Follow up to the Woj Bomb last week…we’ve got some Woj aftershock! More accurately, on September 25th, St. Bonaventure held an introductory press conference for Adrian Wojnarowski’s first season as Bonnies Hoops GM. I just finished up watching the presser and wanted to jot down some thoughts. Note: I did not watch this on the live stream. If a game (or show in WWE’s case) has implications out the ass (playoffs, PLE’s, etc.) or I have nothing going on that particular night, I’ll certainly watch them live. But, I do have a life and I’m not yet getting paid for any of my musings, so I’ll happily DVR games or shows when necessary, so I can watch everything in full…or fast forward if a game gets out of hand or Natalya walks down the aisle for a match.
Anyway, I didn’t watch this live because I was working BUT I did watch it in full. And man oh man, only minutes into the Bonnies Chief Communications Officer Tom Missle’s speech, I felt like Kramer in “The Contest” because I was ready to declare:
The Fordham Assistant Athletic Director Andrew O’Connell had a quote which I thought describes St. Bonaventure and it’s cult-like alumni base: “I’m continually baffled and beyond jealous of the undying love that Bona alums have for their alma mater. Every single Bona grad I’ve met would take a bullet for this place, especially for the basketball program. Every athletic department in America should aspire to this.” There’s something in the water (beer) in those Allegany Mountains (Burton taps) because it really is true. I am obsessed with the Bonnies hoops team, as are thousands of others like me. It’s so satisfying watching away games on TV and being bombarded with chants of, “Let’s go, Bonas!”
Woj gets choked up early into this speech after declaring that he could’ve been anywhere in the country to start the new basketball season (Boston, LA) but he chose to be at St. Bonaventure. I’m sure it helps not having to report ad nauseam about the James Boys in La La Land. Having a home base in a place that he genuinely loves, it’s understandable to see Adrain get choked up a bit.
In the face of a new NCAA landscape, Bonaventure is committed to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the best programs in the nation. I know it’s a homer, biased viewpoint but I always wished Bonaventure could turn into the “Gonzaga of the East”. I really believe that there’s not a stronger fan base for a small school in the country. Player development-wise, Coach Mark Schmidt is the cream of the crop. And now having Adrian Wojnorawski’s vast contacts and P.R. reach, there’s at least a little bit of hope that my Gonzaga pipe dream could be realized. I’d say the odds are now officially slightly higher than a girl like Lloyd Christmas’ shot of landing a boy like Mary Swanson.
BONER OF THE WEEK QUOTE: “I learned about the importance of relationships at St. Bonaventure. How to build them, how to nurture them, and how to value them…Our program will be the beneficiary of those relationships. Of the global basketball network that I’ve built over decades. A network that I have felt reverberate since our announcement.”
Woj refers to Mark Schmidt as the best coach in college basketball multiple times. This is the best kept secret in college basketball. I’m biased, I know, but I will always defend Schmidt as the best player developer in the country. He’s a master at identifying diamonds in the rough and molding them into players who will later be deemed by pundits with such phrases as, “How was this guy not more highly-recruited out of high school?” The truth: Mark Schmidt developed them into realizing their full potential. See: Andrew Nicholson, Jaylen Adams, Dion Wright, LaDarien Griffin, Courtney Stockard, Denzel Gregg, Kyle Lofton, Dom Welch, Jalen Adaway, and the list goes on. Hell, maybe even toss Chris Mathews in there too, even though he started his career at Washington State. The “Lethal Shooter” is getting honored by the Naismith Hall of Fame!
Woj reveals that there are several national sponsors who want to get in the business of Bonas, which would help contribute to the NIL. He later declines to elaborate after a student reporter from the BV asks if he can reveal specifics. A bit of a frustrating political-esque sidestep after the BV follow-up question, but I get it. It’s exciting to hear Bonaventure’s name associated with the word ‘national’ in any capacity.
“When you come to Bonaventure, you are a giant killer.” – UCLA, Notre Dame, Maryland, Oklahoma, Colorado, Syracuse, etc wins noted. Bonaventure is 11-7 against Power 6 teams in the last few seasons. Admittedly, I didn’t even realize that Bonaventure’s record against the Power 6 was as good as it is! A lot of those wins came from the giant slayings as they navigated super late night east coast starts as they busted the bracket of the 2022 NIT. Personal note: I was at the Carrier Dome game in late 2017 when Bonaventure beat Syracuse and man, that was a night I’ll never forget.
BONUS BONER OF THE WEEK! Mark Schmidt: “Guys, we got Woj. If Woj put his name in the portal, it would be Kansas, Carolina, and Duke. This is a grand slam!”
While Woj will concentrate on men’s basketball, he’ll help out for other teams as well, both men’s and women’s. Bob Beretta mentions that a couple baseball recruits met him on campus and accepted a scholarship soon thereafter. Now, I’m not sure if Adrian had any actual effect on these recruits committing to the baseball team but it’s still a cool coincidental little nugget. This again is great news for the school as a whole. The men’s basketball team is Bonaventure’s breadwinner no doubt, but any additional resources towards the other sports can only be a good thing.
Overall, a big day for St. Bonaventure. The alumni and fan base are ready for an exciting season. The A-10 pundits are down on SBU coming into the year, and I guess rightfully so as they’re only returning one singular player. But, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that they might take the shape of a typical Mark Schmidt recruit and surprise the conference. And I’ll be expanding on that soon with the Bonaventure basketball preview…right here…at notjustshootyhoops.com!