Image courtesy of St. Bonaventure University
BY: DAVID SCIBILIA, MANAGING EDITOR
Adrian Wojnarowski, Senior NBA Insider for ESPN, announced his retirement earlier today and will return to St. Bonaventure University as the general manager for the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program.
In this role, the 1991 alum will help manage name, image and likeness opportunities for players; manage the transfer portal; help with recruitment; and work to raise funding for the program, according to a Bonaventure press release.
“I was surprised and thrilled when I heard [Wojnarowski’s] announcement,” said Aaron Chimbel, dean of Bonaventure’s communication school. “I knew he was preparing for the next phase in his career, but I didn’t think it would be today.”
Wojnarowski’s career in sports journalism provides him a unique view into the world of sports, said Mark Wilson, the chair of Bonaventure’s sports management program.
“He’ll be really nice to have as a resource to talk to students to give them an inside view of how NIL works,” said Wilson. “It would be neat if he would come to a couple of my classes as a guest speaker. He knows the business side of sports so well that he could provide some great insight.”
Some students said the announcement took them by surprise.
“When I saw the ESPN announcement about his retirement, I thought it was fake,” said Nate Harpster, a junior childhood inclusive education major. “I got it in the middle of my class, and I thought ‘No way.’ He’s definitely going to be a great asset to the university.”
Other students said they thought Wojnarowski could bring a lot of attention to Bonaventure’s program.
“I thought this was really good for us,” said Cale Patten, a junior finance and economics double major. “It feels like Bonnies has turned into a feeder program for other schools, but now that Woj is here, players from other schools might end up coming to us.”
Several students said Wojnarowski’s knowledge of NIL and the NBA would help Bonaventure’s program succeed.
“He’s so well known throughout the country and I think it’ll bring a lot of attention to Bonaventure,” said Olivia Reeves, a sophomore health science major. “Hopefully he’ll help with NIL deals and help the players reach the NBA after college if that’s their goal.”
A press conference to welcome Wojnarowski back to the Bonaventure community will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts theater. All are welcome to attend.
Scibild22@bonaventure.edu
