By Carson Hayek, Sports Staffer
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team introduced new head coach Mike MacDonald during a press conference in the Reilly Center on Wednesday.
Hundreds of students and fans attended the introductory press conference, where MacDonald spoke alongside Bonaventure’s Vice President and Director of Athletics, Bob Beretta, and the university’s President, Jeff Gingerich.
MacDonald, Beretta, and Gingerich addressed a wide range of topics. Here are the seven takeaways:
1. Player retention is a priority
On April 7, the NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal officially opened. According to an ESPN article, more than 1,000 players have already entered the portal. Of those players, four Bonnies entered the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.com.
MacDonald addressed the importance of retention.
“The key to retention is if you can build an environment where people want to be there, and they enjoy being a part of it,” MacDonald said. “The grass isn’t always greener. You have to have a spot where players enjoy playing for [those around them], they feel they are being developed, and feel they can achieve what they want to achieve.”
Among the hundreds in attendance, players from last year’s team who have yet to announce their plans, such as freshman center Andrew Osasuyi and sophomore forward Joe Grahovac, watched from the stands.
Following the press conference, MacDonald told the media that he has been in contact with those who have not transferred.
“We were in contact with everybody,” MacDonald said. “We told them to give us a chance to see what it is like. We talked to some of the agents, and for some of them, we told them our plan on how we will get them better. With a new coach, it’s [about] getting to know them on a personal level.”
2. Bonaventure conducted a thorough search
On March 7, the Bonaventure athletic department announced a national search for its next head coach. Beretta added further information at the press conference.
“This was a very diverse and thorough search,” Beretta said. “We interviewed over 20 candidates from all [over the country]. We talked to head coaches, assistants, and a lot of highly talented candidates. On more than one occasion, we had references say [hey that candidate would be awesome] but you have a guy right up the road you really need to consider.”
Beretta, Gingerich and the search committee hired MacDonald, the man up the road.
“People who have worked, known, or competed against Mike have spoken about his integrity, work ethic, and building programs the right way,” Gingerich said. “Those endorsements mattered and were consistent across the board. What excited us most was how MacDonald has won. He has developed young men, developed strong cultures, and led with purpose.”
3. Bonaventure administrators hear the social media noise
Rumors have circulated on X with varying levels of reliability across multiple topics.
Beretta addressed unhappy supporters and alumni on March 17 with a letter regarding the departure of former Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt.
Over three weeks later, MacDonald addressed a rumor about him and Bonnies general manager, Adrian Wojnarowski, being roommates at Bonaventure.
“I’ve known Woj for about 30 years,” MacDonald said. “There is a lot of misinformation out there. He was never my roommate.”
The 59-year-old head coach also spoke on how fast word gets around at Bonaventure.
“About 10 days ago, I met with Dr. Gingerich and Bob in the basement of the Reilly Center at 8 a.m. and came in the back door and snuck down inside,” MacDonald said. “We didn’t see anybody, but after a few hours, I got back in my car, and at about 3 p.m., my wife said I was all over Twitter, and they all knew I was on campus. Bona Nation has nothing on TMZ.”
4. The coaching staff remains incomplete
Pete Thamel, an insider for ESPN, announced on April 7 that Akbar Waheed, Clive Bentick, Nick Fruscio and Nick MacDonald would all be assistant coaches.
MacDonald provided insight into Thamels’ report.
“I can’t talk yet about the personnel stuff yet, because it’s not done,” MacDonald said. “We have started to put together a [staff].”
MacDonald also added what he looks for in his assistant coaches.
“We wanted people with connections in the high school ranks, along with the transfer portal,” MacDonald said. “Also, [we wanted coaches] with connections to specific areas, such as Canada. We also need guys who love to teach, love the game, and are great connectors. If you can connect with the players, that goes a long way in making sure their environment is good so they want to stay around.”
5. Bonaventure wants more involvement from former players and alumni
MacDonald repeatedly emphasized that to be competitive, the Bonnies need participation from more than just those in the locker room.
“We have to be creative; we need a collaborative effort from everybody for us to be successful,” MacDonald said. “We will build a roster our fans can be proud of, and we will work to retain that roster. It can be challenging, but with a team effort, we can be successful.”
Bonaventure’s 20th head coach also emphasized the importance of connecting to former players following a question from Bona Hall of Fame member Andrew Nicholson.
“We need to have players back on campus,” MacDonald said. “If we can get the players back on campus, we can show the guys how much Bonaventure means to the players. We want to show players they are in a special place. The biggest thing we can do is get our former players back on campus and show the successes the players have achieved.”
6. The chain of command
Following Schmidt’s departure, questions arose about who made the majority of decisions for Bonnies basketball.
During Wojnarowski’s introductory press conference in September 2024, Wojnarowski said he worked for Schmidt. MacDonald reiterated that Wojnarowski works for him.
“Woj is our general manager, but he reports to me,” MacDonald said. “What is the chain of command was one of the first questions I had for Bob. Woj reports to me, but he is a very valuable tool for us to use. He has connections to agents that I don’t have. His connections can get us in the door, and we have to use that. He is very valuable as a fundraiser for us, so we can compete in the Atlantic 10. Our recruiting has to be relationship-driven.”
7. Identity
The next team’s identity has already been decided with over six months until the first game in the MacDonald era.
“We want this team to be very unselfish both offensively and defensively,” MacDonald said. “We want to play together and be very tough and connected at both ends of the court. We have to play to the talent we have and give them the best chance to be successful.”
There appears to be a culture shift through that identity.
“We have a lot of good things here at Bonaventure,” MacDonald said. “It’s easy to focus on what you don’t have or the negatives, but we are going to focus on the positives.”
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