Fact or Fiction Bonus Questions

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Here are a couple of questions that were submitted by one of our readers for Fact or Fiction. So, I thought I’d just throw out my answers now, seeing that it is a slow week with the only game being on Saturday night.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading the site. We are thrilled with the response we have received from all of you, and hope you will keep coming back each day and spread the word to your fellow Bona fans.

Fact or Fiction — Mark Schmidt will be the head coach of the Bonnies 10 years from now ?

This has got to be fiction. There would be two different ways to approach this question. One, if Schmidt is still coaching in Olean in the year 2019, clearly he has done something right in order to play out his 7 year deal, and then get at least another 3 year one. On the other hand, if Schmidt has done a great job during his tenure here, he is likely to get offered a contract either during, or at the end of his deal. I know Jimmy Baron is a sore subject of sorts at Bonaventure, but if Schmidt can take us to an N.I.T or two and the Big Dance and splits for a BCS school…Well folks that’s college basketball. You have to realize that to most coaches, Bonaventure is a stepping stone in their career, and if they can win here and move on, all the power to them.

Fact or Fiction — By the year 2019, Mark Schmidt will be 2nd on the all-time coaches wins list, surpassing Jim Satalin’s 156 career wins ?

156 Wins. God, that seems like a lot because, well it is a lot. That would take Schmidt averaging about 16 wins a year for the next nine or ten years. While I certainly don’t think that is completely and totally out of the question, I just don’t see it happening either. I believe Schmidt will have a few years where he wins between 15 and 20 games, but to do that over a ten year span will be extremely difficult in this league. I’d take the over on maybe 100 wins at Bonas for Schmidt however.

Bonus Fact or Fiction Question:

Fact or Fiction-Andrew Nicholson will be the first Bonaventure player since Mike Gansey to make the Atlantic 10 All Rookie Team?

A fact, and a slam dunk fact in my mind. Nicholson looks like he is going to be the best post player here since Mike Lee…Ok, that was a joke, Nicholson will be better then Lee, and he is going to be the face of the program for the next four years. He has already been named the Rookie of the Week twice, so whose to say he can’t win that award four or five times this year?

Most importantly, Andrew should get the minutes he needs to produce the numbers needed to be named to the team. Because Carter, Thomas and Cook have been very unreliable as offensive weapons, Nicholson should be called upon more and more as the year goes on to score down on the blocks.

The only thing that would concern me would be the Atlantic 10’s coaches reluctance to put Bonnies on All League Teams. How Ahmad Smith was only Third Team all A10, I’ll never know. Especially given the fact that he played on a 2 win team.

And, how Mike Lee didn’t make ANYTHING last year, was a complete and total joke. Lee ranked in the top 10 in the following categories: points per game, field goal percentage, rebounding and minutes played, and was not a top 15 player in the league? I really felt bad for Mike because he stuck it out here through three awful years, played his tail off as a senior, and was not rewarded for what he did during his career by other coaches around the league. He deserved better, hopefully Andrew plays so well that he will be shoe-in for the team.

For some additonal reading about the Atlantic 10, visit Collegechalktalk for a list of 7 Things Early Season Things You Need to Know about the league (One of which features Nicholson) as well as the weekly Staff Predictions, where I select winners of three A10 games.