"Had never been on a plane before": St. Bonaventure's latest commit opens up about Adrian Wojnarowski's role in his recruitment

Joe Grahovac said that his decision to join St. Bonaventure was life changing and he credits NBA insider and St. Bonaventure General manager Adrian Wojnarowski for making things a bit simpler. Wojnarowski, who previously served as ESPN's NBA insider, took on the role of men's basketball genral manager at St. Bonaventure, where one of the things he did was sign Grahovac.

Grahovac played at the So-Cal Fall Juco Jamboree in Cerritos last September, and that was when Wojnarowski took notice. Since then, both of them have been in constant communication before St. Bonaventure announced the signing of the 6-foot-10 forward on Wednesday, tagging him “One of the Nation’s top junior college stars.”

Speaking in an interview, which was shared on Ballertv on Wednesday, Grahovac revealed how his journey to St. Bonaventure started.

"So he (Wojnarowski) came out for our first game. He was there early, actually, like we were warming up for like an hour before, and he was already there. And I was like, 'oh boy', you know, the nerves were starting to set in,” Grahovac said in a documentary on Baller TV.

“Woj has always like, reached out to me or stayed in contact. And he's, like, been super down to earth. And, yeah, I'm glad to have him in my corner.

“Visiting St. Bonaventure felt like a dream or a movie. You know, I had never been on a plane before. I felt like Jack Skellington when he goes through that Christmas door in the movie ‘A Nightmare Before Christmas’, like where he sees the snow for the first time. That's really how I felt. The snow was on the trees, and we were driving out there, and it was just really beautiful," Grahovac added.

Grahovac has one of the most interesting stories among NCAA recruits this year. Barely months ago, he was just a normal guy who went to school for the sake of it and did odd jobs to get by. A product of a broken home, it was not all smooth for Grahovac while growing up.

Although he loved basketball, he did not do so well when he was younger. To make matters worse, he also did not have cable TV to follow the game. The consequence was that he got to learn the rules of the game a bit late in life.

Things took a turn in 2023 when he was invited to join Future College Prep and then Fullerton. From then on, things began to look good.

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What will Grahovac offer St. Bonaventure?

At 6-foot-10, Joe Grahovac offers a lot of length on the floor. But what is interesting is that he plays as a point guard. Last season, he averaged 15.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.7 blocks per game. That earned him the SoCal 3C2A California State Player of the Year.

Grahovac is quite prolific from the floor, as he shot 63%. He also has a high basketball IQ, as he is great at creating plays. With proper training, this diamond in the rough could become one of the best players in the NCAA next season.

The Bonaventure Bonnies have already lost Melvin Council Jr., Lajae Jones and Jonah Hilton. But the recruitment of Grahovac is a good one for them.