St. Bonaventure University President Robert Wickenheiser resigned Sunday in the wake of controversy surrounding the Bonnies’ men’s basketball team. Other school officials could be next, as head coach Jan van Breda Kolff, Wickenheiser’s son and assistant coach Kort Wickenheiser and athletic director Gothard Lane have all been placed on administrative leave, pending review.
Last Monday, the presidents of the Atlantic 10 schools accepted the team’s self-imposed forfeiture of the six games it won with an ineligible player, making it impossible for the GW men’s basketball team to host the first round of the A-10 Tournament.
The Bonnies were also banned from the 2003 A-10 Tournament and players responded by refusing to show for their remaining two games last week. When neither van Breda Kolff, Lane nor Wickenheiser forced the team to play the games, St. Bonaventure drew criticism from around the country and elicited calls for a full house cleaning.
Van breda Kolff, however, told ESPN.com Saturday that he will not resign and intends to remain the Bonnies’ coach next season.
“I have been a coach for 17 years at Princeton, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Pepperdine and St. Bonaventure,” van Breda Kolff said in a statement released Thursday. “During all those years, I have never had an NCAA infraction or violation. I stand on my beliefs and integrity.”
The presidents of the A-10 will discuss St. Bonaventure’s future with the conference in an April 1 meeting.