By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

As the LaGrange College men’s basketball team headed into a new season, senior Alex Bonner was being counted on to provide a major presence in the scoring column.

So far, so good.

Bonner is averaging 20 points per game for the 2-2 Panthers, and he’s coming off an outstanding performance in the Lee Richter Classic that wrapped up on Sunday.

In two games, Bonner averaged 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and four steals to help the Panthers go 1-1 in the event that was held at LaGrange College.

Based on those two games, Bonner was named the men’s basketball player of the week in the USA South.

In an 84-78 victory over Emory on Saturday, which was ranked 17th in NCAA Division III, Bonner scored 20 points while pulling down eight rebounds.

On Sunday in a 66-63 loss to Oglethorpe, Bonner scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Bonner, who played at Spalding High in Griffin, is in his fourth season in the LaGrange College program.

Bonner became a full-time starter as a sophomore when he scored 12.5 points per game, and he averaged 12.9 points a game last season.

Bonner was the MVP of last season’s USA South tournament when he averaged 15.3 points and seven rebounds per game.

Bonner has helped the Panthers make three consecutive trips to the NCAA Division III national tournament.

Bonner needs 20 more points to reach 1,000 points for his career.

He’ll get a chance to reach that milestone on Thursday when LaGrange College opens its USA South schedule at Covenant.