By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist
Mark Schmidt had barely announced he was “retiring” after 19 seasons as coach of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team when the name “Mike MacDonald” floated to the surface.
It wasn’t a total surprise, MacDonald, a fellow Bona alum of Adrian Wojnarowski, the school’s hoops general manager, had cobbled together a glittering career as coach at Buffalo’s Daemen College, going 61-3 the past two seasons — 32-0 in conference play over that span.
Indeed, he’s the only coach in U.S. history to log at least 100 wins at all three NCAA levels.
He was also named co-coach of the year at Canisius (2000-01), was a four-time Allegany Mountain Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year at Division III Medaille and national Division II Coach of the Year at Daemen after the 2024-25 season at Daemen. Following the 2024-25 season he won the Clarence “Big House” Gaines Award as the top Div. II head coach in the nation. At Medaille, he won three East Coach Conference regular-season championships, two ECC Tournament titles, earned six NCAA Tournament berths and two NCAA Div. II East Regional championships.
Clearly, his resume is in order and given his friendship with “Woj,” MacDonald’s name was expected to be part of the speculation.
What’s missing is success at the Division I level.
MEANWHILE, Schmidt, who won 338 games at St. Bonaventure, earned three each NCAA and NIT berths and crafted seven 20-win seasons was permitted to leave without even the courtesy of an announcement after the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Days later, vice president/athletic director Bob Beretta, in a lame press release, conceded the negative feedback the University had received for its failure to honor Schmidt, but assured the alumni something would be forthcoming shortly … we’ll see.
MacDONALD’S strength is that he’s as likeable a human being as you’ll ever meet, a high-character individual who you will rarely see without a smile.
As a college coach, the Ridgefield, Conn. native had great success on the Division III (Medaille) and Division II (Daemen) levels. Unfortunately, his experience in DI was limited to nine years at Canisius where it’s near-impossible to win (108-153), though his Griffins went 20-11 in 2000-11 and won him a Coach of the Year Award.
But the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference isn’t the Atlantic 10 which ranks seventh among the country’s 31 Div. I leagues.
In short, MacDonald is taking a giant step up in class and competition.
BUT THERE’S more.
MacDonald has had great success recruiting DII athletes but trying to secure DI players is entirely different. Indeed, Woj’s recruits struggled to a 4-14 record during the A-10 regular season a year ago before finishing 13th in the 14-team A-10.
But there are also some crimson banners for MacDonald though he was likely aware of them ahead of time.
For instance, Bona’s athletic administration made it clear Schmidt’s successor would be paid considerably less that the $1.5 million salary that he received. The difference would then be deposited in Bona’s Name, Image and Likeness fund for the players.
A rumor that wouldn’t go away was that the cause of the supposed rift between “Woj’ and Schmidt was that the former was offering advice about practice to the head coach.
Schmidt is 63 and has maintained he didn’t want to coach past 65. MacDonald will turn 60 in August. Was it worth it to force out (oops, suggest he retire) the most successful basketball coach in St. Bonaventure history to buy back an extra 3 1/2 years?
Or was it merely a rift between “Woj” and Schmidt?
Historically, coaches are profoundly defensive about their philosophies and while that scenario has been rumored, it should stand as a cautionary tale for MacDonald.
Of course, the real question, when MacDonald is introduced next Thursday at an 11 a.m. press conference at the Reilly Center is whose players will populate the roster “Woj’s” or MacDonald’s?
And who gets the credit/blame as the season unfolds?
The new regime starts at 11 a.m. next Thursday at the Reilly Center with MacDonald’s introductory press conference.
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
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