On Friday, senior center Jeff Bostic did not participate in warm-ups. Instead, he stood underneath the basket rebounding for his teammates during the pregame shoot-around. On Sunday, he rode the exercise bike. Though the Bombers won both games without their star center’s consistent rebounds and vicious shot blocks, his absence showed.

In the three games the Blue and Gold have played without Bostic, they averaged 2.33 blocks per game and 38.33 rebounds per game. Compared to their 3.22 blocks and 42.17 rebounds with Bostic, it is clear how much the 6-foot-5-inch center helps.

With Bostic sidelined, the South Hill squad has turned to senior forward Sean Leahy to fill the center position, along with junior Tom Brown and sophomore Phil Barera.

This trio has been admirable in its efforts to replace Bostic on the hardwood with Leahy recording a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds along with two blocks in the Bombers’ 73–71 victory over Alfred University on Sunday. Leahy said it was a combined effort among the three big men to take over for Bostic.

“With Jeff, you’re always going to get double-digit rebounds,” he said “With me, Tom and Phil, we have to collectively do it as a team. We’re not as athletic as Jeff so we have to make sure we box out and just go after it to make sure to keep their big guys off the boards.”

In the wake of the two-point win over the Saxons, one of the lesser teams in the conference with a 2–9 record against the Empire 8, Head Coach Jim Mullins had No. 55 in the lineup for the first time in five days. Mullins said he had a specific role in mind for Bostic.

“Even if he’s not blocking shots, the thought of him blocking shots is in the minds of the opposition,” Mullins said. “Bill Russell used to say that it wasn’t the shots he blocked but the seed he planted in the minds of the drivers.”

With Bostic’s ankle only at a self-proclaimed 70 to 75 percent level, that is exactly the role he took in his return to the hardwood against Stevens Institute of Technology on Tuesday. In his return, Bostic only logged 16 minutes of play and did not attempt a field goal. He did however, pull down five rebounds and pick up a block.

“It felt really good to be back out there,” Bostic said. “It’s my senior year, and I really don’t want to miss any games. It felt good to get back and contribute a little bit and get a couple rebounds to help out the team.”

Aside from instilling the fear of a potential block in his opponents, Bostic provides a more intangible positive influence on his team. After the game against Alfred, in which the South Hill squad appeared simply disorganized without its star center, the familiar face in the middle gave the Bombers some comfort against Stevens.

“It’s his presence,” sophomore guard Chris Cruz said. “He causes a lot of people not to drive to the basket. … He’s a big part of our defense and that’s one of the reasons we were successful [against Stevens].”

With the win, the Blue and Gold moved into first place in the Empire 8. There are three games remaining in the regular season, all against conference opponents. On Saturday, the Bombers will face archrival St. John Fisher College, a game that Bostic said he will not be missing.

“They beat us here twice last year,” he said. ”We’re very motivated to get some payback and show our home crowd that we can beat Fisher.”