I’m always impressed with Andy Katz’s work on the NCAA website. That’s why I’m pleased he just listed the St. Bonaventure Bonnies as #9 on his list of “10 Under-Appreciated College Basketball Programs that Deserve More Love.” Here’s what Andy had to say about the Bonnies with the link:
“The Bonnies have posted at least 18 wins each season since 2014, have also nabbed a First Four win back in 2018 over UCLA and have a coach whom Katz is high on — Mark Schmidt. According to Katz, Schmidt is all-in for St. Bonaventure. Some coaches might see smaller schools as a stepping stone to bigger programs, but Schmidt seems to like where he is now in Olean, New York. It’s never easy competing in the Atlantic 10, but the Bonnies seem to be in contention almost every year.”
Since I attended St. Bonaventure, we will be covering the Bonnies on College Hoops Chat. The Bonnies have some of the most devoted fans in the nation, and when I was there in 1981-1982, I will always remember the fans providing a tremendously loud home-court advantage. Coach Mark Schmidt has done a fabulous job since coming to Olean in 2007 as the program was recovering from a scandal. Even though St. Bonaventure only has an enrollment of just over 2000, Coach Schmidt has turned the Bonnies into a power in the under-rated Atlantic 10 Conference. He brought them to the NCAA Tournament twice so far, and I’m expecting another trip to the Big Dance in 2021.