The Bonnies take the court to begin the 2023-24 season in about three weeks. Head coach Mark Schmidt returns seven scholarship players, while six fresh faces will play their first game as a Bonnie come November. Two true freshman, one redshirt freshman and three transfers fill out Schmidt’s roster.
Meet the three transfers who bring loads of experience to the program with the insights of new St. Bonaventure assistant coach Dana Valentine.
Mika Adams-Woods – Graduate Student – #3 – University of Cincinnati
Adams-Woods played his first four years at the University of Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference. The Syracuse native played 121 games at UC and brings big-game experience to this Bonaventure team. Adams-Woods averaged 9.1 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game last season while shooting 43 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point land.
Valentine describes the 6’3’’ point guard as “a great passer who has improved his shooting already.” How Adams-Woods fits in the equation of playing time is yet to be seen. He joins an already crowded Bonaventure backcourt that consists of guys like Kyrell Luc, Daryl Banks III and fellow transfer Charles Pride. “Mika is going to be a good piece to a very talented guard rotation,” said Valentine. Expect to see the transfer on a consistent basis throughout the season.
Noel Brown – Redshirt Junior – #20 – George Washington University
Brown stands at 6’11’’ and weighs in at 265 pounds. The center played the past three seasons at George Washington, seeing game action 98 times including 17 starts. Brown had his best statistical season in 2022-23, averaging 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per contest.
The Leesburg, Virginia, native has been a backup center for most of his college career, which addresses a major problem the Bonnies had last season. Brown received high praise from Valentine for his pre-season work so far, saying “the guy plays hard every single day and helps push his teammates.”
Valentine also touched on his size and improvement early on. “He has improved greatly from the limited time he’s been on campus. He rebounds the ball, and his size is just what the center rotation needed,” said Valentine. For comparison, last season's primary backup center, Anouar Mellouk, gives up three inches and at least 60 pounds to the intra-conference transfer. Brown has been locked in a battle with redshirt freshman Melian Martinez for playing time, but expect to see the transfer on the court in relief of starting center Chad Venning this season.
Charles Pride – Graduate Student – #7 – Bryant University
Pride was billed as the big-name transfer for Mark Schmidt this summer. The 6’4’’ guard played the past four seasons at Bryant, where he averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game over his 112 appearances. Pride started 82 of 83 games dating back to his sophomore year, and brings “invaluable experience” to a team that looks to play deep into March.
The Syracuse native brings a versatile skillset to the court. “He’s simply a pure scorer who plays extremely hard every second he’s on the court,” said Valentine. Pride just wins everywhere he goes. The guard saw success at both Liverpool High School and Putnam Science Academy before appearing in two Northeastern Conference championship games, winning one. “Chuck has the experience that will be vital to this team, as he and Daryl (Banks III) are the only guys we have that have actually played in the big dance,” said Valentine.
The coach made sure to drive home Pride’s leadership abilities. “He leads by example both on and off the court,” said Valentine. The graduate transfer appears to be living up to the hype fans of the program have been generating so far. Pride will be an essential piece to the team’s success this season.
Check out Part One highlighting the freshmen here.