Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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"Bonzie's been that guy for us. One thing about Bonzie is he's not afraid. He loves the moment and playing it. … We discovered something the week Zach was out and Bonzie came in. He's a key, key piece to our team right now." Colson answered the call with eight points and three rebounds in 15 min- utes versus Duke while helping to sta- bilize the frontcourt's efforts to slow down Okafor and win. During a stretch in late February, Colson notched three straight double- digit point totals and still provided the gritty play on defense that his teammates love. Although he has not registered the quantity of minutes that his junior counterpart Auguste has, Colson has arguably been the more consistent player. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.1 min- utes per game while seeing action in 25 contests during the regular season. He didn't always know he would be a key contributor to the squad that turned a 6-12 ACC finish a year ago into a 14-4 mark in 2014-15. "I just tried to keep doing what I was doing, and that was bringing more energy off the bench," he said. "My teammates have always been there for me to stay positive and ev- erything, so that really motivated me to do everything I do to help the team win." Brey consistently praises the New Bedford, Mass., freshman's grit and contributions. "He is such a gamer. He's been amazing," Brey said. "I mentioned his attitude through the first 15 games when I didn't even play him. The vet- eran guys are really confident in him now. They want him in the game a lot. These minutes keep creeping up for Bonzie Colson." Colson recounts how senior captain Pat Connaughton and senior Jerian Grant would encourage him while the freshman reached a double-digit minute total just three times in the first 17 games before he emerged at Georgia Tech. "Jerian and Pat have been great leaders throughout the year," Col- son said. "They're always there for us. They've been through everything. They've been here for four, five years. They know what it takes to go to the tournament and to be a great team, and we use them as our backbone. They're always there for us. "I feel like when things weren't go- ing too well for me at the start of the season, Pat was always there for me to stay positive. I tried to cheer on my teammates and do everything I could to help the team win." An encouraging word in the locker room from Grant here, a one-on-one lunch with Connaughton there, all furthered Colson's confident nature and prepared him to go up against some of the nation's top talent and hold his own. Now, Notre Dame's attention shifts to the postseason, where the Irish have left much to be desired in recent seasons. "[A tournament run] would be great for us," Colson said. "It's been a long season. We've had our ups and downs. Coming into the season we weren't even ranked. I feel like during the year we turned a lot of heads." ✦