Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: WILL NUNN; CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SPORTS EDITOR
After the first full offseason under General Manager Adrian Wojnarowski, the St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team has a new look for the 2025-26 season.
In the current age of collegiate athletics, the transfer portal rules the offseason. As a bi-product of this, the Bonnies return just two scholarship players from a year ago, losing 93.2% of the team’s total scoring.
Redshirt junior guard Dasonte Bowen returns for his second season at Bonaventure, after playing just ten games last year due to injury. Bowen averaged 11.1 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals, playing 31.2 minutes per game in his limited action.
A crafty playmaker who thrives with the ball in his hands, Bowen will man the point guard position for the Bonnies this season. Bowen has earned the respect of those around him, being named team captain by his teammates, as well as being honored on the preseason All-Atlantic 10 second team.
The other returner for the Bonnies is forward Xander Wedlow. The 6-foot-10-inch sophomore blossomed into a rotational role last season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds per game across 28 appearances.
Among those making their debut in brown and white this season are four freshmen, all of whom come from overseas.
Guard Achille Lonati and center Andrew Osasuyi are natives of Pavia and Magenta, Italy, respectively. Lonati played for Olimpia Milano in the EuroLeague, and was a key piece of the U-17 Italian National Team that won the silver medal at the 2024 FIBA U-17 World Cup. Lonati averaged 12.7 points per game, shooting 43.1% from the field and 42.1% from three in the tournament.
Osasuyi won the gold medal with the U-20 Italian National Team in the 2025 FIBA U-20 EuroBasket tournament, where he averaged 7.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. His wiry frame and 7-foot-4-inch wingspan gives him a defensive presence on the interior that the Bonnies lacked a season ago.
Freshman guard Ilia Ermakov comes to Bonaventure with a year of professional experience under his belt. A native of Kursk, Russia, Ermakov played with CSKA Moscow in the Russian Superleague last year, where he averaged 12.7 points, 4.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Ermakov shot 47.3% from the field, and became the first 17-year-old to ever be named to the Superleague First Team.
John Ikpotokin, a freshman forward from Dublin, Ireland, joins the Bonnies after spending a year playing at Rothesay Netherwood School in New Brunswick, Canada. Ikpotokin averaged near 21 points per game, and added 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game in his senior season at Rothesay.
A pair of international additions from north of the border transferred to Bonaventure after starting their collegiate careers elsewhere. Frank Mitchell, a senior forward from Toronto, Ontario, played at Canisius University for two seasons, where he earned All-MAAC Second Team honors in his sophomore season. Mitchell averaged 12.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, which led the MAAC and was the fourth-highest rebounding mark in the nation.
Mitchell transferred to The University of Minnesota for his junior season, where he averaged 4.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in his only season playing in the Big Ten. Mitchell’s rebounding prowess lends itself well to the Bonnies, who were outrebounded in nine of their final 11 games last season.
Sophomore guard Brayden Jackson is a native of Milton, Ontario, and spent his freshman year at The University at Buffalo. Jackson averaged 4.2 points per game and shot 42.5% from the field for the Bulls, including scoring 11 points in the Bulls’ loss to the Bonnies in the Reilly Center.
Redshirt senior guard Amar’e Marshall is as experienced as they come. Entering his fifth season of collegiate basketball, Marshall has accrued over 1,100 points in his career, during which he played at Hofstra University and The University at Albany.
Efficient with the ball in his hands, Marshall averaged 15.3 points per game on 42.2% shooting in 52 appearances across two seasons at Albany. He was named to the America East All-Conference Third Team in the 2023-24 season for the Great Danes.
Senior forward Daniel Egbuniwe joins the Bonnies after starting all but four games in his two seasons at Tennessee Tech University. The Memphis, Tenn. native averaged 10.0 points and 6.5 rebounds during his junior season.
The Bonnies reached down to the Division II ranks for senior guard Cayden Charles. The Kennesaw, Ga. native spent three seasons at The University of North Georgia, where he led the Nighthawks to the D-II Elite Eight, winning Most Valuable Player of the Southeast Regional in his junior season. Charles averaged 14.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, shooting 46.3% from the field.
Junior guard Darryl Simmons II, coming to St. Bonaventure after two seasons at Gardner-Webb University, is a pure bucket-getter. Despite standing just 5 feet, 11 inches tall, Simmons was efficient from the field, shooting 43.2% in his sophomore season, leading the Bulldogs with 17.2 points per game, and earning a selection to the Second Team All-Big South.
Perhaps the most intriguing offseason pickup for the Bonnies is sophomore forward Joe Grahovac. The Santa Ana, Calif. native played his lone season of college hoops at Fullerton College in California.
At 6-feet, 10-inches tall, Grahovac is a true stretch forward with extended range. At Fullerton, he averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, shooting 62.0% from the field and 39.2% from beyond the arc. He was awarded California State Player of the Year by the California Community College Athletic Association after leading Fullerton to the state championship game.
The Bonnies’ overhauled roster will take the court for their regular season opener on Monday, Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. against Bradley University in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon in Rock Hill, S.C.
