Ron Bonham was great, and UC teammates knew it
Ron Bonham was one of the top stars in University of Cincinnati basketball history, and his teammates knew they were seeing something special.
As a UC sophomore, 6-foot-5 forward Bonham was the second leading scorer on the Bearcats’ 1961-62 NCAA championship team at 14.3 points per game. As a junior, Bonham was the top scorer (21.0 ppg) on UC’s NCAA runner-up team. As a senior, Bonham again led UC in scoring (24.4) as UC finished 17-9.
Bonham died last Saturday at age 73, after a brief battle with liver cancer. Tributes continue to pour in for the former Bearcat and Muncie Central (Indiana) prep star.
Muncie basketball legend Ron Bonham dies
George Wilson, a former UC standout and teammate of Bonham's, said Bonham deserves to be on any list of great shooters.
"You talk about Oscar (Robertson) and (Stephen) Curry, I can flat-out tell you that Ron Bonham was one of the greatest shooters of all time on any level," Wilson said. "He could really shoot it from the corner, from anywhere. And this was before the 3-point shot."
Wilson said he and fellow UC star Paul Hogue would often set double screens for Bonham.
"I'd say, 'Don't pass it, Ron. Shoot the ball,' " Wilson said.
Larry Shingleton, another former UC teammate, also remembers setting screens for Bonham.
“I used to tell him all the time, because I didn’t shoot very much, that I’d pick for him,” Shingleton said. “Once he got open he’d put it in the basket. He was a really good shooter, had a great touch.”
Bonham was a first-team All-American as a UC junior and second-team All-American as a senior.
Bonham left UC with 1,666 career points, at the time No. 2 to Oscar Robertson (2,973) on the all-time Bearcats list.
Bonham now stands No. 8 on the UC career scoring list. But, Bonham’s career scoring average of 19.6 ranks No. 3 on the UC list behind Robertson (33.8, from 1957-58 to 1959-60) and Lloyd Batts (20.1, from 1971-72 to 1973-74).
Bonham went on to play for two NBA championship Boston Celtics teams, and he later played one season for the Indiana Pacers in the old American Basketball Association. Bonham averaged 6.1 points per game in his professional career.
“I used to get on him about his defense, because I told him I was tired of guarding his man and mine too,” Shingleton said. “He didn’t get upset or pout about that, he took it well. He really was a fantastic shooter and a good individual. He was a fun-loving guy.”
During Bonham’s junior year, he made 89.2 percent of his free throws (173-for-194), which remains a UC record. Bonham was inducted into UC’s James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.
Visitation is Friday at Muncie Fieldhouse from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by a service. Further details are available at the Meeks Funeral Home website, meeksmortuary.com.