Bonzie Colson Ready For Return On Senior Night
Bonzie Colson hasn’t suited up for the Irish since December 30th when he dropped 22 points and 17 rebounds against Georgia Tech on a fractured foot.
The All-American forward will start on Wednesday night as the Irish celebrate Senior Night in Purcell Pavilion.
“I would like to start him even if he feels he can’t give minutes,” said head coach Mike Brey. “I’d love for this crowd to be able to give him a heck of an ovation. He deserves it. We’d then sub him out real quick.”
Colson participated in five-on-five or the first time on Monday, and the senior standout was looking forward to seeing how he felt on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I just want to see how it feels overall,” Colson stated on Monday afternoon. “Running, defending, shooting and seeing it how it feels is the most important thing. How my body feels after practice is important.
“I have just done some shooting. Before the games, I’ve been warming up a little bit the team. I’m doing workouts with treadmill, getting a lot of treatment and rehab.”
In fact, Colson hasn’t really gained weight during his downtime, and he even felt he gained good weight during the time away from the court.
“I think I gained muscle,” laughed Colson. “I’m still 225-226, which is my weight. I feel stronger. I’ve been working every day and gaining confidence. I’ve been battling on the bike workouts and lifting every day. I’ve been doing some lunges and squats to ease my way back into it.”
The return of Colson will be a welcome confidence boost to the Notre Dame program as they fight for its NCAA Tournament life, but playing on Senior Night will mean more for the New Bedford (Mass.) native.
“I’ve been waiting for it,” stated Colson. “I’ve been really eager, but have been patient to get to where I’m ready to play. I’m getting there. I’m ready to play, and I think it’s going to be a special night. My family will be there supporting me and have supported me through the ups and downs since I’ve been here. I’m excited for it.”
The 6-foot-5 forward also hopes the crowd can send the all-time winningest senior class off with a memorable night.
“I think it will be a fun atmosphere to play in,” Colson said. “The fans should be going crazy. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out there. I’m excited to put my jersey on and be out there on the court.”
The 99 wins over the last four years is a mark Colson, and his classmates are proud of, but he was quick to gave Brey a lot of credit for developing a winning culture.
“It’s a great mark,” Colson explained. “We’ve really helped develop the culture with the kind of guys Coach Brey recruits. What we bring and what happens when you’re a four-year guy, and you trust the coach. The process and the development of what Coach Brey can do to push you to be a better player.
"All of us are a great testament of that, especially us three who came into a program not knowing what to expect, having some ups and downs within our careers, and then sticking with it and trusting the process with Coach Brey.”
While the excitement of his return will fill Purcell Pavilion, Colson knows he can’t push it as it will be his first time playing in two months.
“I know I’ll be on limited minutes,” explained Colson. “I know I can’t play 30 or 35 minutes. We’ll just see how I feel.”
Despite the limited minutes, Colson will just be glad to get back on the court with his friends and teammates one last time at home.
“Marty (Geben), Matt (Farrell) and I came in together,” said Colson. “Coming in and developing a strong relationship on and off the court. And then us playing and developing good chemistry on the court. We’ve learned a lot about each other. It’s going to be great to come out and play together and get a win.”