ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The smile on the face of St. Bonaventure men’s basketball head coach Mark Schmidt perfectly summed up the feelings of Bonnies fans everywhere over the past week.

“We got Woj,” he exclaimed during Wednesday’s press conference formally introducing the former ESPN Senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, ’91, as the first-ever men’s basketball general manager at St. Bonaventure. 

“If Woj put his name in the portal,” Schmidt said, comparing the most well-known news-breaker in the NBA over the past decade to the current collegiate sports landscape, “there would be Kansas, Carolina and Duke after him. This is a grand slam.”

In his role as general manager, Wojnarowski will serve the coaching staff in managing a wide range of responsibilities including name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities and as a liaison with collectives; transfer portal management; recruit, family and alumni player relationships; professional player programs; and program fundraising.

And while some in the sports world might have found his decision to retire from his role at ESPN, one that made him a household name to sports fans, perhaps a bit puzzling, Wojnarowski quickly made it clear that this opportunity with the Bonnies – to return home to his beloved alma mater – was one too good to pass up.

“This is a magical place,” he said. “Around this time of year at ESPN, someone would always ask me, where do you want to be for the opening of NBA training camps? Did I want to be in Boston, with the defending champion Celtics, or in LA with the Lakers and LeBron, or maybe Oklahoma City to see one of the best young teams in the world. I’ve been thinking about that question – and I finally had an answer. I wanted to be with the Bonnies on the opening day of practices.”

A man who could be anywhere of his choosing in the basketball world ultimately chose to return home where he will help Schmidt and his staff continue to grow a program that has become one of the best in the Atlantic 10 over Schmidt’s 17 years at the helm. 

“Make no mistake about it, this is a big, bold move,” said St. Bonaventure vice president and director of athletics Bob Beretta. “Adding the preeminent basketball journalist of our time with his strong network of global relationships is certainly a loud and clear example of that. Today we stand a little bolder and even more poised to capitalize on this historic moment.”

Wednesday represented the first official day of practice for the program and the start of a new era that will see Wojnarowski lead the charge in guiding Bonaventure to the forefront of the college basketball world during the new era of NIL. 

“I’m here to compete and win; and to do it the Bonaventure way,” he said. “I’m committed to upholding Coach Schmidt’s championship culture and values. I’m here to help the best coach in college basketball, his talented staff and our student-athletes win more Atlantic 10 Championships, go to more NCAA Tournaments and put more players in the NBA and into pro basketball. The world of college sports is changing dramatically, but our leadership is sending a clear message to everyone – St. Bonaventure is committed to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the best programs in the nation.”

In helping St. Bonaventure not only survive but thrive in the changing college sports landscape, Wojnarowski plans on using the relationships he’s built in the industry over his decades in journalism to recruit talent, strengthen the program in the NIL space and create opportunities for Bonnies athletes following their days in Brown and White.

Indeed, Woj’s extensive network grew in large part because of the lessons learned on campus during his days as a college student at Bonaventure.

“I learned about the importance of relationships at St. Bonaventure: how to build them, how to nurture them and how to value them,” he said. “Our program will be the beneficiary of those relationships, of the global basketball network I’ve built over decades.”

It’s a network that has been buzzing with what Woj described as “game-changing opportunities to help recruit and retain student-athletes” in the days since his announcement.

“The relationships that Woj has, we couldn’t develop in the next 50 years (ourselves),” Schmidt said. “What he will bring to the program is something you can’t put into words. His reputation … it’s Woj. He’s going to bring great things for our program.”

With practices officially starting Wednesday – Schmidt’s first official work with this year’s group ran into Wojnarowski’s press conference – and the new GM’s duties getting underway Oct. 1, the man known for tirelessly breaking stories will begin his new life’s work.

“Nobody gives you good players, just like nobody gives you a good story as a journalist,” Wojnarowski said. “You have to work for them. You earn them. That’s what Coach Schmidt’s program is built on – earning it every day.”

Watch the entire press conference: click the video link below for Wednesday's introductory press conference in its entirety 

Learn more about Team Unfurl, a collective that supports NIL opportunities for St. Bonaventure University Men's Basketball players.