St. Michael’s 7-3 Center Draws Little Attention

Michel Bonebo is averaging less than 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots a game, but he never goes unnoticed. No basketball player 7-feet, 3-inches tall goes unnoticed.

A few national sports publications obviously spotted the player from the Ivory Coast because St. Michael’s College, with Bonebo, was a popular preseason choice as one of the best small college teams in the country.

But what they anticipated is not what they got. After undergoing surgery last summer for a stress fracture of the left foot, Bonebo has seldom looked like the next dominating college center destined for professional stardom.

St. Michael’s, which also lost two other starters this season to injury and academic problems, bears little resemblance to a No. 1 team. The Purple Knights have a 15-10 record, and Bonebo’s future as a pro is clouded.

“People know who he is. He doesn’t go unnoticed (by the pro scouts),” Coach Jim Casciano said.

“He certainly has the God-given ability” and has shown glimpses--in one game he scored 23 points, had 10 rebounds and six blocks, Casciano said. But he isn’t consistent, and “he has a long way to go if he ever wants to play in the NBA,” Casciano said.

Casciano also is aware that “the time clock is against him.”

Regardless of improvement in the next two years, Bonebo would be almost 28 when he graduates, and then might take a year or two to adjust to the NBA. There is a question about the number of teams that would make that kind of commitment.

Bonebo said he thinks he could play in the NBA if he improves his shooting. “My numbers are not a lack of skill,” he said, although not even he thinks he is playing as well as he did for his country’s national team several years ago.

Keith Dickson, coach at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, N.H., said Bonebo’s height and size make him a factor in any game, but “you see his size and you expect him to be a dominating player. It’s not fair to the kid.”

Dickson saw Manute Bol, 7-6, another African, play during Bol’s one year at Bridgeport University and said Bol was more dominating as a defensive player. Bol caused a sensation with Washington in the NBA with his shot-blocking, but his lack of physical strength and offensive skills have limited his playing time.

Dickson said Bonebo is a better scorer than Bol.

“He has the potential to grow offensively and defensively,” he said. “If he’s got good work habits and goals, then he could be something later on.”

Before the foot injury, Casciano would have given Bonebo a much better chance to play some day in the NBA. As a freshman, he averaged 8.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and three blocks a game, and improved throughout the season as he adjusted to the faster American game.