Top NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski’s decision to retire from ESPN is massive news in the basketball and media world. But what comes next for the former reporter is a story with significant implications in college basketball.
Wojnarowski is becoming the latest (and certainly highest-profile) name to accept a general manager position in college basketball, joining his alma mater, the St. Bonaventure Bonnies men’s basketball program. His role, per the news release distributed by the school Wednesday morning, will involve “managing a wide range of responsibilities including NIL opportunities and as a liaison with collectives; transfer portal management; recruit, family and alumni player relationships; professional player programs; and program fundraising.” After reporting for years on the inner workings of NBA front offices, Wojnarowski’s new gig essentially is leading the front office for a college basketball team.
College football programs have been building out personnel departments separate from the coaching staff for years. Now, with roster management and NIL resource allocation (and revenue-sharing on the horizon) becoming increasingly important parts of building top basketball programs, many programs at all levels of the sport are hunting for general managers. Duke was among the first programs to invest in the position, hiring former Nike sports marketing executive Rachel Baker to help players with personal branding and NIL partnerships. Since, programs at every level have made hires in that role, with backgrounds from all walks of the basketball and business worlds.
Syracuse (Alex Kline), Butler (Tony Bollier) and even Howard (Daniel Marks) have hired former NBA scouts/personnel to fill the role, while Texas Tech brought in grassroots basketball organizer Kellen Buffington, who has deep ties to the state of Texas. Wojnarowski is the first national media member from the basketball world to take such a job in college, but top 247Sports football analyst Barton Simmons now serves as Vanderbilt football’s GM and several media members have pivoted to jobs in NBA front offices in recent years.
The role has different responsibilities depending on the program and hire. Some are hired to boost talent evaluation efforts, others to manage relationships with player agents who increasingly represent players while still in college. In some programs, the role functions more as a fundraiser, helping source NIL deals and collective donations. And given the fast-moving changes to the sport that could be even further accelerated by the impending House settlement that will usher in revenue-sharing, it may be a while before programs actually settle on the most valuable ways to deploy these positions. But coaches Sports Illustrated has spoken to in the past several months overwhelmingly believe these “front office” jobs are an inevitability in the new era of the sport. One coaching agent even told SI earlier this year he believed that at some point, the GM could become the most important and highest-paid staff member outside of the head coach in many college programs. Alabama football giving GM Courtney Morgan a multiyear deal worth $825,000 annually in August was seen as a sea change in terms of the level of investment on the football side, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see basketball follow in those footsteps.
The situation with Wojnarowski and St. Bonaventure is unique. Wojnarowski has long been a supporter of the school and has been active in helping the program in the NIL space. In February, he and his wife, Amy, pledged $50,000 to the school’s NIL collective, Team Unfurl, with another $50,000 promised as part of a matching donations campaign. He also tweeted several times in the offseason about the program’s spring recruiting efforts, engaging with new signees of the program. Last offseason, one player being recruited by St. Bonaventure in the transfer portal told a rival school he spent time on the phone with Wojnarowski prior to making his decision (he eventually chose St. Bonaventure). While this may be a retirement job and an opportunity to spend more time around his alma mater, it seems likely Wojnarowski will be heavily invested in helping the Bonnies win. Plus, his relationships throughout the basketball world, particularly with agents, should be beneficial for SBU in recruiting, as should his intimate knowledge of how NBA front offices operate.
Should every school count on being able to bring back perhaps its most prominent alumnus in basketball in a role like this? Clearly not. The fact that Wojnarowski’s “retirement job” is stepping into the chaotic world of college basketball and NIL is an illustration of just how taxing his former job was and how passionate he is about the Bonnies.
That said, Wojnarowski’s pivot into college basketball should give plenty of attention to the new world of general managers. This “Woj Bomb” might not be announcing a big trade or top free-agent signing, but the impact of someone as high profile as Wojnarowski taking a job like this should have ripple effects throughout the sport as programs across the country. Investment in general managers across college basketball was already rising, but Wojnarowski has a chance to be a major trendsetter in his new role.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Is Adrian Wojnarowski’s New Job As a College Basketball General Manager?.
