COURTESY OF ADRIAN WOJNAROWSKI

Adrian Wojnarowski was named the first-ever general manager for St. Bonaventure University’s men’s basketball in September 2024, announcing his retirement from an award-winning career as ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider. Wojnarowski, one of the most well-known sports journalists, manages a wide range of responsibilities including name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities and as a liaison with collectives; transfer portal management; recruit; family and alumni player relationships; professional player programs; and program fundraising.

Why did you decide to come back to your alma mater to become general manager of the men’s basketball team? Why was this important to you?

St. Bonaventure University was transformational in my life as a young person, and I believe it can still play that role in many young people’s lives. The success of our program plays an integral part in the overall health of our university: from alumni engagement to enrollment to the community surrounding our campus. I wanted to take the global network that I’ve built in the basketball world and make that network our players’ and programs’ network, too. I hope I can open doors both on and off the court for our players while they’re at St. Bonaventure—and well beyond their time on campus as student athletes.

What do you think boards of trustees and campus presidents should know about ensuring the success of collegiate athletics at institutions of all sizes, especially smaller institutions?

It is clear that ensuring smaller schools’ ability to compete in the Division I model is not a priority of the Power 4 conferences, so it incumbent upon us to be creative, innovative, and efficient in order to compete in this changing landscape. We have to know who we are, what we value, and find an operating path that plays to our strengths in a world where we are overwhelmed by the resources of institutions. The gulf is vast, but our ability to compete with bigger schools in this model requires us to focus on our abilities to provide value for student athletes that go beyond facilities, NIL, and television exposure.

–Interview by Elena Loveland, Trusteeship editor-in-chief