Wright & Posley: Two All-Time Bonnies

Tweet

 

Last night was a tough night on many accounts. As Bonnies fans, we watched our team’s dream season come to a screeching halt at home against eighth seeded Wagner in the NIT. A game the Bonnies opened up as 11.5 point favorites never felt like a game they were in it mentally. From the opening tip and first few possessions it was clear this team had not gotten over the Sunday NCAA snub. I’m not saying I totally gave up all hope by halftime, but I didn’t think they were winning. We were watching a team that had its collective heart ripped out and stomped on. They couldn’t pick it back up in time. While I don’t doubt they wanted to win, to prove doubters wrong, I do think Sunday played a huge factor in the disappointing opening round loss. I even predicted we’d lose Sunday night to some friends and family. This game was never going to be about Wagner, no offense to them. If SBU showed up to play and had clear heads they would win this game, if not they were going to lose. 

But we can understand and accept what happened. I’m not even on the team, I’m 30 years old and I wasn’t even “over” the snub by Wednesday. How could you really expect the team themselves to be? It was a devastating blow to a team whose season seemed like it was on track for a dream finish of sorts. Could we have made the Sweet 16? I think so, but we’ll never know.  

Before we move on from the last game I wanted to get up a post paying tribute to the fantastic careers of Dion Wright and Marcus Posley. Two very different career paths, but two seniors who both always played with heart, class, effort and represented the program well. These two led the pack on a club that won our first ever league regular season title and posted the fourth most wins in a single season ever. 

Per GoBonnies:  The brilliant careers of seniors Dion Wright and Marcus Posley came to a sudden end. Wright ends his career with 1,263 points and 683 rebounds. He stands 25^th on Bona’s all-time scoring list and 15^th in rebounding. Posley scored a remarkable 1,122 points in just two seasons, good for 30^th all-time at Bona.

Dion’s story is well known by now: SBU was his only offer out of high school. He barely played as a freshman but by sophomore year you could see he was going to develop into a player under Schmidt. When all was said and done Wright became one of the great fan favorites I can remember. His ability to score blue-collar baskets and finish at the rim in a hundred different ways was truly special. He had an old-school game and was always under-appreciated by the league and media. His omission from any all-league team this season was truly disgusting. His 16.7 points and 9.1 rebounding averages this year mark one of the best scoring-boarding years a Bonnie could have. Asked to be the team’s best forward and at times center this year, the 6-7 Wright did it all, and did it over 37 minutes a game. His play in the Davidson game will be remembered forever by anyone who was at the game and witnessed his 32/15 effort. And the thing is as good as Wright was in terms of production what I think the team may miss most about Dion is his leadership and fearless mindset. You could see him leading the team on the floor before and during the game. He wore his heart on his sleeve and played with a toughness and a chip on his shoulder like no one else. While he leaves under-appreciated by A10 fans, he will forever be considered an all-time Bonnie for the way he developed and carried himself. 

Posley will be remembered simply as one of the most clutch guards in school history. His two year career in the brown and white came and went in the blink of an eye but man did we enjoy watching this kid play. His “man” build, ability to get to the rim with a bullish first step and strength and clutch shooting ability were his signatures. His back to back buzzer beaters vs. VCU and Davidson last year will be remembered by all. Posley played hurt almost his entire senior season and still averaged nearly 20 points a game and played over 37 minutes a night; truly amazing. He scored 1,126 points in two years; ridiculous. Posley’s 47 point effort to beat St. Joe’s in Rochester in a must win game is one of the greatest single game performances by a Bonnie of all time. When MP3 missed our final shot, a potential game-winner vs. Davidson in Brooklyn I was stunned. I know I wasn’t alone. I expected this player with ice in his veins to come up with another game winner but it wasn’t to be. Still, playing on two bad ankles and a bulky and beat up hip, Posley scored 32 points and played 43 minutes vs. the Wildcats; leaving everything on the floor. This team was so deadly because we had two killer guards and Posley was the alpa-dog of the pack. Replacing his ability to win a game, take and hit big shots will be almost impossible to replace. 

You guys will be missed but we can’t wait to welcome you back to campus and buy you a beer and a burger at the Burton before a game sometime. Now go have awesome professional careers!