April 10, 2017
University of Notre Dame men’s basketball junior forward Bonzie Colson will return for his final season with the Fighting Irish in 2017-18.
“After a lot of discussion with my family and Coach (Mike) Brey about possibly entering the NBA Draft this season, I have decided to pursue my dream of earning a degree from the University of Notre Dame and return for my final year of eligibility,” Colson announced on Monday, April 10.
“I promised myself and my family when I committed to Notre Dame that I would earn a degree from the University and help lead the program to new heights. Returning to play another season with my brothers and the possibility of hanging more banners in Purcell Pavilion and establishing ourselves as one of the best teams in program history is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
“It is exciting to know that Bonzie will be back for his final season,” head coach Mike Brey said.
“He has an opportunity to finish his career as one of the best to take the court here and I am impressed with the way he has handled this decision.”
Colson led the Irish in scoring (17.8 ppg) and rebounds (10.1 rpg) in 2016-17 while earning first-team all-ACC honors. Here is a full list of Colson’s awards this season and a recap of his top performances:
COLSON AWARDS AND HONORS IN 2016-17:
- 2017 Associated Press All-American, Third Team
- 2017 The Sporting News All-American, Third Team
- 2017 Basketball Times All-American, Second Team
- 2017 College Sports Madness All-American, Third Team
- 2017 All-ACC First Team Selection
- 2017 ACC All-Tournament Team, First Team
- Karl Malone Trophy Finalist (Top PF in the nation)
- Wooden Award Final 15 Selection
- Naismith Award Top 30
- Naismith Award Player of the Week (Feb. 14, 2017)
- USBWA Oscar Robertson Player of the Week (Feb. 14, 2017)
- CollegeInsider.com Lute Olson Player of the Week (Feb. 13, 2017)
- NCAA.com All-Week Team (Feb. 13, 2017)
- College Sports Madness National and ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 13, 2017)
- NBC College Basketball Talk National Player of the Week (Feb. 13, 2017)
- ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 13, 2017)
- ACC Player of the Week (Dec. 5, 2016)
- 2015 Notre Dame Newcomer of the Year
- CollegeInsider.com Lute Olson Player of the Week (2/18/16)
COLSON 2016-17 SEASON REVIEW:
- Posted eight 20-point scoring performances in the final 12 games of the season, including a stellar 29-point explosion in the ACC Championship final against Duke.
- Scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including a career-best four three-point field goals in the NCAA second round matchup with West Virginia.
- Earned all-ACC tournament honors as arguably the best all-around player in the tournament – averaging 22.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg and 1.2 spg while shooting .521 from FG and .500 (3-for-6) from 3FG.
- Finished off the home schedule with his 18th double-double of the season, scoring 18 points with 11 rebounds in the victory over Boston College.
- Led the team to victory over Georgia Tech with 20 points and 11 rebounds, his 17th double-double of the season and seventh 20-10 game of the year.
- Hit 20 points for the third consecutive game, a first in his career, with 20 points and six rebounds at Boston College.
- Exploded for a career-high 33 points against No. 14/15 Florida State, including an impressive 20 points and 8 rebounds in the second half, finishing with 16 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season.
- During his big game against the Seminoles, became the 61st Notre Dame player to score 1,000 career points.
- Compiled yet another impressive double-double performance, perhaps the best of his career, against Wake Forest, with a game-high 27 points, 16 rebounds and a career-best five blocked shots.
- Efforts vs. Wake Forest and Florida State earned Colson second ACC Player of the Week award on Monday, Feb. 13.
- Posted perhaps his toughest double-double of the year at North Carolina, battling the Tar Heel front line to grab 10 rebounds with 17 points – his ACC-leading 14th double-double of the year.
- Earned the 13th double-double of the season at Georgia Tech, tallying 13 points and 13 rebounds in 30 minutes.
- Logged his sixth 20-point scoring game of the season against No. 12/13 Virginia, shooting 8-of-11 from the floor for 20 points, and three blocks.
- Posted his 12th double-double of the season (and fifth in ACC play) despite playing just six minutes in the first half against Syracuse due to foul trouble – ended game with 14 points and game-high 14 rebounds (10 points and 10 rebounds in the second half).
- Battled against the Louisville front line to post his ninth double-double of the season, grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds along with 18 points.
- Posted a career-high 40 minutes in the victory at Pittsburgh, compiling his eighth double-double of the season with 21 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
- Recorded seventh double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds vs. No. 15/16 Purdue in the Crossroads Classic.
- First non-guard at Notre Dame to score double-figure points in a season’s first 16 games since Luke Harangody in 2009-10.
- Named ACC Player of the Week for the first time in his career of Monday, Dec. 4, after averaging 17.0 pts, 14.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in Notre Dame’s victories over Iowa and North Carolina A&T.
- Recorded sixth double-double of the season with 17 points, a game-high 14 rebounds and shot 6-of-11 from the floor in the win over Fort Wayne while hitting a career-high three-point field goals.
- Was a force in the paint during the Legends Classic semifinal and final, posting back-to-back double-doubles against Colorado (22 pts, 12 reb) and Northwestern (13 pts, 11 reb).