ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – It was a special day on campus as St. Bonaventure President Dr. Jeff Gingerich and Director of Athletics Joe Manhertz formally welcomed Jim Crowley back as women's basketball head coach in front of the campus community Monday morning.

"This place is family." Crowley stated. "It is interwoven in all that I am and all that I have here. To come back here and be part of this community, be part of this school and be part of this program is heavy in the best possible way. Thank you to everyone who has made this happen."

Crowley returns to the Bonnies as the program's all-time leader in head coaching wins, registering 258 victories in 16 seasons from 2000-16. During the last decade of his initial 16-year stint with the Bonnies, Crowley led the program to two NCAA Tournament appearances, four WNIT berths and a run to the Sweet 16 in 2012. In that span, the Bonnies won 21 or more games six times and went 171-90 between 2008-09 and 2015-16. The team also won at least one game in every postseason appearance.

"Knowing what he's meant to this program and understanding what he did and how he accomplished it was really important to us," Manhertz said. "Just knowing that he fits what Bonaventure stands for."

"When I first spoke to Jim on the phone, his love for St. Bonaventure and our Franciscan mission came through clearly," said Gingerich. "There was no doubt that Jim was the perfect fit for us here at St. Bonaventure."

He garnered ESPN.com National Coach of the Year honors in 2012 and is a three-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, earning accolades in 2009, 2012 and 2014. Crowley helped St. Bonaventure to its first-ever national ranking during the 2011-12 season and received votes once again during the 2015-16 campaign.

"I was missing this community, I was missing the people," Crowley stated. "I was missing the Franciscan values and I was missing the feeling that is Bonaventure."

Crowley served as the head coach for Providence College for the past seven seasons, capturing 85 wins. He guided the Friars to a nine-win improvement during his first season. He led Providence to its first national postseason berth since 2010, winning 19 games and advancing to the WNIT Round of 16.

To view Monday's campus welcome event, click here.

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