By J.P. BUTLER
Special to The Era
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — Four years ago this week, Mark Schmidt walked into the media room inside the Reilly Center to address his most trying day as coach of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team.
Schmidt, whose Bonnies had just suffered a historic snub from the NCAA Tournament, seemed dazed, as if what he’d just found out — that Bona, in fact, wouldn’t be dancing — couldn’t possibly be real.
It was this all-too-familiar feeling that enveloped him and his current Bonnies last Thursday, when the team found out mere hours before its second round Atlantic 10 Tournament game with George Mason that its season had come to an end due to growing concerns about the coronavirus.
“It was so abrupt at first that you were numb,” the 13th-year coach said to the Buffalo News on Tuesday in his first public comments since the A-10 Tournament, and later the NCAA Tournament, was canceled.
Bona was just about to board its bus to the Barclays Center for a 2:30 matchup with the Patriots when it received the news, which according to the Buffalo News, came via a phone call from athletic director Tim Kenney to Schmidt.
The Bonnies, of course, weren’t blind to what had been happening in the previous 48 hours.
The Ivy League had canceled its league tournament on Tuesday. The NBA pulled the plug on its season on Wednesday, shortly before the A-10 took a step in that direction by announcing it would proceed with the tournament, but that fans wouldn’t be permitted to attend.
But that didn’t make Thursday’s reality — the sight of UMass and VCU being called off the floor just before tip in the noon game, the Barclays Center court being stripped of the A-10 logo less than an hour later — any less stunning.
“I had an inkling when the NBA announced they canceled their season and then the Power 5 conferences started canceling their tournaments,” Schmidt acknowledged to the News’ Rachel Lenzi. “I had an idea it may not go on …
“But when you get that call, your first reaction is, ‘Oh my god.’ You feel bad for your players. At the time, the whole coronavirus situation … people weren’t looking at this as a deadly issue. But when this happened, at first, you’re thinking about the players, who aren’t playing in the games. They live for the NCAA Tournament, and that’s the dream.”
In the immediate aftermath of the league’s decision, VCU coach Mike Rhoades and UMass’ Matt McCall were quick to point out that, of more importance than winning games, is the health and well-being of their players … and those around them.
It’s a sentiment that has taken on even more meaning in the last week, as virtually every sport around the world has come to a standstill, recognizable athletes have tested positive for the virus and COVID-19 continues to creep closer and closer to home.
And it’s a message that Schmidt, too, has imparted on his players, all of whom, aside from graduating senior Amadi Ikpeze, could be back next season.
“For them to not have the chance to go to the (NCAA Tournament), it was really disappointing,” said Schmidt, whose Bonnies finished 19-12 and in fifth place in the 14-team A-10. “The team was shocked, but you explain to them that this is more than just basketball — this is life and death.
“Then, you realize you have to do what’s best for the health of the country. Listen to the experts. We may be experts in basketball, but we are not when it comes to health. You have to listen to those experts. We have to listen.”
This marked the first time since 2003, the year of the Jamil Terrell eligibility scandal, that a Bona season came to an end short of a scheduled game. And though the reasons for that, in this instance, were out of its control, it’s produced largely the same feelings:
Disappointment. Despair. Emptiness.
The university on Friday gave students the option to either remain at Bona or go home as it transitions to online-only classes until at least March 30. Schmidt, according to the News, said most of his players have opted to stay on campus to complete their coursework online.
As far as closure, there’s been little.
Schmidt said he hasn’t considered how to begin preparing for next season in the wake of the social and recruiting restrictions brought on by the coronavirus and hasn’t stopped to reflect on the 2019-20 season.
His focus during this global pandemic has been on the welfare of his players.
“We have to concern ourselves with the players here,” he said. “Academically, health-wise; get them washing their hands. Your concern is about keeping those guys healthy because in a way, they’ve become our family.”
