Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: SEAN WALLACE; SPORTS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball fans gave head coach Mark Schmidt a loud ovation as he stepped onto the court for warmups before the Bonnies faced No. 5 George Mason University in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tournament.
Schmidt announced on March 7 he will retire following the conclusion of the season after 19 seasons with the program.
PPG Paints Arena erupted in “Let’s go Bonas” chants during a media timeout at the 4:02 mark after Bonaventure cut the deficit to one following an 11-point deficit.
No. 13 St. Bonaventure (17-16, 6-14 A-10) defeated George Mason (23-9, 11-8 A-10) 63-57 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Fans cheered and chanted Schmidt’s name in support as he walked off the court.
Redshirt junior guard Dasonte Bowen, who scored a career-high 20 points, praised Schmidt’s leadership for the team’s comeback.
“I credit coach Schmidt for the type of character he built for our team,” said Bowen. “We’ve got a bunch of high-character guys. When things hit the fan, we stuck together. We had to stay positive and trust that if we did the right thing each possession, it would work out in the end.”
Schmidt cited golfer Jack Nicklaus’ philosophy on winning after the game.
“You learn how to win by winning,” Schmidt said. “You put yourself in winning situations. When you finally come through, it gives you confidence.”
Bonaventure faces No. 4 Dayton on Friday at 2 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena.
