This editorial represents the opinion of The Bona Venture staff.
The number 44 means something special to Bonnies, but the Bonnie who made that number meaningful is even more special to our campus community. On Saturday, Andrew Nicholson’s jersey will be retired before the final men’s basketball home game of the regular season. Nicholson will, of course, be present at the event, but many current Bonaventure students will not be in attendance. Spring break for the semester officially begins on Friday, meaning many students will be heading home before the game. The event should have been scheduled at a time when the maximum amount of individuals could attend.
According to Steve Mest, associate athletics director for strategic communications, Saturday was the only possible day this semester that meshed in terms of scheduling for both Nicholson, who currently plays for the NBA’s Orlando Magic, and the Bonnies.
This should be a time of celebration for the entire campus, especially students who watched and supported Nicholson throughout his career on the school team. It seems hard to believe that of the nine other home games students were on campus for this season, none of those dates were suitable for the event. Furthermore, holding the ceremony at some point next semester could have likely been a more accommodating solution.
As of Thursday afternoon, less than 100 students had reserved a seat at the game, according to the ticketing office. However, Mest explained that the athletics department, the basketball program and the Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, all wanted to host the event this season, but were unable to work out a suitable date.
“We considered waiting, but there is no guarantee that the NBA schedule and the Bonnies’ schedule will mesh next year, or any future years, the way it is this coming weekend. We’ve worked with Residence Life to make sure that students have the option of staying in their on-campus housing Saturday night if they choose to.”
While season ticket holders and members of the local community will have the opportunity to witness the event, it would have been even better if more members of the WolfPack could have been there to support one of the best Bona basketball alums in recent history.
