By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist (photo gallery courtesy Tim McArdle)
ST. BONAVENTURE — Mike MacDonald was so charming and charismatic, it almost made one forget the popular coach he replaced.
But there he was on Wednesday morning being introduced at the Reilly Center as the 20th head men’s basketball coach in St. Bonaventure history.
Yeah, it was a bit awkward,
Schmidt, in 19 years, had become the winningest coach in University annals with 339 victories amplified by three NCAA trips an equal number of NIT appearances plus seven 20-win seasons.
BEYOND THAT he “got it.”
A Boston College alum, he bought into the Bonaventure mystique and the atmosphere that made it a special place.
After a tough 2025-26 season when he supposedly “retired” at age 63, he was actually nudged out by administration for reasons that remain murky.
What’s certain is, he was not accorded the courtesy of an announcement preceding his exit and the planned event that would supposedly honor his leaving has yet to materialize … if it ever does.
It was a disrespectful end to a incredibly successful career.
INTO THAT fiasco stepped MacDonald, a classy, infectiously likable coach who was returning to his alma mater. Four months short of his 60th birthday — 3 1/2 year less than Schmidt — he crafted outstanding seasons first at Div. III Medaille then Div. II Daemen, collecting seven Coach of the Year honors along the way.
At his introductory press conference, MacDonald admitted, “It’s very hard to be named coach at St. Bonaventure.
“It’s a very special place … they care about baskeball … they care about people who play basketball and people who coach basketball.
“Even if you have a bad year they wrap their arms around you … they root for you.”
He added, “There are a lot of other things to do and sports fans get divided … a lot of things to watch or download … instead people come to the games (at the Reilly Center).
“Here it’s old-school. Here people care about basketball and that’s a special thing,” he pointed out.
Then there’s the RC.
“It’s one of the toughest places to play in the country” MacDonald said. “This is a unique place … the crowd becomes loud and the fans are passionate. And when you have all that it makes it a different road environment for the other team.”
MacDonald also talked about succeeding Schmidt.
“I know I’m following a legend,” he said. “I’ve had to do that in two of my other jobs. I replaced John Beilein at Canisius and Don Silvari at Daemen. Don was the winningest coach in school history and John was, by far, the greatest coach in Canisius history.
“Those are the kind of shoes I’m walking in.”
MacDonald added, “It’s a new era of college basketball … teams change every year and you have to try to put a team together and build it and hopefully keep it together for awhile.
“They say St. Bonaventure is the best basketball school in Western New York and that the Atlantic 10 is a great conference.”
And, the A10, offered it’s own assessment of MacDonald.
“Mike is a skilled leader with an incredible work ethic and passion for the game. He’s an elite tactician whose teams play with great purpose and intensity.”
The release went on to say, “He’s widely respected among coaches at every level for his innovative offensive sets and fierce defense.”
The A-10 added, “Another thing that was readily apparent throughout the search process is the large impact Mike has made not only on his players and assistant coaches but also throughout the basketball community.”
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
Tim McArdle photo gallery (slide to see photos):
More from Chuck Pollock:
• Reflections on Mark Schmidt’s career
• Roster questions and more for Mike MacDonald as the new Bonaventure coach
