St. Bonaventure sees influx of transfers added to basketball roster

Field Level Media|published: Sun 19th April, 12:38 2026

Feb 28, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Mason Blackwood (1) drives the ball to the basket during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Former Penn State forward Mason Blackwood became the latest transfer to commit to St. Bonaventure and to new head coach Mike MacDonald.

ESPN broke that news Sunday morning, and Blackwood's transfer caps an eventful week for the Bonnies.

Per the 247 transfer portal and multiple reports, St. Bonaventure, located in Olean, N.Y., has added to its roster this week, along with Blackwood:

--Akbar Waheed III, a 6-foot-6 guard who redshirted at Boston College last season.

--Zach Philipkoski, a 6-4 guard, and 6-10 center Benjamin Bill, both of whom played for MacDonald at Division II Daemen.

--Taj Au-Duke, a 6-3 point guard who started his college career at Pepperdine but transferred to Indian Hills Community College in Iowa, where he became a first-team JUCO All-American.

--Ryan Kalambay, a 6-9 forward from Detroit Mercy.

Returning to the Bonnies from the 2005-06 roster are Ilia Ermakov, a 6-6 guard from Russia; John Ikpotokin, a 6-7 center from Ireland; Jack DeRose, a 6-foot guard and local product from Olean High School; Achille Lonati, a 6-5 Italian guard; and Joe Grahovac, a 6-10 forward from Santa Ana, Calif.

With Kalambay and Au-Duke from Canada, the Bonnies will have an international flair.

The Bonnies are losing four seniors and seven players to the transfer portal. According to 247Sports' portal tracker, none of them have selected a new school.

Adding two players with experience in a power-conference program is a boost for St. Bonaventure.

Blackwood, from nearby Rochester, N.Y., appeared in 26 games as a freshman (one start) and averaged 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds over 12.2 minutes. The 6-7 forward is expected to be a building block for the revamped Bonnies.

Waheed didn't appear in any games at Boston College as a freshman. He will have four years of eligibility remaining.

St. Bonaventure finished 17-17 in the 2025-26 season and 4-14 in Atlantic 10 play.

MacDonald was hired as head coach on March 31 to replace Mark Schmidt, who retired after 19 seasons on the job. A 1988 St. Bonaventure alum, he led Daemen to a 265-86 record over 12 seasons. He led the Wildcats to NCAA Division II East Regional championships in 2026 and 2021.

He is the only coach to win 100 games with programs at the Division I (Canisius), II (Daemen) and III (Medaille) levels.

--Field Level Media