Photo: The Jandoli School of Communication
BY: KYLE MAIER, SPORTS EDITOR
A lineup of St. Bonaventure University basketball icons will assemble tomorrow for the preview screening of “Brown and White: the Heart of Bona’s Basketball” in the Murphy Auditorium at 4 p.m.
Directed by Mike Camoin, ‘88, the documentary explores the men’s basketball program’s impact on the university, its Franciscan values and American society over several decades, according to a university press release.
Scenes will be shown followed by a panel discussion with former players Whitey Martin ,‘61, and Larry Wiese,‘58. Former players John Hayes ,‘69, Sam Stith ,‘60, and Bill Butler ,‘68, will join remotely via Zoom. Everyone on the panel will discuss their playing careers and thoughts on the documentary.
Freddie Crawford ,‘68, Bona’s eighth all-time leading scorer, will also be joining the discussion virtually, Camoin told The BV Wednesday night.
A member of the 1967-1968 undefeated team, Butler said Franciscan values fueled the Bonnies’ success.
“We had a vision and were all on the same page,” said Butler. “There was a depth of Franciscan philosophy among us; a respect for the human dynamic.”
Butler said the documentary’s content could spark a Franciscan way of thinking among the current student body.
“My hope is that the student body begins to think about what the Franciscan presence does for the mind and spirit,” said Butler.
Camoin’s mission is to highlight the untold stories and contributions of players and coaches to both the university and the game itself, according to the press release.
A spotlight on teams and players of the program’s sparsely documented past will strengthen Bonaventure’s future, said Butler.
“Our story needed to be told for a lot of years,” said Butler. “This documentary is going to strengthen the school and be a drawing card to new students coming to our campus.”
Bonaventure teams of the 1960s and 70s played a role in societal change during the civil rights era, which is shown in the documentary, said Camoin.
“Particularly throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Bonnies mirrored the social and civil rights climate of the nation and its ambition toward advancing the vision of a Great Society,” said Camoin.
Weise, who coached Bonaventure to the Final Four in 1970, said those teams overcame racial injustices at the time through the Franciscan spirit.
“We overcame racism, and it had a lot to do with the environment of the university,” said Weise. “It had a lot to do with the spirit of Saint Francis; those values.”
The content of the documentary covers multiple eras of coaching excellence, said Weise.
“It covers different teams; it’s not just my era,” said Weise. “You’ve got Eddie Donovan’s era. During Jimmy Satalin’s years he won the NIT. For a small school to do what we’ve done in basketball is amazing.”
Camoin said he worked closely with SBU’s archives to retrieve game footage and photos from the 1950s-1970s.
University archivist Dennis Frank described the process behind retrieving video and photographs that date back 65-plus years.
“We have a substantial collection of older game films,” said Frank. “It gives us the opportunity to view many basketball players and games going back to the early 1950’s. We also have a collection of photographs and scrapbooks relating to basketball and we have worked to scan many of those items for this project.”
The screening is held in affiliation with the Jandoli School of Communication’s 75th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 19, and will be broadcast on the university’s streaming channel.
maierkj22@bonaventure.edu
