St. Bonaventure AD Resigns After Questions Over Decision to Opt Out of NIT

St. Bonaventure University announced Saturday that athletic director Joe Manhertz had resigned, amid controversy surrounding the men’s basketball program's preemptive rejection of a National Invitation Tournament appearance before even receiving an official bid.

The opt-out decision apparently was made without initially informing Bonnies players or fans, many of whom were outraged.

As reported by The Associated Press, St. Bonaventure provided no details behind Manhertz’s departure after two-plus years on the job, except to say school president Jeff Gingerich accepted his letter of resignation Friday night.

“I want to thank Joe for the contributions he’s made to the athletics department the last three years,” Gingerich said in a statement. “Joe made a number of excellent coaching hires and was instrumental in helping to launch the athletics pillar of our Bolder Bonaventure fundraising campaign. We wish him the very best in his career.”

The school has already scrubbed most references to Manhertz and his bio from its web pages, the AP's John Wawrow reported Saturday.

Manhertz, who is from Rochester, N.Y., took over at the Atlantic 10 school located a 90-minute drive south of Buffalo in August 2021. He previously served as an associate athletic director at Duke, where he was primarily involved in fundraising for upgrades to the school’s various facilities.

On Sunday, The Bona Venture student newspaper published an opinion piece by alum Mike Occhiogrosso that quotes Manhertz regarding his rationale for the NIT opt-out: “Considering the logistics of what would have been an NIT road game, we proactively decided Sunday afternoon to inform the NIT selection committee of our concerns regarding roster uncertainty, given injury and the transfer portal, that would have left us at a competitive disadvantage.Together, the athletics department administration and the coaching staff decided in the best interest of our student-athletics.”

Wrote Occhiogrosso, "It’s mind-boggling that he did not understand Bonaventure’s pride and passion for basketball. It’s part of the school’s heartbeat. Offering a list of weak reasons, like we would have to play a road game, injuries, and the transfer portal, makes me cringe. 

"As a graduate of the Class of 1972, saying we don’t want to play is something I never thought I’d hear from St. Bonaventure."