Leading the way as they have for the last three years (both came in during the freshman hiatus) will be stellar big men Tom Stith and Bob Lanier.  Both are on many preseason All-American lists and rightfully so.  Last year these two put the Bonnies on the regional radar in their first year of being a member of the A-10 with a nice run that ended just a little short of the Big Dance but did have a nice NIT finish.  Stith is a six five forward who has an unstoppable hook shot that he takes out to about 15 feet with a nice touch.  He is a graceful big man who is adept with either hand and makes the game look easier than what it is.  He is not the most overly physical guy but when you have Lanier on the team you don’t need any more muscle.  Big Bob has enough for an entire team and then some.  Lanier is a 6’11 250 pound big man who dominates the paint like no one else in this conference and perhaps on the East Coast.  With his infamous size 22 sneakers ‘the Dobber’ will outmuscle most other centers he plays against and if nimble enough to take some outside and torment them with range up to 18 feet with his patented jump shot.  He does not get the recognition of a Jabber or Chamberlain (or perhaps not even Sampson or Ewing on this coast) but Lanier is one of the best centers in the country.  If he continues to perform at the level he has his first two years on Olean the Bonnies have a legitimate shot at cutting down the nets in Philly in March and perhaps do some serious late in the tourney dancing that might carry them all the way to April.  That will require the supporting cast to step up to the level these two stalwarts have raised the bar for the fans of the brown and white (no they are not the SS). 

The Bonnies do have solid talent accumulated around their two studs but the key will be how these guys step up and more importantly how Weise figures out what roles his veteran team are going to develop to make this as good as it can be.  There are many options for Weise to choose from at every position with similar style athletes ready to step up to the plate and take their cuts.  For instance there must be five or six guys ranging from 6’4 to 6’6 (three are all exactly 6’6) and bring similar offensive games to the table.  Included in this group are Seniors Freddy Crawford and George Carter, Juniors Greg Sanders and Essie Hollis and Sophomore Earl Belcher and all are fully capable of being the kind of supporting cast the Bonnies need to compete once again in the A-10.  WE haven’t even mentioned seniors Ken Murray and Bill Butler who are just a tad smaller at six three but will definitely be in the mix for minutes.  Murray can score and Butler might be the best athlete on the team though he plays more inside than you would like from a guy his size.  Who starts is not that big of a deal but as they say in the Pros what matters is who finishes the games and that will tell a lot of what direction Weise wants to go and how this season turns out. 

Two of that group will fill spots at various times with Crawford and Sanders the favorites to start.  Crawford was hurt part of last year but is the best defender on the wing and can score.  Speaking of scoring, the smooth stroking Sanders can stroke it.  From anywhere.  He goes 6’6 (who doesn’t) and this DC kid (the Bonnies have a connection down there) actually finished a close second to Lanier in scoring.  He has never met a shot he did not like but he has many similar players chomping at the bit to get open shots off the double teams down low for the big man.  Senior Malachi ‘Mal’ Duffy could get some serious minutes at the two as he can flat score.  This street tough Brooklyn kid gives this team some attitude but at only six foot (what, someone under 6’4 on the wing here) has some issues on the defensive end.  But, man do these need his perimeter shooting. 

The Bonnies should be okay with any of the guys on the wings but the key to the whole season has got to be who runs the show for the Bonnies.  Bill Kalbaugh, who just happens to be Lanier’s roomie and buddy, is the favorite but Weise is not convinced he is the guy with his lack of athleticism though he can run a team.  Fellow seniors Billy Kenville, Brendan McCann and Whitey Martin are also in the equation though all are more combo guard than pure point guard but they do bring experience, toughness and a solid skill set to the competition.  McCann actually started more games than anyone else at the point as Weise rotate freely but that must end this year.  Tom’s brother Sam who also went to a Franciscan style high school in NYC is also in the running for this spot.  He can also play either guard but seems to be leaning towards playing the point going into training camp but Weise definitely has a choice to make.  Perhaps the best pure point guard on the roster is junior Glenn Hagan at least from the carryover players.  Hagan is a team player first who can score but would rather set up his teammates and with all of the firepower the Bonnies have down low and on the wings that is what they need.  Sophomore to be Mark Jones is also in the running after a terrific first year on the JV.  This 6’1 kid brings athleticism in the back court this team needs on the perimeter.  That does not even mention the recruits Weise has brought in and obviously this team could use a bit more quickness in the back court and someone who can hit some long range shots to keep the defenses from colluding around Lanier but those are needs for every team. 

Junior Glenn Price has been stuck behind Lanier and Stith for too long and is scheduled for one more year caddying down low.  This 6’9 DC kid is too skinny (he gets the hell beat out of him in practice by Lanier) but is tough and will not give up.  He had chances to transfer to smaller schools but wears the brown and white proudly and knows his time will come and in the meantime is eating as many cheeseburgers as he can.  The Bonnies do need some more depth and to restock up front as Lanier cannot play here forever and he does not need to averaging 34 minutes per game as he did last year.  They also need to find a new sparring partner for the Dobber (Harry Potter anyone) so Price can heal some of them welts.  Weise has a couple of kids coming down the pike including a freshman stud and a sophomore (hopefully he gets his freshman year back) who got sent to JV after 2 games.  Canadian Barry Mungar goes 6’8 220 and should help some with at very least banging in practice. 

The Bonnies have a solid nucleus and loads of experience but they do have enough around their marvelous duo to compete for the A-10 title and they hope beyond?  No other team in this conference has as dominant of an inside duo as St. Bonny does with big Bob Lanier and Tom Stith.  But there is more here than the two studs as coach Larry Weise has a choice of wing studs to share the burden of scoring and boarding.  If they figure out who is getting all these guys the ball and if they can play a little defense, the near future is as big as those infamous size 19 shoes.  Let’s just say all of the Bonnies toes are in the circle this year and if they can’t get it done now it might be a long wait before they have the type of team that can make a move into the national zeitgeist!