Opinion: Bonnies fans react to Mark Schmidt’s impending departure

OLEAN STAR – ERIC M. FIRKEL

Fans emotions are running high as Mark Schmidt’s tenure as the winningest coach in St. Bonaventure history comes to an end.

Bonaventure fans point to changes in the SBU athletic department as a reason for this season’s struggles. In June 2024, Le Moyne Athletic Director and 1987 Bona alum Robert Beretta was appointed as Vice President and Director of Athletics at Saint Bonaventure University. Later in 2024, SBU created a position as General Manager for the Basketball program and appointed former ESPN reporter, NBA insider and 1991 SBU alum Adrian “Woj” Wojnarowski as GM. This was Woj’s first post as a sports executive.

Mark Schmidt is the 4th winningest coach in Atlantic 10 history and highly respected in NCAA coaching circles. Critics of Schmidt point to the changing nature of college basketball in the NIL era, where players, and sometimes entire rosters change every year. They argue that Schmidt’s system which includes hundreds of plays does not translate as well where he cannot develop players over a four-year college career. Others point to the 2023 departure of Associate Head Coach Steve Curran to George Mason as a contributing factor in the Bonnies’ struggles. Curran is widely regarded as a top talent evaluator and recruiter.

The reaction of Bonaventure fans to Schmidt’s departure is mixed. For weeks attendance by students declined as students intermittently chanted “fire Schmidt” during SBU losses. Then as reports of Mark’s impending firing trickled out over Twitter this week, former players, season ticket holders, and longtime fans reacted.

Tyler Relph, St. Bonaventure point-guard from 2005-2008 said, “[p]raying what I am hearing at my Alma Mater St. Bonaventure isn’t true. The greatest advocate, person and coach in SBU History! Did more for that school than anyone!!” A season ticket holder commented anonymously on the turmoil in the athletic department, “for 60 years my family has held season tickets and has a long history with SBU from Presidents to Professors. If the toxicity in the Athletic Department continues, we will not be renewing our tickets or supporting St. Bonaventure ever again.”

Mark Schmidt is a longtime advocate of the not-for-profit Coaches vs. Cancer. Former SBU Sixth Man member and season ticket holder Joe Guether, who traveled to several national Coaches vs. Cancer events said, “Marks is one of the most respected college coaches in the country, I’ve listened to other coaches sing his praises ad nauseam. He is irreplaceable.”

Season ticket holder, former corporate sponsor and 1996 SBU alum, Knut Johnsen said, “I can’t believe 19 years of success was torn down in less than 19 months by the new regime at the SBU athletic department. Mark Schmidt is the greatest coach in St. Bonaventure history, if the program needs a rebuild, we should trust the person who brought Saint Bonaventure back from its lowest point in the program’s history, not a former reporter and a 2^nd year Athletic director that presided over the steepest decline since Bob Wickenheiser brought in a welder to play forward.”