Oats signs extension to remain men’s basketball coach

UB and men’s basketball coach Nate Oats have agreed to a new five-year contract, Interim Director of Athletics Kathy Twist announced yesterday. The contract runs through the 2023 season.

Oats has led the Bulls to one of their best seasons in university history, with a 24-8 overall record and a No. 1 seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament, underway in Cleveland. UB defeated Central Michigan, 89-74, on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the tournament and moves on to the semifinals.

Under Oats, the Bulls posted a 15-3 record in conference play, winning the MAC regular season title outright for the first time in university history. The 15 MAC wins are a university record, while the 24 overall victories set a new program mark for wins.

Oats on Wednesday was named the 2018 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, just the second UB head coach to win the award and the first since 2004.

“We are very pleased Nate will remain at UB to continue the great success the men’s basketball program has achieved under his leadership,” Twist said. “He has proven himself to be a tremendous leader on and off the court, and a highly respected member of the UB community and MAC conference.”

“I want to thank Kathy Twist and President Satish K. Tripathi for their confidence in both our staff and our program,” Oats said. “We are extremely proud of the accomplishments we have had over these past few years and look forward to continuing to grow the men’s basketball program here at Buffalo. I love this group of players that I get to coach every day and am excited to continue to lead this group. Crystal and I have enjoyed raising our family in Western New York and we are glad that we can continue to do so in such a special place.”

Oats has a 61-38 career record at UB. He already is seventh in university history in wins and the fastest coach in university history to achieve 60 victories, doing so in just under three seasons.