St. Bonaventure Hires Daemen Coach Mike MacDonald

The veteran coach brings over 500 career wins to the Bonnies program.

Mar. 30, 2026 at 3:22pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting the abstracted forms of basketball players in motion, rendered in a vibrant color palette of navy, green, and orange, capturing the dynamic energy of the sport.St. Bonaventure's new coaching hire signals a shift in priorities, as the program invests more in player compensation over the head coach's salary.Olean Today

St. Bonaventure University is finalizing a deal to hire Daemen University coach Mike MacDonald as their new head basketball coach, sources have confirmed to ESPN. MacDonald, who has over 500 career wins across Division I, II, and III, will replace the retiring Mark Schmidt and aims to revive a Bonnies program that struggled to a 17-17 record last season.

Why it matters

The hiring of MacDonald, an experienced coach with a proven track record of success, signals a new era for the St. Bonaventure basketball program as they look to rebuild and compete in the Atlantic 10 conference. The decision to pay MacDonald less than his predecessor is also part of a broader trend in college sports towards reallocating resources to player compensation and revenue sharing.

The details

MacDonald has won over 500 games as a college coach, including a 61-3 record over the past two seasons at Daemen. He is the only coach in college basketball history to win more than 100 games at the Division I, II, and III levels. MacDonald has had previous head coaching stints at Canisius and Division III Medaille. He will replace Mark Schmidt, who retired after 19 seasons and 341 wins at St. Bonaventure.

  • St. Bonaventure is finalizing the deal to hire MacDonald on Monday, March 30, 2026.
  • MacDonald led Daemen to a 33-2 record and an Elite Eight appearance in the Division II tournament this past season.

The players

Mike MacDonald

A veteran college basketball coach who has won over 500 games across all three NCAA divisions, including a 61-3 record the past two seasons at Daemen University.

Mark Schmidt

The recently retired head coach of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, who led the program to 341 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances over 19 seasons.

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What’s next

St. Bonaventure officials will formally introduce Mike MacDonald as the program's new head coach in the coming days.

The takeaway

The hiring of the experienced and successful Mike MacDonald signals a new direction for the St. Bonaventure basketball program as they look to rebuild and compete in the Atlantic 10 conference. MacDonald's track record of winning at multiple NCAA levels, combined with the university's shift towards increased player compensation, could help revitalize the Bonnies and make them a force to be reckoned with in the years ahead.