St. Bonaventure

2016 & 2021 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year

The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program is in another golden era under head coach Mark Schmidt, who has now completed 18 seasons in charge of the program.

St. Bonaventure's all-time wins leader, Schmidt has keyed the return of the Bonnies to national prominence and as one of the Atlantic 10's finest.

In 2024-25, the Bonnies reached 20 wins for the seventh time under Schmidt, and second in a row, earning a national postseason berth with an NIT home contest.

Schmidt's Bonnies have been responsible for some of the most memorable moments in program history.

The 2020-21 season became one for the ages as the Bonnies captured the Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament championships, the first time Bona's has won both trophies in the same year. Despite a schedule greatly altered due to the pandemic, the Bonnies still added to their streak of double-digit conference victories, going 11-4 in A-10 play for their seventh straight season of 10 or more conference wins, the longest active streak among all Atlantic 10 programs. Junior guard Kyle Lofton earned First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors for the second year in a row, giving the program six consecutive years with a First Team All-Conference selection. Junior center Osun Osunniyi became the Bonnies' first A-10 Defensive Player of the Year and also picked up A-10 Tournament MVP honors as SBU won the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and received a No. 9 seed in the tourney, Bona's highest in the modern history of the bracket.

Along with earning A-10 Coach of the Year honors for the second time, Schmidt was also named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District Coach of the Year as well following the 2020-21 campaign.

In '21-22, he led the Bonnies to their first AP Top 25 ranking in over 40 years, reaching No. 16 in the poll after capturing the Charleston Classic championship with wins over Boise State, Clemson and Marquette. Ultimately, the Bonnies would win 23 games and reach the NIT semifinals after becoming the first mid-major program to win three straight NIT games at Power 5 opponents following victories at Colorado, Oklahoma and Virginia. Schmidt also moved into fifth-place all-time in Atlantic 10 conference coaching wins with 141. 

A shortened schedule in '20-21 was the only thing that kept the Bonnies from an eighth straight season of 18 or more overall wins after the Bonnies finished 2019-20 with 19 victories before the pandemic shutdown. 

A young Bonnies squad in 2018-19 represented one of Schmidt's finest coaching jobs as he guided a freshman-laden team to a 12-6 A-10 record and a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship Game. It marked the fifth straight year of double-digit conference wins, a program first, while Bona's 85 A-10 triumphs since 2015 rank second among all-conference teams. Senior Courtney Stockard' landed on the A-10 First Team while both Kyle Lofton and Osun Osunniyi earned All-Rookie Team picks with Osunniyi also landing on the All-Defensive Team.

Along the way, Schmidt captured history. On Feb. 17, 2019, he became the winningest coach in program history as he passed the legendary Larry Weise with his 203rd victory as Bonnies head coach. 

With the All-Conference backcourt of Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley leading the way, 2017-18 was Schmidt's most successful during his tenure. The Bonnies went 26-8, setting a school record for wins in a season (the prior mark of 25 had stood since the Final Four season of 1969-70) and reaching the NCAA Tournament. There, they beat UCLA in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, for the program's first NCAA win since that same 1969-70 season. The Bonnies went 14-4 in the Atlantic 10 to finish second -- their fourth straight year with double-digit conference victories. Perhaps the most remarkable achievement of the season were the 13 straight wins to end the regular season. Both Adams and Mobley were selected to the All-Conference First Team as well as the NABC All-District Team. Junior forward LaDarien Griffin was named co-winner of the A-10's Chris Daniels Award for Most Improved Player. 

Schmidt's club continued to be a feared offensive unit in 2016-17, leading the Atlantic 10 in scoring at 76.8 points per game. The Bonnies set a school record with 608 free throws and led the A-10 in free throw percentage at .769. Schmidt's team also ranked fourth in A-10 in three-point field goal percentage (.348), second in offensive rebounds (11.5 per game), fourth in turnover margin (+2.3), third in blocked shots (4.3 per game) and fifth in A-10 in rebounding margin (+1.6)

The 2015-16 season was yet another watershed year under Schmidt's leadership. He led the Bonnies to a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season championship, the first in program history, and was named the A-10 Coach of the Year and the NABC District 4 Coach of the Year. St. Bonaventure earned the 16th NIT berth in school history. The Bonnies recorded the first 20+ win regular season since 1976-77, and their 22 wins tied for most ever in a regular season in school history. During the conference season, as competitive as ever in the A-10, the Bonnies set a school record with 14 wins, and their 14-4 mark is a program record for A-10 winning percentage (.777). At the end of the regular season, St. Bonaventure was 27th in the RPI rankings, its best ever. Schmidt's team finished in the top 5 nationally in free throw percentage and led the A-10 in three-point percentage.

Among the Bonnies’ wins in 2016 was a 79-72 decision at Dayton – the program’s fourth straight win over a ranked team and first-ever road win over a Top 25 program.

Schmidt’s blue-collar efforts to revive the tradition-rich program resulted in an unprecedented season in 2011-12. The Bonnies won their first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship title and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where they held a lead on No. 3 Florida State for nearly the entire game but narrowly lost by three points in the closing seconds of the Second Round.

Schmidt was recognized for his remarkable work in rebuilding the Bonnies by being named the 2012 Sporting News Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. He was also named the Basketball Coaches Association of New York Men’s Division I Coach of the Year.

Schmidt was instrumental in the development of 2012 A-10 Player of the Year and AP Honorable Mention All-American Andrew Nicholson, who ended his career ranked second in school history in scoring (2,103 points) and fourth in rebounds (887). Nicholson was selected by the Orlando Magic in the First Round (No. 19 overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft.

More than 30 student-athletes who played at St. Bonaventure under Schmidt have gone on to sign professional basketball contracts.

Schmidt took over the St. Bonaventure program on April 10, 2007, becoming the 19th head coach in school history.

During the 2010-11 campaign, Schmidt oversaw a Bonnies squad that posted the school's first winning season (16-15) and postseason berth (CBI) since 2001-02. 

Schmidt served as the head coach at Robert Morris for six seasons prior to coming to St. Bonaventure. There, he inherited a program that had managed just a 7-22 record in the season before his arrival. Schmidt quickly turned things around, leading the Colonials to the Northeast Conference Tournament semifinals in 2004 and 2006. During his six seasons at RMU, he had an overall record of 82-90, including a 15-14 mark in 2005-06, the program's first winning season since 2000. Schmidt turned the Colonials into a year-in and year-out contender in the conference, posting a 58-52 mark in league play highlighted by four seasons of 10 or more league wins.

Schmidt coached six NEC All-Conference players at RMU, along with three All-Rookie team selections and one Conference Rookie of the Year in Jeremy Chappell in 2006.

Prior to Robert Morris, Schmidt spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Xavier University under head coach Skip Prosser. Schmidt served as the program's top recruiter, landing future NBA players Torraye Braggs (Houston Rockets), Lionel Chalmers (Minnesota Timberwolves), James Posey (Miami Heat), Romain Sato (San Antonio Spurs) and David West (New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets). With most of his coaching responsibilities centered around the post players, Schmidt helped develop West into a three-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and the National Player of the Year in 2003.

During his stay in Cincinnati, Ohio, Schmidt helped lead the Musketeers to four NCAA Tournament appearances and the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) twice. Xavier claimed its first-ever Atlantic 10 West Division title in 1996-97 and both the West Division and tournament championships in 1997-98. In 1997, Xavier defeated Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and finished the season with the school's highest Associated Press ranking at No. 13. The Musketeers made it to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden in 1999, finishing third, the school's best finish since 1958.

Schmidt served as an assistant under Prosser at Loyola College during the 1993-94 season. He helped guide the Greyhounds to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament title and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

From 1991-93, Schmidt was an assistant at Penn State University under Bruce Parkhill. The Nittany Lions went 21-8 in 1992 and appeared in the NIT. Schmidt's coaching career began with a two-year stint as an assistant at St. Michael's College in Vermont.
 
Schmidt played four seasons at Boston College, where he received his bachelor's degree in business administration and management with a concentration in marketing. In his freshman season under head coach Tom Davis, the Eagles went 22-10 and made the NCAA Elite Eight. Schmidt played his final three years under the guidance of head coach Gary Williams. Boston College advanced to the NIT in 1984 and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen the other two years.

A native of North Attleboro, Mass., Schmidt and his wife Anita have three sons: Nick, Derek and Michael. Nick was an All-State player at Olean High School in 2013-14 and he is now an assistant coach at Putnam Science Academy after serving two seasons on the Bonnies staff as a graduate assistant. In March of 2016, Derek and Michael helped Olean High to the state championship.

SCHMIDT'S CAREER RECORD

Record at St. Bonaventure: 324-238 (167-138 A-10)
Overall record: 406-328

COACHING CAREER
2007- Head Coach, St. Bonaventure University
• NCAA Tournament, Atlantic 10 Regular Season & Tournament Champions (2021)
• NCAA Tournament, school-record 26 wins (2018)
• Atlantic 10 Conference Regular Season Co-Champions (2016)
• NIT Semifinals (2022), NIT First Round (2016)
• Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (2016, 2021)
• NABC District Coach of the Year (2012, 2021)
• NCAA Tournament Second Round (2012)
• Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship (2012)
• Sporting News Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (2012)
• Basketball Coaches Association of New York Division I Coach of the Year (2012)
• College Basketball Invitational (2011)

2001-07 Head Coach, Robert Morris University

1994-01 Assistant Coach, Xavier University
• NCAA Tournament (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001)
• National Invitational Tournament (1999, 2000)
• Atlantic 10 West Championship (1997, 1998)
• Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship (1998)
• Midwestern Collegiate Conference Championship (1995)

1993-94 Assistant Coach, Loyola (Md.) College
• NCAA Tournament (1994)

1991-93 Assistant Coach, Penn State
• National Invitational Tournament (1992)

1989-91 Assistant Coach, St. Michael’s College

PLAYING CAREER
1981-85 Boston College
• NCAA Tournament (1982, 1983, 1985)
• National Invitation Tournament (1984)
• Elite Eight (1982)
• Sweet Sixteen (1983, 1985)
• Played for Gary Williams (1983-85)

1977-81 Bishop Feehan
• Second all-time leading scorer (1,450 points)
• Member of Bishop Feehan Hall of Fame

PERSONAL
Birthdate: Feb. 12, 1963
Hometown: North Attleboro, Mass.
Alma mater: Boston College (1985)
Wife: Anita
Children: Nick, Derek, Michael