This time last year, youth was the theme as a Bucknell squad featuring only one senior prepared to take on a schedule chock full of more experienced opponents. Now 12 months later, the Bison are significantly older, deeper, and even physically stronger after adding a full-time strength coach to the staff.
Looking to rebound from a 9-23 season, this year’s 14-man squad is led by three seniors, a transfer with three seasons of college basketball under his belt, a junior class that has now reached veteran status after their rookie seasons were completely disrupted by the pandemic, and a sophomore group that played major minutes last season.
“We’re in a really good place,” said Nathan Davis, who begins his eighth season as head coach on Monday at home against Lebanon Valley. “The guys have put in the time, and the summer sessions and the preseason have gone well. I’m excited about this team’s potential, but potential just means you haven’t done it yet. Now we have to go out every night with the attention to detail needed to make plays on a consistent basis.”
One noticeable element is Bucknell’s size up front. Junior center Andre Screen is now 7’1” and 265 pounds and is in the best shape of his career. Senior Alex Timmerman at 6’10”, 277 pounds has been playing alongside Screen at the power forward position throughout the preseason – the duo combined to go 30-for-39 from the floor in two scrimmages -- as Timmerman has the versatility to play both the 4 and 5 spots. Add in 6’9” forward Jake van der Heijden, who started every game last season, 7’0” freshman center Noah Williamson, and 6’9” freshman forward Ruot Bijiek, and the Bison have plenty of size down low.
“Getting paint touches is always a priority, and even more so this year,” said Davis. “We have several guys who are a handful, and the perimeter guys are stronger and more physical as well, so they can get in the lane and fight through contact. The best perimeter shots come from the inside out, so getting the ball in the paint is important. We have enough depth where we still want to play fast, but we still need to take the right shots. We’re not worried about who scores as long as we score.”
Bucknell steadily improved offensively last season and ended up second in the league in scoring at 71.2 points per game while ranking in the top three in all of the shooting percentage statistics. The Bison struggled on defense, however, giving up an average of 79.4 points per game while allowing opponents to shoot 46.6 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from the 3-point arc. Davis feels that this more experienced group will be much-improved defensively.
“I think the biggest thing is having more experienced players on the floor, who have a better grasp of not just the team defensive concepts but also what it means to play hard and with focus on every defensive possession,” said Davis. “This group has seen more things now simply by playing more games.”
Davis and the players have all been quick to praise Alex Brunson, who came on board in July as Bucknell’s first-ever strength and conditioning coach fully dedicated to men’s and women’s basketball. Brunson, who had been Niagara’s basketball strength coach since 2019, has made an immediate impact.
“First and foremost, the guys really like Alex,” said Davis. “He’s quickly become part of the team, and his ability to implement more basketball-specific stretching and strength training has been outstanding.”
Senior point guard Xander Rice is entering his second year as a team co-captain, joined this year by classmates Timmerman and van der Heijden. The seniors know all about the program’s storied history of success, and they are focused on leading the Bison on an ascent in the Patriot League standings.
“Nobody has worked harder during the offseason than the three seniors, and they have set the tone for the younger guys,” said Davis.
With the graduation of Andrew Funk and his 17.6 ppg scoring average, Rice is the team’s leading returning scorer and most experienced player. He has started every game over the last two seasons, and his 78 career games played are 15 more than anyone else on the roster. Rice primarily has been a point guard during his Bucknell tenure, but last year he moved off the ball a bit more with the emergence of then-freshman Elvin Edmonds IV. That figures to continue this season, with both players capable of handling either guard spot.
Rice posted a career-high 13.1 ppg last season, when he shot 42.4 percent from the 3-point arc to rank fifth in the Patriot League. He also led the league and ranked 20th national in free-throw percentage (.884), and his 3.9 assists per game were third-best in the league.
“Xander has improved his ability to get in the lane and get to the basket, which gives him the opportunity to score around the rim or get to the foul line,” said Davis. “He shot the ball very well from three last year, and that has carried over into the preseason.”
Timmerman was one of the Patriot League’s most-improved players last season, when he played in every game and made 10 starts in the low post. He ranked second in the league in field-goal percentage at 59.9 percent, which was the eighth-best figure in team history. Timmerman really emerged at the Cancun Classic when Screen went down with an injury. Timmerman scored 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting against Mercer and then had his first double-double with 11 points and 12 boards against Rider. Including a campus-site game at Illinois State, Timmerman had 43 points and 29 rebounds while hitting 19 of 27 shots from the field in the three Cancun Classic games.
Timmerman continued to play a key role coming off the bench at both the power forward and center spots, and this season he figures to see more floor time at the 4 spot next to Screen, which would give the Bison a huge frontcourt.
“Alex is very crafty around the basket and he has great footwork for a man of his size,” said Davis. “He can play inside or out and he is very vocal on the floor. We would like to be a much more physical, power team, and Alex’s development is a big part of that.”
In contrast to Timmerman, van der Heijden is a more perimeter-oriented 4 man. He started every game last season and shot 41.4 percent from the arc while making 46 threes. This offseason, van der Heijden has worked on his ability to put the ball on the floor and become a more versatile scorer.
“Jake has really developed from a strength standpoint and is a solid 6’9”, 230 pounds,” said Davis. “He’s as good a perimeter shooter as anyone in the league at that size, and now we need him to become more of a physical presence in terms of scoring and rebounding around the rim.”
Forrest is a welcome addition to the Bison after spending one year at Columbia and the last two at Saint Joseph’s. A junior academically with two years of eligibility remaining, Forrest figures to take at least some of the minutes vacated by Funk, who is using his fifth year as a graduate student at Penn State and was recently named team co-captain.
Forrest worked through some injuries during his time at Saint Joseph’s but still had some big games for the Hawks, including an 18-point performance at Kansas and a career-best 25-point outing against Big 5 rival La Salle. Forrest averaged 10.4 points in 14 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. He has been sidelined by another injury for part of this preseason and could miss the first few games of the season, but he is a big part of the team’s plans in 2022-23.
“Jack has played a lot of college basketball against good competition in the Ivy League and A-10,” said Davis. “He has gained a lot of experience in a lot of different situations. He communicates very well and has a great feel for the game. He shoots it well from three but is even better off the dribble. I expect that he will be able to score around the rim and get to the foul line quite a bit.”
Screen has seen the most floor time of the returning juniors, and he has continued to develop into a key low-post threat. Last season he shot 57.3 percent from the floor while averaging 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He hit double digits 18 times and had 20-point games against Rider and American.
“Andre is in much better shape, which really helps him get up and down the floor and bang with the other big bodies in the post,” said Davis. “He has a tremendous shooting touch with both hands and can rebound outside his area. Consistency game in and game out is where Andre can make his biggest improvement.”
Josh Adoh continues his development as a strong, physical wing, and Davis hopes he can be an important part of the rotation this season. Adoh began last year as a starter and had 12 points on opening night at North Carolina State. He settled into a reserve role and played 8.5 minutes per game, but his production was good. He shot 39.0 percent from the 3-point line and 90.9 percent from the foul line while averaging just under 17 points per 40 minutes.
“Josh has come a long way in terms of his understanding of the game and maturing as a basketball player,” said Davis. “He is very athletic and is explosive with the ball in his hands. Out of all of our guys, he’s most capable of breaking down his man and creating shots for himself or for others. Josh deserves a ton of credit because he works very hard at all elements of his game.”
Rounding out the junior class is walk-on guard Alek Delev, a great locker room presence who has greatly improved throughout his time at Bucknell.
Sophomores Edmonds, Ian Motta, and Josh Bascoe all got thrown into the fire as rookies last season, and all three figure to play prominent roles again this winter.
Edmonds was one of the league’s top newcomers last year, playing better than 27 minutes per game. He started the final 22 games at the point and averaged 5.9 ppg while shooting 34.1 percent from the 3-point arc and 90.0 percent from the foul line. He burst onto the scene with an 18-point game at Illinois State early in the season, highlighted by a tip-in at the buzzer that forced overtime.
“Elvin played a ton of minutes last year, and I thought he handled it very well,” said Davis. “First and foremost, he’s a really smart player who knows how to make the right pass. He’s extremely fast with the ball and can get to the rim, and he shoots it very well with deep range. He’s probably our best off-ball defender as well.”
Motta also played in every game last season and made seven starts. He got out to a bit of a slow start shooting the ball, but his confidence seemed to grow after a couple of big games against Colgate and Holy Cross in Patriot League play. Now he is in line for an increased role on the wing.
“Ian has taken a huge step since the end of last year,” praised Davis. “He’s gotten very strong, he shoots it well, and he can finish above the rim. He just looks like a much more confident player. Defensively he is long and athletic, and he has the potential to be one of our better defenders.”
Bascoe played off the bench in 29 of the team’s 32 games a year ago and shot a solid 45.7 percent from the field while playing just under seven minutes per game. He figures to be part of the main backcourt rotation.
“Josh has also made big strides since last season,” said Davis. “For one thing, he is finally healthy after being held back by some knee issues in the preseason last year. He can create shots for himself and others, and I’m excited to see what he can do this season.”
Four first-year players have joined the program. In addition to Williamson and Bijiek in the frontcourt, wing Josh Fulton and guard Brady Muller have shown plenty of promise in the preseason. All have bright futures, but unlike last season when depth concerns forced the freshmen into prominent roles, Davis has the luxury of choosing his spots with this group while they continue to adjust to the college game.
“I’m very excited about the potential of this year’s class,” said Davis. “I think all four have the talent to be terrific players down the line. They are all capable of helping us immediately, but right now we have the depth to bring them along when they are ready.”
The Bison had never had a 7-footer until Screen arrived two years ago, and now they have two with the addition of Williamson. The son of an American father and Latvian mother, Williamson was born and raised in Riga and played for some Latvian national age-group teams before attending St. Thomas More in Connecticut. He also attended the basketball academy run by Latvia’s most famous NBA player, Kristaps Porzingas.
“Noah is going to be a very good player,” said Davis. “He has good skills and touch around the basket, and he moves and rebounds well. He comes from a very good prep program, so his learning curve is not as steep as far as playing against top competition.”
Bijiek comes to Bucknell from the Des Moines, Iowa area and is a long and lanky forward at 6’9”. One of eight siblings, Bijiek was an all-state player last season at Valley High School, and he also played for a strong AAU team and spent time with Bradley Beal Elite.
“Ru is long and really skilled,” said Davis. “He can handle the ball and shoots it well. He has good moves in the post and as he continues to get stronger he will be able to score inside consistently. He’s going to be a very good player.”
Fulton is an Atlanta native who became a two-time all-state selection after being curtailed by injuries earlier in his high school career. He has shown tremendous athleticism throughout the preseason, and the coaches feel that he is already one of the top defensive players on the squad.
“Josh has the ability to be an elite defender very quickly,” said Davis. “He creates matchup problems because he is so long. Offensively, he can get in the paint and is explosive around the rim. He’s a very good passer and can also make shots.”
Muller comes from a nationally ranked program at Blair Academy, and he brings a college-ready body and skillset. Last year he captained Blair to its second straight Mid-Atlantic Prep League title, as the team went 48-8 over those two seasons.
“Brady is strong and physical, and he is another guy who has a shorter learning curve because of the quality of competition he faced in high school,” said Davis. “He’s a great communicator on the floor, he shoots it well and can put the ball on the floor and get in the lane.”
The Bison have five non-conference home games this season, including the first two against Lebanon Valley and Niagara. They will face two power-five teams on the road in Georgia and Rutgers, two Atlantic 10 teams in Richmond and La Salle, as well as a trip to Saint Peter’s, which stunned the basketball world by advancing to the Elite Eight last season. Bucknell will spend Thanksgiving Week in Daytona Beach, Fla., at the Sunshine Slam, taking on Presbyterian and either UAlbany or Austin Peay.
The Patriot League slate starts on Dec. 30 at Holy Cross, with the postseason tournament getting underway at campus sites starting Feb. 28.