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George Halcovage III the next UB Men's Basketball Coach


Jeseph

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5 minutes ago, Jeseph said:

Gotta assume we'll learn of at least one assistant today. If it weren't raining I would just take my dog for an 8hr walk....

It would be nice to have a couple guys rolling around the Final Four with UB gear on, flying the flag. But we might just see the major roll out Tuesday after the Championship game. What's everyone's bet on if we retain Foley? I'm leaning towards no, unless GH wants him to keep the roster intact (😉).

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30 minutes ago, MuchMany said:

It would be nice to have a couple guys rolling around the Final Four with UB gear on, flying the flag. But we might just see the major roll out Tuesday after the Championship game. What's everyone's bet on if we retain Foley? I'm leaning towards no, unless GH wants him to keep the roster intact (😉).

My bet would be that he better have his little black book ready and it better be impressive

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Some background on Halcovage from assorted Athletic articles. No guarantee that he follows the Wright/Nova playbook to the letter, but it makes up 100% of his basketball DNA (and seemingly 80% of his actual DNA).

-Halcovage’s parents both attended Villanova. So did a brother and a sister. His mother is one of nine kids. Eight went to Villanova. His father is one of four. Three went to Villanova. Both grandparents on his mother’s side went to Villanova. Marty McCarthy, Halcovage’s uncle, was a walk-on for Rollie Massimino. Halcovage started going to games when he was 5 and attending camps in middle school.

-“We want guys who want to be pushed, who aren’t afraid to work hard, and who recognize they are part of something bigger than themselves,’’ Halcovage says.

-Neptune and Halcovage say that’s why they pull no punches with recruits. They promise only that the experience will be grueling. They guarantee neither playing time nor a starting position. They explain that while Wright rarely will yank a kid for a questionable shot, he will pull him in a heartbeat for lack of effort or selfishness. 

-"Strong, physical, that’s what we pride ourselves on,’’ Halcovage says. Villanova is not for everybody. (It wasn’t, for example, for Jahvon Quinerly.) The Wildcats do not track in vainglory; they’re cyborgs who find the beauty in a shot fake, excitement in a jump stop, and mostly do what they’re told.

-The Wildcats love to talk about “Villanova basketball,’’ an amorphous cliche that can be used to describe good things (“We played Villanova basketball”) or bad (“We didn’t play Villanova basketball tonight”). More specifically, it means selflessness, making an extra pass instead of settling for the hero shot; playing smart instead of recklessly; and doing the little things necessary to win a game. After the 2016 championship game, assistant coach George Halcovage took it a step further, saying the coaches liked to tell their players “be the best street sweeper you can be.’’

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4 minutes ago, MuchMany said:

-Halcovage’s parents both attended Villanova. So did a brother and a sister. His mother is one of nine kids. Eight went to Villanova. His father is one of four. Three went to Villanova. Both grandparents on his mother’s side went to Villanova. Marty McCarthy, Halcovage’s uncle, was a walk-on for Rollie Massimino. Halcovage started going to games when he was 5 and attending camps in middle school.

Not saying he won't bolt for an intermediate job but I think it's in our best interests that Villanova basketball does well for the foreseeable future.

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1 minute ago, rma said:

Not saying he won't bolt for an intermediate job but I think it's in our best interests that Villanova basketball does well for the foreseeable future.

I was thinking the same thing. There will always be gravity back towards the Main Line and his network is Nova-centric, for better or worse TBD. One positive I can pull from his background is the fact that he directly saw the benefits of continuity, consistency, and culture (the 3 C's?). Not saying he stays here forever, but his coaching heritage doesn't really produce mercenaries.

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I think, assuming we see success, his list of "jump" opportunities is likely shorter with 'Nova obviously being the dream job. We'll obviously need a significant increase in available funds to keep him around but at a glance this seems more promising than some coaches who very obviously see us as a launching pad.

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I will take losing coaches to bigger programs all day vs firing coaches for underachieving. The trick may be (if what we saw in this search was true), are we attractive enough to an up and comer again and again who will need to succeed with limited resources or face termination. I want the coach who is not afraid of that challenge but finding that coach may be messy. 

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One thing I am confident is that Halcovage teams will have an identity. On my laundry list of complaints over the last 4 years I think the most glaring for me is that Whitesell had rosters with players on them, not teams. We knew what kind of team we were getting with Hurley: fast, a little arrogant and aggressive. Oats was a little of the same but the arrogance was more subtle and communicated with a smirk, those teams went to battle for each other and held themselves accountable. Whitesell teams were just a group of players wearing the same jersey.

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26 minutes ago, Majortomxiii said:

I will take losing coaches to bigger programs all day vs firing coaches for underachieving. The trick may be (if what we saw in this search was true), are we attractive enough to an up and comer again and again who will need to succeed with limited resources or face termination. I want the coach who is not afraid of that challenge but finding that coach may be messy. 

Can we promise as a fan base to entirely put the question of “where will Halco go next” out of our collective minds for at least the next two years?  I mean, not even entertain a thought.  Let’s just focus in UB basketball for the next two years. 


I want to focus on recruiting the guys in the portal from our end, others in the portal he wants, his assistant coaches, etc.  I am all in on Halco.  Let’s go Bulls!
 

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I like it, definitely a solid hire. Honestly, other than the WNY connection, he checks off a lot of the same boxes that Cohen did (young, high major assistant, strong recruiter, young and hungry, etc.) And, getting a member of the Jay Wright coaching tree is definitely a big plus. Tine will tell. . . 

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12 minutes ago, TawJackson said:

And, getting a member of the Jay Wright coaching tree is definitely a big plus. Tine will tell. . . 

His tree hasn't produced much fruit. With that said, I do think Halcovage is slightly different than the others in the past and is likely in a better situation than other former assistants 

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On 3/30/2023 at 10:30 PM, BrooklynBull said:

It was Etta James.

Correct but Natalie covered the song.Also, used in an ad for a high end car Natalie's version. I think we have a high end coach..   Btw I just listened to both versions I love Eta James original recording , because you feel the soul ...   not the the car lol

Edited by HOWARD 71
rethought
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