ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — Mark Schmidt figured to have his work cut out for him.
Indeed, with a roster of seven seniors and (presumably) no scholarship players beyond next season, this has promised to be one of the more pivotal recruiting periods for the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball coach.
It’s during these spring months, though, that Schmidt has had his greatest such success.
And if this first addition is any indication, the almost-15th-year coach seems poised to conjure that same kind of outcome in 2021.
Quadry Adams, a freshman Wake Forest transfer and former three-star recruit, has committed to continuing his career at Bona, he announced on his social media platforms Saturday morning. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard, due to the impending one-time transfer rule and the extra year of eligibility resulting from the pandemic, could potentially play right away and still have four years of eligibility remaining.
Adams, a Piscataway, N.J., native and former standout at St. Thomas Aquinas in Edison, N.J., had originally chosen Wake Forest over offers from Columbia, Boston, Drake, Robert Morris and a host of other mid-majors, according to verbalcommits.com. He appeared in nine games as a freshman in 2020-21, averaging two points and one rebound while earning the bulk of his minutes at the end of the year, including a season-high 18 in a March loss to Georgia Tech.
After struggling to crack the rotation in his inaugural campaign, he opted to transfer, quickly finding a landing spot at Bona.
FOLLOWING his stop in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the rangy, athletic combo guard figures to be welcomed by Bona with open arms.
Adams grew up a half-hour from, and played in the same circles as current Bona point guard Kyle Lofton, a Hillside, N.J., native. That gives the Bonnies a second hard-boiled Jersey product in the backcourt and a third Garden State native on the roster, alongside center Osun Osunniyi, of Pleasantville, N.J.
More importantly, he could potentially be both a meaningful piece for what’s expected to be another Bona run in 2021-22 and the first building block for the post-Lofton/Osunniyi era the following winter.
“My brudda,” Lofton tweeted after Adams made his announcement on Saturday.
“Everything comes full circle, time to rock out again big bro!” the latter said in response.
THOUGH he may not have found immediate success in the ACC, Adams figures to be a strong addition for the Bonnies.
Adams averaged 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in leading renowned St. Thomas Aquinas to a 23-5 record as a senior in 2019-20. As a junior, he averaged 15 points, four rebounds and three assists while helping the Trojans to the state quarterfinals.
In his final year, Adams had 10 outings of 20-plus points and a pair of double-doubles, with 10 rebounds in each. He ranked as one of the top 15 players in the state, checked in at No. 69 nationally at his position (point guard) and was rated as a three-star recruit by both Rivals and 247sports.com.
Adams is the first member of the Bonnies’ 2021 recruiting class and represents the first step in shoring up an already thin bench that became shorter with the recent departures of sophomore guard Alejandro Vasquez and junior big man Jalen Shaw. He’ll join a veteran lineup that returns all five starters from a team that won both the Atlantic 10’s regular season and tournament title, including the backcourt of Lofton, Jaren Holmes and Dominick Welch.
With Adams on board, Bona currently has eight scholarship players for next season, leaving five slots available. He can ink his National Letter of Intent on the first day of the regular signing period, which begins April 14.
Schmidt, we know, has made hay during the spring period, adding almost every notable player over the last 5-7 years during March and April. The Bonnies believe they’re getting a player of that same ilk in Adams.
“(We’re looking) to build a super team,” Lofton tweeted with a laughing emoji Saturday, after Adams posted a picture of himself in a Bona uniform.
