Jay & Silent Marcus

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Yesterday Ian posted an in depth look at senior center Youssou N’doye, and his season/career as a Bonnie.  While reading through the article I started to think about the make-up of these Bonnies. We can all agree that N’doye has played a very, very solid Center.  His offense hasn’t been incredible, but it’s steady; and he has been a deadly force to be reckon with on the defensive end/glass.  His front-court counterpart Dion Wright has also played very well.  Between the two, they are putting up some strong numbers: 23.8 ppg and 19.6 rpg.  Those per game averages account for 33% (points) and 50% (rebounds) for the Bonnies. Impressive - Yes.  Unexpected - No.  Almost everybody expected great years from N’doye and Wright.  After all, Youssou is now a senior and and coming off a great sophomore season, many pegged Dion to be a breakout player this year.

Perhaps more impressive has been the back-court production compliments of some new faces.  Impressive - Yes. Expected - No. Let’s take a closer look.

Throughout the course of any off-season we always hear murmurs of how the “new guys” are playing, of what to expect in the coming year. We knew Posley had DI experience from his time at Ball State and people seemed pretty high on Jay (most were higher on Jalen). But I would imagine few predicted the numbers that this true “one-two punch” have been depositing. If you ask me, Jay Adams and Marcus Posley have been a revelation.

Posley lets his numbers do the talking… currently the leagues scoring leader, in the clubhouse at 17.6 ppg and young Jay is averaging 12.0 ppg in his Freshman Season, good enough for 21^st in the league. Combine their scoring numbers together and the back-court is tickling the twine to the tune of 41% of the Bonnies’ total offense. Not too shabby!

In college hoops, good numbers don’t always equate to wins. Certainly, grit, passion and team basketball often trumps talent. However, I often find that a more in depth analysis of numbers helps when searching for the ‘right’ recipe of success. Take a look at the below chart:

	Marcus	Jay	Combined
Overall Average	17.6	12.0	29.6
In Wins	15.5	14.3	29.8
In Losses	21.8	7.5	29.3

Numbers don’t lie… if this is the case, then the recipe for Bonaventure wins has been a more balanced attack from our back-court. While I love watching a player shoot the lights out and drop 30+ it seems that such nights wouldn’t always chalk one up in the W column. Posley is shooting 41% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc. Jay is knocking down 47% from the field and 42% from long range. Perhaps Jay should get up some more shots. This should aid the goal of a more balanced attack, taking some pressure off Posley. One thing is for certain, Posley and Jay have been bright spots this year. Posley has been the team’s high scorer in 7 games this year, including a streak of the last 5 times out. Jay has led the Bonnies in scoring on 2 occasions. That’s 75% of games when our “one-two punch” has led the way.

So where do Marcus and Jay stack up against recent Bonaventure back-courts? Let’s check the numbers:

Back-Court Pairings PPG
01-02	02-03	03-04	12-13	13-14	14-15
Bremer	Green	Green	Kloof	Kloof	Polsey
Green	Gansey	Smith	Mosley	Wright	Adams
24.6	21.3	19.4	5.3	11.8	17.6
15.4	13.9	10.3	13.2	16.3	12.0
Total: 40.0	Total: 35.2	Total: 29.7	Total: 18.5	Total: 28.1	Total: 29.6

Would any of you have guessed that Posley and Adams would have been the most prolific back-court offense in over a decade? Doubtful.

I’m excited to see how they hold up during the grueling conference schedule. As a freshman Jay will have to mature quickly as the intensity and pressure build in the coming months. Let’s hope that Posley continues to knock-down big shots and uses his 2 ½ years of experience wisely.

The Best Part: They’re both coming back! That’s right. Our new favorite pair of guards will be back next year. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, the season is far from over and I have a feeling these two are just heating up.

Go Bonnies.

-Shane