St. Bonaventure President Begs Fans For Money After Rogue Athletic Director Turned Down The NIT

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There’s a good chance most college basketball fans aren’t even aware St. Bonaventure turned down the chance to play in the NIT this year. However, that decision led to the school ending up at the center of a minor crisis that saw its athletic director resign and its president release a video shamelessly begging fans for donations.

The men’s basketball team at St. Bonaventure University has a history stretching back to the start of the 1900s century and has punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament on eight occasions—including a fairly miraculous run that saw the Bonnies make it all the way to the Final Four in 1970 with the help of Bob Lanier.

It’s been largely downhill from there for the program that’s been a member of the Atlantic 10 since 1994, which faces an uphill battle to contend on a national level when you consider we’re talking about a private university in a relatively remote part of upstate New York where less than 2,000 students are currently enrolled.

The Bonnies most recently appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and got an invite to the NIT the following year before missing the postseason entirely in 2023 following a disappointing 14-18 campaign.

It appeared there was a good chance they were going to return to that second event after going 20-13 this year, but former athletic director Joe Manhertz ultimately informed the NIT selection committee they were taking their name out of the running before the line-up was finalized.

Why former? Well, based on the information that’s come to light, it sure seems like Manhertz didn’t bother to consult with the people who signed his checks at the university before deciding to withdraw from NIT contention (a ruling that reportedly stemmed from travel logistics, injuries, and potential transfer portal issues).

That includes St. Bonaventure president Jeff Gingerich, who accepted the AD’s resignation last week and entered the spin zone on Tuesday in a video where he addressed the fans and alumni who weren’t informed the Bonnies had opted out until a few days after the decision was made.

Gingerich did what any good university president would do by praising the passion of the St. Bonaventure fanbase while promising the school won’t reject another NIT invitation before masterfully pivoting to an appeal for money to “help keep our athletic programs relevant in these turbulent times.”

It’s worth noting the school essentially turned down free money by spurning the NIT; participating programs have all of their travel and lodging costs covered, and as of last year, they received more than $5,000 for simply playing in the first round and got the chance to multiply that sum based on how many wins they were able to rack up.