ST. BONAVENTURE, NY — Adrian Wojnarowski, senior NBA insider for ESPN, is ending his award-winning career as a journalist and returning to his alma mater as general manager of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program.
“I am excited and honored to return to St. Bonaventure and have the opportunity to serve the university, coach Mark Schmidt and our elite Atlantic 10 men’s basketball program,” Wojnarowski said. “In these changing times in college sports, I am excited to join a championship program that combines high-level basketball, national television exposure, pro prep and NIL opportunities with a familiar, supportive educational environment.”
In his role as General Manager, Wojnarowski will assist the coaching staff in managing a wide range of responsibilities, including Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities and serving as collective liaison; transfer portal management; relations with recruits, families and former players; professional player programs; and program fundraising.
Given the rapidly evolving landscape of college sports, many major conferences and mid-sized universities have implemented the role of general manager since 2022, particularly for their football and men’s basketball programs.
“I am confident that I can pass on to members of our community some of the best practices we have learned from the NBA’s most successful franchises and minds and am committed to opening doors for our players around the world both on and off the court,” Wojnarowski said.
Bob Beretta, vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, said Wojnarowski’s decision represents an “incredible opportunity” for the university, its athletic department and the men’s basketball program.
“At a time of tremendous turmoil in college athletics, we are sending a clear message that St. Bonaventure continues to be at the forefront of change,” Beretta said. “This is a bold step that aligns with our institutional goals to continue to grow and thrive.”
Wojnarowski’s global network of contacts in the basketball world will be invaluable to the program, Beretta said.
“Woj is the perfect person for this new role. He combines his deep knowledge of St. Bonaventure and our Franciscan values with a deep network of relationships he has built in the world of professional and intercollegiate basketball,” Beretta said. “The fact that the preeminent journalist in his field is willing to give up a lucrative media career to serve his alma mater in a support role is a testament to his love and passion for Bona’s.”
Schmidt called the decision to add Wojnarowski to his staff a “home run.”
“This move is critical to navigating the new landscape of college basketball in NIL and recruiting and retaining players,” said Schmidt, the school’s winningest basketball coach in history. “Woj is as well connected as anyone in the basketball world and his decades-long network of relationships can only help our program remain one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10 well into the future.”
By giving up a lucrative contract extension he signed with ESPN in 2022, Wojnarowski now wants to give back to a university that has had a lasting impact on his life. He and his wife Amy, class of 1992, have been major benefactors of the basketball program and the Jandoli School of Communication.
“I am grateful to President (Jeff) Gingerich, Bob Beretta, Coach Schmidt and the entire St. Bonaventure community for welcoming my wife, Amy, and me back to the campus community in a new role,” Wojnarowski said. “We met as students on this beautiful campus and share a lifelong love of the university that continues to this day. I am ready to get to work.”
Wojnarowski, class of 1991, announced his retirement from ESPN this morning on X (formerly Twitter).
“This craft has changed my life, but I have decided to step away from ESPN and the news industry,” Wojnarowski wrote. “I understand the commitment my role requires, and it is an investment I am no longer forced to make. Time is finite, and I want to spend it in a way that is more meaningful to me personally.”
Before joining ESPN, where he has been since 2017, Wojnarowski worked for Yahoo Sports for nearly 10 years, including two as editor of The Vertical. His distinguished journalism career includes nearly 10 years at The Record of New Jersey (where he was twice named APSE Columnist of the Year) and several years each at the Fresno Bee and Waterbury (Conn.) Republican-American.
Wojnarowski’s colleagues voted him the National Sports Media Association’s National Sportswriter of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019, joining a notable list of greats who have won the award in at least three consecutive years – Red Smith, Jim Murray, Frank Deford, Rick Reilly, Bob Ryan and Tom Verducci.
Wojnarowski is the New York Times bestselling author of The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball’s Most Improbable Dynasty.
Wojnarowski, the university’s commencement speaker and recipient of an honorary doctorate in 2022, was named the Jandoli School’s 2019 Alumnus of the Year and inducted into the Jandoli School’s Wall of Outstanding Alumni.
A press conference welcoming Amy and Adrian to the Bonaventure community will be held on Wednesday, September 25th at 4 p.m. in the theater at the Quick Center for the Arts. The campus community is invited to attend.
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About the university: St. Bonaventure University, the nation’s first Franciscan university, is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 northern regional universities, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).
