BY KURT MARTONE, NEWS EDITOR
Although he graduated in 1991, Adrian Wojnarowski feels like he has never left Bonaventure.
“It’s remarkable to me,” said Wojnarowski, senior NBA insider for ESPN. “Thirty years later and it feels like I’m still getting in a car to drive down 17 (Interstate 86) to come back for a semester.”
Wojnarowski, referred to as ‘WOJ’ by his fans, is known to frequent multiple St. Bonaventure events, especially basketball games. This May, Wojnarowski will highlight another Bonaventure event, as he is the keynote speaker for the class of 2022’s commencement ceremony.
“I’ve started to formulate some thoughts and jot some notes down to myself,” Wojnarowski said. “I’m sure I’ll zero in as we get closer.”
While Wojnarowski is honored to be delivering the commencement address, he says he has a lot to live up to to be considered a great commencement speaker like his friend and colleague Chris Laplaca, who is also a Bonaventure graduate, and Dan Barry, another Bona grad and columnist for the New York Times.
“There’s a great history of those [speeches] and yeah, it’s very humbling to be asked to do it,” said Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski still remembers his senior year dorm room in Francis Hall, which he filled with rejection letters subsequently taped to the wall from “a hundred” publications.
“Maybe not a hundred. But probably dozens, and dozens and dozens. I covered my whole wall. There were a lot of them. It was all the money I had to mail them out in manila envelopes and send my clips out,” Wojnarowski said.
After graduation, Wojnarowski packed up his car and headed back to Connecticut unemployed.
“I certainly know the feeling some of the students might have who don’t exactly know what’s next. I felt it,” said Wojnarowski. “I appreciate how stressful it is. How difficult it is. But, I also know that there is a lot of time to get it figured out. And everyone will.”
Wojnarowski says two things are important to have perspective: the impact work gives to others and the pride one gets from it.
“Those are things that I look back on. I see people who I think are extremely successful people in our business and maybe they don’t have national or international recognition for it but they made incredible impacts for their audience and their community,” Wojnarowski said.
Wojnarowski described the unique appeal of Bonaventure when he was a student.
“Bonaventure for me… was exactly what I needed,” said Wojnarowski. “At that age, I needed a small school. I needed a place where I felt part of a community.”
Wherever he goes, Wojnarowski keeps the Bonnies close to his heart.
“I’m in the studio tonight (Wednesday) for NBA Countdown in New York [City]. I’ll be watching Bonnies v. UMass. We have a bank of televisions and I’ll make sure [the game] is on one of them. I can promise you that.”
Wojnarowski and his friend Laplaca will make a pit stop in Olean this weekend on their way to the NBA All-Star game in Cleveland, for the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball home game against Duquesne Saturday night.
Wojnarowski will receive an honorary doctorate from the university at the commencement ceremony in May.
“There has to be a minimum GPA for one of those and whatever it is, I’m sure I don’t have it,” Wojnarowski said. “It is a shocking development for me and for anyone who was around me academically. It’s pretty awesome.”
St. Bonaventure’s 162nd commencement ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. on May 15.
martonkd18@bonaventure.edu
