A photograph from a previous interview with Bob Lanier
Photo courtesy of Project Unfurl
BY: NATHAN SOLOMON, MANAGING EDITOR
The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team has decades worth of history. From a Final Four berth, to some dark days, back to a resurgence in modern day, Bonaventure basketball has a unique story.
Mike Camoin ‘88 has taken charge to retell the history of Bonaventure basketball. With a group of advisors — including alumni Chris LaPlaca and Mike Vaccaro — and student-interns, Camoin is producing “Project Unfurl: The Heart of Bona’s Basketball.” The documentary will feature over 35 interviews to tell the interconnected story of the Bonnies.
Camoin became a Bonaventure fan the day he set foot on campus. As a freshman, Camoin attended games at the Reilly Center with his friends. He had seats behind the team bench, cheering on the Bonnies and bringing a passion to the arena. The team never performed well while Camoin attended Bonaventure, but his fandom only grew.
When Camoin returned to campus in 2018 for his 30th reunion, he had a realization.
“I just wondered with classmates, how did we do this? How did this school actually come back from things that many may not know,” Camoin said. “It just drew me into wanting to know more about the basketball program. And the more that I looked at that, the more I was drawn into the history of the program.”
Camoin got to work on the project, booking interviews with iconic figures to Bonaventure basketball. He’s interviewed former players such as Courtney Stockard and Marcus Posley, as well as late NBA Hall of Famer Bob Lanier.
“One of the challenges is connecting the dots and finding that story thread that makes sense,” Camoin said. “How do you tell a story that’s going to span at least seven decades or more?”
Fans have embraced the documentary in-progress and are excited for the eventual reveal. Teaser videos have been published on the Project Unfurl website.
“It’s been tremendous,” Camoin said of the fan reaction. “It’s been from really quoting people saying ‘It’s about time this story had been told’ to ‘You’re doing God’s work.’”
Camoin said creating this documentary has been rewarding by learning different stories and perspectives from his interviews. He’s enjoyed seeing the emotion pour out of his subjects.
“I was among the last people to interview Bob Lanier when he came back to campus for the last time in December 2019,” Camoin said. “I was fortunate enough to ask him the question of ‘What does the heart of Bona’s basketball mean to you?’ …[Lanier] talks about the brotherhood, the passion that they’ve had over 50 years.
Sister Margaret Carney, who used to be the president [2004-2016] of St. Bonaventure, wrote me a note and she said ‘Thanks be to God you captured that interview’. That’s a really cool reaction.”
Right now, there isn’t a set timeline on when the documentary will be released. Camoin hopes to have a rough assessment next fall and show the progress in a screening on campus.
But a factor holding Project Unfurl back is funding.
“Every donation counts, no matter how small,” Camoin said. “That gives us fuel … every bit helps.”
People can visit the Project Unfurl website to donate.
solomonj20@bonaventure.edu
