PITTSBURGH — A surprise run in the A-10 tournament came to an end in the quarterfinals on Friday, as the 13th seeded Bonnies fell 68-63 against the fourth seeded Dayton Flyers.

After 19 years, 340 wins, and 3 NCAA tournament appearances for the Bonnies, the Schmidt era has come to an end; leading the Bonnies into the future, and for now, into the unknown.

St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt (right) talks with Dayton coach Anthony Grant (left) prior to Friday’s Atlantic 10 quarterfinal tournament game in Pittsburgh.

Greg Fiume/Atlantic 10 Conference

Dayton coach Anthony Grant, who has faced off against Schmidt in conference since 2017, said he relished those battles.

“In my opinion, he’s one of the best coaches in all of college basketball,” Grant said. “It’s been an honor to coach against him. The talent he finds and develops, it’s incredible.”

Schmidt said his last year wasn’t without challenges. Coming into the season, the Bonnies were forced to replace 11 of their 13 players, with one of the smallest NIL budgets in the conference. Undeniably, the Bonnies face a new set of challenges as the landscape of college basketball changes around them.

They suffered a slew of injuries heading into conference play, and a series of close losses that might have broken another team’s spirit. Schmidt said his team was devastated after Friday’s loss, but have plenty to be proud of.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better effort,” Schmidt said. “We’re a bit undersized, and with injuries we were really down to about seven guys. We had a lot of close losses. If we didn’t have character guys and guys that love each other, they would’ve split a long time ago. But they didn’t. They hung in there, they supported each other, they supported the staff. I’m really proud of them.”

The Bonnies’ tournament run was marked by a dramatic defensive improvement, after finishing last in the conference in points allowed per possession during the regular season.

First, they swayed their game against La Salle with two-way dominance over a seven minute run. They limited George Mason to just 57 points.

St. Bonaventure’s Frank Mitchell (00) goes up for a layup against Dayton in Friday’s Atlantic 10 Conference quarterfinal tournament game in Pittsburgh.

Greg Fiume/Atlantic 10 Conference

They limited the fourth seeded Flyers to just 35% shooting from the field. They forced 13 turnovers. Despite allowing the Flyers to get 28 free throws, it was about as close to a complete defensive performance as the Bonnies have had all season.

Junior Buddy Simmons II, an electric scorer during his first year with the Bonnies, scored all 20 of his points in the second half. Mitchell was as dominant an inside scorer as ever, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds and three steals.

Mitchell reflected on what his year at St. Bonaventure meant to him, coming from Minnesota in the Big Ten.

“Man, it’s a lifetime,” Mitchell said. “I wouldn’t go to another big school — I’d stay right here. I’ll still call Coach all the time and be just as annoying. He’s a guy I look up to, he’s a father figure to me. This year, with my teammates, my coaching staff, I wouldn’t trade it. I got to come out every day, make jokes, laugh, be goofy, and they loved me for who I was.”

It goes without saying that the Bonnies fell short. They hit just 2-7 free throws in the final two minutes. They weren’t able to break through, hit enough shots, get the right bounces. But by the end of the year, they looked like the team they aspired to be at the start of the season.

“We were right there,” Schmidt said. “When something like that happens, not the way you wanted, it hurts. But I’m proud of what they accomplished. And I told the guys, if this is the worst thing that happens to you, you’ve lived a really great life.”

Schmidt confirmed he has no interest whatsoever in coaching again. “Maybe if the Boston Celtics come calling” he quipped. In his final press conference, he joked (at least partially) in trademark style about how he couldn’t wait to stop talking to the media and drink a Sam Adams.

He said he can’t wait to golf next at Bartlett Country Club, a course he smiled and called “the best course in the world.”

The Bonnies’ 2025-2026 season wasn’t perfect, and, like anyone else’s tenure, neither was Schmidt’s. But he came into a program, at its lowest point, and resurrected it. He built relationships. He graduated players. He set records, and he created memories.

At the end of it all, coming into a program that Schmidt was told by outsiders was a “suicide job”, he made himself a home. And he said he’ll always see himself as an Olean guy.

“(For the next coach) you have to make sure that you become a part of the community,” Schmidt said. “It’s prideful, tough, committed. I’m an Olean, Allegany guy, and that’s a good thing. I take pride in telling people that. The next guy who comes in, he has to embrace that.”

Bonnies’ coach Mark Schmidt coached his last game on Friday during his team’s 68-63 loss against Dayton in the A-10 Tournament in Pittsburgh.

Henry Buchan/Olean Times Herald