, ONT
10 Parker Jones G, Jr., 6-7/210, Sherman Oaks, CA
13 Kyle Carlesimo G, Sr., 6-2/190, Seattle, WA
15 Ayomi Odetoyinbo F, Fy, 6-10/220, Canton, NY
Andrew Alekseyenko F, Fy, 6-8/230, Brookline, MA
Cooper Wright
Sam Wright F, Jr., 6-9/235, Hoover, AL
2025-26 St. Bonaventure bonnies
TEAM STATISTICS
2025-26 colgate raiders
TEAM STATISTICS
GAME NOTES
TO BE FRANK
St. Bonaventure forward Frank Mitchell continued his remarkable start to the 2025-26 season with an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double in Saturday’s (Dec. 6) win at Buffalo.
Mitchell posted his fourth consecutive double-double in the win. He is averaging 12.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the streak.
The Toronto native is the first Bonnie to record four straight doubledoubles since Dion Wright in 2016. If he posts another double-double on Wednesday against Colgate, Mitchell will become the first St. Bonaventure player to have five consecutive double-doubles since SBU Hall-of-famer and fellow Canadian Andrew Nicholson did so in 2010.
The senior’s streak of consecutive double-doubles is the second-longest active streak in the country. Washington freshman Hannes Steinbach currently has five straight double-doubles, although Steinbach’s doubledoubles did not occur in consecutive games after he missed time due to injury.
Mitchell’s seven double-doubles on the season are tied for second most in Division I, trailing only Delricco Gillespie of Kent State. He has the most double-doubles among Atlantic 10 players. Only one other player in the Atlantic 10 -- Rikus Schulte of Fordham -- has more than two.
Mitchell is averaging 10.6 rebounds per game, more than any other player in the conference by 1.7 rebounds, on average.
With 106 rebounds, Mitchell is one of seven players in the nation to eclipse the century mark so far this season as of Monday (Dec. 8). He surpassed the 600 career rebound mark in Saturday’s win at Buffalo.
EXCELLENT EGBUNIWE
Throughout the Bonnies’ four-game win streak, Daniel Egbuniwe has become a key contributor off the bench. After missing three games in November with an injury, the senior forward has found his stride in the St. Bonaventure frontcourt rotation.
Egbuniwe is averaging 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals over his last four games. He has been extremely efficient, shooting 63 percent (20-for-32) from the field and 47 percent (7-for-15) from beyond the arc.
The Memphis, Tenn., native has come off the bench to lead the Bonnies in scoring twice this season: in wins over East Carolina (Nov. 27) and at Buffalo.
Egbuniwe has the second most made three-pointers on St. Bonaventure’s roster despite playing only seven of the Bonnies’ 10 games. He has 10 triples on the season, trailing only Buddy Simmons II’s 24.
Continued on page 9
GAME SCHEDULE
decEMBER
OCTOBER
29 vs. Alfred (Exhibition) W, 101-40
NOVEMBER
3 at Bradley ........................ W, 69-63 8 vs. Canisius ............... W, 89-70 12 vs. Siena ................... W, 75-66 15 vs. Youngstown State . W, 84-80 20 vs. Robert Morris ....... W, 75-61
NIT SEASON TIP-OFF
vs. North Carolina L, 85-70
vs. East Carolina W, 67-58
at Florida Atlantic W, 70-65
january
february
Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
GAME NOTES
Continued from page 6
DASONTE DELIVERS
Point guard Dasonte Bowen has offered the Bonnies a steady hand in running the offense recently.
Over his last four games, Bowen has reached double figures three times, scoring 10 points in wins vs. East Carolina and at FAU (Nov. 30) before posting a season-best 11 points at Buffalo.
Bowen is shooting 57.1 percent from the field during his current hot streak while averaging 3.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game.
Bowen’s 36 assists to 13 turnovers give him an assist-turnover ratio of 2.77, the highest in the Atlantic 10 and tied for 81st among all Division I players.
ERMAKOV’S EMERGENCE
With an increasing role off the bench in recent games, freshman guard Ilia Ermakov has risen to the occasion.
After missing the first five games of the season, Ermakov’s expanding role
culminated on Saturday with 12 points off the bench. The freshman shot 5-for-8 from the field and added two assists.
Ermakov has shot 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from beyond the arc since entering the rotation. The Russian guard has an effective field goal percentage of .676, the highest on the team.
SHARING THE WEALTH
In Saturday’s win at Buffalo, six St. Bonaventure players scored in double figures: Egbuniwe (15 points), Cayden Charles (14), Ermakov (12), Simmons II (12), Mitchell (11) and Bowen (11).
It was the second time this season that the Bonnies have had at least six players reach double figures. On Nov. 8 against Canisius, six SBU players scored 10-plus points in an 89-70 win.
The feat had not been achieved by a St. Bonaventure team since March 13, 2024. The Bonnies went the entire 2024-25 season without getting six-or-more players in double figures.
St. Bonaventure scored 29 bench points at Buffalo. It was the fifth time this season and the fourth straight game that the Bonnies have scored at least 24 points off the bench.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
brianna reynolds
Reynolds made an impressive collegiate debut in her first Bonaventure meet on Friday night at the Houghton December Classic. She highlighted the Bonnies sprint events by setting a new school record for the 200 meters as she won her heat race with a time of 27.24, surpassing the old program-best time of 27.46.
Earlier in the night, she ran her first event in the 60-meter hurdles and finished third with a time of 9.61.
The Bonnies now break for the semester and will return to action Jan. 24 at the Bucknell Invitational.
Egbuniwe has continued to see his role grow for the Bonnies with a great run as of late.
In Saturday’s win at Buffalo, he recorded 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, adding three rebounds, three assists and three steals in an all-around performance.
Over the past five games, he has averaged nearly 12 points per contest while shooting better than 57 percent from the floor (23-40).
The GoBonnies.com Student-Athletes of the Week presented by CPL for the week ending Dec. 7 are women’s track freshman Brianna Reynolds and men’s basketball senior Daniel Egbuniwe.
daniel egbuniwe
BONNIES BASELINE
Wedlow Battling Back Following Twist In Basketball Journey
By Scott Eddy, Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communications
After a season’s worth of work, things were starting to come together for Xander Wedlow.
The 18-year-old faced a steep learning curve in his first year at the Division I level but built his way from a handful of minutes off the bench into a vital role in the Bonaventure frontcourt.
The proof was there for everyone in the Reilly Center to see during a win over Fordham on Feb. 1.
On that day, Wedlow registered a seemingly effortless 10 points, going 5-for5 from the floor in his first double-figure scoring game.
We were hotel roommates when we traveled. We were together the whole year,” Wedlow said. “He was open about helping me and never made me feel like I was a burden for asking questions. He helped me when I would fall down and celebrated my small wins.”
Just a few days after Wedlow had his breakout moment, confirming that he and Brown were becoming a formidable Bonnies big man duo, things took a turn.
During a workout, Wedlow made a spin move and felt a pop. He would try to play through the pain with a variety of treatments and knee braces, but the injury would bring an end to his freshman season and set him on a new journey.
“The game at that point slowed down. It showed me I belong out here,” he remembers.
The D-I grind can be a daunting jump for anyone, even more so for the youngest player on a veteran team in the Atlantic 10.
But, a season of working each day with the team’s oldest player, graduate captain and fellow center Noel Brown, paid dividends for the Detroit native.
“It was a blessing to have him. He was my workout mate on the court.
Always the tallest kid in his age group growing up around the Motor City, he was in eighth grade when he realized basketball could be more than just a hobby.
As he improved, he found unique ways to enhance his skill set on the court.
“I tried football in 10th grade, but I was too big; I was always getting hit in the knees. My mom pulled the plug on it and said to try track,” he said.
So, he followed in the footsteps of his mother who was a standout hurdler herself.
“I saw the track team and when they ran by it was quiet. It really struck me,” he remembers. “They showed me some drills to run on your toes and that transferred to basketball. I started taking longer strides when I ran and not pumping my arms as much. All of a sudden, I was getting down the court faster than everyone else.”
He was 6-foot-9 at the time, but he posted the eighth-fastest
Continued on page 16
2025-26 St. Bonaventure athletic
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Continued from page 15
400-meter time in his school’s history.
On the court, success grew.
He ranked as Michigan’s No. 6 recruit and the No. 52 center in his recruiting class overall as an All-State pick at University Preparatory Academy, averaging a double-double while also swatting eight shots a game.
Midway through his senior year, he learned he was on the radar of the Bonaventure coaching staff when associate head coach Sean Neal attended one of his games unannounced.
He started to get a feel for what Bona’s could offer him when another Detroit native, Jaren Holmes, reached out.
A 1,000-point scorer and key part of the 2021 Atlantic 10 Championship team at Bona’s, Holmes and Wedlow had a mutual connection through their mothers – Holmes’ mom had taught Xander’s in high school.
“It was good to know someone who had been there and been through it,” Wedlow said. “You can look at his line of work and tell Bonaventure helped him. He was part of a winning culture and got better every year. It was a testament to the work that gets put in at Bonaventure.”
Wedlow had begun to earn head coach Mark Schmidt’s trust as a true freshman and was on a steady upward trajectory for a postseason team when injury sidetracked him.
Told he needed surgery, Wedlow underwent a procedure in Olean to repair and replace torn cartilage in his knee. Bone was rubbing on
bone, forcing a removal of remaining bone fragments before the insertion of a cartilage transplant plug into the knee.
It’s a surgery just one NBA player has had – Lonzo Ball.
“There were times I doubted being able to play at this level again,” he said. “It was a major surgery and not many people have gotten this surgery before. There aren’t many examples to work off.”
He had nearly eight weeks of orders not to put weight on the knee at all. Finally, he was cleared to resume basketball activities in October.
With the Bonaventure coaching staff committed to working with him through the rehab process, the thought of moving to another program never came to Wedlow despite the age of the transfer portal.
“I see what four years look like at Bonaventure. I see how much better I got in a short amount of time,” he said.
Wedlow made his return to game action in a win over Siena last month and saw minutes in a victory over East Carolina.
“There are still some movements I can’t do, but it’s a blessing to be able to run down the court,” he said of his recovery process, which he says leaves his knee feeling better all the time. “I had to realize this is my journey. I’m taking each day as a blessing.”
While a major injury could leave many athletes with a sense of selfpity, Wedlow takes the opposite view – choosing to see this bump in the road as just a twist that will lead to another breakthrough moment.
“I came in young and I didn’t take the game for granted, but I looked at it as something that was always going to be there,” he said. “To have it taken away from me, it made me appreciate the game a lot more. I respect my craft more. All the little things – stretching, film, working out. I found joy in doing it. Having the hunger to get back better is a great feeling.”
