You could hear a pin drop when Bonnies’ star forward, Osun Osunniyi, went down with an apparent knee/leg injury and gimped off the court during the second half of Wednesday’s season-opening loss to Ohio. And if this is news to you, he’s on crutches and has a cast around his right leg. No official word has been given on his injury yet, but the initial looks of it aren’t great. What we do know, though, is he will undeniably miss time, his presence will be missed and his shoes will be big to fill. Maybe too big for anyone on this team.
The 6-foot-10-inch monster, with a wingspan of 7’8, means more to this team than most appreciate.
Sure, three-point shooting and offense is fun to watch. Kyle Lofton, Dominick Welch, Bobby Planutis and company are all talented players and special in their own ways. Lofton is a crafty point guard. He can drive, shoot and do a little bit of everything. Welch, who has developed a nice stroke from three-point territory, can get hot and take over a game. Just look back at what he did at the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Planutis, a basketball hound, can do everything, too.
Osunniyi, however, is an opposing coach’s nightmare. Coaches can find ways to stop good three-point shooting, take away a point guard’s elusive abilities in the paint and neutralize a team’s best player.
Coaches can only try to take away stellar shot-blocking ability. It’s inevitable, though. Osunniyi’s abilities as a player are hard to take away. No matter what adjustment coaches make against him, his presence will always be there.
Shot blocking isn’t something coaches can coach, either. It’s a talent. A rare one. A talent that allowed Osunniyi to make a name for himself. His 92 blocks were the most by any player in the A10, second in Bona program history among freshmen, first among all freshmen in the nation and sixth among all players in the nation.
The Bonnies have seen a number of key players miss time early in the season, especially as of late. Two years ago, it was Jaylen Adams, who ended his Bona career as the programs top-scoring guard. Last year, it was both Courtney Stockard and LaDarien Griffin. The duo had decorated Bona careers and had big-time leadership roles last season.
Bonnies’ coach Mark Schmidt is no stranger to early season adversity, but this is a different kind.
It’s hard to make up for Osunniyi’s presence and production as a shot blocker.
Sure, Amadi Ikpeze has visibly improved his game on both ends of the floor, but I am sure he would even admit he isn’t Osunniyi when it comes to shot blocking and overall defense.
No matter how much time the big-man will miss, it’s valuable time Bona’s can’t afford to lose.
Mike Hogan, Managing Editor
hoganm17@bonaventure.edu
