St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball

Last updated
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
Basketball current event.svg 2023–24 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team
St. Bonaventure Script Logo.png
University St. Bonaventure University
All-time record1420–1064 (.570)
Head coach Mark Schmidt (17th season)
Conference Atlantic 10
Location Allegany, New York
Arena Reilly Center
(Capacity: 5,480)
NicknameBonnies
ColorsBrown and white [1]
   
Uniforms
Kit body thinsidesonwhite.png
Kit body basketball.svg
Kit shorts blanksides2.png
Kit shorts.svg
Home
Kit body thinwhitesides.png
Kit body basketball.svg
Kit shorts whitesides.png
Kit shorts.svg
Away


NCAA tournament Final Four
1970
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1970
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1961, 1968, 1970
NCAA tournament appearances
1961, 1968, 1970, 1978, 2000, 2012, 2018, 2021
Conference tournament champions
2012, 2021
Conference regular season champions
2016, 2021
WNY3: 1950, 1951, 1957, 1958

The St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball (formerly the St. Bonaventure Brown Indians) team is the college basketball team that represents St. Bonaventure University, located near the city of Olean, New York. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference and plays its home games at the Reilly Center. The Bonnies are currently coached by all-time coaching wins leader Mark Schmidt, who during his 12th season surpassed former coach Larry Weise with his 203rd victory. [2]

Contents

History

Beginnings

Of the major sports at St. Bonaventure, basketball was the last introduced. In 1902, the first team had been put together, mainly consisting of former football players. The coach of this team was university professor Patric Driscoll. Official records of these games were not kept. Proper facilities were not available until four years later when intramural games began to be played in a handball court on campus.

In 1916, Butler Gym was constructed, but wasn't finished by the time the intercollegiate team played its first game against University at Buffalo. This game was played in the Olean Armory. Games were cancelled until after World War I had ended. The first game played in Butler Gym was during the 1919-1920 season with Richard Phelan as the coach. Basketball prospered on campus in the decades between World War I and World War II. From 1942 to 1944, basketball was again put on hold for a world war. Following World War II, Anslem Kreiger, a former All-American Basketball player, took over the program, with a record of 15-10 over his two-year tenure. The Brown Indians returned to the Olean Armory after the war and remained there for the next 20 seasons. The team was noted for having won 99 consecutive home games at the Armory before that streak was broken in February 1961. [3] [4]

Ed (Melvin) Milkovich took over the basketball team for a six-year period starting with the 1948–49 season, after Kreiger was promoted to athletic director. This was a period of great success for the program, with two appearances in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), the first during the 1950–51 season when the team was eliminated in the second round. Further success came with the team's appearance in the 1952 NIT, where they made it to the semifinals. Over his tenure, Milkovich led the team to a record of 98–47.

Edward Donovan took over head coaching duties for the 1953–54 season, holding the position for an eight-year period. The team again made an appearance in the NIT in 1957, again making it to the semifinals [5]

Golden era

Under Donovan, the team made it to the NIT every year from 1957 to 1960. In 1961, the team made its first trip to the NCAA tournament and finished third in its regional. However, this was Donovan's final season coaching the Brown Indians; in May 1961 he took a job as a coach of the New York Knicks.

The 1967-68 team. Bob Lanier has #31 St bona baketball 1967-68 team.jpg
The 1967-68 team. Bob Lanier has #31

Former Brown Indian Larry Weise took over the team starting with the 1961–62 season. In 1964, Weise led the team to the NCIT Tournament and the NIT. Under Weise's tutelage, the team returned to the NCAA tournament in 1968, proceeding to the second round prior to being eliminated. In 1970, St. Bonaventure, led by future NBA-great Bob Lanier, was thought to have a legitimate shot at unseating UCLA for the national title. However, they lost Lanier late in their East regional final victory over Villanova to a torn ligament, causing the All-American to miss the Final Four. St. Bonaventure was upset by Jacksonville in the national semifinals, before losing to New Mexico State in the national consolation game. In each Final Four game, the Lanier-less Bonnies were dominated by the opponent's pivot, Artis Gilmore for Jacksonville and Sam Lacey for New Mexico State.

Weise led the team to another trip to the NIT in 1971. In 1973, he relinquished his post as coach. He was replaced by Jim Satalin, another former Brown Indian. He led the team to a championship in the NIT in 1977. The next year, the team again made it to the NCAA tournament and was defeated in the first round. In 1979, St. Bonaventure joined the Atlantic 10 Conference and the Bonnies made another appearance at the NIT and again were defeated in the first round. [6]

Rebounding

In the 1999–2000 season, the Bonnies finished in second place in A-10 play under coach Jim Baron and lost to #6 ranked Temple in the A-10 tournament championship. The Bonnies received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, their first bid since 1978. However, they failed to advance, losing to #19 ranked Kentucky in double overtime in the first round. Following the season Baron moved on to coach fellow A-10 school, Rhode Island.

2003 scandal

Jan van Breda Kolff was hired to continue the rebuilding Baron had achieved. However, he, instead, did the opposite. The 2002–03 men's basketball season was marred by a scandal after a transfer student from a junior college, Jamil Terrell, was permitted to play even though he had not completed his associate degree and was therefore ineligible for one year. [7] The team was forced to forfeit every game in which he played and was barred from the A-10 Tournament. In protest, players voted to sit out the last two games of the regular season. Head coach Jan van Breda Kolff, athletic director Gothard Lane, and school president Dr. Robert Wickenheiser were all ousted. [8] St. Bonaventure's chairman of the board of trustees, William Swan, took his own life in August 2003, feeling that he had let down his alma mater by failing to prevent the scandal. [9]

St. Bonaventure docked itself three scholarships from 2003 to 2005 and the NCAA subsequently put the team on three years' probation and banned them from postseason play in 2003–04. [10] [11] Subsequently, the Bonnies failed to achieve a winning record until the 2010–11 season under coach Mark Schmidt.

Renewed success

In the 2011–12 season, the team enjoyed more success than in any season since the 2003 scandal. Led by conference Player of the Year Andrew Nicholson — the 19th pick by Orlando in the 2012 NBA draft — they accumulated a 20–12 record during the regular season. They then won the school's first-ever Atlantic 10 tournament title, beating Saint Joseph's, UMass, and Xavier. The conference title earned them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they lost 66–63 to ACC champion Florida State in the second round at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

After Nicholson departed for the NBA, the 2012–13 team failed to qualify for the 2013 A-10 tournament in Brooklyn. However, the 2013–14 Bonnies qualified for the A-10 tournament, advancing to the semifinals. They upset the #1 seed Saint Louis on a buzzer-beater shot by Jordan Gathers, the nephew of the late Hank Gathers. That play made the SportsCenter Top 10 plays of the Night. In the 2014–15 campaign, the Bonnies had a winning record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the A-10 Conference tournament. On February 7, 2015, Bonnies guard Marcus Posley hit a buzzer beater shot to upset the nationally ranked VCU Rams and Shaka Smart at the nearly sold-out Reilly Center. The students, and many fans, rushed the court to celebrate after Posley's shot went in.

The 2015–16 Bonnies finished in a three-way tie for first place in the A-10 regular season. [12] The Bonnies were upset in their first game of the A-10 tournament, losing in overtime to Davidson. [13] The Bonnies failed to receive a bid to the NCAA tournament and were considered one of the "first four out" by the selection committee, their poor non-conference strength of schedule and lack of non-conference quality wins being listed as the reasons they were not selected for a bid. [14] [15] Their omission was widely considered to be one of the largest snubs of the year, if not all time, being the first team to ever to have an RPI ranking in the top 30 and a conference regular season title to their name, and not receive a bid. It came as such a surprise to so many in the college basketball world, that it prompted the Atlantic 10 athletic director to issue a public statement voicing her dissatisfaction with the committee's decision to exclude the Bonnies. [14] The following year, St. Bonaventure alum Brian Toolan wrote a short book about the Bonnies' 2015-2016 season, entitled "Snubbed". [16]

The 2017-18 Bonnies tied the school's season record at 25 wins, a record previously set by the 1969-1970 Final Four team. [17] The 25-win season resulted in an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament as an 11-seed, where the Bonnies went on to beat the UCLA Bruins 65-58 for their first NCAA tournament win since 1970. [18] The 2017-2018 season marked the Bonnies' seventh NCAA tournament appearance in program history and the second under head coach Mark Schmidt. [17] The Bonnies later lost to the Florida Gators 62-77 in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament. [19]

On February 27, 2021 the Bonnies clinched the first ever outright Atlantic 10 regular season title in program history when Davidson defeated VCU 65-57. [20] The successful season continued two weeks later when, on March 14, 2021, the Bonnies won their first A-10 tournament title since 2012, beating VCU 74-65. [21] With this win the Bonnies secured an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, their second in 4 years.

The 2021–22 Bonnies opened the new campaign ranked in the AP Poll for the first time in a half century. [22] Following a win in the Charleston Classic (in which the Bonnies defeated Boise State, Clemson and Marquette) the Bonnies reached as high as 16th in the national poll. The Bonnies went unranked the rest of the season following a loss to Northern Iowa in their first game after the Charleston Classic win. Following an ankle injury to their star Point Guard Kyle Lofton, the Bonnies fell to AP ranked UCONN and were blown out against Virginia Tech in Lofton's return to play. Following that loss to VA Tech. the Bonnies went on a one-month COVID pause due to positive cases within their program and their opponents. The A-10 preseason favorite Bonnies finished the regular season as the 4th seed for the A-10 tournament, losing to 5th seeded Saint Louis in the quarterfinals after Lofton missed 2 free throws trailing by 1 point with under 2 seconds remaining.

The Bonnies returned to National Invitational Tournament (NIT) after missing out on an NCAA tournament berth. They defeated Colorado, Oklahoma and Virginia en route to an appearance at Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinals versus Xavier. [23] The Bonnies fell in that game to finish their season. Following the loss, the "ironman 5 2.0" as they were called composed of Kyle Lofton, Dominick Welch, Jaren Holmes, Jalen Adaway and Osun Osunniyi all opted to take their talents elsewhere. Adaway entered the NBA draft, Lofton transferred to Florida, Holmes and Osunniyi transferred to Iowa State, and Welch transferred to Alabama.

Seasons

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball (Atlantic 10 Conference)(1994–present)
1994–95St. Bonaventure 18–139–74thNIT
1995–96St. Bonaventure 10–184–125th
1996–97St. Bonaventure 14–145–115th
1997–98St. Bonaventure 17–156–104thNIT
1998–99St. Bonaventure 14–158–84th
1999–00St. Bonaventure 21–1011–52ndNCAA Tournament
2000–01St. Bonaventure 18–129–75thNIT
2001–02St. Bonaventure 17–138–83rdNIT
2002–03St. Bonaventure 13–147–96th
2003–04St. Bonaventure 7–213–135th
2004–05St. Bonaventure 2–261–156th
2005–06St. Bonaventure 8–192–1413th
2006–07St. Bonaventure 7–224–1212th
2007–08St. Bonaventure 8–222–1414th
2008–09St. Bonaventure 15–156–1011th
2009–10St. Bonaventure 15–167–98th
2010–11St. Bonaventure 16–158–87thCBI Tournament
2011–12 St. Bonaventure 20–1210–63rdNCAA Tournament
2012–13 St. Bonaventure 14–157–911th
2013–14 St. Bonaventure 18–156–109th
2014–15 St. Bonaventure 18–1310–86th
2015–16 St. Bonaventure 22–914–41stNIT
2016–17 St. Bonaventure 20–1211–75th
2017–18 St. Bonaventure 26–814–42ndNCAA Tournament
2018–19 St. Bonaventure 18–1612–64th
2019–20 St. Bonaventure 19–1211–75thTournaments canceled due to COVID-19
2020–21 St. Bonaventure 16–411–41stNCAA Tournament
2021–22 St. Bonaventure 23–1012–54thNIT
2022–23 St. Bonaventure 14-188-108th
2023–24 St. Bonaventure 20-139-97th
St. Bonaventure Bonnies:1454-1096 (.570)632–662 (.488)
Total:14254-1096 (.570)

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Postseason

NCAA Division I Tournament results

The Bonnies have appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 710.

YearRoundOpponentResult
1961 First round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional third-place game
Rhode Island
Wake Forest
Princeton
W 86–76
L 73–78
W 85–67
1968 First round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional third-place game
Boston College
North Carolina
Columbia
W 102–93
L 72–91
L 75–95
1970 First round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National third-place game
Davidson
North Carolina State
Villanova
Jacksonville
New Mexico State
W 85–72
W 80–68
W 97–74
L 8391
L 73–79
1978 First roundPennsylvaniaL 83–92
2000 First roundKentuckyL 80–85 OT
2012 Second roundFlorida StateL 63–66
2018 First Four
First round
UCLA
Florida
W 65–58
 L 62–77
2021 First roundLSUL 61–76

NCAA Tournament seeding history

The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.

Year '00 '12 '18 '21
Seed1214119

NIT results

The Bonnies have appeared in 17 National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 2118. They were NIT champions in 1977, and were the tournament's top overall seed in 2016. [24]

YearRoundOpponentResult
1951 First round
Quarterfinals
Cincinnati
St. John's
W 70–67
L 58–60
1952 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third-place game
Western Kentucky
Dayton
Duquesne
W 70–69
L 62–69
W 48–34
1957 First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third-place game
Cincinnati
Seattle
Memphis
Temple
W 90–72
W 85–68
L 78–80
L 50–67
1958 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third-place game
St. Joseph's
Xavier
St. John's
W 79–75
L 53–72
W 84–69
1959 First round
Quarterfinals
Villanova
St. John's
W 75–67
L 74–82
1960 First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third-place game
Holy Cross
St. John's
Bradley
Utah State
W 94–81
W 106–71
L 71–82
L 83–99
1964 First roundArmyL 6264
1971 First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third-place game
Purdue
Hawaiʻi
Georgia Tech
Duke
W 94–79
W 73–64
L 71–76
W 92–88
1977 First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Championship Game
Rutgers
Oregon
Villanova
Houston
W 79–77
W 76–73
W 86–82
W 94–91
1979 First roundAlabamaL 8998
1983 First roundIonaL 7690
1995 First round
Second round
Southern Miss
Marquette
W 7570
L 6170
1998 First roundVanderbiltL 6173
2001 First roundPittsburghL 7584
2002 First roundSyracuseL 6676
2016 First roundWagnerL 7579
2022 First round
Second round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Colorado
Oklahoma
Virginia
Xavier
W 7668
W 7068
W 5251
L 77–84

CBI results

The Bonnies have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 01.

YearRoundOpponentResult
2011 First roundUCFL 54–69

In accordance with school policy, since 2014, the team has declined all postseason tournament invitations other than the NCAA tournament and NIT. [15] In 2024, the school reportedly also declined an NIT invitation, one of 17 schools to do so that year. [25]


National polls

St. Bonaventure has finished in the Final Top 25 rankings 6 times in the AP Poll.

St. Bonaventure Final Rankings
YearRecordAP Poll†
195221–615
195920–319
196021–59
196124–43
196823–23
197025–33

The Associated Press began compiling a ranking of the top 20 college men's basketball teams during the 1948–1949 season. It has issued the poll continuously since the 1950–1951 season. Beginning with the 1989-1990 season, the poll expanded to 25 teams.

Notable players and coaches

Coaches with NCAA Tournament appearances

CoachYearsWin–lossWin %Final FourNCAA appearances
Eddie Donovan 1954–1961139–57.55001
Larry Weise 1962–1973202–90.69212
Jim Satalin 1974–1982155-93.62501
Jim Baron 1993–2001132–131.50201
Mark Schmidt 2007–pres268–194†.58003

- As of March 25. 2022

All-Americans

St. Bonaventure has had 11 All-Americans in its history.

PlayerCountYears
Ken Murray 1 1950 AP Honorable Mention
Bob Sassone 1 1952 AP Honorable Mention
Tom Stith 3 1959 AP Honorable Mention 1960 First Team, 1961 First Team
Freddie Crawford 2 1961 AP Honorable Mention, 1964 AP Honorable Mention
Whitey Martin 1 1961 AP Honorable Mention
Bob Lanier 3 1968 Second Team, 1969 AP Second Team, 1970 First Team
Greg Sanders 1 1978 AP Honorable Mention
Earl Belcher 2 1980 AP Honorable Mention, 1981 AP Honorable Mention
Mark Jones 2 1982 AP Honorable Mention, 1983 AP Honorable Mention
Andrew Nicholson 1 2012 AP Honorable Mention
Jaylen Adams 1 2018 AP Honorable Mention

Retired numbers

Sam Stith.jpg
Tom Stith.jpg
Bob lanier 1968 yearbook 02.jpg
Freddie Crawford 1969.jpeg
Fltr (above): Sam Stith, Tom Stith; (below) Bob Lanier, and Freddie Crawford, some of the players whose numbers were retired
St. Bonaventure Bonnies retired numbers
No.PlayerPositionCareerNo. ret.Ref.
13 Ken Murray G1946–19501969 [26]
14Bill ButlerF1964–19681969 [26]
22 Sam Stith G1957–19601969 [26]
25 Earl Belcher F1977–19811991 [26]
Essie Hollis F1973–19771988 [26]
31 Bob Lanier C1967–19701975 [26]
34 Roland Martin PG1958–19611969 [26]
42 Tom Stith F1958–19611969 [26]
44 Andrew Nicholson F2008–2012Feb 22, 2014 [26]
53Greg SandersF1974–1978Dec 3, 2016 [26]
54 Freddie Crawford G1960–19641970 [26]

Basketball Hall of Fame inductees

NamePos.YearsInducted
Bob Lanier F 1967-19701992

Bonnies in the NBA

St. Bonaventure has had 17 former players who have gone on to play in the NBA.

NameYears in NBA
Ken Murray 1951-1955
Billy Kenville 1954-1960
Fred Diute 1955
Brendan McCann 1958-1960
Sam Stith 1962
Whitey Martin 1962
Tom Stith 1963
Freddie Crawford 1967-1971
George Carter 1968-1976
Bob Lanier 1971-1984
Essie Hollis 1979
Glenn Hagan 1982
Mark Jones 1982
David Vanterpool 2001
J.R. Bremer 2003-2004
Andrew Nicholson 2013-2017
Jaylen Adams 2019-2021

Bonnies in the Olympics

NameYearCityPositionCountryMedal
Barry Mungar 1988 Seoul ForwardFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Norman Clarke 1988 Seoul GuardFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada

SBU wins vs. the AP Top 25

Since the 1993–94 season, SBU has played a total of 48 games against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll. SBU has a record of 11–37 against such teams. They have a record of 0–8 against teams in the Top 5 during this span. The Bonnies also hold a record of 9–9 against ranked teams at the Reilly Center since 1993.

YearOpponentResultSite
1950–51#19 Siena
#15 Villanova
#17 Cincinnati
W 47–45
W 74–69
W 70–67
Home
Away
Neutral
1951–52#11 Western Kentucky
#18 Siena
#4 Duquesne
W 73–60
W 69–44
W 49–31
Home
Home
Neutral
1955–56#16 MemphisW 79–67Home
1956–57#14 Canisus
#5 Seattle
W 57–48
W 85–65
Home
Neutral
1959–60#14 Providence
#9 Villanova
W 90–89
W 72–70
Home
Away
1960–61#3 BradleyW 75–61Home
1968–69#18 MarquetteW 84–62Home
1969–70#17 Purdue
#10 Davidson
#10 NC State
W 91–75
W 85–72
W 80–68
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
1971–72#12 ProvidenceW 98–82Home
1977–78#17 SyracuseW 91–84Home
1977–78#16 Providence
#14 Syracuse
W 72–64
W 70–69
Home
Neutral
1993–94#23 George Washington
#19 West Virginia
W 71–67
W 72–66
Home
Home
1997–98#13 Xavier
#20 Rhode Island
#20 Massachusetts
W 80–77
W 86–81
W 72–70
Home
Home
Home
1999–00#23 TempleW 57–56Home
2013–14#21 Massachusetts
#18 St. Louis
W 78–65
W 71–68
Home
Neutral
2014–15#18 VCUW 73–71Home
2015–16#15 DaytonW 79–72Away
2017–18#16 Rhode IslandW 77–74Home

Broadcasting

FM 95.7 in Olean signed on in 1949 and carried the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team from its sign-on through the next 74 seasons. In July 2023, the university announced that it was unable to come to an agreement with the station's current owners to continue broadcasting the games. Beginning with the 2023–24 season, the Bonnies will broadcast their home games exclusively online. The university retained Gary Nease, their play-by-play broadcaster since 1995, to helm the play-by-play broadcast. Chris Russell, former station manager at FM 105.9 in Little Valley (where he formerly broadcast the women's basketball team), will serve as producer of the broadcasts. Nease explained that "I was getting it from both my company and Bonaventure that they weren't happy with some of the things that were going on (...) Bonaventure was doing a good job recruiting corporate sponsors. I think our station and Bonaventure were competing directly against each other for the advertising dollars that we needed to cover our costs and turn a profit." [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Invitation Tournament</span> Collegiate basketball tournament

The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The tournament is played at regional sites with its Final Four played at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City up until 2022. Starting in 2023, the NIT Final Four began following the format of the NCAA Tournament by having its Final Four at different venues each season. First held in 1938, the NIT was once considered the most prestigious post-season showcase for college basketball before its status was superseded in the mid-1950s by the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dayton Flyers men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team representing the University of Dayton

The Dayton Flyers men's basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) representing the University of Dayton in Ohio. The Flyers play their home games at University of Dayton Arena. The Flyers are coached by Anthony Grant who is in his seventh season. In March 2020, Dayton was ranked #3 in the AP Top 25 Poll, its highest ranking since the 1955–56 season when it was ranked #2. The Flyers have never been ranked #1, but Dayton did receive a lone first place vote in the final AP poll of the 2019–2020 season. When the 2020 seasons was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Flyers did not get to participate in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, despite being projected as a #1 seed by several outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VCU Rams men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team that represents Virginia Commonwealth University

The VCU Rams men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball team that represents Virginia Commonwealth University. The Rams joined the Atlantic 10 Conference in the 2012–13 season after previously competing in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). In 2017, VCU was ranked the 40th most valuable men's basketball program in the country by The Wall Street Journal. With a valuation of $56.9 million, VCU ranked second in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and second in the A-10 Conference. The team is coached by Ryan Odom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Bonaventure Bonnies</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of St. Bonaventure University

The St. Bonaventure Bonnies are the varsity intercollegiate athletic programs of St. Bonaventure University, based in St. Bonaventure, New York between the two towns of Allegany and Olean. The Bonnies compete in the National Collegiate Athletics Association's Division I Atlantic 10 Conference, of which it has been a member since 1979. The programs' mascot is the Bona Wolf and the colors are brown and white.

The 2013–14 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team represented St. Bonaventure University during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bonnies, led by seventh year head coach Mark Schmidt, played their home games at the Reilly Center and were members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 18–15, 6–10 in A-10 play to finish in ninth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the A-10 tournament where they lost to Saint Joseph's. Despite an overall winning record that included an upset over top-ranked Saint Louis in the A-10 tournament quarterfinals, the Bonnies were not invited to a postseason bid due to an inability to come to an agreement with the College Basketball Invitational.

The 2014–15 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team represented St. Bonaventure University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bonnies, led by eighth year head coach Mark Schmidt, played their home games at the Reilly Center and were members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 18–13, 10–8 in A-10 play to finish in a three way tie for sixth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the A-10 Tournament where they lost to Dayton. For the second consecutive year, the Bonnies accumulated a winning record but did not receive an invite the postseason; the team failed to qualify for the National Invitation Tournament and, in accordance with school policy, preemptively ruled out participating in either the College Basketball Invitational or CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

The 2015–16 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball season was the 40th season of Atlantic 10 Conference basketball. The 2016 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament was held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The 2015–16 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team represented St. Bonaventure University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bonnies, led by ninth year head coach Mark Schmidt, played their home games at the Reilly Center and were members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 22–9, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in a three-way tie for the regular season championship. They lost in the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament to Davidson. While the two other teams who tied with Saint Bonaventure for the A-10 title received at-large bids to the NCAA tournament, the Bonnies were one of the "First Four Out" and instead received a top seed in the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Wagner.

The 2015–16 St. Bonaventure Bonnies women's basketball team represented the St. Bonaventure University during the 2015–16 college basketball season. The Bonnies were coached by head coach Jim Crowley, in his sixteenth and final year in that position; Crowley left to take over the Providence Friars women's basketball team on May 10, 2016. The Bonnies are members of the Atlantic 10 Conference and play their home games at the Reilly Center. They finished the season 24–8, 12–4 in A-10 play to finish in fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 women's tournament to VCU. They received an at large bid of the NCAA women's tournament where they defeated Oklahoma State in the first round before falling to Oregon State in the second round.

The 2016–17 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team represented St. Bonaventure University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bonnies, led by tenth-year head coach Mark Schmidt, played their home games at the Reilly Center in Olean, New York as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the regular season 20–12, 11–7 in A-10 play to finish in fifth place. They received the No. 5 seed in the A-10 tournament where they defeated UMass in the second round to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to Rhode Island

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016–17 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2016–17 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team represented Saint Mary's College of California during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Randy Bennett's 16th season at Saint Mary's. The Gaels competed in the West Coast Conference and played their home games at the McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, California. They finished the season 29–5, 16–2 in WCC play to finish in second place. In the WCC tournament, they defeated Portland and BYU before losing to Gonzaga in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 7 seed in the West region, they beat VCU in the first round before losing to No. 2-seeded Arizona in the second round.

The 2017–18 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team represented St. Bonaventure University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bonnies, led by 11th-year head coach Mark Schmidt, played their home games at the Reilly Center in Olean, New York as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 26–8, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in second place. They defeated Richmond in the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament before losing in the semifinals to Davidson. They received one of the last four at-large bids to the NCAA tournament where they defeated UCLA in the First Four before losing in the first round to Florida.

The 2018–19 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team represented St. Bonaventure University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bonnies, led by 12th-year head coach Mark Schmidt, played their home games at the Reilly Center in Olean, New York as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 18-16, 12-6 in A-10 play for 4th place. They defeated George Mason and Rhode Island to advance to the championship game where they lost to Saint Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2020–21 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Mike Rhoades, in his fourth year as VCU head coach. The team played their home games at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia, as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 19–7, 10–4 in A-10 play to finish in second place. The Rams defeated Dayton and Davidson in the A-10 tournament before losing to St. Bonaventure in the championship. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West region. Their game against Oregon in the first round was ruled a no-contest due to positive COVID-19 tests in the VCU program, thus ending their season and making VCU the first team ever to forfeit a game in the NCAA tournament.

The 2020–21 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team represented St. Bonaventure University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bonnies, led by 14th-year head coach Mark Schmidt, played their home games at the Reilly Center in Olean, New York as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bonnies finished the season 16–5, 11–4 in A-10 play to win the regular season A-10 championship. They defeated Duquesne, Saint Louis, and VCU to win the A-10 tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the East region. There they lost to LSU in the first round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Lofton</span> American basketball player

Kyle K. Lofton is an American basketball player for Kouvot in the Finnish Korisliiga. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators and St. Bonaventure Bonnies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 VCU Rams men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2021–22 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They are led by fifth-year head coach is Mike Rhoades and played their home games at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 22–10, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the A-10 tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals to Richmond. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Princeton in the first round before losing to Wake Forest.

The 2021–22 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team represented St. Bonaventure University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bonnies, led by 15th-year head coach Mark Schmidt, played their home games at the Reilly Center in Olean, New York as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 23–10, 12–5 in A-10 play to finish in fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament to Saint Louis. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Colorado, Oklahoma, and Virginia to advance to the semifinals. There they lost to Xavier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022–23 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2022–23 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represented Iowa State University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by T. J. Otzelberger in his second season as head coach, and 10th season at Iowa State. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa as members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 19-14, 9-9 in Big 12 Play to have a two-way tie for 5th place. They defeated Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament before losing to Kansas in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they were eliminated in the First Round by Pittsburgh.

The 2022–23 St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball team represented St. Bonaventure University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bonnies, led by 16th-year head coach Mark Schmidt, played their home games at the Reilly Center in Olean, New York as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

References

  1. St. Bonaventure University Brand Style Guide (PDF). May 1, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  2. "Lofton Powers Bonnies Over Mason; Schmidt Now Bona's All-Time Coaching Wins Leader". GoBonnies. St. Bonavneture University Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  3. Pollock, Chuck (2011-02-25). "50 years ago today, Bonnies' bid for 100 at Armory failed". Olean Times Herald. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  4. Cave, Ray (March 6, 1961). "ST. BONAVENTURE IS SECOND-BEST". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  5. "Beginnings". web.sbu.edu. Archived from the original on 2004-07-01.
  6. "Middle Era". web.sbu.edu. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28.
  7. Wise, Mike (2003-11-04). "BASKETBALL; Picking Up Pieces of a Shattered Program". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  8. "Glockner: Bonnies trying to put scandal behind them". ESPN.com. 31 October 2007.
  9. Wise, Mike (4 November 2003). "Picking Up Pieces of a Shattered Program". New York Times. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  10. "Bona Ad: Wronged for Doing Right - New York Daily News". articles.nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  11. "National Collegiate Athletic Association - Press Release Archive". fs.ncaa.org.
  12. "2015-16 A10 Men's Basketball Final Standings". A10.com. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  13. "@BonniesMBB Falls in OT to Davidson in A10 Quarters". GoBonnies.com. March 11, 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  14. 1 2 Price, Jacob (2016-03-14). "The A-10 commissioner is irate about St. Bonaventure getting snubbed". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  15. 1 2 Butler, J. P. (March 16, 2015). No tournament for Bonnies. Olean Times Herald. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  16. Toolan, Brian (November 11, 2016). Snubbed: A Basketball Season of Triumph, Crisis and Despair at St. Bonaventure University. No Frills Buffalo. ISBN   978-0997831719.
  17. 1 2 "St. Bonaventure Receives At-Large Bid To NCAA Tournament; Will Face UCLA In First Four Tuesday". GoBonnies. St. Bonaventure University Department of Athletics. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  18. Associated Press. "Bonnies stun UCLA 65-58 for 1st NCAA Tourney win in 48 years". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  19. Associated Press. "Florida bounces Bonnies after their 1st NCAA win in 48 years". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  20. "St. Bonaventure Clinches 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Regular Season Title". GoBonnies.com. St. Bonaventure University Department of Athletics. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  21. "St. Bonaventure men's basketball wins A-10 Championship 74-65 over VCU". WKBW. 2021-03-14. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  22. Seipp, Tom (October 22, 2021). "St. Bonaventure Basketball ranked #23 in AP Poll". TheBVNewspaper.com . Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  23. Rill, Jake. "NIT Tournament 2022: Bracket and Schedule for Semifinals in New York". B. Bleacher Report. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  24. "Monmouth, Bonnies, South Carolina, Valpo top seeds in NIT". USAToday.com. USA Today. March 13, 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  25. Trass, Jerry (2024-03-19). "ESPN: Bonnies among 17 to decline NIT". Olean Times Herald. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Retired Numbers at Gobonnies.com (8 Dec 2022)
  27. Pollock, Chuck (July 12, 2023). "The inside story on why St. Bonaventure basketball leaves WPIG after 74 years". The Wellsville Sun. Retrieved July 14, 2023.