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I’m sorry but how the hell was ButlerDad on an advisory committee for this university? He seems to only be here to bash any suggestion that UB, the largest and most comprehensive state university in arguably the most powerful state in the country, could possibly do better than playing in a conference with a bunch of 2nd tier Ohio schools and directional Michigan’s. I encourage everyone to always aim higher and ignore outside opinions like this. It may be far fetched and down the road but AAC is certainly not impossible by any stretch of the imagination.

Good things were happening with UB Basketball. Cierra Dillard named Honorable Mention All-American C.J. Massinburg also named Honorable Mention All-American Nick Perkins Selected to play in NABC All-Star game I realize these are all seniors that won't be here to help the teams next year, but every honor garnered by our players, makes UB more visable to those outside of our little community, and maybe even to prospective coaches.

Ok buddy, maybe your world is all about dollars. I know that is the way that most people look at it. Maybe that is why she is leaving. Maybe she is upset that more wasn't done to promote her program. I don't know what it is, but additionally I can't say for certain that we have done enough to try to keep these coaches here either. We gave them a raise, yippee. They earned it. They won games. They put more asses in seats than in year's past also. No matter what raise UB offered them, a "big program" easily can afford more, and has snatched them away. Could there have been more done for them, beyond a raise here that isn't comparable to another place? Could 500-1000 more people at each of the women's games made her feel that it was worthwhile to be here, versus go for more money and have less support? As for the "MAC IS A STEPPING STONE", I hear you. If I could sign up for a new coach every 3 years who will have the success of the past 2, making the NCAA tourney 2/3 years, winning a game or two along the way, I'd sign up for it. Surely, I'd rather have someone long term who could continue that pattern, but okay, I'll buy in to the stepping stone for a moment. How many "good" coaches do you think we can hit on? Can we hit a home run each time like we did the past two? Everyone hires who they feel is the best. Some are great like Nate/FLJ. Some are mediocre, like Reggie. Some are less than that. If we don't hit a home run with the next men's and women's coach that walks in the door, every single bit of the momentum is lost and we are back to the "Reggie days" or the "Dozier days". Our women's program had several misses prior to FLJ. I don't wish to sit in the stands among a couple hundred people anymore. I enjoyed the 2k-3k people at many games this year. I support UB athletics (basketball especially as I greatly enjoy it and have for 20+ years) and get quite tired of the same rhetoric spewed by UB fans saying "we can't" and "we won't" because of one reason or the next. We no kidding we can't or won't if we don't even try. I don't consider giving raises with buyouts that equal 15% of the term of the contract "trying". I don't consider 0 promotions for students during the MAC season for women's basketball "trying". I don't work for UB. I am not a millionaire who can donate 7 figures annually. I'm a "regular person" with a "regular job" who loves his school and teams, and in turn, loves those who are a part of it. I'm happy to donate annually. If everyone who played sports at the school and/or graduated from the school donated even $100 annually, we wouldn't have to worry about low-balling a contract offer, because we'd have more than enough to pay anything. When they leave, a piece of me leaves too. It's why I got tired of hearing about "metrics" all season long. Why haven't I heard that word in the last week? Because it didn't matter. It never did. 31 wins in the regular season mattered, and we were still a 6 seed. Maybe that's why he left. How much better can a team do than 31 freaking wins, yet still get slighted with a 6 seed. Maybe getting only 2 MAC teams in, and getting set up against UCONN and ND in the 2nd round for those teams, not getting a 100% deserving Ohio team into the tournament, maybe that's why FLJ says that it can't be done here. Maybe it's all about the Benjamins. Regardless, I wish to support these teams. Ok, rant over. I'm just sad to see 2 people who have been here for 6 years and made many hours of my life better, leave. We're better off having had them here, but I will absolutely miss them and their families. I simply hope that we can hit those home runs and build/maintain recent success. If not, it will become a very dark set of days for UB athletics. I'm hopeful, always the optimist, but also the realist.

Alright, so bear with me, I've had a couple... I'm sitting here in Winston-Salem, NC on a work trip thinking. I'm feverishly refreshing my twitter feed trying to find out who the next UB Men's Basketball coach will be, all the while hearing murmurs that FLJ might be off to Penn State... and it got me thinking. What can we, as UB fans, UB Alums, do to stop this trend? The answer is probably not much, but I'd love to explore. I'm a 32 year old 2008 Jacobs Management alum that has an undying passion for college sports. I grew up in a Florida Gator family. My uncle went to school with Steve Spurrier and all I knew growing up was the Fun N' Gun. From a young age I loved college sports. Now, we all know that NCAA sports has changed dramatically over the past 25 years. Not too awfully similar to NASCAR, it's be come an industry once known for it's off-the-grid passion and under the radar entertainment value to a big business. We all know the stories of the $1B the NCAA makes off of March Madness and the transfers and the coaches jumping ship to the next biggest paycheck, but I digress. As UB fans and Alums, what can we, as average middle-class citizens do to raise the profile, and ultimately the brand, of UB? I wanted to believe that we caught a unicorn in Nate Oats and his staff. And while I admittedly have taken his departure all to personal, I wonder what can someone like me with, at most, $20,000 a year in donations do to help? Probably nothing is the unfortunate answer. I'll likely never have a facility named after me (see the Murchie family), but I thought about asking Mark Alnutt for a meeting. I thought about spending my own money to fly up and talk with the man to see what is it an Average Joe who played baseball for two years and has a burning passion to see my Alma-Mater succeed could do. The truth is, he's been at UB for less than a year and has aspirations for a Power 5 job, possibly at his Alma-Mater, Missouri, if my memory serves me right. He does not "get" UB. He wasn't here when Turner Gill walked away for Kansas or when Leon !*$Q&$*) Williams tipped in that buzzer beater in Cleveland or when Jeff Quinn didn't pan out or when we had to say goodbye to a fan favorite in Reggie Witherspoon or when we dropped baseball. We've seen AD after AD leave for the likes of UConn, UCF and Auburn. I'm proud of that, in a sense. UB's DNA is scattered throughout the landscape of college sports. UCF is a "National Champion", Auburn is Final Four bound and Warde is now overseeing a behemoth at Michigan. But, what about UB? Is it donor funds? If we rallied UB alum across the county, could we wake a sleeping giant? We have a current student body of over 30,000. That compares to some of the big boys. Is it conference affiliation, which you and I have no control over? Unfortunately, I do not have answers and unfortunately I don't think this thread will come up with many. I want to keep this free of SUNY bashing and MAC discrediting and especially the ridicule of individuals like Nate Oats, Bryan Hodgson, Mark Alnutt and President Tripathi. Do we as UB loving fans and alum need to be more vocal? Not just in the good times, but always? I'll admit, I became a Blue & White Fund donor to the Men's Basketball Excellence Fund only after last year and a cry support via this board (Thanks @Jeseph), but it's been the best thing I've done in terms of donating. I feel more connected and more invested (both literally and figuratively). I now live in Knoxville, TN and am surrounding by a rabid, all-be-it delusional, University of Tennessee fan base. These people love their teams and university like none I've ever seen. I'm sure drawing numbers for Saturdays in the fall is easy when you're hosting top 25 teams on the regular and you know you're one year away from being the top story on SportsCenter makes is easier. Is it that? Is it passion? Or is it the opportunity, even if your team sucks, (and believe me UT football has sucked) to make a splash on the national landscape when hosting Alabama, Florida or Georgia any given week? Thank you Danny White, Bobby Hurley, Allan Greene and Nate Oats. Thanks for making us relevant. Thank you for having my colleagues giving me unsolicited complainants this season, saying things like "Man, UB is really good!" or "I've got Buffalo in my Sweet 16!". I'm willing to hear everyone out here. I want to help and raise UB to the platform we all know we deserve. To be on the tongue of all fans, recruits and sportscasters nation wide. GO BULLS!

Ok this thread has been purged of off-topic posts (as well as I could and yes, I included posts of my own). Back to the search! If you want to carry on the side conversations, have at it: http://ubfan.com/bb/index.php?/topic/480-frustrated-ub-fans-talking-about-stuff/

If that is the case, we could at least as a fanbase have grace.

Anything he says would be boiler plate. This is just something fans complain about, but at the end of the day, either we'll be happy with the hire or upset with the hire and nothing in between will matter much.

Pass unless he's an assistant

Joseph is correct. IT'S NOT HAPPENING SO DROP IT!. No-one is running with bags of $$$ shouting... "UB UB UB".

Hopeful thinking here. Spring game is on a Friday again I believe. Do the celebration before the game like last year and have it be the public's first chance to interact with the new coach(es).

Hoping they know to consult with us; the experts!

I don't have the answer, but I overheard ButlerAlumDad's vision and it goes a little something like this: 1. Reinstate the UB Athletic Advisory Council with BAD as president. 2. Hire present graduate assistant at Butler as UB's new head coach. Assistants will be selected from Monsignor Martin Athletic Association staff because... 3. We will recruit only MMAC players without other scholarship offers to fill our roster. 4. Do away with Blue Collar gimmick of Coach Oats. Replace by branding ourselves "The Butler of the East." Our formal motto will be: "SUNY Buffalo- New York State's Butler. Serving families of NYC and LI since 1863." Commentators will simply refer to us as "Butler's Butler." 5. At coach's introductory press conference, all questions regarding how to recruit to Buffalo, compete in the MAC, and put on a pair of pants will be answered glibly with: "The Butler Way." 6. Marshawn Lynch will mistake the condescending pretense of "The Butler Way" responses for a principled stand against forced media sessions. He will replace Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas as our most vocal ex-Bill backer and... 7. Be named to the board of the UB Foundation, where he will... 8. Spearhead the sale of Alumni Arena (a poor venue, after all), and... 9. Invest the proceeds along with our endowment to purchase common stock in Dave and Buster's Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: PLAY, market cap 1.95B), threatening to attempt a hostile takeover unless... 10. The company is renamed Dave and Butler's. 11. Butler's Butler receives a generous donation from Dave and Butler's to build a new arena (The Butler), prompting... 12. Generous donors to come out of the woodwork. 13. Buffalo wins the 2022 National Championship. 14. Kevin writes an article the night of the title win lamenting the poor efficiency rating in the title game win and ponders the potential for a low KenPom rating to begin the 2023 season. 15. Dave and Butler's stock soars, The Butler of the East sells, and using the earnings and publicity from the National Championship win to garner entrance to the Big Ten. 16. Nate Oats and Bryan Hodgson are last seen hosting a 3 a.m. public access program on Alabama basketball. The only caller is an intoxicated Bruce Pearl who hurls insults at the unsuspecting coaches. The show ends as follows: Oats: Thanks for tuning in! And just remember... Hodgson: From Mobile to Tuscaloosa... Together: Alabama is BASKETBALL COUNTRY!

I’m just going to stay hopeful that they land someone that will keep us from returning to average. The Buffalo roots thing makes sense but if someone fits the bill that doesn’t have previous ties to the city then by all means they should be interviewed

Heh, I made the topic a bit more productive so you wouldn't get blamed for it 😛 Yea, between Reggie's offense and from the rankings at UAB I'm not sure he would be the right fit for this roster (and overall direction of the program's style of play).

Of the names mentioned, I'm hoping it's Fife. And he's locked up until there weekend.

Hey I was the first purge! Yay! Seriously though, I loved Turner Battle as a player but if he’s going to bring the 290th ranked pace of play than sorry but not interested. Alnutt taking his time, sure hope he makes the right choice here.

Can we please keep this about UB and UB news. I really couldn’t care less about UCLA and their coach search

My concern with Turner Battle is that he's bring the Reggie style of play back to UB.

I feel like the UB job should be a bigger deal now. This team was Top-25 all season and they are a recognizable basketball brand. No offense to Turner Battle...just hoping for someone who brings some top-shelf experience here and an exciting up-tempo style. I know Hurley and Oats were first time NCAA coaches at UB. Not sure I want to go that route for this hire? It's a tough call.

Jumping the gun?

I was including only section VI/MMA players. Section V, III, etc tend to have greater D1 depth on a yearly basis, even if it is just slightly more. Another section V player is slated as an incoming freshman next season. Hopefully that trend of drawing some of the top local talent can continue no matter whom is coaching the team...even if the local depth isn't present.

I follow the local girls/womens basketball scene closely and there just is not the depth of D-1 in this area on a year-in, year-out basis to be able to provide a backbone of team depth or crowd support. Over the past decade, there have been about 2-3 D-1 players per graduating class in the WNY area, with the vast majority playing at low to mid-majors. Summer has arguably had the second most successful local D-1 career over the past 8-10 years, with Healy at Bonaventure being the first. As for coaches, there are some promising locals in the area but making the jump from D3, etc with only a few years experience to D1, especially a team that has had recent success, would seem quite the undertaking.

The bar was set impressively low 😂 Even when things were all good/happy FLJ has been the better public ambassador since day one IMO

I hope she exits in a classier manner.

That was supposed to be Felisha Legette Jack (though admittedly much younger). Failed at a big job, now close to family, winning games, a year away from the all time wins record....and she’s gone.

If you want to know about what you can do I would suggest not starting at the top but with the Development Office. Depending on what your thoughts are for what you want to do there would be different people to contact. Work your way around this site http://bullsbwf.com/ and then contact the person who is in charge of what you would like to do. I do not know how you split up your $20,000.00 a year donation budget, but with a multiyear gift you could possibly name something after your self. The more you are willing to give the bigger the place where your name could go. I think that part of your frustration is over UB not being a final destination job for coaches and administrators. The question is if there really is a true final destination for a coach or administrator anymore. This is an issue even for the big boys. Saban walked away from the Michigan State for LSU (in a rather ugly situation, repeated when he went to the Dolphins and then Alabama). Williams walked away from Kansas for North Carolina (admittedly his alma mata). If you want a coach to stay for the long term at UB you need a coach like Frank Solich. He was fired because winning 9-10 games a year was not enough at Nebraska. He ends up at Ohio and is pretty much going to a bowl game every year with occasional trips to MAC Championship game. Everyone there is happy with that and he has no desire to go back to the BS that is involved with the big programs. The problem is that it is hard to find 60 year old coaches in that situation. The good news is that if the big programs are hiring away coaches from UB it means that UB is making the right hires and winning. In a world of haves and have nots it will be almost impossible for UB to match the salaries that the big schools can pay. So sit back and enjoy what is happening now an it will hopefully continue.

2007 Jacobs here what up! 1) We lived through the worst, and even our most uninspired times (i.e. quinn) we haven't gone backwards. So that keeps me happy, we've stumbled, but we've moved forward, faster than I thought possible. 2) Win. In the era before us, there was nothing to capture hearts and minds. We had the '05 Basketball team and the '08 Football team. This year will capture a lot more, eventually it will be enough. 3) Personally, I think every fan and donor should be pushing for a plan...if we had a plan, I don't think we'd feel so lost...even if the plan said we'd get our arena renovated in 2030 we'd at least know we're working towards a goal...if our goals were Fieldhouse -> retain coaches ->???, we're now: done -> failed - > ????, and that's a very rough place to be.

Gonzaga of the East is an aspiration...that's like saying I'm done being top 25 that was Oats' thing. Be done with the Blue Collar shirts. We're a University not a trade school. UCLA has the resources to grab almost who ever they want, but they won't SPEND the resources on Athletics that's why they suck. Neither an endorsement nor a denouncement of Hodgson, but I wouldn't make decisions based on emotion. Reminds me of when NIU told noted row enthusiast and alum P.J. Fleck to go elsewhere (because he had previously signed to be OC and then quit after a day to go NFL) worked out well for Fleck and WMU, not as well for NIU. Alnutt was hired via Parker...so this was...expected.

I want a thread free of bashing Oats, and crying about the situation... where we can just talk about the upcoming coaching search. I'd ask @admin for assistance in moderating this thread to keep it positive. Negativity can go to one of the existing threads.

I got bad news for you - nobody wants to be coach of UB basketball per se. They might want the money, a promotion, a stepping stone, etc, but it's not a destination job, so you're going to be disappointed in that with every coach (unless you want them to blow smoke up your butt (and they do)).

First off - I really question your "in the know" people. Next, we are a State school subject to what Albany wants. Next is the UB Foundation group that would put $ to the medical school first. UB might get more applications due to it becoming known, though the school is already close to capacity. I was privy to the costs and budgets a few years ago and costs have increased since then forcing UB to drop sports programs. In case you missed my post, UB is 1 sport away from losing D1for some sports (those not in MAC). UB is in the MAC as it only requires 4 sports to be league members vs other conferences requiring 16+. UB was a good D1 program until the students said no sports money and UB lost D1 football. Basketball was D3. UB only gained D1 status again 30 years ago. Don't trash the MAC. The MAC only requires a member to field 4 sports; Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball and Women's Volleyball. Most FBS leagues require 16 teams as a minimum including baseball and soccer for membership and some leagues are over 20. UB doesn't have the resources, students, interest or facilities to comply with the Big Boys.

Remember what I said about Godgson having clearly turned in his resignation before taking a job at Alabama? Guess I was wrong in that one. Just seems insane to consider that he is still employed here.

I agree a full fair and thorough search is required. Taking their time if it’s called for is fine too. But for Alnut to remain in a secured fortress without making any public comments is a terrible PR mistake.

I think that Caputo for KJ Osborn straight up is a good deal for us.

Is Hodgson an assistant still or not I’m so confused?? Why do they say he remains at UB but is listed in the Alabama directory.

We also get a ton more money. We could be fine. Travel will be an issue no matter how much money.

I’ll be honest, kinda scared the sh*t out of me seeing a new post in the recruiting forum. Thought we lost another recruit/player lol

Taking their time, doing their due diligence. I have no issue with this.

Stop with the endless conference talk, please. Back in topic:

and where are they going to go? They don't have a big time budget and its all teams have to go. UB Football in the Big10? ACC? The Big East is private schools only. It takes $$$. I doubt UB could afford the MAC buyout.

Depends on your point if view I suppose and perhaps just neutral. I just hope when all is said and done the fans and the UB community get a full airing of what the heck has been going on leading up to Nate's leaving and since. I am not confident in Alnut though. He has never as far as I know been front and center where he was promoting his vision, objectives and plans for UB athletics. That's why I will always be a Danny White fan, even though there some things about his tenure I wasn't overly pleased with.

It’s terrible for football too

Not true. There has never been any discussion about dropping football or lowering football other than from people on message boards.

Amazing that since 2001 in Football and M. Basketball, we've only had 8 coaches Hofher -> Gill -> Quinn -> Lance Spoon -> Hurley -> Oats - > New person In the overall scheme of things that's pretty good...especially as 3 of the last 4 departures were to major jobs and not firings... In that time Pitt had 5 Football coaches and 4 Basketball Coaches despite being major... And I think we had a better Football and Basketball season this year than the Panthers.