GW Hoops / Woj Retiring to Become GM at St. Bonaventure

**Posted by MG14** 9/18/2024 9:51 am

https://x.com/PeteThamel/status/1836415533048078623

**Posted by Buff&BlueBandit** 9/18/2024 10:00 am

A major Woj Bomb indeed.

Supposedly has a great relationship with Caputo so only a little disappointing we couldn’t steal him away, but great move for the Bonnies. They tapped into their alumni network and reeled in one of the most tapped in NBA reporters out there.

**Posted by GW0509** 9/18/2024 10:10 am

Once NIL comes in house, the GM role will be figuring out the salary for who you have on the roster and whether you want to sign any kids to multi-year deals. No clue whether Woj will be any good at that, but at a minimum he'll be good for fundraising.

I sort of doubt that HCs will want to relinquish the principal responsibility of recruiting to the GM like they do in pro sports, but you never know.

In any event, probably a glidepath to retirement job for Woj. He'll no longer have to be on his phone for 20 hours to day hunting for scoops.

**Posted by Long Suffering Fan** 9/18/2024 10:10 am

I didn't even realize that there was such a position as a "general manager" of a men's college basketball team? Does a GM perform essentially the same functions an AD but exclusively for the basketball team? In these days of NIL and what amounts to free agency, perhapss having a GM in college supports is an acknowledgment that amateur sports is dead.

**Posted by russianthistle** 9/18/2024 11:41 am

What are the rules about player/student representation within NCAA schools?

Second, I would think that a school like GW would think about sports other than basketball and football. Why own a minor league baseball team when you could run a college team?

**Posted by GW0509** 9/18/2024 12:30 pm

russianthistle wrote:
What are the rules about player/student representation within NCAA schools?

Not sure there are any at the moment.

Some athletes hire real agents who perform value-added work of acting as the contact person during recruitment, negotiating NIL contracts, and ensuring the player gets paid. These agents likely have some actual experience representing G-Leaguers, etc.

Others hire an "agent" who is nothing more than a middleman taking 10%.

Lastly there are still some that rely on the old-school agent: their dad or AAU coach.

From what I've heard, the real agents want some sort of certification system a la the pro leagues so that the industry can rid itself of the wannabes who put the word agent in their Twitter bio but have no clue what they're doing.

**Posted by creeksandzeeks** 9/18/2024 12:55 pm

Bonaventure is fortunate that Woj has been working in Bristol all these years. Might be the only place on earth that makes Olean feel like an upgrade.

**Posted by Basketball Jones** 9/18/2024 1:22 pm

Long Suffering Fan wrote:
I didn't even realize that there was such a position as a "general manager" of a men's college basketball team? Does a GM perform essentially the same functions an AD but exclusively for the basketball team? In these days of NIL and what amounts to free agency, perhapss having a GM in college supports is an acknowledgment that amateur sports is dead.

Why Colleges are hiring GMs
What does a general manager in college basketball do? Butler is about to find out. - Yahoo Sports

Adria n Wojnarowski leaves NBA reporting to become general manager at St. Bonaventure: Why colleges hire GMs - CBSSports.com

**Posted by Long Suffering Fan** 9/18/2024 1:28 pm

Basketball Jones wrote:
Long Suffering Fan wrote:
I didn't even realize that there was such a position as a "general manager" of a men's college basketball team? Does a GM perform essentially the same functions an AD but exclusively for the basketball team? In these days of NIL and what amounts to free agency, perhapss having a GM in college supports is an acknowledgment that amateur sports is dead.
Why Colleges are hiring GMs
What does a general manager in college basketball do? Butler is about to find out. - Yahoo Sports
Thank you for sharing. Apparently it is a new and evolving position, as college teams are morphing into sem-pro teams.

**Posted by The Dude** 9/18/2024 2:57 pm

Some guys just hunger for a change, otherwise this is a such strange move but it makes sense if that's what he wanted to do

Should help The A10 in some small ways

**Posted by Gwmayhem** 9/19/2024 10:39 am

Woj has made more money than he'll know what to do with in his lifetime. Now he'll get to slow down while working for the one sports organization who he has more passion for than any other.

What will be interesting to watch is whether the Bonnies can substantially upgrade their talent level while Woj is on the payroll. The guy is well connected with every NBA agent worth his salt. Part of the SBU recruiting pitch will be that Woj will introduce you to the right agent for you who will have a track record of landing players in the NBA. SBU has the chance to land P5-type talent to, of all places, Olean, NY.

Great move for the Bonnies, arguably not so great for A10 teams trying to beat them.

**Posted by Alum1** 9/20/2024 9:15 am

I think it may also have a lot to do with ESPN becoming an increasingly sucky place to be employed.

**Posted by Gwmayhem** 9/20/2024 11:31 am

I could take a lot of suck for $7 million per year.

That said, the absence of a suitable work-life balance leads to burn out which is what happened here. Woj claimed to be accessible 21 hours per day. Was that self-imposed or is this truly indicative of the demands of the job?