Monday, March 13, 2000
UK foe happy bubble didn't burst
BY JEFF CARLTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The last time St. Bonaventure made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, its current coach was fresh out of college, its top player this year was in diapers and 70 percent of the 1999-00 weren't born yet.
It was one and done for the Bonnies in the 1978 NCAAs, a fate they hope to avoid this year when they take on tradition-rich Kentucky in the first round.
The Bonnies were a bubble team until their run to the championship game of the Atlantic-10 Conference took some, but not all, of the suspense out of waiting for an at-large bid.
St. Bonaventure (21-9, 11-5 A-10) lost the championship to Temple but snared a No.12 seed and a date with the Wildcats in Cleveland.
“There were a whole bunch of teams going by and I thought, "They're not calling our name,'” point guard Tim Winn said. “So when it finally came up, there was a big sigh of relief. I can't explain it. I've never had a moment like that before.”
Winn deserves most of the credit for the Bonnies' success. He leads his team in points, assists, steals, three-pointers and free-throw percentage.
He is also the only Bonnie in history to accumulate 1,000 points, 400 assists, 300 rebounds and 300 steals in his career.
The day before St. Bonaventure dashed Xavier's hopes of an at-large tournament bid by beating the Musketeers 65-64 March 1, Xavier coach Skip Prosser paid homage to Winn.
“I really think he is as important to their team as (Pepe) Sanchez is to Temple,” Prosser said. “The team feeds off his energy and enthusiasm.”
While Winn controls from the perimeter, senior center Caswell Cyrus patrols the paint. He led the conference in blocked shots the past three seasons and ranked third in blocks (1.7) and field-goal percentage (.510) this season. He averages 12.5 points and 6.4 boards a game.
Those two helped the Bonnies to their biggest win of the season, a 57-56 win over Temple. Other quality wins came against UNC-Charlotte and Southern California.
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