Big 4 Hoops Blogger

I’m not referring to Halcovage at all with that post. I’m going to be patient and give him the time he needs to turn around the program. My point is that Alnutt’s managing of the basketball program has seen them regress from being one of the top mid-majors in the country to one of the worst teams in D1. The thread is about whether or not Alnutt should be fired. This is more evidence that supports the point.

Title of the thread answers that question.

This is where things currently stand with the men’s basketball program.

I really appreciate your response RMA. That’s probably the most thorough, well put explanation of what Alnutt has done so far as Buffalo’s athletic director. I am guilty of putting a heavy emphasis on football and basketball. In the end, I don’t think Alnutt is going anywhere anytime soon but wanted to address it on here with it being a topic brought up on social media often among the UB fans I interact with. As you brought up, there’s points backing up both sides of the conversation.

Jim Mora Jr. is 100% correct and I've been preaching that on this board for a few years now.

The word to describe most of the UB fanbase right now is apathetic which is the result of football and basketball going from having their best seasons in program history within the past five years to now being among the worst teams in D1 at the present moment.

No one is judging Halcovage right now. I stated in my video it's way too early to evaluate him and the early returns on Burke are encouraging. The Alnutt conversation has more to do with the major regression of MBB/WBB and Football under him the past few years. The Bulls non-money sports have been successful recently but we'd all agree that's not the number one priority for AD's in drumming up community support.

If you like this video and want to see more UB and Buffalo sports takes, please subscribe to my new YouTube channel. I have the link below. I'm hoping to grow it in addition to my Twitter page.

I agree with the majority of this and appreciate the balanced, well thought out response. I think it’s a complicated topic but one that many in the UB fanbase will have varying opinions on. In my video, I try to take a fair viewpoint while also supporting my stance. I was a fan of the Maurice Linguist and Becky Burke hires due to a preference for young up & coming coaches with recruiting ability. I never liked the Jim Whitesell hire although I understood the logic behind it. I'm going to give George Halcovage time due to the situation he's inheriting. My concerns beyond the success of the money sports definitely has to deal with dwindling community support and and a general apathy that has grown among UB fans over the past few years. There was a ton of momentum behind the athletic department from 2015-2020 and it's fading away due to a lack of positive results recently.

Given the major regression in Buffalo's three major money sports, I wonder if it's time for UB to start looking into Mark Alnutt's future with the athletic department. I'm not one to call for people's jobs but the regression in football and basketball is apparent right now. I never expected football and basketball to continue dominating after Lance Leipold, Nate Oats and Felisha Legette-Jack departed but I did expect them to be more competitive and have more opportunities to win MAC Championships. Now, we're seeing football and men's basketball near the bottom of the D1 ranks with WBB still to be determined. I understand that Alnutt has a very difficult job with little support from SUNY or UB's president but it's his job to raise money and look over successful teams, especially in the money sports. I give him credit for raising money for the Murchie Family Fieldhouse but can't overlook his recent botched hires, declining performance of football/basketball and diminished community support. Where do you all stand on this?

Proud of the effort today. I thought both sides of the ball hung in there against Wisconsin. Need to avoid a letdown home opener against Fordham which was a sneaky good FCS program last year.

This is another area where collectives will be vital in the future. Everyone always focuses on using the money to bring in new recruits but it'll also be necessary to raise funds in hopes of retaining your best talent.

Mid-majors have become a feeder system for P5 schools. The good news about that is many P5 players that don't work out will be looking to transfer to mid-majors. Another consequence of the portal is that some talented high school recruits that would've quickly been recruited to P5 schools in the past are forced to sign with mid-major schools with P5 programs opting for "sure things" instead of investing in player development. The days of playing the long term game are over. Coaches have been forced to transition to year-to-year mode instead of building towards the future.

Ohio lands a Top 200 HS recruit in the 2024 class. Ayden Evans is a 6-10 center (listed as 6-8) on 247, a 3 star recruit, ranked 185th in his class and 32nd among centers. He chose the Bobcats over West Virginia, Seton Hall, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Missouri. Bobcats will be anxious to make sure he signs during the fall. https://247sports.com/player/ayden-evans-46118012/ Rivals has him listed as a 4 star player. https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/ayden-evans-286511?view=pv

Buffalo secures a commitment from Missouri State transfer James Graham III. Former 4 star, Top 100 prospect who began his career at Maryland. Looks like he was listed as a sophomore last season so he should have a few years of eligibility remaining. Hasn’t produced much in limited action but would seem to be a player worth taking a chance on based on his previous recruiting profile. https://247sports.com/player/james-graham-46058803/

I can tell you that many Ohio fans thought Javonte Brown was going to Athens and they believe money played a role in his decision to commit to WMU. It's not just about NIL and collectives but how you allocate your resources. Many coaches are being forced to act like GM's with the transfer portal essentially serving as free agency.

Javonte Brown was a player that had visited Syracuse, San Diego State and Ohio this offseason. Former UConn and Texas A&M player who was a Top 125 recruit in high school. Intriguing addition for Western Michigan.

I’m always excited about Ohio and Buffalo hoops. I think the Bobcats are a 20+ win, top 100 team heading into next season. As for UB, I can’t wait to see how Halcovage does year one and how he rebuilds the Bulls program. I’ve always thought that both schools should be in the top five of the MAC on a yearly basis with Akron, Kent and Toledo.

I have no issue with not rooting for him. I personally have no interest in where his career goes from here but do think he’s a decent head coach.

That’s fair. Obviously, I don’t know if the 100k number is true or how they choose to allocate their funds if that indeed is the case. We’ll just have to see how everything plays out.

Let’s not dismiss Calhoun now because he didn’t want to come to UB. He’s a solid coach and has done well at a program that’s very difficult to succeed at. Predicting the better job will never come sounds like wishing him a bad future.

What about roster retention? Ohio just kept their entire team in place and added two solid guards into the mix. They’re also likely to add another big man soon. Boals has mentioned that a big part of the job now is re-recruiting your own players at the end of every season due to the transfer portal. You better believe that NIL is just as important in that regard as it is to adding new talent. And let’s not just downplay Cornish and Mitchell. Cornish in high school would’ve gone down as the highest ranked recruit in UB history. Just because it didn’t work out at Maryland doesn’t mean he’s not a solid transfer for a MAC program. We would be hyping him up a ton if he was coming to Buffalo.

Fair point and you’re right that the list of schools involved weren’t tremendous. Ohio was in the running for talented Monmouth transfer Myles Foster (went to Illinois State) and is pursuing another former Top 200 recruit out of UCONN and Texas A&M. The point is that Boals is being aggressive. I didn’t want to post this because it’s unconfirmed but there was a rumor that Ohio’s collective has raised $100,000 for basketball. That’s not nothing if true…

The reasoning was “why would he leave a job for another similar situation at UB when he can wait for something better?” His contract ended up getting re-worked. Calhoun has also already had success with the portal at YSU which is an awful job.