By Vinny Pezzimenti

It’s been said about Glenn Hagan that if you want to know how good he is all you have to his ask him.

I asked Hagan if his number should be retired in the Reilly Center rafters. He laid out a pretty good argument.

Hagan left as the program’s all-time leader in assists (486), steals (150), and was eighth in points (1,396). He now ranks third, ninth and 19th, respectively, in those categories.

He also played a key role in facilitating the offense for four of St. Bonaventure’s top 20 scorers – Greg Sanders (1st), Earl Belcher (3rd), Essie Hollis (6th) and Delmar Harrod (20th) – though it should be noted that Hagan only played one season with Belcher.

Hagan said he too could have been one of SBU’s all-time scorers if needed. For evidence, he noted that he scored 35 points a game during a series of exhibition games in Yugoslavia prior to his senior season when Sanders was injured.

“Somebody had to orchestrate,” Hagan said. “I did my job. My job was to get people the ball.”

Though Sanders and Hollis are often lauded as the heroes of the NIT championship team in 1977, the Bonnies wouldn’t have been in position to win the title if not for Hagan.

It was Hagan, after all, whom connected on an overtime buzzer to beater to take down Rutgers in the first round. And it was Hagan who tallied 22 points after halftime – while Sanders and Hollis were saddled with foul trouble – to key a victory over Villanova in the semifinals.

“Sanders, (Jim) Baron, Hollis and (Tim) Waterman all had three fouls in the first” half, Hagan said. “They put four freshman in with me and we had four corners. I got (26) that night and we went to the finals.”

Hagan’s coach, Jim Satalin, holds the 6-foot guard in exclusive company.

“In my opinion, there’s never been a better guard to play at Bonnies than him,” he said.

Of retiring Hagan’s No. 23, Satalin said: “I guess there’s only so many people you can put up there.”