St. Bonaventure announced the hiring of Adrian Wojnarowski as general manager of the basketball team on Wednesday. Wojnarowski, a 1991 Bonaventure graduate, was an NBA insider for ESPN and Yahoo Sports and is a distinguished alum of SBU’s Jandoli School of Communication.
In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, Wojnarowski will look to provide stability and guidance to a basketball program that saw just five returning players from last year’s squad, which made it to the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals. Wojnarowski will use his connections and resources to recruit and field future teams.
“(Woj) has so many contacts,” said St. Bonaventure president Jeff Gingerich. “Professional basketball, both European and American. He is thinking about how he can assist our student-athletes, both athletically and academically.”
Recently hired athletic director Bob Beretta agreed with Gingerich, saying Wojnarowski will add fuel to the fire beyond athletics.
“Woj will help in so many different areas, not just wins and losses,” said Beretta. “He will provide leadership and expertise to our student-athletes and student body.”
Being a Bonaventure graduate and a globally esteemed journalist, Wojnarowski lacks the experience of an administrative position that some would say is necessary. Berreta has a rebuttal for that argument.
“We understand that we need to make bold decisions sometimes,” said Beretta. “We may not have all the advantages that other larger schools do have, so we are going to try to leverage every asset.”
Head coach Mark Schmidt agreed with the “bold choice” made by Berreta and the administration.
“This move is critical to navigate the new landscape of college basketball in NIL, recruiting and retention,” said Schmidt. “Woj can only help our program remain among the top teams in the Atlantic 10 going forward.”
Wojnarowski has been a board member with Team Unfurl, the SBU men’s basketball team NIL collective. In his new position as GM, he will work hand in hand with Team Unfurl, as a NIL liaison, player-alumni relationship coordinator, and fundraiser. Now it is from the side of the school.
Berreta emphasized that the Wojnarowski hire has “been worked on for several months” and that these things “just didn’t happen overnight.”
“[Wojnarowski] called me and asked me, ‘Would I be crazy if I told you I was interested in this position?,'” said Beretta. “I told him I wasn’t sure what his contract situation was, but I would be happy to talk further with him about it.”
And talk further they did.
“He would break a trade during the season and then 2 minutes later text me about the GM position,” said Berreta. “How would I not allow one of our best assets to get involved when he is so eager to?”
Ever since the departure of former athletic director Joe Manhertz due to a declined bid to the NIT with no discussion or announcement to the school, Bona fans and faithful have been urgently waiting for something to cheer about. Something to get excited for. Now, they have another face in administration who is just as dedicated to winning as they are.
