Newcomer Lorenzo Bonam is more than ready to step out onto the court for the Runnin’ Utes’ first official game of the season.
Bonam comes to Utah from Gillette College, a junior college in Wyoming, and is already making a good impression on his teammates and coaches. He started for Utah in its exhibition game against Cal State Monterey Bay last week and finished with 14 points. Although head coach Larry Krystkowiak is unsure whether or not he will start this Friday night, Bonam is just excited about the opportunity.
“I never really dreamed of this growing up,” Bonam said. “It’s just a thing that came upon me and once I started playing it became my life. I went through high school, through junior college, now [Division I], it’s a good experience for me to be in the first game [Division I] and maybe start.”
The transition from junior college to Division I ball has been rather smooth for the guard. He loves the environment Utah offers and the expectations that come along with being a Ute.
While he was at his junior college, he felt as though athletes were somewhat overlooked, or people only cared about the final score of the game. In Salt Lake City, he feels a completely different tone, one where people also want him to succeed off the court.
“It’s a big transition coming from a junior college where you don’t have a lot expected from you,” Bonam said. “Coming to a D-I [program] where you got people counting on you, people wanting you to do [well], people wanting to see you succeed as a man and a basketball player, it’s a good transition.”
According to Krystkowiak, there’s a saying among Division I coaches that junior college players do not really get up to speed until around Christmas. So while he knows Bonam is talented, he’s still got a few things to work on.
“It’s rare when junior college players can come in and have an impact early in the season and I think we were spoiled a little with Delon [Wright],” Krystkowiak said.
Both Krystkowiak and Bonam agree his defense could improve, but he is steadily working up to the level of his teammates. The support he gets from his teammates is something Bonam thrives off of.
Whenever the team is practicing and someone makes a mistake and then they later correct it, the team applauds when it is fixed. This makes for a fun and relaxed setting that Bonam appreciates and is why he looks forward to going to practices.
“It’s just me having fun and wanting to be here with everyone,” Bonam said.
Krystkowiak even commended Bonam earlier in the week, saying he he had a great practice and hopes this can translate to his play earlier than what’s usually expected.
“Lorenzo’s really talented offensively, quick getting the ball from one end of the floor to the other,” Krystkowiak said.
As for the upcoming slate of games that features five games in nine nights, Bonam is not feeling any sort of pressure. The only thing he is worried about is the extra legroom on the airplane.
Otherwise, he is going to keep working hard and the games won’t be too stressful considering it’s the game that he loves. Bonam is confident the team can handle anything thrown its way.
“It’s not a stretch for us,” Bonam said. “It’s more exciting for us because we get to keep playing basketball and not have to come back to practice and play each other. We get to play other people and just have fun.”
@kbrenneisen