Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: WILL NUNN; CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SPORTS EDITOR
Fans love winners. A community that is as basketball-oriented as St. Bonaventure University craves success. The supporters of the Bonaventure women’s basketball program have been starved for some time.
A decade ago, Bonnies women’s basketball was at its peak, reaching national levels of success never before seen in program history, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2012.
Following a trip to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament in the 2015-16 season, Head Coach Jim Crowley departed for Providence College, and the program headed into a downward spiral. In the following nine seasons, the Bonnies would eclipse 10 wins just once, and never won more than five games in conference.
Part way through the 2022-23 season, Head Coach Jesse Fleming was fired, and the ensuing search for a new leader brought the Bonnies back to where the success began: back to Jim Crowley.
Despite winning just 10 total games in the first two seasons of his second stint, Crowley saw immediate promise in the squad entering the 2025-26 season.
“The way I’ve chosen to run this program is you invest in each other,” said Crowley. “That’s really hard to do in the short term, because you have to trust, and trust takes time. But these guys did it right away.”
This confidence was immediately validated, as the Bonnies began the season winning their first five games behind the leadership of a pair of graduate guards: Laycee Drake and Aaliyah Parker.
After a second-round exit in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, Bonaventure finished the regular season 16-15, above .500 for the first time in 10 seasons. Also a first in a decade, the Brown and White would participate in the postseason, earning a berth to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
The Reilly Center would play host to the Bonnies’ WNIT first round matchup with Drexel University on March 19. Despite trailing for much of the game, Bonaventure would storm back, closing the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run to send the game to overtime, sparked by a 3-pointer by Parker.
Crowley credited the atmosphere inside the Reilly Center and the support of the community with spurring the comeback.
“When [Parker] hit that three,” said Crowley, “that’s probably as loud as I’ve heard the place in a decade, and our kids fed off it.”
In the extra session, a pair of makes from beyond the arc by freshman guard Elyse MacDonough and a go-ahead layup by Parker in the closing seconds propelled the Bonnies to a win, and into the second round.
Drake, who led all scorers with 24 points, praised the Bonaventure faithful for showing up and giving the team a little bit of extra motivation.
“Bonaventure is a basketball place,” Drake said. “It’s fun to be able to give them something to cheer for.”
The Bonnies headed to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for a second-round clash with Middle Tennessee State University on March 23. The Blue Raiders scored the first 11 points of the game to jump out to an early lead, and led wire-to-wire to collect a 69-50 win.
Despite the loss bringing the season to an end, Crowley applauded the resolve of his group over the course of the historic season.
“I’m not the easiest guy to play for,” Crowley said. “They get it because they care so much about each other. We got a lot of kids who are just really determined and don’t want to let each other down.”
Four freshmen appeared in the postseason run for the Bonnies. Crowley praised their devotion and conduct as keys to their success, and raised excitement for the future of the program.
“It’s a good class,” said Crowley. “What they do with work ethic, and commitment and how they carry themselves, they’re Bona kids. If we get the chance to keep them around, it’s gonna be a fun run.”
Community is central to the Franciscan values of St. Bonaventure. Crowley knows the level of care and support the Bonaventure fanbase is capable of, and his pitch to potential recruits echoes this sentiment.
“I told folks in recruiting, it matters here,” said Crowley. “It matters to the community, it matters to the administration. People care about you here and they will be here. If you give them hard-playing, good basketball, they will come out.”
As his 19th season at the helm of Bonaventure women’s basketball closes, Crowley expressed his gratitude for the very things that brought the program back to success: the players and the community.
“I’m so appreciative of our kids’ effort and commitment to each other and the program, but also the support of the community,” said Crowley. “We know that this program means a lot to a lot of people, and we’re just so thankful that it does.”
