(EDITOR’S NOTE: Following is the first in a six-part series centering on the coming St. Bonaventure men’s basketball season from the five writers from the Times Herald and Bradford Era who will be contributing to the Bona coverage this year. Today: A closer look at this stage of coach Mark Schmidt’s career. Tomorrow: A profile on newcomer Kyrell Luc).
When it comes to college basketball in these parts, some things never change.
The red seats in the upper deck of the Reilly Center. Mark Schmidt furiously pacing the sidelines for 40 minutes.
A new season is here. And so is Schmidt after Massachusetts put a full-court press on him last March in its quest for a new coach.
Schmidt enters his 16th season with the Bonnies. The red material covering the RC seats dates back longer, but the length of the coach’s tenure should be admired all the same.
“I’ve been really lucky,” Schmidt said during Bona’s media day to kick off the 2022-23 season. “Most people in this business don’t last as long over a whole career just in college basketball. I’ve been lucky to be here for 16 years. You never envision being in any place for 16 years, especially in college basketball or college athletics.
“We have deep roots here,” he added. “I have great friends. I love the university and the program. Hopefully, I can end my career here.”
You heard that right. Schmidt, who turns 60 in February, wants to retire at St. Bonaventure.
“That’s the goal,” he said twice.
SCHMIDT, AMID the Bonnies’ run to the NIT semifinal, reportedly turned down an offer of upward of $1.8 million to go to UMass. He said no to the opportunity to return to his home state, for more money, and to lead a program with more financial resources.
Just as Schmidt said he didn’t begrudge Kyle Lofton, Osun Osunniyi, Dominick Welch or Jaren Holmes for taking the name, image and likeness, a.k.a. NIL, money at Power 5 schools, you can’t blame the coach for considering the Minutemen.
Then too, Schmidt has reached the pinnacle of accomplishments at St. Bonaventure. Two-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, the record for most wins, three NCAA tournaments, two NITs, the program’s first national ranking in 40 years.
The list goes on. There will almost certainly be a display, a statue, something on campus one day to commemorate Schmidt’s time at SBU.
About the only thing he hasn’t done is lead the Bonnies on a deep NCAA tournament run. He coaches because he loves teaching the game, but March glory is the main driver.
WHEN ASKED how he would like to wrap up his coaching career, Schmidt said: “Winning the Atlantic 10 and going to the NCAA tournament. Hopefully, go deep in the NCAA tournament.”
The 2021-22 Bonnies were built for that, with five seniors coming back after earning Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament crowns. They rose to No. 16 in the AP poll before plummeting post-Thanksgiving.
Restless fans criticized the coach for not using his bench players more and for not getting more out of this decorated team. You couldn’t have blamed Schmidt for thinking Bona followers had taken for granted all he had done for the program.
While UMass courted Schmidt, the fanbase rallied around the coach and Bona as they won three road games to advance to the NIT final four in New York City.
Schmidt returns, but the Bonnies are back to square one in a lot of ways. An entirely new starting lineup. More new faces than ever.
The setup is similar to Schmidt’s first year with the Bonnies in 2007-08. They didn’t win many games that season, but those in and around the program could sense something special was in the making.
Schmidt said he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Just as he did 16 years ago, he feels he has much to prove.
“I’m not sure when this is going to end,” he said of his coaching career. “Hopefully it’s more than one year. I’m not looking to retire. It’s almost like this has re-energized me a bit in that there’s so much more teaching going on with this whole portal, NLI thing.
“In a way, it’s disappointing that we lost those guys, but in a way, you have a whole new team and you’re trying to build something from scratch again,” he continued. “That’s a great challenge, and that’s something that myself and our staff look forward to trying to do.”
Only 18 of the current 363 NCAA Division I head coaches have been with their school longer than Schmidt.
The game’s oldest coaches are Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, 77, Coastal Carolina’s Cliff Ellis, 76, and La Salle’s Fran Dunphy, 74. Schmidt is the Atlantic 10’s third oldest coach behind Dunphy and Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot, 64.
It wouldn’t be shocking if he continued for another decade at Bona.
To start this new era of Bonnies basketball, Schmidt has pieced together a group of transfers and newcomers who have much to consume to fully comprehend the coach’s thick playbook. The head coach and his assistants spent much of the fall installing practice drills – not plays – with the team.
“It’s been a huge adjustment,” Schmidt said.
Daryl Banks III, a transfer guard from Saint Peter’s, praised Schmidt’s knowledge of basketball and his ability to draw up complex sets on the fly.
“He’s a genius,” Banks said. “I can’t really say anything else. He’s a genius.”
Still, little is expected of the new Bonnies. They’ve been picked to finish in the bottom half of the Atlantic 10.
Like the RC reds and Schmidt on the sidelines, this is familiar. On almost every occasion the Bonnies have been picked middle of the pack or lower, Schmidt’s teams have finished better than predicted.
“We’re starting from scratch,” Schmidt said, “and our goal is to build this thing like we have over the last 15 years.”
(Vinny Pezzimenti, an associate sportswriter to the Times Herald, can be reached at vinnyp45@yahoo.com)
