(Story courtesy of Owen Albright, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant at St. Bonaventure University and GoBonnies.com. This feature is part of the “Bonnies Baseline” series, which spotlights Bona players in each home game program. Game programs are available for free at Reilly Center entrances throughout the season.)

Ilia Ermakov is no stranger to the cold.

A freshman on the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team and native of Russia, he is in the minority of Bonnies basketball recruits who needs no adjustment to the harsh winters of Western New York.

“In Russia it’s mostly colder than here. In the winter, it could be minus 30,” Ermakov said.

And while that’s in Celsius, it’s still pretty frosty by any measure.

A 6-foot-6 guard who first picked up the sport as a second grader in his hometown of Kursk, Ermakov moved to the Russian capital of Moscow in 2018 alongside his mother, Olga, to pursue his basketball dreams.

At first, Ermakov joined the CSKA Moscow Junior Program, then advancing to the CSKA Youth Team by 2022 to sign his first professional contract at just 14 years old. He won six combined titles across his appearances in youth and junior championships, winning MVP following three of those tournaments.

Despite displaying consistent championship-winning ability, Ermakov stays humble regarding his Russian career.

“For some people I was a star there, and for some people I wasn’t. For me, it was nothing. I was just playing,” the Russian U-20 National Team standout said.

Though Ermakov’s experience in the cold prepared him well for his time in the Northeast, there were many other areas in which he struggled during his transition to the United States. One major shock came when first he arrived in the country, touching down in Los Angeles where he stayed for a few weeks to train and enter pickup games with NBA-level talent such as San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyana.

“First is of course language. After I started learning English in December of the last year, it was kind of a shock for me. When I came to Los Angeles, I couldn’t speak. I was in shock and I was shy because I had an accent,” Ermakov said.

The freshman also highlighted food as a significant change he has had to deal with, mentioning that “there is a culture of fast food in the USA, but at home I didn’t eat their fast foods and restaurants. My mom cooked every time.”

Aside from cultural differences, Ermakov has had to adjust to new style and pace of basketball.

“Here, it is more physical basketball,” he said. “Of course, it’s so different between the tactics in Russia and the USA. In Russia, we play more organizational basketball than here. Here, we are running and reading situations.”

Ermakov also cited contrasts between Russia and the United States regarding the community and structure around basketball.

“At home, there are no fans. Here, there is a big culture of fans. There are good facilities wherever you’re playing,” he said. “There is so much appreciation for experience, but in Russia it doesn’t matter for us. My former team was building to grow players for the highest level in Russia.”

Throughout navigating his move to a new country and lifestyle, Ermakov has been able to lean on the help and companionship of his fellow European newcomers and teammates, Achille Lonati and Andrew Osasuyi of Italy as well as John Ikpotokin of Ireland. “When I came to Bonaventure, I still was shy. I had an accent and I was not fluent in English. They helped me to grow and speak,” he said. “I was just talking with them and through a lot of mistakes I grew my English.”

After a difficult first few months, Ermakov has now found his stride amidst a massive lifestyle change.

“The first two or three months it was kind of bad. I was missing my home,” he said. “These feelings are not gone, but I just embrace that I am away from my home. My family told me that I came to the USA for my dreams and my reasons, so I need to be focused on basketball and not my feelings and emotions.”

The Russian’s breakout game for the Bonnies came earlier this season on Dec. 6 at Buffalo. In 21 minutes of action, he posted 12 points and two assists on five-for-eight shooting, earning the Bonnies’ postgame MVP honor for the first time. Being mobbed by his teammates in the locker room after that performance was one of many firsts for him in the past year.

“It was kind of new for me because we don’t have these celebrations at home. I didn’t know what I had to do,” Ermakov said.

He also saw 15 minutes of action against North Carolina before suffering an ankle injury at the end of December. Sidelined with a boot for the past couple of weeks, Ermakov is looking forward to returning to the court, hopefully before the end of the season.

“I want to get back on the court but I’m not trying to push that. I want to be healthy,” he said.

When he does make his return, Ermakov will keep the same grounded approach that helped him pursue his Division I basketball dreams and find success earlier in the season with more moments like that Buffalo game still to come.

“Every time I come off the bench, I just do my best and it was my night. That’s all I can say. It was my night.”