Schmidt's new position as Bona's winningest coach is only his latest miracle

Mark Schmidt became winningest coach in St. Bonaventure history Sunday, adding a testimonial to his yeoman's work in twelve years at helm in Olean. (Photo by the Olean Times Herald)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

Special To Daly Dose Of Hoops

It had to be in Reilly Center.

On Sunday afternoon, Mark Schmidt became the winningest coach in St. Bonaventure history. The Bonnies’ 79-56 dismantling of George Mason in Olean gave Schmidt win No. 203 in his tenure at the Atlantic 10 school.

It had to be at this venerable arena on the Bona campus.

It all started here. Not win number one, back in November of 2007, a 97-80 victory over Binghamton at the RC. It began earlier than that, when Schmidt was an assistant to the late Skip Prosser at Xavier. It was a game in February of 2002, when the Bonnies upset a Musketeer team led by David West. The crowd was animated and loud to say the least. The decibel level made it hard for Xavier to hear instructions during a timeout.

Fast forward to 2007. The Bonnies were coming off a 7-22 season. Anthony Solomon was not being retained. Following the 2003 scandal, Bonaventure hired Solomon -- a Notre Dame assistant -- to get the program back on track, on and off the court. Solomon did mend fences with his classy demeanor. An outstanding assistant under Mike Brey, Solomon struggled as the head man and was gone after four tough seasons. The Bonnies were again in the market.

Will Brown of Albany was courted, offered and turned down the job, reportedly calling it career suicide. The school then reached out to Schmidt, who was doing a solid job at Robert Morris. Schmidt consulted Prosser, his former boss. Prosser told Schmidt to think back to that cold night in Olean when the fans -- figuratively and almost literally -- raised the roof. Schmidt was convinced, signed on and immediately fell in love with the devout passion Bonaventure fans have.

“This is not a graveyard,” Schmidt spoke of the program not long after signing on. “There is a proud tradition and history that just needs to be awakened.”

He has called the Bona following a cult, in a positive sense. They are. From those gathering before and after games at the local Burton watering hole, attending watch parties out of town, spending six or more hours traveling and ranting, raving and cheering -- sometimes in one post -- on the Bona Bandwagon message board, Schmidt admires and frequently uses the word passion to assess the faithful’s fanaticism over its Bonnies.

Schmidt’s record, in his twelfth year at St. Bonaventure, stands at 203-166. Four of the last seven years have seen the Bonnies earn 20 or more wins. There have been four postseason appearances: Two NCAA Tournaments, one NIT, and one CBI. The Bonnies captured the 2012 Atlantic 10 championship and the regular season co-championship in 2016. Schmidt has earned a number of coaching accolades, most recently the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors for his work during that 2015-16 season. All of that is a far cry from his first season, which produced an 8-22 record. There was a highlight or two, though, such as an early-season come-from-behind victory over Albany, coached by Will Brown, whose decision to pass on the Bonnies led Schmidt to his current undertaking.  

Presently, the Bonnies have won three of four, standing at 11-14 with a 7-5 record in A-10 play. In seventh, the Bonnies are in the hunt for one of the conference’s top four spots -- and the double bye in the A-10 tournament that comes with it -- all with a young team featuring three freshmen playing key roles.

Part of coaching at St. Bonaventure is being able to connect with the students, alums and community. During his few successful pre-scandal days, Jan Van Breda Kolff was never able to do it. He remained aloof and an outsider. Schmidt is the complete opposite. He has connected with Bona students and faithful while marveling at their passion. He understands the culture. He gets it.

A down-home guy, Schmidt is more at home with beer and pizza at a local pub as opposed to a five-star restaurant. He greets students on campus, wishing them a good day in class. In the spring of 2007, just after signing on, Schmidt and university president Sister Margaret Carney were found one morning making breakfast sandwiches in the dining hall for students coming off an all-nighter of studying for final exams.

Schmidt is a big fan of the New England Patriots, not surprising considering his North Attleboro, Massachusetts roots and Boston College alma mater. Beyond rooting, he has taken an active interest in studying the methods of Bill Belichick. The Patriot mentor has excelled for years in a climate of salary cap, free agency and everyone giving New England his best shot. Belichick’s mantra of “do your job” is one Schmidt applies to himself, his staff, players, managers. Do your job, each and every day.  

Schmidt passed Larry Weise, who stepped down in 1973 after twelve seasons. Weise’s signature season was 1969-70, guiding the Bonnies to their fateful Final Four trip and the what-if that remains heavily debated and discussed nearly a half-century later. Would the Bonnies have defeated UCLA if Bob Lanier didn’t go down with a season ending injury in the regional semifinal?

Last March, following the Bonnies’ 65-58 NCAA Tournament victory over UCLA, Schmidt, in a postgame interview, dedicated the win to Bob Lanier and that 1970 team. Leading up to the meeting with the Bruins, the Bona mentor made sure his team realized the history and significance of this meeting. In Dayton that night, the nation saw Schmidt, the coach, keeping the Bruins off balance with changing defenses. The audience also saw Schmidt, the caring person, with his postgame dedication. From his Florida retirement home, Larry Weise was moved by that gesture.

A major part of Schmidt’s success in Olean is his ability to identify players with an upside. Recruiting is paramount, but an oft-overlooked part of the equation is day-to-day player development, something Schmidt and his staff excels at.

“Here at Bonaventure, you have to be a good evaluator,” Schmidt told the Buffalo News. “You’re not going to walk into a gym and say, ‘Who is the best player?’ You have to get the second, third, fourth-best guy. So evaluation is really important.”

Andrew Nicholson was a skinny big man from Canada. After about two minutes of watching him, Schmidt was enthusiastically sold. The offers were not numerous and the main suitor Bonaventure beat out for Nicholson’s services was Little Three rival Niagara. Jaylen Adams was headed to Jacksonville before a coaching change reopened his recruiting. Schmidt and staff wound up with what would become one of the greatest players in Bonaventure history. Adams’ running mate, Matt Mobley, transferred from Central Connecticut. There were those in the know who wondered if he could play at the Atlantic 10 level. The results, as they say, speak for themselves. The list can go on a lot longer as Schmidt develops players headed to stardom as well as those, not in an all-conference conversation, yet maturing into solid everyday contributors.

Success at a school like St. Bonaventure -- out of a major media market and not in possession of an unlimited budget -- means the siren song of bigger schools will be heard. In 2014, he looked into the head coaching vacancy at his alma mater, Boston College. Twice in the last three years, he investigated the job at Pitt. The most recent time, he rejected overtures and the school hired Jeff Capel. Bonnie fans breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Now having just turned 56, there is a feeling Schmidt may just continue and finish his career in Olean. His wife Anita and three sons -- Nick, Derek and Michael -- who all played at Olean High School, enjoy the area. He has an outstanding athletic director in Tim Kenney, who; like Schmidt, understands the community culture.  

Win No. 202 came last Tuesday at Saint Joseph’s. The next, No. 203 was a case of not if, but when. The Bonnies seized the first opportunity on Sunday. A few days prior to George Mason, Weise spoke to Cameron Hurst of Olean Online News, saying, “Records are made to be broken, and I couldn’t think of a more deserving coach than Mark.”

Through it all, Schmidt remains ever humble and in full control of perspective. He has often said, “I am not out there hitting the shot or getting the rebound. It’s the players. The players win games.” Such an axiom remains very true, as coaches put players in the position to succeed, something Schmidt and staff have consistently accomplished in an exemplary manner.