The Heart of Bona’s Basketball
The Heart of Bona’s Basketball
St. Bonaventure to host screening of new documentary
ST. BONAVENTURE - Fans of St. Bonaventure will get a sneak peek of a documentary years in the making called Brown and White: The Heart of Bona’s Basketball. The documentary explores the impact of St. Bonaventure men’s basketball on the university and its Franciscan values, along with how the program reflected changes in American society.
Scenes from the documentary will be showcased at 4:00pm this Friday, October 18th in the Dresser Auditorium of the Murphy Professional Building. This event is free and open to the public but advance registration is recommended.
Produced and directed by Mike Camoin, a 1988 graduate of St. Bonaventure, the film examines the impact of the men’s basketball program over several decades. Camoin’s mission is to highlight the untold stories and contributions by players and coaches to both the university and to the game itself.
“The story goes beyond what took place on the court,” Camoin said. “Brown and White reveals how St. Bonaventure and its basketball program co-exist hand-in-hand and how each thrives on each other’s success. Particularly throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Bonnies mirrored the social and civil rights climate of the nation and its ambition toward advancing the vision of a Great Society.”
The screening will feature interview clips with players and coaches who were instrumental in the program’s surge onto the national scene in the 1960s, including program icons Larry Weise, Sam Stith, Bill Butler and Bob Lanier, along with current basketball coaches Mark Schmidt and Jim Crowley.
Camoin will present excerpts from the work in progress followed by a discussion with Whitey Martin (Class of 1961) and John Hayes (Class of 1969) scheduled to attend the event on campus while Larry Weise (Class of 1958 and Coach from 1961-1973), Sam Stith (Class of 1960) and Bill Butler (Class of 1968) will participate via Zoom. The discussion will be moderated by Tom McElroy (Class of 1974) who spent 20 years at the Big East Conference.
“Brown and White tells an essential story about big dreams, bold aspirations and the wonderful audacity of belief,” said Mike Vaccaro, sports columnist at the New York Post, four-time New York Sportswriter of the Year, and 1989 graduate of St. Bonaventure . The screening will be held in conjunction with the Jandoli School of Communication’s 75th Anniversary Celebration, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19th.
Free, advanced registration, including accessibility to a live stream, is available on EventBrite. For more information on the documentary, visit projectunfurl.com.