Remembering a college hoops legend
Bob Lanier IS St. Bonaventure basketball, and represents an all-time 'What If?'
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BOB LANIER, 1948-2022
A big influence on, and off the court
The NBA paid tribute to one of its all-timers the last few days, celebrating the life and legacy of Bob Lanier, a Hall of Famer and eight-time NBA All-Star in 14 seasons with the Pistons and Bucks. He died Tuesday at the age of 74.
But that’s not how they think about Lanier in upstate New York. He’ll always be a Bonnie.
As Mike Vaccaro, St. Bonaventure graduate and New York Post said in the school’s tribute to Lanier: “The spirit of St. Bonaventure is bigger than any one man, but no singular soul in 164 years has ever brought more honor, dignity, glory and love to bear at Bona’s than Bob Lanier.
“Bob transcended race, united a campus and, by the way, was one of the best basketball players who ever lived. He will be synonymous with St. Bonaventure eternally.”
That’s not an understatement. His name’s on the court at the Reilly Center in Allegany.
His on-court performance alone would warrant that. He led St. Bonaventure to the 1970 Final Four. He scored 2,067 points in three dominant seasons1, when the Bonnies were 65-12 and made two NCAA Tournament.
His senior season, he averaged 29 points, 16 rebounds and was later drafted No. 1 overall. This was the middle of UCLA’s seven consecutive NCAA Tournament titles. St. Bonaventure, 25-1, with its lone loss coming at Villanova, had the pieces to derail the Bruins, but Lanier tore his MCL during a regional final win against Villanova.
Without Lanier for the Final Four, St. Bonaventure lost to Jacksonville and New Mexico State.2
“It hurt me to my heart that my guys were going (to the tourney) without me,” Lanier later said. “It’s just that you’re not there to help them. I was in a hospital bed and I watched them bust their butts against Artis (Gilmore) and Pembrook (Burrows) and I know that I could have helped them overcome that. They made me so proud.”
Lanier was inducted into the St. Bonaventure athletics hall of fame in 1975, and into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. Beyond the court, Lanier cemented his legacy as an ambassador for the game, serving as the NBA Cares Global Ambassador since 2005.
When St. Bonaventure won 26 games during the 2017-18 season, they paid tribute to Lanier and that Final Four team, a nice gesture to the legacy from that squad, but also a nod to the long shadow that team casts over the program.
That’s how it goes with a legendary player like Lanier. Guys like him only come around once in a lifetime.
2022 NBA DRAFT
A snapshot of likely draftees
Rule of thumb: The players participating in the NBA Draft Combine signal probable picks. This year’s list came out late Tuesday.
There are guys on here who will likely be back in school, such as Drew Timme, Dalen Terry, Jaylin Williams, and Moussa Diabaté. (All guesses.) More interesting was the Michigan player NOT on this list: Caleb Houstan.
The freshman wing started every game for the Wolverines, but reportedly passed on the combine. Does this signal a return to Ann Arbor? Did he not want to perform in front of scouts? If Houstan’s back in school, that’s a promising sign for Michigan, which would love another season out of him and Diabaté.
THE TRANSFER PORTAL
Summer is coming
College basketball transfer news is starting to slow. Just a handful of players made moves the last few days, with DJ Burns as the most notable.
The Wolfpack lost big man Manny Bates (off to Butler), making this a nice opportunity for Burns. The Big South Player of the Year is load in the paint, though he’s not a rim protector like Bates. The Eagles ran much of their offense through the 6-9 junior, so how he adjusts to ACC defenses will be interesting.
Miss State retained guard Shakeel Moore. The sophomore started 29 games for the Bulldogs last season.
All-CAA guard Cam Holden will play another season for Towson. He entered the portal after the May 1 deadline, which meant he needed a waiver.
Sophomore Hasson Diarra announced that after two seasons with Texas A&M, he’s off to play for Connecticut.
Georgetown is adding 6-8 freshman Bradley Ezewiro. A former 3-star recruit, he’s the seventh addition for the Hoyas this offseason.
Syracuse added 6-11 freshman Mounir Hima, who played 21 games for Duquesne last season.
7-foot- sophomore Davion Bradford is off to Wake Forest after two seasons at Kansas State.
Virginia Tech landed 6-9 freshman Mylyjael Poteat, who averaged 7. 7 points and 4.2 rebounds, while playing all 33 games for Rice.
THROWBACK THURSDAY
Big Blue Memories
Here’s one from current Fox Sports broadcaster Tim Brando, back during his CBS days. I didn’t have much trouble with the year, but the specific game? That’s some Rain Man stuff.3
The Fast Break
Links as you wonder what Greg Norman might say today.
The NCAA has a host of potential rule changes coming this summer. Nicole Auerbach has a primer on what’s to come.
Kirk Speraw, longtime Iowa State and former head coach at UCF, is retiring after 43 years on the sideline.
Slate has an opinion on everything, but this piece on the NCAA and NIL is worth 4 minutes.
This reaction from Keldon Johnson and Tyler Herro (back when they were at Kentucky) is the same one my son had at seeing Steve Zahn.
Some stats: He was a two-time All-American and finished his 75-game career as the St. Bonaventure record holder in seven categories: career scoring (2,067 points); career points per game (27.6); career rebounding (1,180); single-game scoring (51 points vs. Seton Hall); single-game rebounding (27 vs. Loyola, Md.); single-season rebounding (416); and average rebounds in one season (16) in 1969-1970.
That’s an all-timer Final Four: UCLA, St. Bonaventure, Jacksonville (with Artis Gilmore) and New Mexico State (coached by Lou Henson). That’s the only FF appearance for every team except for UCLA, which featured 6-8 Sidney Wicks down low. Could Lanier have been the difference?
The answer, for those without Google, is a Feb. 25, 1995 win at Vanderbilt, 71-60.