ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski is retiring from broadcasting to return to his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, to take over the newly created position of general manager of the men’s basketball program, the Atlantic 10 school announced Wednesday.
Wojnarowski will oversee a wide range of responsibilities while working alongside coach Mark Schmidt and his staff. His duties will include focusing on name, image and likeness opportunities, transfer portal management, recruiting and alumni player relationships.
“I’m thrilled and humbled to return to St. Bonaventure with an opportunity to serve the university,” Wojnarowski said in a statement released by the school in Allegany, New York. “I’m hopeful to share with members of our community some best practices learned from the most successful franchises and minds in the NBA and committed to opening doors globally for our players both on and off the court.”
Wojnarowski graduated from St. Bonaventure with a journalism degree in 1991 and received an honorary doctorate from the school in 2022. The 55-year-old has worked at ESPN since 2017, and his decision to retire came even while he was still under a contract he signed with the broadcaster in 2022.
Wojnarowski, who previously worked at Yahoo Sports and The Record of New Jersey, was a two-time APSE columnist of the year and was voted the National Sports Media Association's National Sportswriter of the year over a three-year span from 2017-19.
Schmidt described Wojnarowski's addition to his staff as a “home run,” adding: "This move is critical to navigate the new landscape of college basketball in NIL, recruiting and retention.”
St. Bonaventure is located amid the Allegany Mountains in the southwest corner of New York, about a 90-minute drive south of Buffalo.
The Catholic school, with an enrollment of about 2,000 students, is seeking to capitalize on Wojnarowski’s name recognition, while following other programs that have created the role of GM in the NIL era. He is best known for breaking NBA news with what became known as “Woj Bombs” on social media.
“While we will miss his daily output, we completely understand his decision to make a lifestyle change and slow down a bit,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “We know he will continue to thrive in this next chapter, and he has our collective gratitude and support.”
Bob Beretta, St. Bonaventure vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, called Wojnarowski’s addition an “incredible opportunity” for the school to tap in to his many basketball connections.
“At a time of tremendous turbulence within the intercollegiate athletics enterprise, we are making a strong statement that St. Bonaventure continues to be on the forefront of change,” Beretta said. “The fact that the preeminent journalist in his field is willing to walk away from a lucrative media career to serve his alma mater in a support role is a testament to his love and passion for Bona.”
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FILE - St. Bonaventure players huddle in the first half of a National Invitational Tournament basketball game on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers have grown accustomed to clinching playoff berths just about every year, but this latest celebration differed from the rest because it was so unexpected.
“It was like nobody thought we were going to be here today,” shortstop Willy Adames said Wednesday after the Brewers won their third NL Central title in four years. “Now we’re here. I don’t know what they’re going to say after this."
Milwaukee became the first major league team to reach the postseason Wednesday afternoon when the Chicago Cubs' 5-3 home loss to the Oakland Athletics enabled the Brewers to wrap up the division crown.
The Brewers' clubhouse emptied of players with one out to go in the ninth inning in Chicago, a couple of hours before Milwaukee's scheduled first pitch against Philadelphia. A muffled cheer could be heard after the final out when the Brewers won consecutive division titles for the first time in 42 years.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said he watched the final outs of the Cubs' game with 90-year-old longtime Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker.
“We were doing our show and I watched it with him,” Murphy said. “What's better than that? Awesome.”
The party began in earnest Wednesday night after Jake Bauers' ninth-inning RBI single gave the Brewers a 2-1 victory over the Phillies. Blue-and-gold streamers fell into the American Family Field stands as the team gathered in shallow center field.
That led to a champagne-soaked celebration in the locker room before players returned to the field to pose for a team picture while receiving a standing ovation from the fans who stuck around.
Not everyone could drink the champagne. Rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio is still only 20 years old.
“I think maybe I'll grab a Coke or something,” Chourio joked through a translator.
This marks the Brewers’ sixth postseason berth in the last seven years, a remarkable accomplishment for a small-market team that made the playoffs just twice in a 35-year stretch from 1983-2017.
Although the Brewers have made a habit of outperforming preseason expectations, the odds seemed stacked against them even more than usual this year.
Craig Counsell, the winningest manager in Brewers history, left for the rival Cubs last offseason. Corbin Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles.
Two-time All-Star right-hander Brandon Woodruff didn’t pitch all year as he recovered from shoulder surgery, and two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Williams missed the first half of the season with stress fractures in his back. All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich and pitchers Wade Miley and Robert Gasser went down with season-ending injuries.
None of it stopped Milwaukee.
“You can do all that to us, but it’s still about people, and you have no idea what their best is,” Murphy said. “These guys don’t know what their best is and didn’t know what their best was and still don’t. But they know one thing: Pulling together, competing, being doubted is something that can vault you forward into a championship.”
The Brewers took over first place for good at the end of April and never looked back. Now they've won back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1981-82. That 1982 season marked Milwaukee's lone World Series appearance, which ended with a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Milwaukee benefited from the leadership of Murphy, who had been Counsell’s bench coach since 2016. Rather than following Counsell to Chicago, Murphy stayed in Milwaukee and got his first full-time opportunity as a major league manager two weeks before his 65th birthday. Murphy’s only previous MLB managerial experience had come as an interim skipper with San Diego in 2015.
Murphy has kept the locker room loose while guiding a team that hasn’t lost more than three straight games at any point this season. The Brewers are the only club that hasn’t had a losing streak of at least four games.
“He’s brought the edge that we play with,” Williams said. “We’re ready to fight every day.”
The Brewers have succeeded with what Murphy refers to as an “all-hands-on-deck” approach.
Milwaukee has used 17 starting pitchers this season (only the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels had more). Twelve different Brewers pitchers have earned a save, two shy of the record of 14 set by the 2021 Tampa Bay Rays. Milwaukee entered Wednesday with a 3.65 ERA that ranked fourth in the majors.
The Brewers relied largely on their pitching the last few seasons and ultimately came up short in the playoffs, as they’ve lost nine of their last 10 postseason games. This year’s Brewers lineup appears to pack more punch.
Milwaukee entered Wednesday ranked fourth in runs (733) and 11th in OPS (.735) after finishing 17th in runs (728) and 23rd in OPS (.704) last year.
Yelich was leading the NL in batting average (.315) and on-base percentage (.406) before back issues ended his season in late July. William Contreras has developed into one of the game’s best-hitting catchers. Adames is the first Brewers shortstop to have a 30-homer, 100-RBI season, something even Hall of Famer Robin Yount never accomplished in Milwaukee. Chourio is the youngest player to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in one season.
“This is exactly what you as a competitor want to be a part of, right?” first baseman Rhys Hoskins said. “It didn’t necessarily look exactly the way that maybe some of us thought, but what’s cool is that we still were able to find ways to get the job done.”
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Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy is seen during the third inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' William Contreras reacts after hitting a two-run scoring double during the third inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers' William Contreras reacts after hitting a two-run scoring double during the third inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
