St. Bonaventure AD resigns amid NIT controversy

St. Bonaventure AD Joe Manhertz resigned Friday night amid the athletic department’s handling of postseason men’s basketball play which “sparked controversy among the SBU fan base” after the school contacted the NIT selection committee to “withdraw from any potential bids before the bracket was released.” Manhertz’s statement Wednesday -- after an ESPN graphic Tuesday night revealed the school as one of 17 teams to “decline” the NIT -- "cited both 'logistics' of a road game and player availability due to injury and the transfer portal as reasons for the decision." But that decision was “not communicated to fans or SBU players, creating confusion” when the ESPN graphic aired on the opening night of the NIT. The school will make a decision on who will serve as the interim AD “early next week" and the search for a permanent AD will begin in April ( OLEAN TIMES-HERALD, 3/23 ).