WPIAL Alum Q&A – Evan Bonnaure

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, January 16, 2017 | 11:43 PM

Playing a high-school sport with a parent as the head coach can be both beneficial and challenging for an athlete. Evan Bonnaure excelled for the basketball team that his father, Rich, coached at South Fayette, and now he’s one of the top performers for La Roche’s team, too. Bonnaure is this week’s feature for the WPIAL Alum Q&A.

As a junior with the Lions, Bonnaure averaged in double figures in scoring, netting just more than 10 points per contest. Meanwhile, his team compiled a record of 16-7, including a 10-2 in section play. The Lions made the Class AAA playoffs, but fell by three points to Beaver Area in the first round.

As a senior in 2012-13, Bonnaure established himself as one of the top players in the class, as he averaged approximately 17 points, five rebounds and three assists per game. Subsequently, he was named a First Team All-Section performer. Perhaps more importantly, South Fayette made a deeper playoff run, as the Lions defeated West Mifflin in the first round. In the quarterfinals, the Lions hung tough with top-seeded Chartiers Valley, but ultimately fell by five. The team qualified for the PIAA playoffs in the process, but was topped by WPIAL Champion Montour.

Bonnaure then made the move to La Roche, where he played a minimal role as a freshman with the Redhawks, appearing in nine games. As a sophomore, the guard played in 25 contests, including six starts, and averaged 4.3 points per game, but the team won just one game all season.

Last year, Bonnaure again played in every game, and started 11. He contributed in several statistical categories, including averages of 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Moreover, the Redhawks improved significantly, finishing with a record of 12-14.

In 2016-17, La Roche has made an incredible turnaround, as the team has already equaled last year’s win total. The Redhawks are 12-3, including 8-0 in conference play. Bonnaure has been a big reason for the success, as he’s started every game and leads the team in minutes played. His 10.9 points per game is second on the squad, to go with 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Evan took time away from the hardwood to answer questions about the team’s improvement, his most enjoyable college class, and which movies he knows off by heart.
 

Q: You’ve made occasional starts the past few seasons, but this year you’ve started every game and have been the team leader in minutes played. Did you have to change your approach or take more responsibility as your role expanded this season?

A: I actually went into the first game as a starter at guard each of the past two seasons, but due to different lineup changes, my role changed to coming off the bench those two years. I played so many minutes those two years and gained so much experience that it has made the transition this year really easy on me. That being said, the only real change in approach I’ve had to make this year has been taking on more of a leadership role. We graduated two exceptional leaders last year, and being a co-captain this season, I knew a great deal of replacing that would fall on me.

Q: What do you consider to be your greatest strength on the court?

A: I would say my greatest strength on the court would be a combination of my shooting ability and my basketball IQ. Being a coach’s son, I guess that’s a pretty standard answer lol.

Q: Did you set any individual goals for your senior season?

A: I really didn’t set any individual goals for this year. This group of guys on the team is so incredibly unselfish and locked into our team goals that it really doesn’t matter to us how we get to those goals. We really have about seven or eight guys who could go out and score 20+ points on any given night, so we know the individual type stuff will take care of itself.

Q: The team is off to a strong start. What is the potential for the Redhawks in the second half of this season?

A: We really feel like there’s no ceiling on how good this year’s team could be. Our goal from the first day of preseason has been winning an AMCC title and making a run in the NCAA tournament, but I think everybody understands to do so we have to stay locked in and continue to get better each day.

Q: A coaching staff typically is credited for helping a player make strides on the court, but is there any particular area off the court in which your coaches have assisted you during your time in college?

A: I think the coaching staff has really helped mold me into a much better leader than when I came in as a freshman. Our one assistant coach, Coach Bott, does a lot behind the scenes for us having talks with different guys and most of what he has impressed upon me has been how to be a leader of this team on and off the court.

Q: Why did you decide on La Roche?

A: I decided on La Roche because of the people here. I visited here twice and instantly connected with my future teammates and coaches. Although most of those guys are gone now, much has remained the same, as this year’s team is probably the closest basketball team I’ve ever been a part of both on and off the court.

Q: What is your major and ideal future profession?

A: My major is history with a minor in secondary education. My ideal future profession would be to coach college basketball full time, but if that doesn’t work out, I would want to be a high-school teacher.

Q: Have you had a class that stands out as your most enjoyable or influential?

A: Definitely this Shakespeare on film class I took with our team’s academic advisor, Dr. Jordan. It was a four-hour night class on Tuesdays, but the class was comprised nearly entirely of our team, the baseball team, and the girl’s soccer team. That class was a good time.

Q: What was your fondest memory of your time at South Fayette?

A: My fondest memory of South Fayette was just my entire high school basketball career. With my dad coaching there, I never missed an SF game from about the time I was 5-years old, so all I ever wanted to do was put on that South Fayette uniform. It’s something to this day I still miss sometimes.

Q: Did you play any other sports in high school, and did you always expect to continue basketball at the college level?

A: I did not play any other sports in high school. My freshman year, we won a state championship in basketball and that kind of just made me and some of the other younger guys want to work year round at basketball to try and do the same. I did always kind of think I would play college basketball, except maybe in second grade when I used to tell my parents I was going straight to the NBA lol. I knew I was just too competitive and love it too much to not play in college.

Q: Who is your favorite pro athlete?

A: Steph Curry, for sure. Shooters shoot!

Q: From what movie can you repeat nearly every line?

A: I’ll go with a tie between two here: The Other Guys & National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Q: What is your favorite snack or dessert?

A: I guess it’s more of a meal than a snack, but Chipotle. I eat there probably 3-4 times a week.

Q: If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you take with you?

A: I don’t know if this counts, but I’d take Zach, Ray, & Darius (three of my teammates). We could have fun anywhere; that would go from being stranded on an island to being a vacation real quickly!